(SeaPRwire) –
By: Gavin Thorne
Spencer Pratt’s mayoral bid isn’t just a reality star’s tantrum. It’s a warning shot. Climate disasters don’t always push voters toward climate action. Sometimes, they fuel rage against the people supposed to fix things.
Pratt’s house burned in the 2025 Palisades wildfire. He attacked a TIME writer’s cover story last year—slamming mentions of climate change, calling the reporting “lazy” and “impotent”. He’s been tearing into LA Mayor Karen Bass and California Governor Gavin Newsom for months over slow fire response and lack of preparation.
Votes are still being counted. But Pratt, a former reality star, seems likely to face Bass in the general election. He’s put his fire rage at the center of his campaign. Frustration lingers over the disaster and slow recovery. Even so, he’s unlikely to win—his pugilist style and MAGA ties are too much for most Angelenos.
Academics saw this coming. Poorly managed disasters breed distrust in institutions. A 2023 Italian study linked bad earthquake response to authoritarian gains. An Inter-American Development Bank study found Mexican quakes increased political distrust (and good response mitigated it). Far-right groups in the U.S. use disaster aftermaths to recruit.
Pratt’s message has appeal. 18 months post-fire, rebuilding is slow. His campaign ad shows him camping at his old home lot, walking down Bass’s pristine street to contrast. He demands accountability and insurance reform—good on surface. But he distrusts the experts needed to fix climate disasters. The climate community’s assumption (extreme weather drives root cause action) is wrong here.
If cities fail to speed up disaster recovery and listen to affected people, more anti-establishment candidates like Pratt will turn climate pain into political power.
Author bio: Gavin Thorne, an insider political investigative journalist based in Washington, D.C., covering electoral shifts and climate policy impacts.