Incumbent Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass has begun rolling out celebrity endorsements as she fights for her political survival in a contested election. Mayor Bass posted to her X account that actress Jane Fonda, 88, had endorsed her for reelection. Bass is facing off against The Hills star Spencer Pratt and councilwoman Nithya Raman, with Pratt gaining traction among disaffected Angelenos through his rogue campaign.
Celebrity Endorsements Under Scrutiny
Bass stated: 'Angelenos need leaders willing to stand up and speak out. Jane has never been afraid to do either.' While celebrity endorsements might have once been an essential part of any political campaign, political commentators now believe they are a thing of the past. Kamala Harris was backed by Taylor Swift and Beyonce in her race against Donald Trump but went on to lose every swing state, while Trump made gains in Democratic blue states. After her defeat, one Democratic strategist told The Hill: 'Somehow we think if Beyoncé is on stage, that will solve all our problems. What people don't realize is that it actually makes it worse. It reinforces this perception that we are the party of elites, that we don't understand what working class folks are going through.'
Polling Shows Tight Race
Despite warnings from insiders, commentators, and pollsters, Bass and her team have leaned into using celebrities to gain ground. According to the latest polling from The LA Times, Bass leads with 26 percent of the vote, followed by Raman at 25 percent and Pratt at 22 percent. Raman and Pratt have both surged eight points since March while Bass's support has stagnated. Pollsters have called Bass's lead 'statistically insignificant' ahead of Tuesday's primary. The polling also showed that in a runoff between Bass and Raman, the councilmember would lead with 32 percent to Bass's 28 percent. Only ten percent of voters remain undecided, down from 26 percent in March.
Candidates' Campaigns and Key Issues
Pratt launched his campaign after becoming a vocal critic of Bass's response to issues such as the Palisades Fire, which destroyed his home and over 11,000 other structures, causing billions in damage. He has also made fixing Los Angeles's homelessness and drug use problems central to his candidacy. Raman has campaigned on new housing and cutting red tape for developers but has failed to garner endorsements from City Council colleagues. The only debate featuring all three candidates saw Pratt declared the winner by 79 percent of viewers polled by NBC, with his brash style earning praise. Pratt particularly dominated Raman, reducing her to a 'random city council member' in a viral jibe.
Bass's Record and Endorsements
Bass was elected in 2022 promising to end the homelessness crisis and deal with rising crime. She has lined up most of the Democratic establishment behind her, including former Vice President Kamala Harris, Governor Gavin Newsom, and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, along with powerful labor unions. Pratt told CNBC: 'We are not going to have this level of failure in our city for four more years. The city is not safe. It's disgusting. We pay with our money to give needles to drug addicts to overdose in front of kids.' After dropping off her own ballot, Bass brushed off the competition, telling reporters: 'We're almost to the finish line. I'm feeling good.'
