Before his house burned down in last year’s Palisades fire, Spencer Pratt’s time as a celebrity seemed to have come and gone. After waging an outsider campaign for mayor of Los Angeles based on his advocacy after last year’s wildfires, he is back in the limelight.
Mr. Pratt, a Republican, had a strong showing in Tuesday’s primary and was in second place as votes were being counted. If he remains there, he will face Mayor Karen Bass in a November runoff.
A former reality TV star, his move into politics began with blistering criticism of Ms. Bass and Gov. Gavin Newsom, whom he routinely accuses of “letting his neighborhood burn down” in the wildfires. In a series of interviews last year, he appeared to have no aspiration for politics and said he was focused only on his Pacific Palisades neighborhood.
In the months since he announced his run for mayor, Mr. Pratt has tried to broaden his platform, talking about Los Angeles’s problems with homelessness and drugs. Though he is thin on policy, his outraged tone has resonated with frustrated voters.
On election night, reporters waited for hours to speak to Mr. Pratt before he emerged in front of Don Antonio’s Mexican restaurant on Pico Boulevard.
Outside his campaign party, which was closed to the media, a dozen or so television crews filled airtime by interviewing supporters of Mr. Pratt: celebrities, like the television host Billy Bush; Norm Langer, known for Los Angeles’s Langer Delicatessen; and a motley collection including live streamers in top hats and silvery suits holding “Pratt for LA Mayor” signs.
A black curtain was erected in front of the restaurant to prevent a view of Mr. Pratt, his wife Heidi Montag, and celebrity supporters like Mr. Bush and the comedian Adam Carolla. The waiting supporters and news crews created a raucous scene outside that was occasionally broken up by delivery robots and pedestrians confused about why a crowd had gathered in front of a restaurant with 3.7 stars on Yelp.
Supporters repeatedly said on Tuesday night that they knew that Mr. Pratt was not a typical candidate but that they were willing to take a risk on an outsider with no political experience.
When he emerged to talk to reporters, he was focused on a longer race and talked about trying to reach out to Democrats who might be leery of a Republican who has become a hero to right-wing influencers.
“I think this idea that I don’t represent Democrats and Republicans and independents, anyone that’s just a Los Angeles citizen and wants basic quality of life, I’ll be able to show that in five minutes,” Mr. Pratt said. “I’m going to show everybody that I’m their mayor.”
