CNN’s Harry Enten explained why growing accusations of election fraud in Los Angeles’ primary election are “the dumbest conspiracy theory” he’s ever heard, and it’s not for the reason you might expect.
His analysis went beyond California’s election integrity claims and focused on the fact that the Democratic establishment backs incumbent Mayor Karen Bass, not progressive City Councilwoman Nithya Raman. According to polling data, Bass would be projected to beat Pratt by nearly 20 points in a general election matchup, while a Bass–Raman contest is effectively a toss-up, with Raman even showing a potential advantage.
In other words, the Democratic establishment has to contend with another candidate pushing the party further to the left if Raman advances.
NEW: CNN's Harry Enten fumes that people are accusing Democrats of fraud after Nithya Raman surged to 2nd place in the LA mayoral race, ahead of Spencer Pratt.
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) June 8, 2026
Raman has surged with late ballots, while Karen Bass has bizarrely remained relatively flat.
"This is the dumbest… pic.twitter.com/su6daLg5VQ
"This is the dumbest conspiracy theory I have ever heard, because the Democratic establishment and Karen Bass wanted Spencer Pratt in the run-up," Enten said. "They don't want any part to do with Nithya Raman. Why is that? Because just take a look here. Okay, mayor run runoff polls, Bass versus opponent, versus Pratt. Bass would have crushed Pratt by 18 points. That's what the polling showed. Look at how she does against Nithya Raman on the other hand. Raman is ahead by 4 points."
"Bass has a real race on her hands, if in fact Raman is the one who advances," he said. "And of course, the Democratic establishment is backing Karen Bass. But versus Spencer Pratt, she was crushing him. She wanted to face Pratt. She wanted nothing to do with Raman. That's why these conspiracy theories simply make no sense, people."
This comes as Raman has surged in the vote count despite trailing Pratt by over 40,000 votes last week. She is now expected to advance to the general election.
Nithya Raman overtakes Spencer Pratt in the L.A. Mayor's race in NYT latest update (83% reported)
— InteractivePolls (@IAPolls2022) June 8, 2026
Karen Bass (N): 250,871 (34.7%)
Nithya Raman (N): 196,198 (27.1%)
Spencer Pratt (N): 193,085 (26.7%) https://t.co/YwopZ7mKNn pic.twitter.com/yiTCjjIUi4
Republicans, including President Trump, have accused the state of election fraud, while U.S. attorneys have launched investigations into the state’s election processes.