LA’s “Pratt Summer” is Coming!
Would you have ever believed we’d reach a point in American politics where a reality TV star could become a serious contender to lead one of the largest cities in the country? Well, if it was going to happen anywhere, it was probably going to be Los Angeles – and that’s exactly what’s unfolding in LA’s mayoral race!
Los Angeles has become the poster child for many of California’s biggest failures: rampant homelessness, open drug use, rising crime, and an exorbitant cost of living. Pick an issue California is struggling with, and chances are Los Angeles is experiencing it at full force. That’s why the 2026 midterm elections won’t just matter for the future of California as a state – they’ll matter for the future of its biggest cities too. And when it comes to Los Angeles, who voters choose to lead this city truly matters.
On June 2nd, voters in Los Angeles will decide what direction they want this city to move in. Current mayor Karen Bass insists her approach is working, while challengers on the progressive left argue the city needs even more sweeping change. But then there’s Spencer Pratt — the former reality TV star whose outsider campaign is suddenly tapping into the frustration of voters who believe Los Angeles needs a completely different approach altogether.
How Did We Get Here?
So how exactly did we get here? Before we can understand the state of LA’s mayoral race – and why a candidate like Spencer Pratt is suddenly gaining traction – we first need to understand the current condition of Los Angeles itself. I won’t over-exhaust this point, as everyone across the entire nation is aware at this point of the dumpster fire that Los Angeles is. From homelessness and open drug use, to rising crime and an increasingly unaffordable cost of living, many Angelenos feel like the city they love is becoming harder and harder to recognize.
But there are two key truths worth recognizing. First, the condition of Los Angeles is not accidental – it is the result of decades of city leadership and decision-making. And second, because of that reality, many residents have lost faith that government is actually capable of solving the city’s most visible problems. This is self-evident. You see it in the issues leaders have promised to solve for years: homelessness that continues to grow across city streets, average rent prices reaching upwards of $3,000, and crises like the Palisades fire that exposed just how incompetent our government was to prepare for and respond to a crisis affecting so many of its residents.
Residents feel abandoned by their government, and efforts to insist that things in Los Angeles “aren’t that bad” have only deepened public distrust in current leadership. Voters are left with a choice between continuing with the current mayor, who has overseen many of these ongoing problems, or trying something completely different. And that’s where Spencer Pratt enters the scene.
The Rise of Pratt Summer
Who is Spencer Pratt? If you’re anything like me, you don’t follow reality TV and so you don’t know who he is! But, after some very important research on IMDB, I have discovered he is best known for starring in a show called “The Hills,” which took place from 2006 to 2010 and followed the lives of several young adults living in LA.[1] Pratt was considered one of the show’s primary villains, married to a main female lead, and often blamed for driving a wedge between her and another key character.[2] Now, 16 years later, he is still married to his wife, Heidi, and has two sons.[3]
On January 8th, 2025, the Pratts lost their home and all their belongings in the Pacific Palisades fires. Spencer’s parents, who also lived in the neighborhood, lost their home as well. Their house was uninsured after being dropped from their policy amid California’s broader insurance crisis in recent years, leaving them to start completely from scratch.[4] That moment marked a turning point for Spencer Pratt. What had been a deeply personal tragedy quickly became something larger in his public messaging – a lens through which he began talking about government failure, disaster preparedness, and what he saw as a system that had stopped working for ordinary residents. From there, what started as frustration after losing his home gradually evolved into his campaign for mayor of Los Angeles.
Pratt announced that he was running for mayor at a protest near the remains of his home on the one-year anniversary of the Palisades fires,[5] saying:
“I have realized that the city I love is being managed into the ground by people who don’t have the courage to actually lead. Business as usual is a death sentence for Los Angeles, and I’m done waiting for someone to take real action. That’s why I am running for mayor. And let me be clear, this just isn’t a campaign. This is a mission."[6]
At first, most people treated this like a publicity stunt, like another celebrity moment in LA politics that would fade in a news cycle or two. But Pratt has really resonated with Los Angeles residents as he has spoken directly to the growing sense that major crises in Los Angeles are not actually being solved.
He has released some incredible ad campaigns that have been brutally honest about the idea that the current leadership approach is fundamentally failing. The portrayal of himself as batman highlights the common sentiment that current leaders like Gavin Newsom or Karen Bass are out of touch, repeating the same talking point while skirting around real issues, and refusing to step in to make change for the better.
