Spencer Pratt had a big night on Wednesday at the LA mayoral debate.

He achieved two things.

First, he showed voters the passion he feels for change. Yes, that passion is driven by personal loss — the fact that his home in Pacific Palisades burned down in the January 2025 fire.

But like many fire victims, Pratt has also learned, as he and his family have tried to rebuild, that LA’s dysfunction isn’t limited to empty reservoirs and underfunded fire departments.

He made the case Wednesday that the fire is a symptom of a bigger problem that he wants to change.

Second, Pratt shows that he knows about a lot more than the fire.

From policing to homeless policy to Hollywood tax credits, Pratt — a total newcomer to politics — was able to engage on the full spectrum of issues facing the city.

It’s more than many anticipated from the reality TV star.

The key factor in debates is not who gave the best answers, but who beat expectations.

By that standard, Spencer Pratt won — by a landslide.

Whether that helps him in the June 2 primary remains to be seen.

But he certainly helped his chances to make the general election.

Mayor Karen Bass was the same politician we have become used to seeing: poised, polished, sharp at times, but also uninspiring, offering more of the same for the next four years.

Nithya Raman was disappointing. She struggled to defend her past votes and positions. More important, she struggled to define a vision for LA. She never explained why she is running.

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Pratt doesn’t have that problem. Everyone knows why. Almost everyone, by now, has seen the viral ad of the trailer on the empty lot where his house had been in Pacific Palisades — contrasted with Bass and Raman’s comfortable homes.

But what we didn’t know before Wednesday’s debate was whether he could do more than talk about his own losses.

On Wednesday, he spoke for everyone in LA who has been robbed; everyone who has had to avoid a homeless encampment on the way to work; everyone struggling to afford the rent and wondering why politicians keep raising taxes. 

He spoke for everyone who remembers a better LA, and who wants to see it return — for everyone.

Win or lose, Pratt gave Angelenos a voice for 60 minutes on the debate stage.

Where it goes from here is up to them.