Spencer Pratt praised by Dem strategists after debate

Spencer Pratt trounced the competition so thoroughly in his first Los Angeles mayor’s race debate this week that the former reality TV star now thinks he can clear the field by securing a majority of votes in the June primary — and even some Democratic strategists are starting to buy what he’s selling.

“I’m confident I’m probably going to win with 51% [of the vote] on June 2nd, because I don’t do a political message,” Pratt bullishly said after Wednesday’s NBC debate against Mayor Karen Bass and lefty councilwoman Nithya Raman.

“What people are confused on, the Democrats all are behind me. It’s just the socialists and the communists that don’t back me.”

If a candidate gets more than 50% of the vote during June’s primary, they win immediately and no runoff is needed. If the candidates do not clear 50%, the two who secured the most votes move into a runoff.

Pratt, 42, a father of two, compared his rise to that of Barack Obama, pointing out how he rose from community organizer to president.

”I’ve won two community advocate awards… Nobody thought, ‘Why can Obama become a senator and then the president?’ He had no experience running the whole entire country, which is way bigger than L.A.,” Pratt told CBS.

Veteran Democrat political consultant Michael Trujillo, who worked on Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaigns, said Pratt’s performance is making waves on all sides of Los Angeles’ political spectrum.

“Unfortunately, my entire life is talking to people in the industry, but I can report that everyone was pleasantly — or unpleasantly — surprised by Spencer Pratt’s debate performance,” Trujillo told The California Post.

“Spencer had a very low bar to jump over, and he did that with many feet to spare.”

Polling after of the debate shows that Pratt – a Palisades Fire victim best known for his role as a villain on the MTV reality series “The Hills” – was the clear winner, with 90% of viewers saying he beat Mayor Bass and Raman.

Perhaps even more consequential was a poll question showing that nearly a fifth of viewers – 19% – said the debate changed how they plan to vote ahead of the June 2 primary election.

According to last month’s UCLA Luskin poll, a staggering 40% of voters remain undecided.

Mayor Bass led the field with 25% support, while Pratt came in second with 11%, overtaking Democratic socialist Raman, who was at just at 9%. Bass has maintained a firm grip on first place with support in the low-to-mid 20s, but Pratt is gaining ground.

Prominent Los Angeles political strategist Elizabeth Ashford told The Post Pratt’s climb in the polls may continue after he eviscerated the mayor and Raman in Wednesday’s debate.

“I think he surprised viewers by articulating things that are on a lot of people’s minds in a direct way,” Ashford said.

“Spencer Pratt doesn’t bring experience to the race, but he brings a perspective that Angelenos are living with – it feels like the response to the Palisades fire and the exodus in Hollywood and the response to crime and homelessness has been totally inadequate.”

The Hills star’s background outside of politics is seen as a strength as he positions himself as a truth teller on issues such as crime, drugs, homelessness and the cost of living – themes that have dominated political discourse in Los Angeles.

Pratt has been successfully targeting undecided voters with viral campaign videos such as “They Not Like Us”, where he compared the affluent homes of Bass and Raman with shots of homelessness and squalor — as well as his trailer perched on the ruins of his $2.5 million Palisades family home destroyed in the 2025 LA fires.

Pratt’s blunt, candid delivery – ditching political jargon in favor of hard-hitting attacks and a strong command of the numbers – is striking a chord with frustrated Los Angeles voters fed up with traditional politicians, particularly over the city’s spiraling homelessness and drug crisis.

“The reality is no matter how many beds you give these people, they are on super meth, they are on fentanyl,” Pratt said during Wednesday’s debate.

“The DEA statistics say 93% of this is a drug addiction problem. Councilwoman Raman’s plan for treatment first, I will go below the Harbor Freeway tomorrow with her,  and we can find some of the people she can offer treatment for — she’s going to get stabbed in the neck.”

That and other zingers led Trujillo to quip to The Post: “If Spencer Pratt is having a hard time paying rent after being displaced by the fire, he should know he’s living rent-free in Nithya Raman’s head.”

Matt Klink, a longtime Los Angeles political consultant, was seated just 20 feet from the debate stage Wednesday and walked away believing Pratt has an opportunity few could have seen coming.

“Spencer Pratt is actually more than just a social media star,” Klink told The Post.

“He nails what’s wrong with the city of LA, but he also has some very common-sense ideas on how to fix it, and he doesn’t sound like a politician.

”That’s his superpower.”

Still, questions remain about whether Pratt’s communication style can translate into a viable governing agenda.

“Even though he’s not an experienced politician or leader, saying truthful things out loud is very powerful,” Ashford said.

“On the balance, I think as a communicator he did a good job. Now will that translate into policies that are legal and enforceable? That’s very much to be determined.”

Trujillo and other political strategists weren’t ready to go call Pratt the favorite, but the debate could be a turning point when the race turned.

“I think it’s too early to tell (if he’ll win),” Trujillo said, “but he did lay the first brick to building his new house — and potentially living at the Getty House.”

The mayor’s mansion would certainly be an upgrade from Pratt’s trailer.

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