His introduction of the idea of “Pratt summer” is a play on Kamala Harris’ 2024 campaign brand of “Brat summer.” In case you are not Gen Z and have no idea what that means, “brat” in pop culture represents a confident, slightly chaotic, party-girl aesthetic. During the 2024 election cycle, singer Charli XCX posted online saying “Kamala is brat,” which went viral almost instantly. That post sparked a wave of memes and unofficial branding around Kamala Harris as the candidate who could fit in with Gen-Z, attempting to give her a more youthful political vibe. Her campaign and supporters leaned into it online, with “brat summer” becoming shorthand for a lighter, more meme-driven cultural energy around her candidacy.[7]
The idea for Pratt is that while the Democrats could never actually deliver on those promises, if he is elected as mayor, then Los Angeles will have a real chance to again be the vibrant, youthful, safe, energetic city it was once.
This strategy has really been working for Spencer Pratt. He’s been hitting hard with media presence, even going on “The Joe Rogan Experience” and getting Rogan’s endorsement.[8] He’s putting out AI ads on X nearly every day. But the best boost to his campaign lately was the May 6th mayoral debate.
In the debate, Pratt exposed to voters firsthand the incompetence of the other candidates in the race, incumbent Mayor Bass’ refusal to take accountability or ownership for any of the problems with the city, and his unique ability to be honest and frank with listeners. When asked about the homelessness crisis, Bass and Raman repeated the same, stale talking points about getting people into affordable housing. Pratt fired back with one of the most honest responses a person could give, saying:
“The reality is no matter how many beds you give these people, they are on super meth, they are on fentanyl. 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.”[9]
What Pratt is highlighting here is a reality that people know is true, but they are too afraid to name out of fear of sounding discompassionate: most homeless people are severely drug addicted, which has stripped them of their mental faculties, often making them violent or dangerous. Simply provided them with beds and food does not solve the problem – because many of them will not accept help, or they will accept it temporarily before heading back out to their encampments.
But it didn’t end at homelessness. Pratt also clashed with Bass over the facts surrounding the Palisades fires. He pointed out several factual inaccuracies that her team has been routinely lying about to avoid taking responsibility for their poor leadership, and when she did not contend with the facts, he called her out as “an incredible liar.”[10]
The reaction to the debate spoke for itself, with nearly 90% of viewers in one online poll saying Spencer Pratt had won. That’s a staggering result for someone many people initially dismissed as a joke candidate! The comments reflected something even more interesting: people weren’t just entertained by Pratt, but they felt heard by him. One viewer wrote, “Pratt was surprisingly good. I thought he would be unserious, but his grief is actually real. Bass and Raman seemed far less serious about improving quality of life in LA.” Another commented, “Spencer Pratt held his composure. Bass couldn’t articulate how she would do anything differently, and Raman seemed flustered by the questions.” [11]
Can Spencer Pratt Save LA?
As Pratt continues appearing in media interviews and spreading his message online, there is a very real possibility that his momentum could continue growing. Which brings us to the bigger question: is Spencer Pratt simply capitalizing on frustration with Los Angeles, or could he actually help change its direction?
The strongest part of Pratt’s campaign is not necessarily policy detail or political experience…it’s honesty. His campaign is built around acknowledging what many residents already feel. Los Angeles has experienced visible decline, and people are exhausted by leaders pretending otherwise.
That message sharply contrasts with Mayor Karen Bass, whose campaign has largely focused on staying the course and emphasizing incremental progress. But for many Angelenos, that argument simply no longer matches what they experience in their daily lives – whether it’s homelessness, public safety concerns, rising rent, or the broader feeling that the city has become harder to live in. What Pratt offers voters is something entirely different. He is an outsider willing to openly criticize the status quo and speak in blunt, politically incorrect language about problems many residents believe leaders have failed to seriously confront. His appeal is rooted less in traditional qualifications and more in the perception that he is willing to say what other politicians won’t.
Someone who is willing to say homelessness is a result of drugs and reservoirs should have water in them is a revolutionary who will certainly make the city better than it is. Which is to say that someone who is willing to engage with common sense is far more equipped to lead than someone who is so captured by ideology that she will brush off every failure and refuse to change direction.
What’s on the Line?
