By Matthew Holloway |
President Donald Trump amplified Arizona Congressman Abe Hamadeh’s (R-AZ08) criticism of California’s election system after Los Angeles City Councilwoman Nithya Raman was projected to advance to a November runoff against incumbent Mayor Karen Bass, effectively ending former reality television personality Spencer Pratt’s bid for mayor.
Hamadeh wrote on X that “California is incapable of running free and fair elections consistent with our Constitution that guarantees a republican form of government for states.”
“Federalize the election,” Hamadeh wrote.
Trump later shared a screenshot of Hamadeh’s post on Truth Social, writing, “No way this could have happened. Rigged Election!”
The comments followed continued ballot counting in the June 2 Los Angeles mayoral primary. The Associated Press reported that Raman, a progressive city council member, will face Bass in the November runoff. The AP reported that the result eliminates Pratt, a Republican and former cast member of “The Hills,” whose campaign drew national attention due to his celebrity and criticism of liberal governance in Los Angeles.
In a follow-up post to Truth Social on Monday, President Trump wrote, “Not possible for Spencer Pratt to have lost the L.A. runoffs after the big lead he had. 3rd World Nation. Rigged Elections! Now they’ll be working on great guy Steve Hilton. Won’t have results for, possibly, TWO WEEKS, according to officials. President DJT.”
The Los Angeles mayoral primary is nonpartisan. If no candidate receives 50% of the votes, the top two candidates advance to a November runoff.
The AP reported that early results released after polls closed showed Bass leading, Pratt in second, and Raman in third. Since then, Los Angeles County has continued processing and releasing results from mail ballots that arrived later. The AP reported that election data showed large numbers of Democrats held onto their mail ballots and returned them in the final days of the race to explain why Bass and Raman performed better than Pratt in later vote-count updates.
California’s vote-counting process has drawn renewed national scrutiny because state law allows mail ballots to be counted after Election Day if they are postmarked on or before Election Day and received within seven days. The California Secretary of State’s Office says mailed ballots for the June 2 election must be postmarked on or before Election Day and received no later than seven days after Election Day. The office also states that all valid vote-by-mail ballots are counted in every election, regardless of the outcome or closeness of a race.
Los Angeles County’s election results page notes that vote-by-mail ballots are included in the first bulletin and that voters who registered after the 29-day registration figure will still have their votes counted, according to the county’s election results text version.
Trump had already criticized the California count before sharing Hamadeh’s post. In a separate Truth Social post, Trump wrote, “Has anybody been watching the CROOKED Election going on in California. 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!!!”
Trump’s comments referred to Pratt in the Los Angeles mayoral race and Republican Steve Hilton in California’s gubernatorial primary. The AP previously reported that Hilton remained in second place in the governor’s race, ahead of Democrat Tom Steyer, though his lead had narrowed as additional ballots were counted. Democrat Xavier Becerra had already advanced to the general election, while the AP had not yet called the second runoff spot at the time of that report.
The debate has also raised broader questions about California’s use of universal vote-by-mail and extended ballot processing timelines. The AP reported that ballots are mailed to every eligible voter in California and that Los Angeles County processes and counts mail ballots in roughly the order they are received. Early results released after polls closed included mail ballots returned early and votes cast that day, while later updates included mail ballots that arrived closer to or after Election Day.
Raman will now face Bass in the November runoff for mayor of Los Angeles.
Matthew Holloway is a senior reporter for AZ Free News. Follow him on X for his latest stories, or email tips to Matthew@azfreenews.com.
