Reality star beating LA Mayor Karen Bass in polls.

Honestly, I don't think red works for the LA Mayor. And the winner is NYC total douchebag Zohran Mamdani. Residents of the Big Apple are ... no I'm not going to employ the R word. That's not what I was thinking.

Results below courtesy of Claude, the Mayor of AI.

Zohran Mamdani (NYC) — the standout He's the only one of the three with clearly positive numbers. Marist (late March 2026, ~100 days in) had him at 48% approve / 30% disapprove, a net +18. Emerson (early April) was a bit more mixed at 43% approve / 27% disapprove with 30% neutral. Going into office in late December, Siena had his favorability at 46% / 31% (net +15 statewide, roughly +38 net within NYC per CNN's Harry Enten). He's polling best in Manhattan and Brooklyn.

Karen Bass (LA) — underwater and getting worse She's in serious trouble heading into the June 2 primary. The UC Berkeley IGS poll in May 2026 had her at 32% favorable / 50% unfavorable. UCLA's Luskin Quality of Life Index flipped her net favorability from positive in 2024 to net -12 in 2025 after the Palisades fire response. In the horse race, a California Post/McLaughlin poll out yesterday (May 29) shows reality TV figure Spencer Pratt statistically tied with her at 30.1% to 29.5%, with Nithya Raman at 23.4%. Earlier Berkeley/LA Times polling had her leading the field at 25–26% but with the worst favorability of any candidate.

Brandon Johnson (Chicago) — historically low His numbers have been among the worst recorded for any major U.S. mayor, though they've climbed off the floor. The trajectory: M3 Strategies had him at 6.6% favorable / ~80% unfavorable in February 2025; Illinois Policy/M3 at 14% approve in early 2025; the University of Chicago Mansueto Institute at 26% approve / 58% disapprove in August 2025; Change Research (Oct 2025) had job approval up to 31% with favorability at 27%. The most recent Suffolk/Chicago Tribune poll had him at 34% favorable — still underwater but his best showing in over a year. Chicago votes for mayor in February 2027 and a substantial challenger field is forming (Giannoulias, Mendoza, Vallas all polling better than him).

The summary picture: Mamdani is the only one clearly above water. Bass is upside-down and facing a genuinely competitive primary in days. Johnson remains historically unpopular but has clawed back some ground from the single-digit lows of early 2025.

Spencer Pratt leads Karen Bass in LA mayor’s race, California Post poll reveals

By Jamie Paige, NY Post

Published May 29, 2026, 6:58 p.m. ET

Spencer Pratt is now Karen Bass’ biggest headache.

A bombshell California Post poll conducted with McLaughlin & Associates shows the reality TV star-turned-mayoral candidate has surged to a statistical tie with the incumbent mayor.

And voters blame homelessness, affordability and the direction of Los Angeles as the reason for turning on Bass.

Pratt now leads the field with 30.1% support, compared with 29.5% for Bass, setting up a razor-thin race heading into next week’s primary.

Socialist councilwoman Nithya Raman sits in third place at 23.4%.

Spencer Pratt smiling while seated on a white couch.

“Fox & Friends” on Thursday

With a margin of error of plus or minus 4.9 percentage points, the race remains statistically tight.

One of the more notable findings is Pratt’s strength among Hispanic voters, where he leads the field with 33% support, compared to 24% for Bass and 21% for Raman.

But beneath the numbers lies a much bigger warning sign for City Hall.

Voters appear deeply dissatisfied not only with the direction of Los Angeles but also with nearly every major candidate seeking to lead it.

John McLaughlin, CEO of McLaughlin & Associates, said the race is shaping up to be far more competitive than many expected.

“I think the mayor’s race is a lot more volatile,” McLaughlin told The California Post. “Normally it’s a slam dunk for the Democrats, but it’s being driven by the negatives on Bass.”

The poll found 62% of likely voters believe the city is on the wrong track.

The numbers are particularly brutal for Bass: only 32 percent approve of her job performance, while a staggering 66 percent disapprove, including 41 percent who strongly disapprove.

Her personal favorability ratings are just as bad. Just 32% view Bass favorably, while 65% hold an unfavorable opinion.

McLaughlin said those numbers are creating significant political challenges for the mayor.

“Karen Bass has a huge disapproval, and she has a significant unfavorable rating,” he said.

Yet despite those bruising numbers, Bass remains tied for first place.

This suggests voters may be unhappy with current leadership, but still uncertain about the alternatives.

The former reality television star has electrified the race with his groundbreaking social-media focused campaign.

Pratt’s support continues to surge among voters looking for a dramatic break from traditional Los Angeles politics.

Raman, meanwhile, posts stronger personal numbers than either Bass or Pratt but still finds herself underwater overall.

The poll found 40% view the councilwoman favorably while 42% view her unfavorably.

Her support remains concentrated among progressive voters, but she trails both Bass and Pratt in the overall ballot test.

McLaughlin noted that Bass and Raman are competing for many of the same Democratic voters.

“There’s a Democrat primary within the primary, and Raman’s competing with her and has more of an upside among those voters,” he said.

The survey also sheds light on what is driving voters to the polls.

Homelessness and mental illness ranked as the top issue facing Los Angeles, cited by 26% of respondents.

Housing affordability followed at 18%, while inflation and broader affordability concerns came in at 13%.

Crime, drugs and public safety ranked fourth at 7%.

The clock is ticking for all three candidates.

Just 5% of voters remain undecided – down from a whopping 40% just three weeks ago after the first mayoral debate – meaning most Angelenos are already locked in.

With Tuesday’s primary just days away, candidates have little time left to change the trajectory of the race.

McLaughlin said the final weekend could prove decisive.

“A lot depends upon who has a good weekend this weekend,” he said.

The poll surveyed 400 likely Los Angeles voters between May 26 and May 28 through live phone calls and text-message interviews conducted in English and Spanish.

The sample included voters from every major region of the city and reflected a diverse cross-section of Los Angeles, with respondents identifying as 52% White, 27% Hispanic, 10% Black and 9% Asian. The survey was 53% female and 47% male, with an average age of 52.

Democrats accounted for 64% of respondents, while nearly two-thirds held college degrees and more than 60% had participated in all four of the last general elections.