Spencer Pratt, a Los Angeles mayoral candidate running in a nonpartisan race against Mayor Karen Bass, says he joined the Republican Party after receiving death threats during his height of reality TV fame. Pratt, who is known for playing a recurring villain on television, told reporters that the threats made him feel compelled to take steps to protect himself and his family, including arming himself during that period. He described his decision as a response to safety concerns rather than a purely political calculation. Pratt entered the nonpartisan contest in January, and his comments link his party affiliation change to the personal consequences he says he experienced while in the public spotlight. Both outlets report his account that the same threat-driven circumstances influenced his political alignment and later decision to run as a Republican candidate, despite the race itself being nonpartisan. The claims focus on his motivation for joining the party and the safety steps he said he took at the time.