Every few years, the national conservative movement coalesces around a Republican in California who, they swear, will finally break the Democratic hold on power. Los Angeles race for mayor.
Last cycle, it was real estate billionaire Rick Caruso, a mogul who positioned himself at the nexus between respectable California fiscal conservatism and the MAGA movement. This cycle is Spencer Pratta former reality TV star who conservatives are praising for his performance during the city’s recent mayoral debate, as well as his campaign videos, particularly a superhero-themed AI one that went viral this week.
The video, made by AI filmmaker Charles Curran, depicts prominent California Democrats, including current Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and Governor Gavin Newsom, as comic book aristocrats and villains. Kamala Harris is portrayed as a puppet on strings. Pratt helps save the day as a Batman-style superhero. Here it is:
The visceral unpleasantness of Curran’s video does not seem to affect Pratt’s group of conservative supporters, who have praised the video.
“Perhaps the best political ad of the year” wrote Donald Trump’s former punching bag, Jeb Bush. “This is basically a maximalist expression of what political ads can do.” aggregate Matt Gaetz, disgraced former congressman. “This is fantastic” wrote Laura Ingraham, Fox News host.
It’s not just AI video. Meghan McCain was an early supporter of Pratt’s campaign and recently praised his communication style, writing that he represents a “model for how my generation of older millennials needs to communicate and present their ideas and campaign messages when running for office.” Right-wing influencer Libs from TikTok praised Pratt shared a clip in which he said “no” when asked if non-citizens should be allowed to vote in local elections, while Bass and fellow candidate Nithya Raman explained that it depends and that many non-citizens live legally in the United States. Right wing coach Chamath Palihapitiya also praised how Pratt handled himself during the debate. “Spencer Pratt is consistent and reasonable,” he wrote. “If he becomes the next mayor of Los Angeles, he will return that city to safety and greatness. Watch the entire debate and judge for yourself.”
Elon Musk, another right-wing tech standout, is also a fan. The MAGA Billionaire retweeted Republican critic Richard Grenell urges people to vote for Pratt. “Anyone in Los Angeles who doesn’t vote for @spencerpratt is a complete idiot,” Grenell wrote. “This isn’t even close.”
Pratt’s campaign has focused on cleaning up the streets of Los Angeles and delving into how the city’s Democratic leadership handled the 2025 wildfires, which burned Pratt’s home in Pacific Palisades. Despite all the right-wing hype, Pratt still has little chance of winning the race in the Liberal stronghold, with Bass currently leading in most polls, followed by Raman, a local council member.
Praise for Pratt follows a familiar pattern of intense interest in an outlier candidate, but as California state and municipal elections have approached in recent years, there’s always the chance that a Pratt or Caruso figure could break through. The right is waiting for its own Zohran Mamdani moment: getting enough social media traffic to blow up its chosen provocateur. But the content itself is not the same: While AI videos depicting socialist supersoldiers supporting authoritarian and elite Democrats may excite national commentators, they seem unlikely to move the needle as well as Mamdani’s constantly produced live content did.
For Pratt’s part, however, he’s certainly not camera shy.
