Pratt Accuses Bass of Electioneering Near a Ballot Box as Six States Hold June 2 Primaries

On primary day in Los Angeles, Spencer Pratt posted a photo of a formal complaint to X. The reality television star, running for mayor as an Independent, accused incumbent Mayor Karen Bass of breaking election law by campaigning too close to a ballot box. According to Pratt, Bass even filmed herself doing it. The source reports no formal finding on the allegation.

Pratt's post cited two rules: that electioneering within 100 feet of a ballot box is against the law, and that soliciting votes at a ballot box is as well. He wrote that the alleged violations showed a reckless disregard for the rule of law. He called the episode emblematic of what he described as Bass's mafia-like regime, and summed it up as rules for thee but not for me. He closed with a jab: enjoy your conference calls with your lawyers, Karen. Pratt is 42.

The complaint landed on the day voters in six states went to the polls: California, New Jersey, Iowa, Montana, New Mexico and South Dakota. These contests shape November's midterms, when the Republican Party's slim Senate majority and razor-thin House majority will both be in play.

Los Angeles drew much of the national attention. It has been three decades since a Republican won a mayoral race in the nation's second-most-populous city. Pratt, a reality TV star and online influencer, has gained traction through a populist pitch and viral videos. He is targeting Bass, a former Democratic congresswoman seeking a second four-year term, over her handling of the wildfires and the homelessness crisis. Bass has been endorsed by former Vice President Kamala Harris, by Senators Adam Schiff and Alex Padilla, and, just last week, by term-limited Gov. Gavin Newsom.

The governor's race is far larger in scale. Sixty-one candidates are running to succeed Newsom in the most populous state, which has the world's fourth-largest economy. California uses a jungle primary: every candidate appears on the same ballot regardless of party, and the top two finishers advance to the general election. Only a handful have a real chance of making the cut, among them Democrats Xavier Becerra and Tom Steyer and Republican Steve Hilton.

Healthcare for undocumented immigrants became a flashpoint in a recent gubernatorial debate. Several Democrats defended coverage despite concerns about costs and the state budget. Becerra argued that denying preventive care would raise spending by pushing patients into emergency rooms, saying it would be foolish to tell a family they cannot access a pediatrician or family doctor. Steyer and Katie Porter also backed coverage, and Porter said failing to provide care creates wider public health problems and longer emergency room waits.

Republicans pushed back. Hilton said the state should stop spending billions on healthcare for undocumented immigrants and focus on legal residents. Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco argued that taxpayer-funded benefits encourage illegal immigration. The debate also exposed divisions over single-payer healthcare: former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa warned that a statewide system would be prohibitively expensive and hard to implement.

Elsewhere, Iowa offers two tests. President Donald Trump's influence over the GOP faces a ballot-box check in the state's gubernatorial contest, while the Democratic Senate nomination is the latest clash between the party's establishment and progressive wings. Watch California's top-two results, and whether Pratt's complaint produces any official response.