Bass has acknowledged that her time in office has been bumpy but pointed to reductions in homelessness and a historically low homicide rate in the nation’s second-most populous city.
Bass thanked supporters for having faith in her after a tough first term and predicted she will win in November.
“I love you. I appreciate you. I appreciate you for believing in me,” she said.
Bass, a Democrat, is facing challengers from both ends of the political spectrum.
The conservative, Spencer Pratt, told a group of reporters as the first results started to come in that “I got in this because I felt like my city failed myself, my neighbors."
Pratt argued that he has Democratic as well as Republican supporters, boiling his campaign down to a single line: “I’m an Angeleno who said enough is enough, and I had to step up.”
“I’m going to show everybody that I’m their mayor,” he said, clearly enthused, before wrapping his remarks.
Pratt is in a battle for second place with Nithya Raman, a member of L.A.'s city council who has the support of the Democratic Socialists of America.
