Raman tops Pratt in battle to face Bass for LA mayor; outcome of California governor's race remains elusive
Nithya Raman overtook Spencer Pratt to advance to the Los Angeles mayoral runoff against Karen Bass. California's governor primary remained undecided as vote counting continued.
Intelligence analysis by GPT-5.4 Mini
Los Angeles' mayoral field is set after Nithya Raman edged past Spencer Pratt to join incumbent Karen Bass in the runoff. Statewide, California's governor primary stayed unsettled, with vote counting still shifting the standings between Xavier Becerra, Steve Hilton, and Tom Steyer.
Los Angeles voters picked the two people who will face off for mayor, kind of like choosing the last two kids standing in a game. At the same time, California is still counting votes for governor, so that race is like a race where the finish line keeps moving a little.
Analysis
Los Angeles mayoral runoff
Nithya Raman moved ahead of Spencer Pratt after days of updated Los Angeles County vote totals, and CBS News projected that she would advance to the November runoff against incumbent Karen Bass. Raman had trailed by several points earlier, but the margin flipped as more ballots were counted.
Bass had already been projected to move on last week. By Monday night, Bass held just over 34% of the vote, while Raman had 28.5% and Pratt 25.8%, according to the article.
Governor race still unsettled
The California governor primary remained unresolved as counting continued across several counties. CBS News projected Xavier Becerra had advanced to the general election, but the second spot was still changing, with Steve Hilton and Tom Steyer trading positions as additional votes were reported.
The article says Steyer had 22.4% and Hilton 25.1% at one point, and that some counties had not yet updated their totals over the weekend. Hilton criticized the pace of counting on X, while Steyer's campaign said it would wait for every ballot to be counted.
What comes next
California counties have up to 30 days to count ballots on a provisional basis, and mail ballots postmarked by Election Day can still be counted if received within seven days. That means both the governor race and the broader picture of the primary could keep shifting as later ballot drops arrive.
Key points
- Nithya Raman overtook Spencer Pratt and was projected to advance to the Los Angeles mayoral runoff against Karen Bass.
- Bass had already been projected to advance, and the LA race remained close as more county totals were updated.
- California's governor primary was still unsettled as counties continued counting ballots.
- CBS News projected Xavier Becerra to advance, while Steve Hilton and Tom Steyer battled for the second spot.
- California counties can count provisional ballots for up to 30 days, and some later ballot drops were still pending.
The slow count could still produce a complete result that reflects every eligible ballot. In the LA mayor race, voters now have a clear runoff matchup between Bass and Raman, which gives the city a defined next step.
Extended counting keeps both races in uncertainty and can fuel distrust or frustration, especially when the margins are very small. The governor primary could continue to shift as late ballots arrive, leaving candidates and voters waiting for days or longer.
