State Watch

Pratt ‘going to forever change how political ads are done’: Chaffetz

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by Ryan Mancini - 05/18/26 10:38 AM ET

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by Ryan Mancini - 05/18/26 10:38 AM ET

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Fox News host and former Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah) on Sunday praised Spencer Pratt, a candidate in the Los Angeles mayoral race, saying he is “going to forever change how political ads are done.”

Pratt’s campaign has pushed AI-generated ads depicting incumbent Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass (D) as a villain, either as a judge in Joker-style make-up or clad in Darth Vader’s iconic black armor, overseeing a dystopian, crime-ridden City of Angels.

“No matter who you are, Spencer Pratt resonates,” Chaffetz said on “The Big Weekend Show” on Fox News. “And part of that is, he’s got the best darn ads that have ever hit the political scene. It is going to forever change how political ads are done because he — they’re not just fun and entertaining, but he has hit the nail on the head.”

Chaffetz said Pratt’s ads explain and show “what Angelenos… have seen and lived and are living with every single day, and Karen Bass just has nothing in terms of response.” Chaffetz added that he thinks Pratt will do well among voters.

The ads have also depicted Pratt, donned in black armor and a cape resembling a Batman costume, fighting masked agents with vests featuring the letters “DSA,” referring to the Democratic Socialists of America.

Weary Angelenos are later seen throwing tomatoes at Bass, former Vice President Kamala Harris and California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D), who had been shown cackling and scheming as villains.

Bass slammed the ads as “absolutely 150 percent fiction” that have taken “on a violent trend.”

“Because when you do that, and when your messages are so hateful, or when you demonize people, then you do provoke people who are unstable and you can jeopardize people’s safety,” Bass told CNN’s Elex Michaelson last Tuesday.

The mayor added that Pratt’s political rise was indicative of the moment “we’re not unfamiliar” with, alluding to President Trump’s celebrity status before running for the White House.

“I think that plays into people’s desperation,” she said. “And I think oftentimes we look for someone superhuman to save us. The reality is –– it never happens.”

Other ads promoting Pratt include billboards featuring the candidate carrying a wet window wiper in a 1950s-style AI-generated ad with the Los Angeles cityscape and Hollywood hills behind him. Text around Pratt reads: “Let’s clean LA together! Spencer Pratt for LA mayor.”

These ads are notable for showing his campaign office address in Imperial Beach, which is in San Diego County, more than 130 miles south of Los Angeles. The same address appears on his campaign website.

Bass is leading the race with 30 percent support, followed by Pratt at 22 and Los Angeles City Council member Nithya Raman (D) at 19, according to a poll from Emerson College Polling/Inside California Politics.

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