The Forgotten Masses of Los Angeles

The New York Post published this on Sunday: "Spencer Pratt mounted an insurgent mayoral campaign against incumbent Mayor Karen Bass and socialist Democrat pal Nithya Raman, narrowly losing to the far-left DSA member."

The Post said, "Previously known mostly as a reality television personality, Pratt rallied the forgotten masses of Los Angeles, the moms living in fear of rising crime, coming so close to making the general election that he sent shock waves across the left-wing establishment."

"But while Pratt may be out of the race to become Los Angeles mayor, he’s not giving up on politics," the Post says.

This could be transformative for California politics... and beyond. That's why it's very important.

Be informed, not misled.

Pratt narrowly missed advancing to the November runoff after District 4 Councilwoman Nithya Raman surged past him on late-arriving mail ballots. For many of Pratt's supporters, the controversy did not end on election night.

Questions about ballot collection, voter registrations tied to homeless shelters, and voting activity connected to Los Angeles' Skid Row have kept the pressure on Los Angeles officials in the weeks since the election. 

Last week, the story reached the feds.

Federal agents were seen interviewing people on Skid Row after allegations surfaced that homeless residents had been paid to sign voter registration forms and provide voter information. The Department of Justice confirmed federal agents were investigating a criminal matter but declined further comment. No charges connected to the mayoral race have been announced, and the allegations remain unproven. 

If the allegations are substantiated, this is no longer just a Spencer Pratt story. It becomes a story about whether Los Angeles' election system can survive serious scrutiny.

Pratt told the Post that California's election system has become a major reason voters are losing confidence in the process.

“FBI agents are hitting Skid Row today. What do you notice in the background?” he posted on X late Thursday, hours after federal investigators conducted about 50 interviews in the area.

“We are cleaning up LA whether you like it or not.”

Officials with the FBI and Department of Homeland Security swooped in on Skid Row following allegations that the homeless had been paid to vote in the June 2 primary.

The California Post looked on as plainclothes agents asked people whether they were paid to vote or were aware of others who had been approached with the offer.

The FBI probe followed the emergence of shocking videos the week after Election Day, in which Skid Row residents claimed they were paid to vote for incumbent Mayor Karen Bass and Councilwoman Nithya Raman.

Raman’s surge into second place, after initially trailing well behind change-agent candidate Spencer Pratt, came after an extraordinary tally in mail-in ballots.

In one of the clips, a man on Skid Row claimed he received $4 to vote for Bass.

When asked whether he would also have been paid to vote for Raman, he answered “yes” and said Pratt was not among the candidates he was encouraged to support.

“They gave you an optional choice,” claimed the voter, Kevin Shepherd, alleging he was offered $2 but negotiated for a higher payment.

He further claimed that he completed a mail-in ballot for Bass and deposited it in a ballot box.

Federal Homeland Security Investigations agents also participated in Thursday’s probe.

The officers — dressed in jeans, sweatshirts, and baseball caps — spoke to locals who appeared to point them in the direction of where to look.

The Post confirmed agents were attempting to identify who was either approached or paid to vote.

The FBI said it does not comment on ongoing investigations.

The video clips, which were provided to the Department of Justice, followed The Post’s revelations that thousands of homeless people were registered to vote in shelters they didn’t live in.

A review of records by The Post identified more than 7,600 registered voters linked to shelters and other social service entities, including 1,160 registrations connected to the Midnight Mission in Skid Row.

Takeaway

Via Red State:

In the clip, Pratt explains why he believes losing the election may have removed some of the constraints that came with being a candidate.

"Hey morons. I didn't get in this for political power. I got in this to expose this corrupt machine. Nothing's changed. You enjoy your worthless meetings in City Hall. I've been lighting you up every single day and now I don't have to worry about offending CNN viewers. I don't have campaign laws hamstringing me now. It's war."

Pratt also suggested that information uncovered during the campaign could create serious problems for people currently operating inside Los Angeles politics.

"My goal hasn't changed. I've been laser-focused on stopping these commie animals, and I will stop them. If you think we uncovered a lot of fraud and evil in the campaign, just wait. We have some recordings of one of your exalted candidates doing and saying something that would make her resign in shame."

Whether anything ultimately comes from those claims remains to be seen, but it is not hard to understand why that kind of warning would make Los Angeles insiders nervous.

Pratt is not talking like someone who plans to disappear after an electoral defeat.

The Post asked him directly what comes next.

"I'll rest when I'm dead. We are at war with socialism, and I will keep hammering these corrupt politicians and force them to meet the needs of us Angelenos. I'm not going anywhere."

That does not sound like a candidate preparing to fade quietly into the background.

For months, much of Los Angeles' political class treated Pratt as a novelty candidate. Then he pulled more than 200,000 votes, nearly forced his way into a runoff, and built a following that remains intensely engaged even after the election.

They mocked him. They underestimated him. Now they may have to deal with him without the limits of a campaign.

The election is over, but the questions surrounding it are not.

Neither, apparently, is Spencer Pratt. 

As the light is turned up, it's likely that corruption---much corruption ---will be exposed on the part of the Left.

Be Informed. Be Discerning. Be Vigilant. Be Engaged. Be Prayerful.