So, June 2nd will be very telling! If one candidate can accumulate enough support to win over 50% of the votes, that candidate will win the race and it will not head to the ballot in November. Pratt is saying that will be the case for him.
The rise of Pratt’s campaign is already telling us something important about Los Angeles. People are tired! Tired of watching the city decline while being told things are improving, tired of visible problems being normalized, and tired of leadership that is more focused on managing public perception than delivering meaningful change.
This race is about much more than Spencer Pratt. It’s about whether Angelenos still believe their city can be restored. Los Angeles is one of the most beautiful, influential, and culturally important cities in the world – but for too many residents, it no longer feels functional, affordable, or safe in the way it once did. If voters continue rewarding the same leadership and the same failed approaches, they should not be surprised when the same problems continue getting worse.
Remember that cities do not decline overnight, and they also are not rebuilt overnight. But decline becomes inevitable when people stop demanding accountability from the leaders responsible for governing them. That is why this election matters so much! Not just for headlines, not just because a reality TV star entered politics, but because the direction Los Angeles chooses now will shape the future of the city for years to come.
Los Angeles does not have to continue down its current path! But if the city is going to recover, voters first must be honest about where it is, and courageous enough to demand something better.
Let’s please, please have ourselves a Pratt summer!
References:
[1] IMDB. “The Hills,” n.d. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0489598/.
[2] Archer, Helen. “The Hills 10 Years on: A Post-truth Show That Changed Reality TV for Ever.” The Guardian, December 19, 2017. https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2016/aug/08/the-hills-10-years-on-reality-tv-hollywood-towie-made-in-chelsea-kardashians.
[3] Kaplan, Ilana, and Alexandra Schonfeld. “Heidi Montag Reveals What Makes Her Marriage to Spencer Pratt ‘Really Unique’ (Exclusive).” People, February 10, 2025. https://people.com/heidi-montag-reveals-what-makes-her-marriage-to-spencer-pratt-really-unique-exclusive-8785695.
[4] Thayer, Colson. “Spencer Pratt Says He Still Feels so Much ‘Anger’ 3 Months After Losing Home to L.A. Fires.” People, April 11, 2025. https://people.com/spencer-pratt-still-feels-anger-3-months-after-l-a-fires-11714114.
[5] Hume, Ashley. “Spencer Pratt and Heidi Montag’s Hollywood Journey From Tabloid Fame to LA Mayoral Race.” Fox News, May 9, 2026. https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/11am-pub-spencer-pratt-heidi-montags-hollywood-journey-tabloid-fame-la-mayoral-race.
[6] Stimson, Brie. “Spencer Pratt Announces Run for LA Mayor on One-year Anniversary of Palisades Fire That Destroyed His Home.” Fox News, January 8, 2026. https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/spencer-pratt-announces-la-mayor-run-one-year-anniversary-palisades-fire-destroyed-his-home.
[7] Shivonne, Adeja. “What Does ‘brat’ Mean, Why Are People Calling VP Kamala Harris One?” FOX 5 New York, July 23, 2024. https://www.fox5ny.com/news/why-is-kamala-brat.
[8] Hall, Alexander. “Rogan Backs Reality TV Star Spencer Pratt’s Bid for LA Mayor, Says ‘I’d Vote for You.’” Fox News, April 17, 2026. https://www.foxnews.com/media/rogan-backs-reality-tv-star-spencer-pratts-bid-la-mayor-says-id-vote.
[9] Koehn, Josh. “Spencer Pratt’s Debate Truth Bombs Earn Praise From Clinton-world Democrat: ‘He Had Answers.’” California Post, May 7, 2026. https://nypost.com/2026/05/07/us-news/spencer-pratt-praised-by-dem-strategists-after-mayor-debate/.
[10] Nash, Charlie. “‘She’S an Incredible Liar!’ Spencer Pratt’S Fiery Rant on Karen Bass Draws Scoldin ...” Mediaite, May 7, 2026. https://www.mediaite.com/media/tv/shes-an-incredible-liar-spencer-pratts-fiery-rant-on-karen-bass-draws-scolding-from-moderator-in-wild-la-mayors-debate/.
[11] Lloyd, Jonathan. “Did The Debates Change Your Mind? What NBCLA Viewers Had to Say.” NBC Los Angeles, May 7, 2026. https://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local/viewer-reaction-nbcla-debates-la-mayor-california-governor/3887333/.
