Republican Candidate Steve Hilton Reacts to Los Angeles Mayoral Race Results
Steve Hilton, the Republican gubernatorial candidate moving on to the general election against Democrat Xavier Becerra in November, expressed his frustration on Tuesday over the recent loss of Los Angeles mayoral hopeful Spencer Pratt.
A significant part of his outrage was aimed at California’s top-two primary system. This system allows the two candidates with the highest votes to advance, regardless of their party affiliations. As a result, the far-left City Council member Nitya Raman will compete against the current Democratic Mayor, Karen Bass, in the mayoral race.
“Spencer Pratt has made an incredibly compelling case for change in Los Angeles,” Hilton stated during a press conference. “What happened to Spencer is simply a travesty.”
Hilton criticized the existing system, calling it “ridiculous” for preventing voters in Los Angeles from finding real alternatives. Interestingly, some Democrats, including California Democratic Party Chairman Rusty Hicks, also support reevaluating this voting process.
“It’s outrageous that in an election filled with visible issues, Los Angeles is left choosing between an obviously incompetent incumbent and a far-left extremist,” Hilton remarked.
He continued, “Come November, voters won’t have any real option for change. It’s frankly outrageous that Spencer won’t be in the running.”
Pratt, a registered Republican known for his persuasive campaign tactics and a savvy use of AI-generated ads, garnered attention not just from conservatives but also from independent voters across the nation.
Hilton mentioned that he would be open to Pratt joining his administration if he wins the election. “I would be honored to have him as part of my team in whatever role,” he said.
On another front, candidates for governor discussed potential long-term solutions to California’s sluggish vote counting process, suggesting voter ID requirements. As of Tuesday morning, complete results from last week’s gubernatorial primary were still pending. The delay is partly due to the state allowing mail-in ballots that are postmarked by Election Day, giving voters up to 14 days to address signature or identification issues.
Hilton argued that implementing voter ID would be a necessary reform. Upcoming ballot measures aim to strengthen identification and citizenship verification for California voters.
“If we had a voter ID law, we could consistently check signatures and verifications, which they claim is what causes the delay,” Hilton insisted.
He even offered to partner with Becerra, who advanced to the runoff, to promote voter ID initiatives. However, a spokesperson for Becerra did not provide a comment on the proposal.
