Staff Reports
Spencer Pratt just proved one thing: you don’t need a traditional ad team to get attention in a city like Los Angeles. An AI‑generated, Batman‑style campaign clip stormed across social media and put a once‑local mayoral race into the national spotlight. Love him or roll your eyes, Pratt grabbed millions of views and showed how cheap, flashy AI content can change the rules of political theater overnight.
The ad that broke the internet
The clip looks like a movie trailer. It paints Los Angeles as a Gotham‑style mess and casts Spencer Pratt as a caped savior swooping in to save the city. Filmmaker Charles Curran and Menace Studios are credited with creating at least one of the AI spots. Pratt reposted the videos and called much of the material “fan‑made.” Platforms report millions of views within a day — numbers in the low millions on X and some platforms claiming over 10 million views across posts. In short: the ad did what ads are supposed to do. It got eyeballs.
Why conservatives — and voters — should notice
This isn’t just reality‑TV meets politics. President Donald Trump said he’d “like to see him do well,” and Senator Ted Cruz of Texas and other conservative figures cheered the spot. Podcast reach from names like Joe Rogan turned a city race into national news. That matters. Los Angeles hasn’t elected a Republican mayor in decades, and Pratt is a registered Republican running in a nonpartisan contest. Viral traction can swing attention and turnout, and national media can reshape local contests in ways that used to be impossible.
The safety and ethics debate the media won’t stop talking about
Mayor Karen Bass called the ads part of “a violent trend” and said the images are disturbing. Pratt’s campaign says it has received credible threats and has worked with the LAPD to beef up security. Those are serious concerns. But we also have to ask where responsibility lies. If a “fan‑made” clip can be produced cheaply and spread like wildfire, platforms and local leaders face a real test: protect public safety without turning every viral clip into a pretext for shutting down political speech they dislike.
Win votes, not just views
What comes next
Here’s the simple truth: viral ads are a tool, not a platform for governance. Pratt’s stunt might win headlines and donors, but winning City Hall requires plans for public safety, homelessness, and city services — not just a great special effects reel. Voters should enjoy the show and then get serious. Americans should welcome new campaign creativity, but they must demand that candidates back the spectacle with real solutions. Otherwise we get drama and nothing to show for it on Election Day.
