Republicans have continued to raise concerns about alleged fraud in California’s mayoral primary elections as vote counting remains underway in two high-profile races.
President Donald Trump, during an interview with NBC, alleged Republican candidates are losing ground as mail-in ballots are still being processed.
Echoing his longstanding claims about irregularities in the 2020 presidential election, Trump suggested the slow pace of ballot counting in the gubernatorial and mayoral primaries was suspicious.
Welker pressed Trump on whether he had evidence to support the fraud claims in California, to which he responded: “All I have to do is look.”
The president raised concerns that the state is “nowhere close to picking a winner” five days after the election.
In California, the jungle primary system means that the top two vote-getters in the June primary advance to the election in November, regardless of party affiliation.
Former Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra has already advanced to the runoff in the race for governor. Republican candidate and former Fox News host Steve Hilton and Democrat billionaire Tom Steyer are vying for the second spot.
In the Los Angeles mayoral race, incumbent Karen Bass is headed to a runoff as the margin between progressive Councilmember Nithya Raman and Republican Spencer Pratt has narrowed significantly.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom's office defended its vote-counting process and said a lot of misinformation has emerged about California’s election, including from the president himself, but also acknowledged the drawn-out procedure.
As the nation’s most populous state, California has become known for election counts that often extend well beyond Election Day. Officials maintain that the extended timeline reflects procedures designed to ensure accuracy and count every eligible ballot. Critics, however, argue that such a lengthy process can prompt public skepticism and allegations of election irregularities.
California law effectively requires a lengthy vote-counting process. Ballots are mailed to roughly 23 million voters statewide, and the state allows broad flexibility for their return. Any ballot postmarked by Election Day and received by election officials within seven days will still be counted.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk reiterated Trump’s claims regarding the Los Angeles mayoral race, saying: “They're not even trying hard to hide the fraud anymore.”
Despite GOP claims, Trump-appointed First Assistant United States Attorney Bill Essayli has debunked the fraud allegations.
Esayli added that his office continues to monitor the election counting process and will “follow the evidence wherever it leads.”