By every measure, Republican Spencer Pratt wiped the floor with his opponents during Wednesday night’s first debate between the three Los Angeles mayoral candidates. But an online poll conducted by NBC4, which co-hosted the debate, says it all.
An astonishing 88 percent gave Pratt the win, while only seven percent chose the incumbent, Democrat Mayor Karen Bass. Councilmember Nithya Raman brought up the rear with just five percent support.
A separate poll asked if the debate changed any minds. Sadly, 73 percent said no while only 22 percent said yes. A mere five percent remain undecided.
I say “sadly” because, as great a candidate as Spencer Pratt is (and he is awesome), he’s polling in the ten to 14 point range, while Bass and Raman’s combined support is closer to 40 percent. So the two leftists are beating Pratt in their combined vote. Therefore, it is hard for me to see 1) any serious number of Bass or Raman voters jumping to Pratt and 2) Pratt picking up enough of the undecideds to turn that 14 percent support into 51 percent, and that’s if he manages to make the June 2 runoff that sends the top two voter getters to the November 3rd general election.
But.
From what I’ve seen in Pratt’s phenomenal ads, his blazing debate victory last night, and his overall media and campaign strategy, he has a very good chance of surviving the run-off. If he can do that, he’s such an impressive candidate, and his potential opponents are so weak that he has as good a chance as any Republican of a November victory.
On paper, Spencer Pratt is the next mayor of Los Angeles. It’s all there, including a clearly articulated message expressing the kind of boldness the dying city desperately needs. Plus, he has done a great job of keeping the debate on his terms — crime, poverty, and competence. Generally, Republicans lose in blue states after getting bogged down in stupid debates about abortion and gays.
Still, at least from where I see it, Los Angeles is lost… Lost to vote fraud, public unions, illegal aliens, and overall civic corruption that will give us a repeat of what we’ve already seen in Chicago and New York: failed leftist mayors replaced by even more leftist mayors. One caveat there… Neither Chicago nor New York fielded a GOP candidate anywhere near as talented as Pratt.
Regardless of what happens in Los Angeles, though, Spencer Pratt has become an articulate, likable, and effective member of the Republican party. His future is bright, no matter his fate in the failed state of California.
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