Pennsylvania Democratic Senator John Fetterman praised Los Angeles mayoral hopeful Spencer Pratt’s playbook on Monday and urged Democrats to move on from their barrage of anti-Trump ads.
Fetterman, who is known for his regular criticisms of the Democratic Party, told comedian Bill Maher that Pratt is running circles around Democrats when it comes to getting his message out to voters.
“He has this AI commercial as Batman. It puts Mayor Bass as the Joker, and they put Newsom as Louis XIV eating cake,” Fetterman said, praising the ad’s ability to get a convincing message across.
“The Democratic side’s commercials are literally ‘f*ck Trump,” he said, arguing those types of ads won’t “win a national argument” in a purple state. Instead, Fetterman pointed to what he sees as a more effective approach.
WOW! Even Sen. John Fetterman says Spencer Pratt’s campaign ads are smarter and more relatable than Democrat messaging, blasting the left for relying on “f*ck Trump” messaging instead of actual policy. 🔥
“Democrat’ campaign ads? Literally ‘f*ck Trump.’ It just keeps cutting to… pic.twitter.com/eyVpPGE30p
— Brandon Tatum (@TheOfficerTatum) May 11, 2026
AI-generated ads backing Pratt have targeted issues that concern many Los Angeles residents, such as affordability, homelessness, and safety. In one video created by filmmaker Charles Curran and shared by Pratt, the mayoral candidate is depicted as Batman, who saves the city from villains like the Joker, who was made to resemble Mayor Karen Bass.
LA is worth saving. Vote Spencer Pratt. pic.twitter.com/GpQpnfsuJe
— Charles Curran (@charliebcurran) May 5, 2026
Republicans in California have gained some traction in the state’s gubernatorial race as Democrats continue to focus on anti-Trump messaging, much to Fetterman’s dismay. According to the prediction market Kalshi, Republican gubernatorial candidate Steve Hilton has a 79% chance of advancing to the runoff after the California primary in early June. Like Pratt, Hilton’s campaign focuses on safety and affordability in California.
Democratic gubernatorial candidate Katie Porter’s latest ad features protesters holding signs reading “Dump Trump,” despite Trump not being in the race or up for re-election. There is less emphasis on Trump in the mayoral race.
Pratt’s political rival, Nithya Raman, ran an ad focused on Hollywood’s declining film industry, but it fell flat when she attempted to draw sympathy by featuring her husband, a Hollywood producer who has written for “30 Rock” and “Modern Family.” In the ad, Raman stands in a vacant studio lot discussing the city’s loss of movie production, saying, “This issue is personal to me because my husband works in the industry too.”
Mayor Bass frequently posts Instagram videos featuring members of her community. In one video, a supporter energizes a crowd by saying, “They say homelessness is up, but the numbers have gone down every year with Bass as mayor.”
Both Bass and Raman dropped out of the second Los Angeles mayoral debate. An online viewer poll from NBC4 L.A. showed 89% of respondents picked Pratt as the winner of the first debate. Bass’s team said the incumbent mayor is dropping out of the second debate to travel to Sacramento to lobby state officials for funding for the Palisades fire recovery. The L.A. Times reports that Raman dropped out because “her main reason to attend the forum was to debate Bass.”
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