President Trump has criticized the California primary elections, calling them “crooked” and warning of “great trouble and consternation” if Republicans are excluded from the general election in November.
Trump’s strong remarks follow news that Spencer Pratt slipped to third place in the Los Angeles mayoral primary as of Sunday, five days after polls closed. Meanwhile, Steve Hilton is still uncertain about securing a spot in the gubernatorial election in November.
“Has anybody been watching the CROOKED Election going on in California,” Trump expressed on Truth Social Sunday.
“Two great Republican Candidates are being cheated, and so is America, which if the Dumocrats are able to fulfill their mission, great trouble and consternation will follow.
“Watch this ‘Election’ closely!!!”
Previously, Trump alleged that Democrats were “trying to steal the elections” and announced an investigation into the slow vote count.
Pratt was surpassed by far-left Democrat Nithya Raman, who moved ahead five days after expressing her emotions to supporters as results started to come in.
According to prediction market Polymarket, Raman’s likelihood of advancing to the run-off is 99%, while Pratt’s is at 1%.
Raman consistently gained more votes than the former reality TV star in each update since Tuesday, overturning Pratt’s 8.1 percentage point lead on election night to a 0.4% deficit.
Since election night, more than 43,000 votes have shifted from Pratt to Raman.
Current mayor Karen Bass has secured her position in the November run-off, having achieved 34.7% of the vote with 83% of the ballots counted.
Raman’s team told KNBC they were “encouraged” by the current results, while Pratt responded to a KNBC reporter’s post referring to the vote swing.
“A net swing of more than 43,000 votes since Tuesday… 43,000, huh? Where have I seen that number before?” Pratt commented, sharing a screenshot of the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority article, “Why are there so many Homeless People in LA.”
“Probably nothing.”
The article noted that LAHSA found 43,699 people experiencing homelessness on any given night in LA.
California’s vote counting often extends beyond Election Day due to the need to verify signatures, process millions of mail-in ballots, and conduct necessary audits before certifying results.
State law allows county election officials up to 30 days post-election to complete the official canvass, count every valid ballot, and perform post-election checks for accuracy.
All California voters receive mail-in ballots, which are valid if posted by election day and arrive at offices by June 9.
The results must be reported to the California Secretary of State by July 3, with certification occurring one week later.
The slow vote counting in California has frustrated Hilton, who described the process as a “shambles.”
“The world is laughing at our inability to count votes in a timely manner. Where is Gavin Newsom?” Hilton voiced on X.
“The snail-like pace of the vote counting process in California is just another example of the incompetence and uselessness of the state government.”
Hilton criticized Xavier Becerra, who has already secured his place in the November election, calling him “bumbling” and joking, “If he was in charge of the Olympics the 100 meters would take 6 days!”
Hilton expressed to Fox News host Maria Bartiromo on “Sunday Morning Futures” his confidence in finishing in the top two places, despite the slow vote count.
He currently leads billionaire Democrat Tom Steyer by 4.4 percentage points with 72% of the votes tallied.
