President Trump accused Democrats of “trying to steal” a special election in southern California.
Tweeting on Saturday morning, Trump said California’s 25th Congressional District contest will be “rigged” against Republican candidate Mike Garcia who is competing to win the office vacated by disgraced former Democratic Rep. Katie Hill when she resigned amid a high-profile sex scandal in October.
“So in California, the Democrats, who fought like crazy to get all mail in only ballots, and succeeded, have just opened a voting booth in the most Democrat area in the State,” Trump tweeted. “They are trying to steal another election. It’s all rigged out there. These votes must not count. SCAM!”
So in California, the Democrats, who fought like crazy to get all mail in only ballots, and succeeded, have just opened a voting booth in the most Democrat area in the State. They are trying to steal another election. It’s all rigged out there. These votes must not count. SCAM!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 9, 2020
He was referring to how a request by the Los Angeles County Democratic Party prompted the county registrar to open a new voting center in a deep-blue area late Friday night, prompting swift criticism from Republicans.
Garcia was leading Democratic Assemblywoman Christy Smith, who was endorsed by Hill, in early absentee ballot returns, which pollster Paul Mitchell told CBS News was likely because older, more conservative adults vote earlier. The special election is set to take place on Tuesday. The 25th Congressional District includes parts of Los Angeles County and Ventura County.
Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom announced on Friday his plan to send more than 20 million voters a ballot in the mail. The new measures were adopted due to concerns about the coronavirus, which some experts claim will return in a “very acute second wave” this fall.
Republicans, including Trump, have rejected the idea of allowing large parts of the voting population to participate through mail-in voting because they believe it could lead to “tremendous potential for voter fraud.”
Data reviewed by the U.S. Election Assistance Commission and the Election Administration and Voting Surveys found that more than 16 million mail-in ballots went missing between the 2016 and 2018 election cycles.
