President Trump just lobbed a Truth Social grenade into Sacramento's lap, accusing Democrats of trying to steal California's gubernatorial primary — and announcing that the U.S. Attorney's Office in Los Angeles is already looking into it. With only 56% of votes counted and the GOP's Steve Hilton clinging to a razor-thin lead over Democrat Xavier Becerra, the Golden State is suddenly looking less like a blue lock and more like a crime scene.
Because of course they're cheating. When a former Fox News commentator is beating Barack Obama's old HHS Secretary in California, the left doesn't soul-search. They count harder.
Trump took to Truth Social with his signature restraint: "The Dumocrats are at it again! They are trying to STEAL THE GOVERNOR OF CALIFORNIA PRIMARY." In a follow-up post, he added, "There's BIG cheating by the Dumocrats in California. Votes are all tied up." And honestly, when you look at the numbers, it's hard to blame the man for being suspicious.
Here's the situation. California held its jungle primary on Tuesday, and as of Thursday, Hilton — the British-born conservative firebrand who spent years calling out the left on Fox News — was sitting at 27.6% of the vote. Xavier Becerra, the former Health and Human Services Secretary who helped run the Biden administration's vaccine mandate machine, was trailing at 25.6%. That's a 2-point gap with nearly half the ballots still uncounted.
And we all know which direction California's late-arriving mail-in ballots tend to break.
Under California's rules, mail-in ballots can be counted as long as they're received by the Tuesday following Election Day. That's a mighty convenient window when you're behind by two points and your party controls every lever of government in the state. The U.S. Attorney's Office in Los Angeles is reportedly examining the vote-counting process, which is exactly the kind of oversight that makes Democrats break out in hives.
Governor Gavin Newsom — who is term-limited and presumably auditioning for his next gig as a CNN contributor — responded to Trump through his press office with all the maturity we've come to expect: "Trump is lying about California again — time to take the phone away from grandpa and put him to sleep." Real classy, Gavin. The guy who locked his state down while eating at the French Laundry is lecturing people about credibility.
Newsom also wrote that "we must do all that we can to tabulate votes quickly and accurately." Quick AND accurate? In California? Pick one.
But the gubernatorial primary isn't the only race making Democrats sweat through their sustainably sourced cotton shirts. Over in the Los Angeles mayoral race — with 62% of votes counted — former reality TV star Spencer Pratt is leading the field at 29.9%, ahead of Democrat Nithya Raman at 22.8%. Yes, that Spencer Pratt. The villain from "The Hills" is beating the progressive darling in the most progressive city in America, and the incumbent, Mayor Karen Bass, is watching her legacy collapse in real time.
When Spencer Pratt is your leading candidate for mayor, it tells you everything you need to know about how badly the Democrats have managed Los Angeles. The city is drowning in homelessness, the fire response was a national embarrassment, and voters are apparently ready to hand the keys to a guy whose previous claim to fame was manipulating reality television storylines. Which, come to think of it, is perfect preparation for dealing with the LA City Council.
Back to the governor's race. The fact that a conservative has any shot in California is itself a five-alarm fire for Democrats. This is a state that Joe Biden won by nearly 30 points. If Steve Hilton makes it to the general election — or wins outright — it's not just a local story. It's a national earthquake that tells you the realignment is real, the vibes have shifted, and Democrats can't count on their deepest-blue strongholds anymore.
So naturally, the left's play is to slow-walk the count and hope nobody notices.
Trump noticed. The DOJ noticed. And now we're all watching.
The question isn't whether California Democrats want to steal this primary. The question is whether anyone with a badge and a subpoena is going to stop them. With the U.S. Attorney's Office already sniffing around, the answer might actually be yes for once. Welcome to Trump's America, where even California has to play by the rules.
Grab your popcorn. This count is about to get very interesting.