As Pratt Gets Bad News, California Vote-Counting Fuels Conservative Distrust

RealClear Politics ^ | June 09, 2026 | Susan Crabtree

[E. Pluribus Unum]

For Spencer Pratt’s supporters, the last four days of the Los Angeles mayoral primary vote-counting and conclusion were like a gut punch delivered in slow motion.

On election night, their candidate held a lead of roughly 40,000 votes over Democratic Socialist City Councilwoman Nithya Raman, a margin that seemed to validate Pratt’s social media insurgency – and set up a November runoff against incumbent Mayor Karen Bass. By Sunday evening, six days later, that lead had evaporated entirely. Raman had pulled ahead by more than 3,100 votes, crushing Pratt’s long-shot dream of flipping Los Angeles City Hall red.

“A net swing of more than 43,000 votes since Tuesday,” Pratt wrote on X, his frustration at California’s vote tallying methods barely concealed.

For many conservatives watching the returns, the numbers stung after a triumphant few days when it appeared as if heavily Democratic Angeleno voters were responding to Pratt’s confrontational challenge to Bass’ troubled tenure, epitomized for Pratt and his supporters by her passive response to the devastating and deadly Palisades and Altadena fires.

In the days since, conservative suspicion over California’s vote-by-mail election system and prolonged vote counting has hardened into something louder: a full-throated challenge to the legitimacy of the state’s electoral system, amplified by President Trump himself and now the subject of a federal law enforcement investigation.

The consolation for many Republicans buoyed by Pratt’s unlikely candidacy was that Trump-endorsed Steve Hilton was confirmed as securing the No. 2 outcome in the gubernatorial race. He will face off against Xavier Becerra, a career Democratic politician who has served in Congress, as California attorney general, and as Health and Human Services secretary in the Biden administration.

The gubernatorial race had its own slow resolution this week. Becerra had secured his spot in the November general election early on. But...

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TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Editorial; Government; Politics/Elections; US: California
KEYWORDS: california; cheating; pratt; rigging; tampering

[E. Pluribus Unum]

[Obadiah]

Yeah, Hilton “won” second as a fig leaf cover. He’ll win in November and then lose 10 days after the mail-in votes are counted and Democrats will remain in control of their corrupt fiefdom.

[frank ballenger]

Photo....taken behind a house of prostitution in California.

[brownsfan]

And just like ever other thing we see about whistle blowers, evidence of corruption, fraud by politicians... nothing will be done. The Dems rub our noses in it, while the Republicans are excited to see government expand.

[mikey_hates_everything]

Three choices: leave, war or submit.

[frank ballenger]

RE: “A net swing of more than 43,000 votes since Tuesday...”

Has anyone found a list of the elections that have had late counted votes coming in anywhere in the US that had anyone but the DEMS profiting from the swing?

Always the Dem catches up, matches the GOP person and then wins. Never the GOP.

Odd.

[eyeamok]

None of this was unexpected.

[Dr. Sivana]

This is even worse than that. You COULD make the assertion that Republicans vote early, or on election day. There is NO case to be made that the incumbent Democrat would get more votes early on, and for no known reason the third place candidate suddenly pulls up towards or outpaces the Democrat later on. That is MUCH harder to swallow than garden variety cheating, especially given the margin that had to be overcome. I dare ANYone to find a parallel in any state or large city where that has happened EVER.

[cross_bearer_02]

And if “leave” is your choice, I would do it quickly while it’s still an allowed option. Most communist oligarchies aren’t usually too keen in letting their slaves go free.

[mewzilla]

Gee, no bias in that headline, eh?

[muir_redwoods]

I can honestly say, this event has not increased my distrust one bit.

[Leaning Right]

> I dare ANYone to find a parallel in any state or large city where that has happened EVER. <

A professional (and neutral) team of statisticians should go over this vote, and present their findings. What are the odds of this happening randomly?

But on the other hand, why bother? The media wouldn’t care. And what’s worse, neither would the Republican Party (except for Trump himself).

So why wouldn’t the Democrats try it again?
And then again…

[KarlInOhio]

At least we don’t have to argue over whether California is a democracy or a republic because it is clearly neither.

[Dr. Sivana]

And the same lefties who laugh off the statistical impossibility of such an anomaly happening are eagerly willing to shut down farming and industry based on climate computer models based on subjective presumptions.

[Leaning Right]

> Always the Dem catches up, matches the GOP person and then wins. Never the GOP. <

You’re right. It reminds me of the 2028 senatorial race in Minnesota. Goofball Democrat Al Franken was way behind. The AP even called the race for Franken’s opponent. Then during the recount, ballots went missing. Absentee ballots showed up.

Franken won.

Ain’t democracy grand?

(Please see my post #12.)

[Disambiguator]

I’ve been calling California the PRK (People’s Republic of Kalifornia) for a long time now.

[dfwgator]

Kalifornia Uber Alles.

[alancarp]

From Wednesday morning, June 3:

'With 63.1 percent of votes counted on Wednesday morning,
Bass leads with 34.8 percent of the vote,
as Pratt registered 30.4 percent support
and Raman trailed at 22.3 percent.'
(my note: others tallied 12.5%)

As of today...

With 92.4% 'of expected votes in':
BASS 34.3%
RAMAN 28.5%
PRATT 25.8%
(my note: others now at 11.4%)

So what did it take from the mail-in ballots to push Raman to this level with a lot fewer votes available to change the outcome? Here's the percentage changes for ONLY the after-election-day vote-counting:

BASS   33.2% (slightly down)
RAMAN 41.9% (HUGE jump)
PRATT   15.9% (HALF prior support)
Others 9.0%

(Make no mistake here: Karen Bass will be re-elected in November... this isn't about Raman... it was all about getting rid of Spencer Pratt).

[Political Junkie Too]

They knew that Bass was going to win, so they ballot harvested for Raman to keep Pratt our of the general election.

-PJ

[Leaning Right]

Sorry. In my post #15, it was the 2008 senatorial race.

(I blame Climate Change for the previous post being wrong.)