Fox 11 will host the next Los Angeles mayoral debate this coming Wednesday, with one candidate notably absent: Spencer Pratt.
The network announced the mayoral forum on Monday, hosting four of the leading candidates with Mayor Karen Bass, Rev. Rae Huang, entrepreneur Adam Miller and Councilmember Nithya Raman.
However, Fox noted that the “Hills” star was also invited to attend, but declined, citing a prior scheduling conflict. Representatives for Pratt did not immediately respond to TheWrap’s request for comment.
His absence follows a strong showing for the first-time politician at his first debate Wednesday night. NBC4 Los Angeles, the station that aired the debate, posted an online poll asking viewers to cast their vote on who won — Pratt was overwhelmingly declared the winner by 89% at the time of this publishing; Mayor Bass came in a distant second at 7%, with Raman trailing behind at 4%.
Politico’s California bureau chief Melanie Mason told CNN’s Elex Michaelson on Wednesday that Pratt “passed the test” on the debate stage.
“The expectations are different for Spencer Pratt than they are for the incumbent mayor of Los Angeles or a relatively longtime city councilmember,” she explained. “He’s a novice to politics … but I think people wanted to see what this bombastic social media personality would do onstage.”
Michaelson added that the reality star channeled the anger a lot of Angelenos feel about the state of the city, and that being an “effective communicator on social media and on TV pays off.”
Fox will host the upcoming debate in partnership with the Pat Brown Institute for Public Affairs and the League of Women Voters of Greater Los Angeles. The event will air live on Fox 11 on Wednesday, May 13, from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. PT. Fox 11 anchors Marla Tellez and Bob DeCastro will moderate the forum.
