Spencer Pratt, a former reality television figure who became widely known for playing a villain on “The Hills,” is trying to turn viral attention into political momentum in Los Angeles’ mayoral race. With early voting underway ahead of the June 2 election, the Republican challenger has been drawing wider interest by leaning into a steady stream of social-media content that targets Mayor Karen Bass and other Democrats.
Pratt’s campaign pitch frames him as a practical alternative to what he calls “disorder and dysfunction” in the city, emphasizing day-to-day concerns about life in Los Angeles and using visceral imagery in support of hard-line proposals. In a debate last week, Pratt said, “As crazy as this will sound, I’m the adult in the room,” positioning himself as the candidate he argued can handle the problems voters are confronting.
A populist theme has emerged across Pratt’s message as he and his supporters focus on homelessness and drug use. He has blamed Democratic leaders for what he portrays as failed governance and has pledged to “stop these corrupt politicians from destroying our city.” In the same debate, Pratt said, “These people do not want a bed,” adding, “They want fentanyl or meth,” as he argued for tougher measures aimed at the people living in encampments and the organizations that serve them.
Pratt has also sought to connect his campaign to the hardships of the Palisades Fire, which destroyed his home and thousands of others. He announced his run in January at an event marking the one-year anniversary of the Palisades Fire, and he later released an ad that he presents as showing him living in an Airstream trailer after his house burned. Pratt told TMZ that unspecified security concerns required the different living arrangement, and TMZ reported that he was actually staying at the Hotel Bel-Air and had never lived in the Airstream trailer.
Much of Pratt’s recent surge has been driven by viral videos, including artificial-intelligence-made portrayals that cast him as a savior from a dystopian Los Angeles and cast Bass as a villain. One video depicted Pratt as Batman saving the city from Bass-as-Joker, and similar clips circulated widely on social media. The videos shared the spotlight further when filmmaker Charles Curran shared them, and Pratt reposted some of the content from his own accounts. Curran did not respond to an email and direct messages on X.
Republican strategist Matt Klink, based in Los Angeles, said the strategy is built to ride current anger. Klink said Pratt is “playing on the most powerful emotion, which is anger, and LA voters are angry right now,” describing how viral messaging and confrontation can translate entertainment-style attention into political traction. Klink’s view echoes the way Pratt has used buzz to upend early expectations for the race.
Pratt’s campaign arrives with a background steeped in entertainment production and audience engagement. He first rose to prominence in 2007 as Heidi Montag’s boyfriend on “The Hills,” where he was portrayed as driving a wedge between Montag and her best friend, Lauren Conrad. Pratt is 42, according to the corrected version of the AP story. Pratt went on to marry Montag, and the couple have two children together, while both have appeared on other reality and scripted television series.
For Bass, the political landscape remains more established but also politically tense as she seeks a second term. Bass, the first Black woman to lead Los Angeles, has been dealing with fallout from last year’s devastating wildfires and with frustration toward City Hall. AP reported that Bass was in Ghana on a diplomatic mission when the fires began, and her administration faced backlash and accusations tied to an after-action report by the fire department that she denied being watered down.
AP also reported that Bass has much of the Democratic establishment behind her, including support from powerful labor interests, and that unions are funding an advertising campaign attacking Pratt in a way calibrated, in AP’s description, to increase his appeal to Republicans and help him rise ahead of progressive challengers. During the debate, Pratt stood alongside Bass and progressive City Council member Nithya Raman, and AP said Pratt was one of only three candidates onstage.
Michael Trujillo, a Los Angeles-based Democratic strategist, said Pratt’s fun and imaginative use of celebrity has effectively turned fame into attention that politics can capitalize on. Trujillo said that approach can place Pratt in position “to get through the first round of voting and face Bass one-on-one in the runoff.” But Trujillo also warned that Pratt would eventually have to confront what he called “a big math problem,” saying Los Angeles is overwhelmingly Democratic.