California voters frustrated by the routine failures of state and local leadership look set to send Spencer Pratt and Steve Hilton to runoff elections for mayor and governor after the first few ballot drops.
In a major rebuke of Democrat rule in both Los Angeles and the state, both Pratt and Hilton held their positions steady Wednesday night. Hilton remained in the lead for the governor’s race with 27.6% of the vote and Xavier Becerra was in second place with 25.6% with 56% of the vote counted.
Pratt remained in second place with 29.91% of the vote behind Karen Bass at 34.97%. Nithya Raman trailed Pratt in third place with 22.81%.
Pratt, who rose to fame as the bad boy in MTV’s show “The Hills,” is nipping at the heels of incumbent Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass — all but assuring the two will meet again in November’s general election. Pratt trailed Bass by less than 27,000 votes with 63% of the vote counted, according to the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder.
Matthew Klink, a conservative political strategist in Los Angeles, told The Post that Pratt has a real chance if his “clever” campaign — fueled by inventive AI videos and street art exposing the city’s blight and corruption — continues to pour it on thick and avoid the status quo of policy papers and canned statements.
Pratt’s persistent banging of the drum of public safety issues and the lackluster response to the deadly LA wildfires made a mark.
“More than 60% of city of Los Angeles voters chose another candidate than the mayor,” Klink said, noting left Councilmember Nithya Raman’s ability to also siphon votes while currently sitting in third place.
“Clearly, Bass is vulnerable.”
Meanwhile, Steve Hilton — who scored the endorsement of President Trump in the California governor’s race — was leading the pack as of Wednesday evening.
The former Fox News host and adviser to ex-UK prime minister David Cameron has hammered away on the state’s decline under one-party Democratic rule since Arnold Schwarzenegger left office in 2011, while also proposing novel policies that would bring gas prices down and eliminate state income taxes on anyone earning less than $100,000.
Hilton was besting establishment Democrat and former Biden cabinet secretary Xavier Becerra by more than 100,000 votes, and progressive billionaire Tom Steyer by a whopping 400,000 votes, according to the Secretary of State’s Office Wednesday.
John McLaughlin, CEO of McLaughlin & Associates and pollster for The Post, said Hilton for his part has struck a nerve with California voters — suggesting that Democrats may be numb to the realities on the ground due to California’s overwhelmingly blue voter registration advantage.
“With 50% of voters saying they disapprove of [Gov. Gavin] Newsom, and 56% saying the state is on the wrong track, I think Steve Hilton hit that message pretty well,” McLaughlin said.
“The challenge for Steve Hilton will be getting Democrats to vote for him,” McLaughlin said, noting that Republicans need roughly 20% to 25% of Democrats to cross over in a statewide California race.
Klink added, “The Democratic Party just swamps Republicans and no-party-preference voters in the state, which is sad. It breaks my heart.”
“Democrats don’t need a tweak around the edges — they need a reboot.”
It will take a near unprecedented comeback from Steyer and Raman in the gubernatorial and mayoral races, respectively, for Hilton and Pratt not to advance to the November runoff, experts said.
With five months to go, both political outsiders will have ample time to make the case for change to California voters.
“Spencer Pratt needs to stay on offense and show Democrats are going for him, and make it more acceptable for other Democrats,” McLaughlin said.
“The great thing for California is you have real contests for the November election.”
