President Donald Trump has accused rival Democrats of “BIG cheating” in the California gubernatorial race’s open primary, without providing evidence and before the final result has even been tallied.
California's Unique Primary System
The Golden State holds a single primary in which both Republican and Democratic candidates participate. The top two candidates who receive the highest proportions of the vote advance to the November 3 general election, regardless of party affiliation. With millions of ballots still being counted from Tuesday’s poll, British-born former political adviser Steve Hilton and former U.S. health secretary Xavier Becerra appear poised to become the nominees.
Trump's Social Media Allegations
However, Trump is already sounding the alarm. Writing on Truth Social Wednesday night, he stated: “The Dumocrats are at it again! They are trying to STEAL THE GOVERNOR OF CALIFORNIA PRIMARY, AND THE MAYOR OF LOS ANGELES, PRIMARY, AWAY FROM TWO GREAT REPUBLICAN CANDIDATES. Here we go with the very late and massive numbers of MAIL IN BALLOTS.”
In a second post, he reiterated the claim without evidence: “There’s BIG cheating by the Dumocrats in California. Votes are all tied up. May not be in for weeks. Under investigation by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Los Angeles. Why the vote counting DELAY???”
Premature Congratulations
Before those posts, Trump had already congratulated Hilton on his victory in the race to succeed the term-limited Gavin Newsom, despite that outcome not yet being confirmed. “Congratulations to Steve Hilton on coming in first, last night, in the California Vote for Governor,” Trump wrote. “If Californians are smart, which I know they are, they will put Steve into the Governor’s Mansion, and watch their State get better at a rate that has probably never been seen before. I know Steve – He is a hard driving WINNER, and he will turn California around, quickly – and the Federal Government will be there, with him, to help!”
History of Election Fraud Claims
The president is no stranger to crying election fraud and continues to stew over his defeat to Joe Biden in November 2020, when he insisted his victory had been “stolen” by a nationwide Democratic conspiracy that he repeatedly failed to prove in court. Trump’s complaints stoked fury among his supporters, leading to the storming of the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021. Enraged MAGA activists attempted to stop Congress from formally certifying the results from the states. The melee sent lawmakers fleeing for their lives, saw protesters brawl with law enforcement, and resulted in four deaths.
Legal Consequences and Pardons
More than 1,500 people were prosecuted by the Department of Justice for their part in the attempted insurrection, only to be pardoned en masse by Trump when he returned to the White House in January 2025. He recently planned to offer a $1.8 billion compensation scheme to which the rioters could apply if they felt they had been targeted by a “weaponized” DOJ, only to drop the idea amid a backlash from congressional Republicans.
