Political attack ads abound ahead of the June 2 statewide direct primary election, with competing candidates finding new, creative ways to rip each other apart over their records on immigration, corruption or cashing in on the fossil fuel industry. Here’s looking at tonight’s mayoral debate.
But it’s a campaign video in support of mayoral candidate Spencer Pratt that has taken trolling the opposition to new heights, or perhaps lows.
Pratt is the latest in a long line of former reality TV personalities who’ve run for political office on conservative platforms despite having little to no experience in the field. Despite his lack of governance know-how, Pratt is versed in the art of spectacle. He made a name for himself as the divisive boyfriend in MTV’s 2000s series “The Hills,” and now is enjoying another viral moment with an AI-generated spot that is more akin to a Lego Batman feature (or an Iranian propaganda video spoofing the latter) than a dry political attack ad. It has 4.1 million views and climbing.
Created by filmmaker Charles Curran, the video features AI-generated images of incumbent Mayor Karen Bass, California Gov. Gavin Newsom, former Vice President Kamala Harris and City Councilmember Nithya Raman as royal figures at a banquet table. Newsom eats cake à la Marie Antoinette. Bass is made up like the Joker. Raman is a puppet on strings.
Citizens with issues in and around Los Angeles plead their case before the cabal of elites, from Hugh Jackman on his knees begging for permission to rebuild his Pacific Palisades home, to a mother raising alarm about the homeless population outside her child’s school. Bass laughs at them. Harris swigs vodka from a bottle. Newsom then delivers a line that ensures the video will never air on network television alongside other political ads: “If you were a transgender migrant, I could get you a free p—.”
Spencer Pratt, second from right, announced that he was running for mayor.
(Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)
Despite or because of the crass, disrespectful language, conservative influencers are raving about the video as a game-changer. Commentator Buck Sexton has called it the future of political communication. Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush referred to the spot as “maybe the best political ad of the year.” No matter that it’s not an official campaign ad, or that Pratt did not commission the video but simply reposted it.
Or that the video says nothing about his policy plans. It’s breaking through all that ambient, election-year noise, and that’s what matters. The end justifies the means. Winning is everything. Do not worry about what happens after the election.
Pratt is portrayed as Batman in the video, swooping in to save the day. Once granted the title of “Greatest Reality TV Villain” in a 2015 Yahoo! fan-voted poll, Pratt finally gets to play the hero. He beats up a uniformed Democratic Socialists of America agent (whose gear curiously resembles that of an ICE agent) then leads a movement of angry Angelenos in pelting the elites with tomatoes. A song by Calvin Harris kicks in, the words “LA is worth saving” pop up on screen, and the video concludes.
Pratt knows at least some portion of L.A. voters are fed up and are looking for a superhero to clean up the mess. But L.A. needs a skilled leader, not someone birthed by a comic book. And there is a big difference between getting attention with viral videos and offering a future vision for how he would fix L.A.
One must wonder whether these flashy ads do more to stoke his base rather than convince the massive number of undecided voters frustrated with Bass to join his cause.
Videos generated by Pratt’s own campaign are less artful. On his X account, he shows the mansions and large homes where his opponents like Bass and Raman allegedly reside. “They Not Like Us” he writes, though Pratt and wife Heidi Montag’s home was estimated to be worth around $3.8 million before it was destroyed by fire. In the video, he shows an Airstream trailer on the burned-out lot, where he says he lives since they won’t let him rebuild his home.
Pratt, who is registered as a Republican, is among the 14 Angelenos qualified to run for mayor, including Bass and Raman. The viral video supporting his run for office is entertaining but says little to nothing about how he might fix the city’s problems.
Tonight’s mayoral debate may add more substance to Pratt’s campaign, or grist for his opponents. It will feature policy talk, political posturing and even, possibly, a significant discussion about our city’s future. But without AI heroes or villains, will anyone be watching?