Trump Alleges Fraud Amid Slow California Primary Vote Count

President Donald Trump and Republican leaders condemned California's June 2 primary elections as rigged and crooked, citing a protracted vote-counting process that shifted early leads. The controversy focused on the Los Angeles mayoral race, where Republican Spencer Pratt initially led on election night but was overtaken by Democrat Nithya Raman as mail-in ballots were processed. Trump alleged the process was manipulated to eliminate Republican candidates and claimed voter fraud occurred via NGOs targeting homeless populations on Skid Row.

In response, the United States Department of Justice, via U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli, launched multiple election fraud investigations in coordination with the FBI. Essayli filed a lawsuit against California in the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals after state officials blocked a federal audit of voter rolls. While the DOJ criticized structural vulnerabilities, such as the lack of voter ID and lax registration rules, officials noted they had not yet found fraud that would change electoral outcomes.

California Governor Gavin Newsom and Secretary of State Shirley Weber defended the system, attributing delays to high mail-in ballot volumes and signature verification. Newsom expressed concern that the slow pace provides fuel for the Trump administration's accusations and urged registrars to expedite the count. Other critics, including The New York Times editorial board, described the process as a failure of governance. Following a week of tabulation, Xavier Becerra and Steve Hilton emerged as the top two candidates in the gubernatorial race, while Nithya Raman and incumbent Karen Bass advanced in the Los Angeles mayoral runoff.