The Defeat of Spencer Pratt Is a Defeat of AI Slop

Republican who defied Trump over Epstein braces for defeat in deep red stronghold

A series of recent GOP primaries found incumbents who President Donald Trump was upset with — including Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Kentucky), Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas), Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-Louisiana), and at least five Indiana state lawmakers — losing to Trump-backed MAGA candidates. One of the things that is driving tensions between Trump and other Republicans is his handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files, and according to Newsweek reporter Hugh Cameron, those tensions are playing out in deep red South Carolina."The group of Republican lawmakers who, last year, split with President Donald Trump over the handling of the Justice Department's files on Jeffrey Epstein seem set to suffer another defeat, this time in South Carolina's gubernatorial primary," Cameron explains in Newsweek. "Rep. Nancy Mace, one of the most-outspoken Republican advocates for releasing the Epstein files, is trailing in a crowded GOP primary field after Trump endorsed Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette. Mace argues her support for greater transparency in the Epstein case was the key factor behind Trump's decision to back her rival."Mace recently told Politico, "That's the sole reason I didn't get the endorsement: because I voted to release the Epstein files — and I'm OK with that. I've worked very hard to expose p– –, and child r– –, and sex trafficking in my state, and will continue to do it regardless of the outcome of the election.”Similarly, Mace told CNN, "If the price of an endorsement was to not vote to lease the Epstein files, that is a price I am unwilling to pay."Mace's comments, according to Cameron, "underscore lingering tensions inside the Republican Party over the handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files.""The bipartisan push to release government records related to the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein became an unexpected source of friction between Trump and a group of Republican lawmakers who demanded greater transparency," the Newsweek journalist notes. "Although Trump signed the Epstein Files Transparency Act, directing the Justice Department to release all unclassified records tied to the case, critics argued the disclosures were incomplete and moved too slowly. Some of the loudest complaints came from Republicans who had championed the legislation, creating a rare public disagreement between Trump and members of his own party."Cameron continues, "At times, Trump dismissed the controversy as a 'hoax' driven by political opponents, while transparency advocates continued pressing for additional disclosures. The dispute never developed into a broader rebellion against the president, but it exposed divisions within the GOP and raised questions about how far lawmakers were willing to challenge Trump on an issue that remained highly sensitive among Republican voters."

Decisive defeat finally shows Trump House GOP might not be on his side

WASHINGTON — Cracks in President Donald Trump’s stranglehold on the GOP — and the 119th Congress — went on full display at the U.S. Capitol this month as the House of Representatives sent the White House a defiant message.Last week, 18 Republicans voted to approve a Ukraine aid package opposed by the White House. It came after four Republicans supported a measure calling for the removal of U.S. troops from Iran unless Congress votes to authorize that war. The rare presidential rebukes revealed tension in the GOP, with Republicans now openly attacking other Republicans.“To lessen the president's hand, I think, was inappropriate,” Rep. Ryan Zinke (R-MT) told Raw Story at the Capitol. “I don't think they were thinking.” Still, Democrats aren’t doing any end zone dances just yet.Now that Israel and America have been at war with Iran for longer than 60 days, Trump and his allies are re-packaging it.“Really, at this point, it’s a blockade, and more than anything, we are ensuring safe transit and making sure that there’s freedom of navigation,” Zinke, who served as Interior Secretary in Trump’s first term, told Raw Story.Zinke shares the president’s frustration with the 226-195 vote reasserting congressional control of the conflict."It's tragic,” Zinke said. “Do you think those Republicans who crossed over were looking at November?” Raw Story asked. “I don't think they were thinking,” Zinke said of his GOP colleagues who crossed the aisle. While Zinke says he agreed with the premise of the Iran measure — that Congress has the ultimate say on matters of war and peace — he says now isn’t the time for Congress to be tying the president’s hand."I agree with the underlying premise, but I also agree that Iran can't have a nuclear weapon," Zinke said. "They can't have an arsenal of destruction. They can't have nuclear material. So I'm giving the president a little latitude on this one." Since Trump re-entered the White House last January, Republicans on Capitol Hill have given his administration broad leeway on everything from tearing down the White House's historic East Wing to letting Elon Musk and DOGE — Department of Government Efficiency — rescind billions of dollars Congress itself had approved. While the Iran measure is largely symbolic, it did reveal growing unrest with the conflict. “I guess, maybe, it’s just a little bit of frustration,” Rep. Don Bacon (R-NE) told Raw Story just off the House floor. “We had really good combat operations, but now we've had two months of, I don't know, it seems like a little bit of indecision being made.”Bacon’s retiring at the end of this term and tends to be more moderate on many issues, but he actually voted with the president on Iran — though he’s not judging his GOP colleagues who bucked Trump. “I think we grapple with this. I want to see us win. Iran's terrible. I would hate to tie the president's hands right now,” Bacon said. “But I understand the other side of the position, too.”Ukraine’s a different story, though.On Thursday last week, 18 Republicans — including Bacon — voted with Democrats to authorize $8 billion in loans to Ukraine and America’s NATO allies. “It’s Congress saying, ‘hey, we’ve got a different opinion,’” Bacon said. “And, by the way, 70 percent of the American people want more support for Ukraine. I think it's important for him to hear that.”The measure’s future is in doubt now that it’s been sent to the GOP-controlled Senate, but Trump’s growing number of congressional critics say this week was important because, if nothing else, it showed a restive American public that Congress is more than a rubber stamp, at least in theory. “Do you think that raises awareness to the public?” Raw Story asked Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-MI). “Some,” Dingell told Raw Story while walking to the Capitol this week. “Yeah.”“They should be worried going into the election,” Dingell said. “People are unhappy right now with energy costs. Gasoline prices have risen dramatically.”That’s why Democrats are glad Congress finally stood up to Trump. “It's important for Congress to insert itself,” Rep. Ami Bera (D-CA) told Raw Story. Still, with Trump’s success in recent GOP primary contests, Democrats aren’t expecting the president’s grip on congressional Republicans to let up ahead of this year’s midterms. “He can ignore it. He can do whatever he wants,” Bera said. “A lot of my colleagues will echo what the president's saying.”

