WorldLos Angeles mayoral candidate Spencer Pratt, the former reality TV personality, slipped into third place in the official vote count late on Sunday, prompting unsubstantiated claims by U.S. President Donald Trump and others that something irregular was taking place.Meet the Press walkout, California criticism show Trump again making election fraud claims without evidenceChris Iorfida · CBC News · Posted: Jun 08, 2026 1:18 PM EDT | Last Updated: 1 hour agoListen to this articleEstimated 7 minutesThe audio version of this article is generated by AI-based technology. Mispronunciations can occur. We are working with our partners to continually review and improve the results.A man casts his ballot at a voting centre in Los Angeles on June 2. While vote totals tabulated on election night for the first several days showed mayoral candidate Spencer Pratt in second place, the counting of more ballots has seen him slip to third. (Jae C. Hong/The Associated Press)Los Angeles mayoral candidate Spencer Pratt, the former reality TV personality, slipped into third place in the official vote count late on Sunday, prompting unsubstantiated claims by U.S. President Donald Trump and others that something irregular was taking place. "No way this could have happened. Rigged Election!" Trump proclaimed on Truth Social early Monday after Nithya Raman overtook Pratt. After incumbent Karen Bass last week secured a place in the Nov. 3 runoff between the top two vote getters, attention has turned to the race for the final spot between Pratt of The Hills fame and Raman, a current city councillor. Pratt had an 8.1 percentage-point lead over Raman on election night nearly a week ago, but as of late Sunday, Raman leads by about 0.4 points, or 3,100 votes.The Associated Press has estimated there are fewer than 150,000 ballots left to be counted.AnalysisHow AI has helped a former reality TV star become a contender for L.A. mayorDozens of states reject Trump administration requests for private voter informationThe mayoral election is nonpartisan, but Bass was a Democrat while in the U.S. House of Representatives and Raman has been a member of the Democratic Socialists of America. In the first months of the campaign, Pratt took pains to portray himself as a sensible conservative and focus on municipal issues. Trump threw his weight behind his surprising campaign late last month by deeming him "a big MAGA person," although Pratt has sought to distance himself from the endorsement.While even the social media account of Gov. Gavin Newsom's press office — which often trolls Trump — has admitted "we wish the votes were counted faster, too," all candidates are subject to the same rules. California officials have taken pains to explain the process — ballots can be counted as long as they were postmarked by the June 2 primary date and arrive at an election office within seven days. But the counting can take even longer than that.WATCH | Trump revives mail-in voting concerns :The truth behind Trump’s push to ban mail-in voting | About ThatAugust 22, 2025|Duration 11:16President Donald Trump wants to do away with mail-in voting, claiming it's responsible for 'massive voter fraud' in the U.S. Andrew Chang explores what might really be behind Trump's contempt for mail-in ballots and what he can actually do about it.