The most important outcome of the 2026 Los Angeles mayoral primary may be that the Republican Party no longer accepts the legitimacy of election defeats. This reflex has spread up and down the party, to everyone including the trailing candidate, Spencer Pratt, and the president of the United States, who grew so enraged when the Meet the Press moderator Kristen Welker challenged his election denial that he left the set mid-interview. The refusal to accept the prospect of a Republican defeat in L.A. is bizarre and revealing. The race has not been called, but over the weekend, as more ballots were counted, Pratt fell into third place. Republicans had believed that L.A.'s struggles with public order would create an opening for their candidate. The right-of-center Free Press published seven hopeful stories with headlines such as 'Inside Spencer Pratt's Viral Video Machine' and 'Heidi Montag Is Already LA's First Lady.' The trouble is that the city's electorate is overwhelmingly...
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