Pratt's lead over Raman further erodes in new L.A. mayoral race results as voters await California governor's race news
New California results moved Xavier Becerra into the governor's general election and further narrowed Spencer Pratt's lead over Nithya Raman in Los Angeles.
Intelligence analysis by GPT-5.4 Mini
California's top-two primaries remain unsettled, but late ballot counts shifted both marquee races: Becerra advanced in the governor's contest, and Pratt's edge over Raman in Los Angeles shrank to about 1%.
It is like a race where some runners are still crossing the finish line after the crowd has left. One race moved Xavier Becerra forward, while Spencer Pratt's lead in the Los Angeles mayor race kept getting smaller as more votes were opened.
Analysis
What changed
Late-counted ballots kept moving the two biggest California primaries. CBS News projected former U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra into the governor's general election, while the Los Angeles mayoral race tightened further as Spencer Pratt's lead over City Councilwoman Nithya Raman shrank.
Governor's race
Under California's top-two system, the top two finishers advance regardless of party. Becerra had been in second place behind Republican Steve Hilton before later returns pushed him ahead. Hilton is now competing with billionaire environmentalist Tom Steyer for the second slot on the November ballot. The article notes that if Becerra is elected, he would become California's first Latino governor in 150 years, since Romualdo Pacheco in 1875.
Los Angeles mayoral race
In Los Angeles, Mayor Karen Bass was already projected to move on to the runoff. The remaining question is whether her opponent will be Pratt or Raman. Pratt's margin had been closer to 6% earlier in the week, but the latest count cut it to roughly 27.3% to 26.2% with 78% of votes counted. Analyst Paul Mitchell said Pratt had been losing share with each new ballot dump, though he also noted late ballots have favored Hilton in the governor's race.
What to watch next
The article says counties still have days to keep counting provisional and eligible mail ballots. That means both races could still change, especially the battle for second place in each contest.
Key points
- CBS News projected Xavier Becerra into California's governor's general election under the state's top-two primary rules.
- Steve Hilton, who had led earlier, is now fighting Tom Steyer for the remaining runoff spot.
- In Los Angeles, Spencer Pratt's lead over Nithya Raman narrowed to about 1% as more ballots were counted.
- Mayor Karen Bass was already projected to advance, but her November opponent is still undecided.
- County election offices are still counting ballots, so both contests could continue to change.
If the remaining ballots follow the current trend, the races should settle into clear November matchups instead of dragging on in uncertainty. That would give voters a defined governor's race and a clearer Los Angeles mayoral runoff.
If late ballots keep shifting the margins, the close races could stay unsettled for days and leave campaigns waiting on every new drop. Pratt could lose the second spot in Los Angeles, and Hilton could still miss the runoff in the governor's race if Becerra's lead holds.
