After losing home in wildfire, reality TV personality Spencer Pratt says he will run for LA mayor

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Spencer Pratt, a reality television personality who lost his home in the deadly Palisades wildfire last year, announced Wednesday that he intends to run for mayor of Los Angeles.

Pratt, a Republican who rose to reality-TV fame alongside his wife, Heidi Montag, on “The Hills,” said at a fire anniversary event that “this just isn't a campaign, this is a mission. And we are going to expose the system.”

The event, called “They Let Us Burn!,” was a rally critical of state and local government's handling of the Jan. 7 wildfire that killed 12 people and destroyed thousands of homes. In the aftermath of the fire, Pratt emerged as an outspoken critic of Gov. Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, both Democrats, and said they failed to prevent the blaze. He sued the city and used social media to push back against denser housing.

Pratt posted a photo on the social media platform X that appeared to show him filling out paperwork required to run in the 2026 contest with the caption “It's official,” but the filing could not be immediately confirmed with the city Ethics Commission. The California Republican Party has not had any contact with Pratt regarding his candidacy but was attempting to reach him, spokesman Matt Shupe said. Municipal races in California are nonpartisan.

Pratt did not respond to a text message seeking comment.

As a Republican, he would enter the race as a long shot in heavily Democratic Los Angeles.

His candidacy was endorsed online by Steve Hilton, a Republican candidate for governor, and Richard Grenell, an ally of President Donald Trump who wrote on X that “Spencer has the passion and the drive to make positive change for Los Angeles.”

If Pratt moves ahead with his plans, he would join a field that includes Bass, who is seeking a second, four-year term; Austin Beutner, a former superintendent of the Los Angeles Unified School District; and community organizer Rae Huang. Candidates can continue to enter the race through early next month.

The primary is in June.