President Donald Trump and prominent voices in the Make America Great Again (MAGA) movement have voiced their fury with California’s elections after Spencer Pratt dropped into third place in the Los Angeles mayoral race.
The slow vote-counting process in California has been under scrutiny since primaries were held last week, in which right-leaning candidates held leads over left-leaning rivals in the initial count in the mayor and governor elections.
In recent days, Pratt—a registered Republican with a nod of approval from Trump—has seen his lead over Nithya Raman, a Democratic City Council member, fall away, as they compete to join incumbent Karen Bass, also a Democrat, in a run-off election in November.
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In California’s top-two voting system, all candidates are on the same ballot regardless of party, and the top two advance to the general election.
With 83 percent of ballots counted, Raman, is now in second place with 27.1 percent of the vote ahead of Pratt’s 26.7 percent. Bass is on 34.7 percent.
Trump, who has been repeatedly critical of the count, alleged without evidence in a post on Truth Social on Sunday night that Pratt is being “cheated,” adding: “Has anybody been watching the CROOKED Election going on in California.”
MAGA Backlash to Los Angeles Mayoral Race
His criticism was echoed by voices in the MAGA movement. Conservative social media influencer Nick Sortor said in a post on X that the election was “absolutely rigged” and needs to be “thoroughly investigated,” while MAGA Voice, a pro-Trump account with 1.4 million followers, wrote: “We have to stop the steal.”
Conservative political commentator Clay Travis said in a post on X: “Five days after the LA election, Spencer Pratt falls to third place and a woman who hardly anyone voted for in person, Nithya Raman, totally dominated in mail voting to come in second. No one with a functional brain believes these results.”
Former Fox News host Monica Crowley said: “Literally no one believes the LA election ‘results.’ Another stolen election in broad daylight. Enough is enough. Pass the SAVE AMERICA ACT or our country is finished.”
California Governor Gavin Newsom has consistently pushed back on the claims, with his press officer mocking Trump’s allegations of cheating in a post on X saying: “There isn’t a bigger sore loser in the country. Back to bed grandpa!”
Pratt himself suggested there was foul play, quoting FOX 11 Los Angeles (KTTV) reporter Matthew Seedorff’s post saying there had been a “net swing of more than 43,000 votes since Tuesday.”
Pratt shared a screengrab of a March article that said “43,699 people experienced homelessness on any given night in the City of Los Angeles.”
The article appears to be from the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA), a joint city-county agency, quoting figures from its 2025 Greater Los Angeles Homeless Count Data. The LAHSA later corrected this count to 43,695.
There is no evidence that the homeless count has any correlation with the net swing votes counted since Tuesday.
Trump Storms Out of Interview Over Rigged Election Claims
On NBC’s Meet the Press on Sunday, Trump stormed out of an interview with Kristen Welker after they clashed over his allegations about rigged elections.
After repeating his claims that the 2020 election was a “dirty election,” Trump said “it’s happening again right now in California,” adding that Republicans are “dropping fast because it’s a rigged election.”
When Welker asked for evidence Trump said: “All I have to do is look.”
Referring to the state’s slow counting process, Trump asked Welker: “Do you think it’s appropriate that they have an election, and five days later, they’re nowhere close to picking a winner?”
Welker responded that “state and local officials acknowledge they are slow…that’s how they vote in California.”
Trump interrupted her to say: “No they’re crooked, just like you’re crooked, your press is crooked. Meet the Press is crooked.”
Welker pushed back, denying she is crooked and Trump replied: “You’re either crooked or you’re stupid—you play right into their hands.”
“You know that these elections are rigged, your network knows that they’re rigged,” he said, before he ended the interview saying: “You’re a one-sided crooked network. Let’s call it quits because I’ve had enough.”
The Golden State’s Vote-Counting Process Explained
California’s vote-counting process is often slower than in other states because every registered voter receives a mail ballot and election officials continue accepting ballots that are postmarked by Election Day and arrive up to seven days later.
Before a ballot can be counted, officials must verify signatures, review provisional ballots, confirm late registrations and give voters time to correct issues with their ballots. Counties then have up to 30 days to complete the official canvass and certify results.
The system has become a source of political controversy as close races can take days or even weeks to settle.
Critics, including some Republicans, argue the lengthy process undermines public confidence and fuels uncertainty. Supporters of the system say the additional time is necessary to ensure every eligible vote is counted and verified.
California’s Governor Race
The prolonged vote count has also kept California’s closely watched gubernatorial contest in the national spotlight. While former U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra has secured a place in November’s general election, the race for the second runoff spot remains unsettled as election officials continue processing millions of outstanding ballots.
The uncertainty has fueled many of the same complaints being raised in the Los Angeles mayoral race. Republican candidate Steve Hilton—a former Fox News commentator endorsed by Trump—is currently ahead of billionaire Democrat Tom Steyer, on 25.9 percent compared with Steyer’s 21.5 percent, according to The Associated Press’ live election tracker. But Hilton’s lead has been cut by almost half since election night, highlighting how the state’s lengthy vote-counting process can leave major races unresolved for days.
California’s top-two primary system means the two highest vote-getters advance to the general election regardless of party affiliation. With Governor Newsom’s term limited, the race has attracted heightened attention as voters weigh competing visions for the state’s future on issues including housing costs, homelessness and the cost of living.
