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Realtor Spencer Pratt’s lead over Councilwoman Nithya Raman in the Los Angeles mayoral race narrowed Thursday, while Republican gubernatorial candidate Steve Hilton fell behind Democrat Tom Steyer.
In the wake of the devastating wildfires in Los Angeles, California’s key elections have become of national importance, serving as important grounds for assessing the future of progressive leadership.
Pratt, a registered Republican, remains far behind Democratic incumbent Mayor Karen Bass for a chance to advance to the November general election. Bass already received enough votes to advance.
With 163,549 votes in the latest Los Angeles tally, Pratt held a nearly 6% lead over Raman, who had 130,473 votes, according to Thursday’s tally from the Los Angeles County Clerk-Recorder and County Clerk.
A Fox News Digital review of an archived version of the official Los Angeles vote shows Raman received more than 10,000 votes in the latest count compared to less than 6,000 for Pratt. In the last count, Pratt had 157,116 votes compared to Raman’s 119,809.
LA CITY WOMAN’S COUNCIL AHEAD IS WARNED BY DSA ATTACKING MAYOR IN BASS CHALLENGE.
Mayoral candidate Spencer Pratt hosts a campaign party on 10th Avenue in Los Angeles on May 20, 2026. (Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times)
CALIFORNIA’S ELECTION RESULTS ARE STILL OUT AS LOS ANGELES BEGINS TO COUNT BALLS.
In the governor’s race, billionaire Democrat Tom Steyer edged out Republican candidate Steve Hilton after a late count. The group boosted the billionaire, adding nearly 24,000 votes to his tally, nearly doubling the 12,309 votes received by Hilton.
HILTON, BECERRA LEAD VOTES COUNTED IN CALIFORNIA GOVERNOR’S RACE
Democratic candidate Tom Steyer attends a debate in the California gubernatorial race, hosted by the San Francisco Examiner and CBS, in San Francisco, California, on May 14, 2026. (Carlos Barria/REUTERS)
Both candidates succeed Xavier Becerra, who was the secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) under President Joe Biden. Becerra saw his vote increase from 390,154 to 418,130 in Thursday’s county registrar’s count.
Like the mayoral race, if no one gets more than 50% of the vote in the gubernatorial race, the top two will advance to the November runner-up.
Former Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra, a Democratic gubernatorial candidate, speaks during an interview with representatives of the Child Guidance Center in Santa Ana on Tuesday, March 31, 2026. (Leonard Ortiz/MediaNews Group/Orange County Register via Getty Images)
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While California polls close on June 2, it could take weeks for results to be final. The state did not have its final official results from the 2024 election until Secretary of State Shirley Weber certified the election results in December, 38 days later.
A bipartisan bill has passed in 2025 that requires “no problem” votes to be counted within 13 days.
The state leads the nation in mail-in ballots, with 81% of voters sending their ballots by mail in 2024, nearly double the national average of 43% in 2024, according to the US Census Bureau.
