California held its primary on Tuesday.
Days later, the votes still aren't counted.
Now the US Attorney's Office in Los Angeles is investigating why.
Steve Hilton Is Winning the California Governor Race – Which Is Exactly Why Democrats Need the Mail-In Flood
President Trump endorsed Steve Hilton – the former Fox News host running for California governor – back in April.
With 56% of votes counted as of Thursday, Hilton is leading Biden's old Health Secretary Xavier Becerra by two points.
California law allows mail-in ballots to arrive up to seven days after Election Day and still be counted, with up to 30 days to certify results.
That lead could disappear ballot by ballot over the next month.
Trump went straight to Truth Social: "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."
He followed with a second post: "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???"
That second post is the one that matters.
https://x.com/TrumpTruthOnX/status/2062417575443833229“>https://x.com/TrumpTruthOnX/status/2062417575443833229
Gavin Newsom Signed the Mail-In Ballot Law That Made This Possible
This isn't new.
After the 2022 election, nearly 90% of California ballots were cast by mail.
The state took close to a month to certify races – leaving House majority control in limbo for weeks.
RNC Chairman Michael Whatley called it "absurd" and filed national lawsuits to stop the practice.
"It is absurd for California to accept ballots by mail up to 7 days after Election Day and take almost a month to count them," Whatley said.
Northern California's Lake County didn't reach the halfway mark tabulating its 2024 results until more than two weeks after election night.
https://x.com/spencerpratt/status/2061122581902827522“>https://x.com/spencerpratt/status/2061122581902827522
When asked why, the elections supervisor responded: "Why do we need to rush?"
That attitude – repeated, documented, and institutionalized – is exactly what Trump is calling out.
California's mail-in voting laws weren't built for efficiency.
They were built by Democrats, expanded by Democrats, and signed by Gavin Newsom – who spent his entire governorship using the state as a weapon against Trump.
In 2021, Newsom signed a law extending the mail-in ballot acceptance window from three days to seven.
Every extension, every delay, every "we'll count them eventually" policy favors the party with the largest ground game, the deepest voter rolls, and the most time to harvest ballots.
If Hilton wins the primary and takes the governorship in November, his first executive order would create a Taxpayer Fraud Strike Force with Newsom at the top of the list.
https://x.com/SteveHiltonx/status/2062254498438074374“>https://x.com/SteveHiltonx/status/2062254498438074374
That's the nightmare scenario for California Democrats.
A Republican governor with a direct line to the White House, a mandate to investigate years of corruption, and a federal Justice Department already watching the vote count.
The U.S. Attorney's Office investigation into the counting delay isn't just about this primary.
It's a signal that the era of California Democrats running out the clock on Republican candidates – buried under waves of late-arriving ballots while the country waits – may finally be over.
Newsom signed the law, built the machine, and handed it to his allies.
Now the feds are at the door.
Sources:
- Paul Steinhauser, "Steve Hilton touts 'Taxpayer Fraud Strike Force' as first executive order if elected California governor," Fox News, June 2, 2026.
- Alex Nitzberg and Paul Steinhauser, "President Trump makes endorsement in California gubernatorial race," Fox News, April 6, 2026.
- Washington Times, "Trump launches probe into California vote count to stop Democrats from stealing the elections," June 4, 2026.
- RNC Chairman Michael Whatley, "RNC rails against California's late mail-in ballot counting amid national litigation," Fox News, November 2024.
- NBC News, "California's long ballot count may be Trump's next target in the war over voting," 2026.
