Spencer Pratt, best known for his role as a villain on the reality television show "The Hills," is now running for mayor of Los Angeles. The Republican candidate is leveraging viral videos and a populist message to upend the race, with early voting underway ahead of the June 2 election.
From Reality TV to Politics
Pratt, 43, first gained fame in 2007 as Heidi Montag's boyfriend on "The Hills," where he was portrayed as driving a wedge between Montag and her friend Lauren Conrad. He later married Montag, and the couple has appeared on various reality shows. Pratt holds a political science degree from the University of Southern California, which he cites as evidence of his readiness to lead the city.
Originally greeted with skepticism, Pratt has gained momentum by targeting incumbent Mayor Karen Bass, a Democrat, and Governor Gavin Newsom. His campaign focuses on day-to-day concerns like homelessness and drug use, blaming Democratic leaders for the city's dysfunction. "As crazy as this will sound, I'm the adult in the room," Pratt said during a recent debate.
Populist Appeal and Viral Videos
Pratt's campaign has gone viral with AI-generated videos portraying him as a savior. One video depicts him as Batman rescuing Los Angeles from a villainous Bass. Former Florida Governor Jeb Bush called it "maybe the best political ad of the year." The videos, shared by filmmaker Charles Curran, tap into voter anger. "He's playing on the most powerful emotion, which is anger, and LA voters are angry right now," said Republican strategist Matt Klink.
Pratt advocates a hard line against homelessness, pledging to eliminate encampments and investigate nonprofits serving the homeless. "These people do not want a bed. They want fentanyl or meth," he said in the debate. He also criticizes Bass for her response to the devastating Palisades Fire, which destroyed his home. In an ad, he contrasts his own trailer living with the comfortable neighborhoods of Bass and Raman.
Incumbent Karen Bass Struggles
Bass, the first Black woman to lead Los Angeles, is seeking a second term but faces backlash from the wildfires and general frustration with City Hall. She was in Ghana when the fires started, and her administration has been accused of watering down a fire department report. Despite this, she has strong support from the Democratic establishment and labor unions. A union-funded ad campaign attacking Pratt may be a strategic bet that he is easier to defeat in November.
Bass criticized Pratt, saying, "I feel like he's exploiting the grief of people in the Palisades, and I think that's reprehensible. He is about his own celebrity." Pratt's campaign did not respond to interview requests.
Long Odds for a Republican
Los Angeles last elected a Republican mayor in 1997, and Pratt faces steep odds in a heavily Democratic city. However, his celebrity and viral campaign have put him in a strong position to advance to a runoff against Bass. "Not to diminish the creativity and imagination that they're putting into their campaign, but they're going to run into a big math problem," said Democratic strategist Michael Trujillo.
The election is set for June 2, with a potential runoff in November. Pratt's campaign has injected unpredictability into a race that was shaping up to be a contest between Bass and a progressive challenger.