Steve Hilton slams California election system for Spencer Pratt’s loss

Hilton also blasted the state's extremely slow vote-counting process.

Los Angeles mayor race called for far-left challenger after Pratt loses 40,000-vote lead

Far-left Los Angeles City Councilwoman Nithya Raman defeated former reality TV star Spencer Pratt in the primary election for L.A. mayor, according to the Associated Press and NBC News.Raman will go head-to-head with incumbent Karen Bass in the November general election.'Not possible for Spencer Pratt to have lost the LA runoffs after the big lead he had.'Now, a week after Election Day and with 92% of the votes counted, Bass received 275,992 votes, Raman received 229,576, and Pratt received 207,757.Many have criticized California for running a "rigged" election after Pratt had a 40,000-vote lead and a nearly 10-point advantage over Raman, which shrank rapidly over the weekend. Raman, who gave a concession speech on election night, reacted on Monday to the latest vote-counting results.“I’m incredibly honored that voters have given us the opportunity to advance to the general election for Mayor of Los Angeles,” Raman wrote in a post on social media. “Now our fight for a healthier, safer, more affordable, and more joyful Los Angeles continues. For too long, City Hall has prioritized giving political advantage to powerful interests that fund elections. Meanwhile, working people pay the price in higher rents, depleted services, and a city that has stopped working for them.”RELATED: ‘Absolutely RIGGED’: Critics question Raman’s ‘statistically impossible’ surge past Pratt in LA mayor race HIGHFIVE/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images“If you’re as frustrated by the broken status quo as I am, I hope you’ll join our movement to build a city that works for everyone,” she added.Libs of TikTok replied to Raman’s post, calling her a “cheater.”New Mexico state Rep. John Block (R) wrote, “After you conceded, your handlers stuffed inconceivable amounts of statistically impossible fraudulent ballots, thereby successfully stealing another election in the Third World failed state — also known as Los Angeles, California.”RELATED: Spencer Pratt’s 40,000-vote lead vanishes in Los Angeles mayor race as California continues counting ballots Myung J. Chun/Los Angeles Times/Getty ImagesPresident Donald Trump also called the election “rigged.” “Not possible for Spencer Pratt to have lost the L.A. runoffs after the big lead he had. 3rd World Nation. Rigged Elections!” he wrote.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

JD Vance Isn’t Handling Republicans’ Defeat in Los Angeles Very Well

Vice President JD Vance is echoing his president’s false claims of election fraud in the Los Angeles mayoral race.Vance went on Fox News to carry water for the baseless theory after Republican Spencer Pratt was defeated by progressive Los Angeles City Councilmember Nithya Raman, who will face incumbent Karen Bass in the general election.“They are still counting the votes [in California]. Do you trust this election?” Fox News host Jesse Waters asked the vice president on Monday night.“Fundamentally the problem here with this whole thing is: 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. You would expect these mail-in ballots to kind of meet that same basic pattern,” Vance said. “But somehow we find ourselves in a situation where number one—they’re still receiving ballots, not just counting ballots. And number two—the way 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, especially when you add on top of the fact that in California you are prohibited from asking for somebody’s identification before they vote,” he added.JD Vance says it's "shady" for California to count all of the legally cast ballots pic.twitter.com/zCjQ5yRgvA— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) June 9, 2026This is the vice president of one of the most corrupt administrations in history talking about what’s “shady.” Los Angeles has over two more million more registered Democrats than Republicans. It is also common knowledge at this point that liberal and progressive voters are more likely to vote by mail than conservatives, especially since President Trump has wrongly railed against it as corrupt for years. Now, Republicans are reverting back to this tired argument because their chosen candidate lost—not because of fraud, but because voters rejected him.

Karen Bass Just Responded to Nithya Raman's Surge—and It Sounded a Lot Like Spencer Pratt

Spencer Pratt Loses His Bid for Los Angeles Mayor

Pratt ran a great campaign, but you can’t save voters who don’t want to be saved

Spencer Pratt’s campaign in Los Angeles was run about as well as a non-Democratic campaign could be run in a major American city. The fact that he lost is proof that you simply cannot save voters who don’t want to be saved. Pratt’s campaign has come to an end, as a late surge in ballots for City […]