Donald Trump and some congressional allies are raising concerns about California's election system, specifically criticizing the state's slow vote count and alleging that Democrats are manipulating the results of recent primaries. In a post on Truth Social, Trump described California's election process as inferior, stating, "Our Election process is as bad, or worse, than any Third World Country. The biggest difference is, they count their Votes much faster." Trump accused election officials of intentionally delaying the vote count to influence the outcome.
The criticism intensified following the recent primaries, where results for the governor and Los Angeles mayoral races remain unannounced, with less than two-thirds of ballots counted as of Thursday night. Senator Eric Schmitt of Missouri called for a congressional investigation during an appearance on Fox News, claiming that the election process is undermining trust in the electoral system. House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer compared California's vote-counting timeline unfavorably to that of Kentucky, stating that California takes significantly longer despite being a technological hub.
Trump's comments follow earlier allegations on social media where he claimed that Democrats were attempting to "STEAL" the elections through mail-in ballots, assertions that California officials have rejected. Governor Gavin Newsom's office responded to Trump's claims by labeling them as conspiracy theories.
As of Friday, Republican Steve Hilton leads the California governor's primary with 27.2% of the vote, closely followed by Xavier Becerra at 26%. In the Los Angeles mayoral race, incumbent Karen Bass is leading with 35.1%, while Spencer Pratt is in a competitive position for the second runoff spot against Nithya Raman.
