California 2026 Primary Election Results for Governor and Los Angeles Mayor

Voters are left in the dark as a reality star battles a politician for power in Los Angeles

Incumbent Karen Bass secured her spot on the ballot, but the race for second place remains too close to call as slow vote counts drag on.

When you cast a vote, you expect to know who won by the next morning. But thousands of voters are left waiting in limbo as election workers slowly count paper ballots.

What Happened

California held its primary election on Tuesday. But days later, we still do not know who will advance to the general election for governor and other big races.

In Los Angeles, the mayor's race is a "jungle primary." This means the top two candidates move on to November, no matter their political party.

Current Mayor Karen Bass easily won enough votes to secure her spot on the ballot. Now, reality TV star Spencer Pratt and City Council member Nithya Raman are fighting for the second spot.

What the money/evidence shows

• Mayor Karen Bass is projected to advance to the November ballot.
• Spencer Pratt and Nithya Raman are fighting for the second-place spot.
• The top two candidates from the primary will face off in the general election.
• Election officials are still counting mail-in and extra paper ballots.

The Bigger Question

Why does it take so long to count votes in one of the richest states in the world? While some states count millions of votes in hours, California takes weeks.

This delay can make people lose trust in the system. We need to ask if our push for easy mail-in voting has made the actual counting process too slow for the modern world.

The Other Side

Election workers say they must go slow to make sure every single vote is real and counted correctly. They check signatures on envelopes and handle fragile paper ballots by hand.

What Happens Now

For now, campaigns are stuck in place. Candidates cannot raise money or plan their next steps because they do not know if they made the cut.

Regular people have to wait to see what kind of leadership their city will have next year.

What We Still Don't Know

• How many ballots are still left to count?
• When will the final official results be announced?
• Will the slow count change how voters feel about mail-in ballots.