California Primary: Late Mail Ballots Reverse Early Republican Leads; Trump Raises Cheating Concerns

President Donald Trump posted on Truth Social after midnight Thursday that Democrats are attempting to steal the California gubernatorial primary and the Los Angeles mayoral primary through late and large numbers of mail-in ballots. He stated the voting process is under investigation by the U.S. Attorney's Office in Los Angeles and referred to "very late and massive numbers" of mail-in ballots.

The Associated Press reported that 56 percent of ballots have been counted in the gubernatorial primary. A Republican candidate leads with 27.6 percent, followed by a Democratic candidate at 25.6 percent and another Democratic candidate at 19.8 percent.

The third-place candidate would need large margins in remaining ballots to advance to the runoff. In the Los Angeles mayoral primary, the Associated Press reported that 62 percent of ballots have been counted. An incumbent Democratic mayor leads with 35 percent, followed by a Republican candidate at 29.9 percent and a Democratic candidate at 22.8 percent.

Local election experts told the Los Angeles Times that the third-place candidate could still advance depending on remaining vote drops.

Accusations The X account for California Gov.

Gavin Newsom's Press Office responded that Trump is lying about California again. " — Governor Newsom Press Office, June 4, 2026 (X) Trump has been a consistent and vocal critic of mail-in ballots and has regularly linked them to accusations of voter fraud.

In the 2020 presidential election, Trump claimed that the election was rigged after large numbers of mail-in ballots were counted after polls closed on Election Day. In several states where Trump had an initial lead, the advantage evaporated after the mail-in ballots were counted.