Los Angeles voters are headed to the polls in today’s mayoral primary, and according to Kalshi traders, former reality TV star Spencer Pratt appears poised to enter the next round of the election.
First round, second place?
The market for the second place finisher in the election puts Pratt’s chances at 64% ahead of city councilwoman Nithya Raman at 23% and mayor Karen Bass at 16%.
Round 1 vote percentages
Second place may not sound like much, but it could be enough to send Pratt into a runoff. A candidate needs more than 50% of the vote to win outright. Currently, Kalshi’s vote percent market shows Pratt with a forecast of 29.5%. Meanwhile, Mayor Karen Bass is forecast to receive 32.3%, well short of the 50% threshold.
Financial support
Pratt may have received only lukewarm support from President Donald Trump thus far, but he’s earned financial support from some of Silicon Valley’s biggest donors.
Fox News reports that Google co-founder Sergey Brin gave Pratt the $1,800 maximum allowed amount for a political donation.
Pratt has also received donations from other tech names such as Palantir’s chief technology officer Shyam Sankar, SpaceX’s director of solar production Noah Cowles, an unnamed communications executive from TikTok, and the Winklevoss twins.
Political and celebrity endorsements
The tech world isn’t the only sector where Pratt has received financial support and public endorsements for his run for LA mayor.
Newsweek reported that Pratt has also picked up support from celebrities like gossip blogger Perez Hilton, The Real World star Johnny Devenanzio, Real Housewives of Miami star Joanna Krupa, and singer and actor Katharine McPhee who hosted a fundraiser at her home for the candidate.
He’s also received some political endorsements from Ginger Gaetz, the ex-wife of former congressman Matt Gaetz, and political commentator Meghan McCain.
Meanwhile, Pratt told ABC News that political endorsements for his campaign don’t concern him.
“I don’t want any political endorsements,” he said. “I don’t want to be a politician. I’m coming in here to stop this system, this bureaucracy that scams our tax money to make our lives more expensive and not fun. The only endorsement I seek is moms and animal lovers.”
Karen Bass’s endorsements
Pratt’s campaign may not have focused on endorsements, but it’s given plenty of opportunities for Bass to pick up a slew of key political and celebrity endorsements.
Bass’s website lists such names on her endorsement page from former Vice President Kamala Harris, Gov. Gavin Newsom, Sens. Adam Schiff and Alex Padilla, along with numerous labor unions and business groups.
Despite the high-profile endorsements, Raman and Pratt have managed to raise more campaign funds than Bass. The Los Angeles Times reports that Pratt took in $540,000 in campaign contributions, followed by Raman at $530,000 and Bass at $495,000.
What do the polls say?
Despite the star and political endorsements Pratt has received, the race between the top three candidates still remains very close as voters head to the polls.
The most recent UC Berkeley/Los Angeles Times poll shows that Bass holds a slight lead in the polls at 26%, followed by Raman at 25%, and Pratt at 22%.
The tight polling may explain why traders remain focused on the battle for the second runoff spot instead of seeing Pratt as a clear favorite in the race.
The takeaway:
Kalshi markets now predict
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