Spencer Pratt might be a candidate uniquely suited for the moment: An elder millennial with everywhere-all-the-time social media instincts, bluntly spelling out Los Angeles’ challenges with homelessness, crime and mismanagement and laying blame at the feet of its entrenched Democratic establishment.
The 42-year-old former reality television star’s willingness to be raw and provocative, on the bet that authenticity is the coin of today’s political realm, helps explain the growing buzz — particularly among Republicans who see in Pratt traits similar to those that catapulted Donald Trump into the White House twice — around his run against unpopular Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass ahead of the nominally nonpartisan June 2 primary.
But it also might severely limit the ability of Pratt, a registered Republican, to win a general election once voters narrow the field to two candidates. And it explains why 72-year-old Bass and her allies are trying to set up a head-to-head race in November against Pratt, rather than facing a more nuanced campaign against her chief progressive rival, 44-year-old city councilwoman Nithya Raman.
“Being louder doesn’t necessarily mean that there’s actual support for him in the city of L.A.,” said Democratic strategist Michael Trujillo.
