Reality star's long shot L.A. mayoral candidacy becomes surprise test for Democrats

Spencer Pratt's campaign for Los Angeles mayor began as a celebrity long shot. Days before Tuesday's primary, the former MTV reality star is threatening to force incumbent Mayor Karen Bass into a November runoff. Pratt, best known for " The Hills ," is polling at 22% among likely voters in a new UC Berkeley-Los Angeles Times poll , just behind Bass at 26% and City Councilmember Nithya Raman at 25%. Pratt and Raman each gained eight percentage points since March, according to the poll. Los Angeles mayoral elections are nonpartisan. If no candidate wins more than 50% in Tuesday's primary, the top two finishers advance to a November runoff. In a crowded field, that means Pratt does not need to win outright to upend the race — he only needs to finish ahead of Raman. Although the race is nonpartisan, Pratt is a registered Republican and has drawn attention from conservative media and Trump -aligned figures. He has rejected the " MAGA Republican" label and framed his campaign as a referendum on City Hall competence after the Pacific Palisades fire destroyed his home and his parents' home. "I only got into the race because nobody else was going to run," Pratt said Thursday on CNBC's " Squawk on the Street ." "I had to step up for my community and for Los Angeles." Pratt has lambasted the city's challenges with homelessness , drug addiction, crime , fire preparedness and the cost of doing business. He has accused Bass , a former Democratic U.S. …