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Los Angeles mayoral candidate Spencer Pratt has accused one of his opponents of hiring a crowd of fake supporters for a campaign commercial.
On Saturday evening, Pratt posted a tweet showing a crowd of 'real Angelenos' who showed up to one of his campaign events juxtaposed against a picture of '30 paid actors packed into a closed set' for one of candidate Nithya Raman's commercials.
Pratt, 42, is one of three frontrunners in a tight mayoral race that is heading towards a likely runoff. He is running as an independent candidate against incumbent Karen Bass and City Councilmember Raman. He has been registered as Republican since 2020.
In Pratt's tweet, the former reality star wrote: 'I don't have to hire actors to get a crowd. All I have to do is show up, and real Angelenos step up. We are winning.'
However Raman's spokesperson fired back at the claim Sunday, telling the Daily Mail: 'It's another Spencer Pratt conspiracy theory. The people in Nithya's video are supporters, not paid actors.'
A new poll by the California Post shows Pratt ahead in the race by a tiny margin, leading at 30.1 percent support. Bass is close behind at 29.5 percent, and Raman is in third place at 23.4 percent, according to the poll.
No candidate is likely to earn more than 50 percent of votes in the primary election on Tuesday, which will lead to a second, runoff election between the top two candidates.
Pratt has been likened to Trump by his opponents, and his comment in the tweet evokes similar language used by the president the same day after five of the nine musicians slated to perform at America's 250th birthday concert dropped out due to political backlash.
Spencer Pratt, 42, drew comparisons to Donald Trump once again after he said he can draw a crowd just by showing up
A still from the post on X that Pratt shared on Saturday claiming that Nithya paid actors to pose as her supporters
Pratt is running for Los Angeles mayor against City Councilmember Nithya Raman (left) and incumbent Karen Bass (right). The race will likely go to a runoff
In a Truth Social post, Trump said he wanted to turn the event into a rally and dubbed himself the 'Number One Attraction anywhere in the World' who can draw 'much larger audiences than Elvis in his prime,' with just a microphone and a good speech.
Comparisons between Pratt and the president have been drawn by Bass, the incumbent, who during an Instagram livestream on Saturday said: 'You have a failed reality TV star who wants to be famous.
'We know what it means if you put somebody who is a reality TV star in a seat of power,' the current mayor of Los Angeles added, likely in reference to Trump's tenure as host of The Apprentice. Pratt is known for his role in the reality show, The Hills.
Observers also recently drew connections between Pratt and Trump over a story the mayoral candidate told during a Fox News interview.
Pratt was discussing his debate against Bass and Raman, which a majority of polled viewers said they believed he won.
'I walked off that stage, and this young high school kid came right up to me, and he said, "Thank you, sir, for being the only one that told the truth up there on the stage,"' Pratt recounted.
The anecdote led to comparisons to Trump's pattern of telling stories about his supporters telling him 'thank you, sir' when he recalls his accomplishments.
Homelessness, housing affordability and the health of Hollywood's filmmaking industry are among the top issues in the race for mayor of Los Angeles, and Pratt has been hammering those issues.
Pratt is pictured wife Heidi Montag and their two children. He was initially seen as a longshot candidate when he launched his campaign in January but latest polls reveal his popularity
Pratt promised he would 'pull out ALL the stops to eliminate every lame reason that makes filming in LA a pain in the neck,' including removing homeless people from the streets
Pratt has also been compared to Trump by Bass, and observers pointed to similar rhetoric between Pratt and the president after Pratt told a story about a supporter telling him 'thank you, sir'
He went on a lengthy X rant on Friday, calling out his opponents. 'Karen and Nithya treat productions like a nuisance, and they’ve killed our golden goose,' he wrote.
The husband of Heidi Montag promised he would 'pull out ALL the stops to eliminate every lame reason that makes filming in LA a pain in the neck.'
His proposal includes making permitting and parking approvals 'cheap' and 'easy,' increasing LAPD patrols in hotspots to protect the crew, and removing addicts and the homeless from the area.
'We need to win back these productions, and tax credits aren’t enough to do it,' he wrote. 'They just need filming to be easier and safer in LA. They need LA to be nicer, and less disgusting.'
Pratt's platform appears to resonate with voters, as the candidate's polled share of support among likely voters shot up from seven percent in February to around 30 percent just three months later.
The Daily Mail has reached out to Pratt's and Bass's campaigns for comment.
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