Vice President JD Vance suggested that Spencer Pratt’s apparent loss in Los Angeles’ mayoral primary is “pretty shady,” pointing to the way mail-in votes continued to be counted after the initial results. The comments came as Pratt fell behind Mayor Karen Bass
Vice President JD Vance told viewers Monday evening that Los Angeles’ mayoral primary result looked “pretty shady” after Spencer Pratt—an ex-reality TV star turned conservative candidate—slipped from second place as mail-in votes continued to be counted.
Vance’s remarks landed as Pratt trailed incumbent Mayor Karen Bass and progressive candidate Nithya Raman during the continuing vote count. He argued that the outcome didn’t match what he expected as ballots were tallied. and he framed the shift as suspicious rather than as a normal feature of California’s voting process.
Speaking on Fox News. Vance said he was baffled by how results could move in a way that knocked the Republican candidate out of the final two. “How is it that you had Karen Bass was in first place. Spencer Pratt was in second place. and then this other woman was in third place?” Vance asked. He then complained that the pattern voters expected as additional ballots were counted never emerged. “You would expect these mail-in ballots to kind of meet that same basic pattern. ” he said. though his description did not match how the count had played out.
Vance continued: “But somehow, we find ourselves in a situation where, No. 1, they’re still receiving ballots, not just counting ballots, Jesse; they’re still receiving ballots, and, No. 2. the way that they’re coming in just so happens to work out such that the Republican is getting kicked out of the final two. so it’s a Democrat-versus-Democrat runoff. That seems pretty shady to me.”.
Pratt had been in second place as votes were reported earlier on election night. But as more and more mail-in ballots were counted, Raman surpassed him. By Monday, it was determined that Raman will face off with incumbent Karen Bass in the November election. Mail-in ballots will continue to be accepted until the end of Tuesday. and they can be counted until the end of the month.
California’s mail-in system. which allows the counting to take time. has also become fuel for conspiracy theories—particularly because President Donald Trump has pushed falsehoods about elections. Vance’s “pretty shady” framing fits into that broader Republican refrain. even as the state’s rules explain why results can shift after the first wave of reporting.
California also runs what it calls a “jungle primary.” In that system. the top two candidates in the primary—regardless of party—advance to the general election. That structure is what produces a scenario in which the November mayoral matchup can end up as Democrat-versus-Democrat rather than a cross-party contest.
Vance’s comments extended beyond the mayor’s race into arguments about voting procedures. Republicans have seized on California’s lack of photo identification requirements, claiming it makes elections untrustworthy. While California does not require ID to vote. if someone is voting for the first time. they may be asked to show photo ID. such as a gym membership card.
On Fox News. Vance said that allowing a gym membership card as acceptable ID means the elections “don’t have the legitimacy they need.” He also said. “It’s insane that we have a state not only that doesn’t ask for your identification but will throw you in jail if your an elections official who is asking for identification.” The passage refers to a claim that is untrue—a position Trump has also promoted.
On Monday, Trump backed Vance’s suggestion about rigging, also without evidence. “Not possible for Spencer Pratt to have lost the L.A. runoffs after the big lead he had,” Trump wrote. “3rd World Nation. Rigged Elections!. Now they’ll be working on great guy Steve Hilton. Won’t have results for. possibly. TWO WEEKS. according to officials.” Hilton is running as a Republican in the state’s gubernatorial race.
Even though The Associated Press has already called the race—reporting that Raman and Bass will face off in the November runoff—Pratt still appeared to be pressing his case for a different outcome. Monday. he wrote on X: “Folks. we’re dealing with a fraction of a percentage point difference. there’s still hundreds of thousands of votes outstanding. and LA officials have given us the next 3 weeks to count!. Let’s git-r-dun!”.
JD Vance Spencer Pratt Los Angeles mayoral primary Karen Bass Nithya Raman mail-in ballots jungle primary President Donald Trump Fox News voting ID Steve Hilton