Karen Bass and Spencer Pratt led in early returns in the race for Los Angeles mayor on Tuesday night, with Councilwoman Nithya Raman running in third.

The Associated Press projected that Bass — who was in first place — had secured a spot in the runoff. Though Pratt held a significant lead over Raman, the A.P. did not yet project a second-place finisher.

Speaking to supporters at her election party just after 9 p.m., Bass said it was “looking good so far,” and predicted that she would declare victory within a couple of hours.

“Tomorrow begins the second half of this journey,” Bass said. “You stood with me on the first half. Will you stand with me all the way?”

Pratt appeared at an election night party at a Mexican restaurant in West L.A., but the media was not allowed inside. After 10 p.m., he spoke to reporters, challenging Bass to weekly debates during the runoff.

“I’m ready for whatever God puts in front of me,” he said. “I’m going to prove to everybody this is for real and I’m ready to run the city.”

Bass was leading in the initial returns, with about 36.6% of the vote. Pratt was in second with 29.8%, while Raman held 20.5%.

“This is a very good night for Karen Bass,” said Conan Nolan, the NBC4 anchor, predicting that Bass would get her preferred matchup against Pratt.

Raman told her supporters at an election night party that she had presented an uplifting vision for the city during her brief campaign.

“We believe that Angelenos were hungry for that vision — and we were right,” she said. “Here’s the reality. That vision threatens some very powerful forces. They came at us with everything they had.”

She said she had faced opposition from “City Hall insiders” as well as corporations and landlords.

Bass, first elected in 2022, has faced a difficult test as she tries to win a second term. Pratt, the Republican former star of MTV’s “The Hills,” galvanized anger over homelessness and the Palisades fire — which claimed his house — to build an improbably strong challenge to Bass’ leadership.

Bass has also taken fire from her left flank, as both Raman and socialist candidate Rae Huang argued it is time for fresh leadership.

Bass has touted a 17.5% decline in street homelessness as she runs for a second term, and relied heavily on labor support to fund her reelection bid. Among other unions, the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees and the Hollywood Teamsters are supporting her campaign.

Bass’ opponents accused her of not acting fast enough to try to stem the outflow of Hollywood jobs, while Bass touted her record of reducing permit fees and cutting red tape.

Raman, meanwhile, had financial support from many industry figures, including Tina Fey, Mike Schur, Cord Jefferson, Mindy Kaling and Colin Jost.

Pratt struck a chord with conservatives who are fed up with the Democratic Party’s control of California and the city, appearing in the final days of his campaign on Fox News, among other outlets. He has also been featured and endorsed by The California Post, a local offshoot of the Murdoch-owned New York Post.

All three candidates have called for an unlimited state tax incentive for film production, though the mayor has little influence over the state budget.