Raman Narrows Gap Against Pratt in LA Mayor Race as Late Ballots Counted
Democrat Karen Bass secured her spot in California’s November mayoral runoff while the battle for second place between Pratt and Raman intensifies as mail-in ballots continue trickling in.
The Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder released updated vote totals showing Pratt maintaining a lead with 163,549 votes compared to Raman’s 130,473, preserving nearly a six-point advantage. However, the most recent ballot dump tells a different story about momentum in the race.
Raman Gains Ground in Latest Count
The newest batch of ballots favored Raman significantly, with her picking up more than 10,000 votes while Pratt added fewer than 6,000 over the same reporting period. In the previous count, Pratt held 157,116 votes to Raman’s 119,809, meaning Raman has steadily closed the gap as additional mail-in ballots get processed.
California law allows ballots postmarked by election day to arrive up to seven days later and still be counted, extending the tallying process considerably. State officials have warned that final vote counts may not be finalized for weeks.
Statewide Races Also in Flux
The governor’s race shows similarly tight dynamics, with Republican Steve Hilton holding a narrow lead over former Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra, who has 1,470,100 votes compared to Hilton’s 1,533,435. Billionaire Democrat Tom Steyer trails both candidates with 1,139,517 votes.
New numbers just dropped in the L.A. Mayor’s race.
Raman now trails Pratt by 20,672.
She continues to make up ground. pic.twitter.com/SQMH7lhha6
— Elex Michaelson (@Elex_Michaelson) June 5, 2026
The extended counting period has drawn scrutiny from national figures, with President Donald Trump accusing Democrats of election impropriety. “There’s BIG cheating by the Dumocrats in California,” Trump posted on Truth Social, claiming the Department of Justice is investigating the delayed vote counts.
Election Security Debate Intensifies
Governor Gavin Newsom’s office released an explainer video featuring CNN correspondent Elex Michaelson defending California’s deliberate counting pace as part of the state’s established legal framework. Critics, however, argue the slow process creates opportunities for fraud and lack of transparency.
Trump highlighted the Save America Act as a proposed solution, which would mandate photo ID for all voters, proof of citizenship, stricter mail-in ballot restrictions, and other election-related provisions.
This story has been updated. CNN’s Staff contributed to this report.
