How the Machine Buried Spencer Pratt
Spencer Pratt's LA mayoral bid surged on Election Day, only to be reversed as California's entrenched political machine reshaped the final count after the vote.

The three candidates maintained their positions as new ballots dropped Wednesday.
Spencer Pratt's LA mayoral bid surged on Election Day, only to be reversed as California's entrenched political machine reshaped the final count after the vote.
Nithya Raman had 115 days to make her case to Los Angeles voters.
President Trump claimed Wednesday that the U.S. secretly moved over 100 million barrels of oil through the Strait of Hormuz. Trump in a Truth Social post said he “directed” the military to “execute a secret mission to support Oil Tankers and other Commercial Ships” through the strait. “I am pleased to announce that this effort…
From Spencer Pratt to Mayor Michael Rapaport?All eyes have been on Spencer Pratt, the reality show alum vying to wrest the City of Angels from Mayor Karen Bass.While Pratt promoted his family-man brand, Rapaport lives for the social media scrum.Pratt’s insurgent campaign was felt from coast to coast. Now, as L.A.’s curious voting system seems to have sent him to a third-place finish, another actor turned candidate could take his place.Did Pratt walk so Michael Rapaport could run?'Soft launch'Rapaport is a familiar face from dozens of movies and TV shows since his 1992 film debut in “Zebrahead.” He recently joined Peacock’s “The Traitors,” a reality-show affair hosted by Alan Cumming. His brash persona proved a snug fit for the series, alienating some while bringing fresh friction to the game.And, as he told the Hollywood Reporter in January, the show was part of his “soft launch” to unseat New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani.I think that if you can have a mayor of New York who is a failed rapper, a failed actor, a failed music supervisor and who’s rapped and said so many regrettable things that he did … if nothing else, I have shown once again, especially on "Traitors," that I am what you see and you’ll get an honest mayor.Pratt didn’t lean on MAGA messaging or GOP-friendly talking points in his campaign. He played the outsider, a man motivated by losing his home in the Palisades fires and demanding that the person who let it happen be held accountable.For Rapaport, Mamdani’s socialist policies and perceived animosity toward Jewish New Yorkers sparked his campaign, not any Republican fervor.Accidental politiciansCall them accidental politicians. The facts on the ground made them do it. Rapaport explained his change of heart to Fox News."I never thought that I would even consider running for mayor of New York City, and I will do it with the best intentions.”Rapaport leans to the left, but he has defied some of his party’s groupthink, particularly when it comes to his strong support of Israel.Pratt and Rapaport share a grasp not just of social media but of media training in general. They have been around cameras for years, aware of the power video brings and how to weaponize it for a cause.We’ve seen Pratt leverage those viral campaign videos, playing the frazzled Everyman eager to save his hometown. Rapaport, a trained comic in addition to his acting experience, could do the same.Rapaport has some advantages over Pratt. He announced his campaign years before any voting happens, as opposed to Pratt's abrupt decision. That gives Rapaport time to build his base, criticize Mamdani in real time, and let New Yorkers see what a democratic socialist can do to the Big Apple.Rapaport is betting they won’t like the results.RELATED: Trump DOJ opens multiple investigations into possible election fraud in California L-R: SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images; ROBYN BECK/AFP/Getty ImagesSharp elbowsPlus, Rapaport isn’t merely a reality show villain like Pratt, with all the baggage that entails. He has delivered memorable performances on FX’s “Justified” and Netflix’s “Atypical,” plus classic films like “Beautiful Girls,” “True Romance,” and “Cop Land.”The veteran actor recently segued back to comedy, appearing in clubs across the country with a genuinely funny set built around his garrulous persona.The downsides for the New York native, beyond the fear that he’s another actor playing the part of political savior? Rapaport throws plenty of sharp elbows on social media and podcasts. He famously teed off on President Donald Trump a few years ago, a potential boost to his New York candidacy.But he softened that stance considerably post-October 7, re-evaluating the president’s policies and the lies spread in the media. That speaks to his maturation, but it might not play well in a cobalt blue city.Relishing a fightWhile Pratt promoted his family-man brand, Rapaport lives for the social media scrum. He’s naturally combative, willing to muck it up about sports, culture, and politics on any platform possible.His “I Am Rapaport: Stereo Podcast” lets him weigh in on the New York Knicks, free speech, and much more. Here’s betting Team Mamdani will be combing through past episodes for potentially damaging material.And they just might find some.Pratt proved competitive in his upstart campaign, and even if the vote totals keep him in third place, he still gave the Democratic establishment a major scare.Could Rapaport learn from Pratt’s bold run and write his own Hollywood ending?
The NRSC warns Republicans that scandal-plagued Democrat Graham Platner remains a credible threat to Sen. Susan Collins in Maine's pivotal Senate race.
President Donald Trump clarified comments he made on Wednesday about hundreds of millions of barrels of oil he claimed to have secretly taken from Iran. Trump hosted reporters on Wednesday morning at a bill signing ceremony in the Oval Office, where he claimed the mystery operation had been driving down global oil prices, even as […]
Leftist civil rights leaders and race hustlers condemned the guilty verdict in Karmelo Anthony’s trial, claiming it was unjust and racist. Anthony was convicted of murder on Tuesday after just two and a half hours of deliberations over the fatal stabbing of Austin Metcalf at a track meet in Frisco, Texas, in April 2025. While ...
Energy Secretary Chris Wright said that nearly 100 vessels have used the Jones Act waiver granted by President Donald Trump, which allowed refiners to use foreign-flagged ships to transport fuel between United States ports. The Jones Act waiver “has been used enormously,” Wright said in testimony Wednesday before the House Science Space and Technology […]