Elon Musk Amplifies Unverified Claims Regarding Los Angeles Mayoral Primary Results

People vote at a polling location at the Metro Headquarters Building during California’s state primary election in Los Angeles, California.

AFP via Getty Images

Key Election Details

According to the Associated Press, with 83% of the votes tallied, Raman holds 27.1% of the vote, narrowly leading Pratt, who sits at 26.7%.

The AP has officially called the race for incumbent Karen Bass, who will advance to the runoff to face either Raman or Pratt.

Pratt, a former reality television star, utilized a campaign strategy modeled after Donald Trump, focusing his platform on public dissatisfaction regarding Bass’s management of last year’s wildfires. He initially held a lead when the first round of votes was reported last Tuesday.

However, the late surge of mail-in ballots—which historically trend heavily Democratic—allowed Raman to close the gap and overtake Pratt on Sunday.

Musk’s Social Media Activity

On Sunday, the billionaire and prominent GOP donor shared several posts questioning the mayoral election results and making baseless claims of Democratic voter fraud. Musk first reshared a post from Sequoia Partner Shaun Maguire suggesting that those who believe California’s elections are secure are conspiracy theorists. The Tesla and SpaceX CEO subsequently promoted posts claiming Raman’s performance was a “statistical impossibility”—an assertion made despite Los Angeles’s established Democratic stronghold. Furthermore, Musk amplified a conspiracy theory regarding a drop of 24,000 ballots, suggesting Pratt received zero votes during that period; notably, the original post had already been flagged by an X Community Note citing a DOJ statement that disproved the claim. Musk also proposed that interviewing 1,000 residents in the Skid Row neighborhood would serve as a “worthwhile exercise” to verify voting patterns.

Trump’s Allegations Regarding California

Musk’s comments mirror recent unsubstantiated claims made by Donald Trump, who alleged that Democrats were attempting to “steal” the California primaries from Republican candidates Pratt and gubernatorial candidate Steve Hilton. Without providing evidence, Trump criticized the high volume of late-arriving mail-in ballots, a recurring theme in his opposition to mail-in voting. Trump further claimed that the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Los Angeles was investigating the voting process. On Sunday night, he posted to Truth Social, asserting that Republican candidates were being cheated and warning of impending “trouble and consternation” if Democrats succeeded. Following news outlets calling the race for Raman early Monday, Trump posted: “No way this could have happened. Rigged Election!”

Government Response

In response to Trump’s social media activity, California Governor Gavin Newsom’s press office posted on X, stating: “There isn’t a bigger sore loser in the country. Back to bed grandpa!”

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