Former US President Donald Trump claimed early on 4/6 that Democrats were attempting to "steal the victory" from Republican candidates in California's gubernatorial and Los Angeles mayoral primary elections. He specifically cited "a large number of mail-in ballots appeared very late" as a concern.

Just 17 minutes later, Trump posted another message asserting, "There is major fraud in California." He added, "Ballots are all tied up. It could take many weeks to finish. The federal prosecutor's office in Los Angeles is investigating. Why is the vote count slow?" Trump implied that the late counting of numerous mail-in ballots could alter outcomes in close races, yet he provided no evidence to support his fraud allegations.

The federal prosecutor's office declined to confirm any investigation into Trump's claims. The US Department of Justice in Washington has not responded to requests for comment regarding the matter.

Trump in Morristown, New Jersey, on 22/5. *Photo: AP*

California Governor Gavin Newsom quickly rebutted Trump's statements. Newsom's press office responded on X, stating, "He's lying about California again. Time to take away his phone and put him to bed." Trump reiterated his allegations later that day at a White House press conference on 4/6, claiming California election officials "suddenly found a lot of ballots last night."

Trump's statements came as California was actively counting votes in its primary elections for the state's governor and several city mayoral seats. Mail-in ballots constitute a significant portion of California elections, typically accounting for about 80% of total votes. State regulations stipulate that these ballots are still valid if they arrive within one week after election day and are postmarked no later than election day.

From left to right: Xavier Becerra (Democrat), Steve Hilton (Republican), and Tom Steyer (Democrat), three leading candidates for California Governor. *Photo: AP, AFP*

California adopted a "jungle primary" system, also known as a top-two primary, in 2010. This system was implemented to reduce political polarization by having all candidates, regardless of party affiliation, appear on a single ballot for voters to choose from. The two candidates who receive the most votes in this primary then advance to face each other directly in the November general election, irrespective of their party.

This year's gubernatorial race features 61 candidates. The last Republican candidate to win the California gubernatorial race was Arnold Schwarzenegger in 2006. In the four most recent elections, Republican support has consistently been below 40%.

Duc Trung (According to Guardian, CalMatters, LA Times)