Days after the state's primary, California voters are in a familiar position — waiting to find out which candidates will go on to the general election in their most high-profile races, for governor and Los Angeles mayor. As he has done before, President Donald Trump used the delayed ballot count on Thursday to allege that Democrats were trying to rig the tally and keep two candidates he favors from advancing to the general election. Trump supports Republican Steve Hilton in the governor's race and Spencer Pratt in the nonpartisan race for Los Angeles mayor. His claims prompted a response from Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom. His press office posted a video explaining how the nation's most populous state prioritizes accuracy and accessibility over speed.
Two candidates for California governor will emerge from a massive field of 61 hopefuls in a state primary on Tuesday, when voters will also select U.S. House nominees using a new map they approved in a 2025 ballot measure. California has a top-two primary format, where all candidates run on the same ballot. That has complicated the gubernatorial race because the number of well-known Democrats running threatens to split the vote and possibly clear the path for two Republicans to advance to the general election. Voters will also decide various state and local contests, including the Los Angeles mayoral race.
The American Postal Workers Union is launching a national TV ad campaign promoting voting by mail. This comes as President Donald Trump has raised skepticism about mail-in ballots. He recently signed an executive order to put the Postal Service in the middle of election administration. The 30-second union ad features voters explaining why they vote by mail and will start airing in Ohio this week. The ad encourages voting by mail to be protected and expanded. Union President Jonathan Smith says postal workers should not be responsible for verifying voter eligibility, as would be required under Trump's order.
The Supreme Court's conservative majority sounds skeptical of state laws that allow the counting of late-arriving mail ballots, a target of President Donald Trump. The court heard arguments Monday in a case from Mississippi that also could affect voters in 13 other states and the District of Columbia, which have grace periods for ballots cast by mail. An additional 15 states that have more forgiving deadlines for ballots from military and overseas voters also could be impacted. A ruling is expected by late June, early enough to govern the counting of ballots in the 2026 midterm congressional elections. The court challenge is part of Trump's broader attack on most mail balloting.
The U.S. Supreme Court is set to hear arguments over a Mississippi law that allows counting late-arriving mail ballots after Election Day. The high court on Monday will hear from Republicans and Libertarians who sued the state, arguing that federal Election Day statutes envision a single day for casting ballots, which would mean that grace periods for receiving mail ballots aren't allowed. The practice is a frequent target of President Donald Trump and allies who argue it delays vote tallies and leads to suspicions about the results, even though there is no evidence of fraud in late-arriving ballots. Grace periods for all mail ballots are allowed in 14 states, with an additional 15 granting extra time for military and overseas ballots to arrive.
By JILL COLVIN and MICHAEL R. BLOOD Associated Press
The Department of Justice is preparing to send federal election observers to California and New Jersey next month, targeting two Democratic states holding off-year elections following requests from their state Republican parties. The DOJ announced Friday it will monitor polling sites in six jurisdictions: Passaic County, New Jersey, and Los Angeles, Orange, Kern, Riverside and Fresno counties in California "to ensure transparency, ballot security, and compliance with federal law." Both states feature races of national prominence in an otherwise low-key election year — a governor's race in New Jersey and a congressional redistricting special election in California. Some leading Democrats in the states blasted the DOJ decision and vowed to ensure that voters would not be intimidated.
President Joe Biden's reelection campaign is calling on Republicans to drop lawsuits targeting mail voting now that Donald Trump has embraced the method. The Republican National Committee has filed multiple lawsuits seeking to limit provisions of mailed ballots, including in states that allow ballots to arrive after Election Day as long as they were postmarked by then. For years, Trump has falsely alleging that mail voting is riddled with fraud. But Trump has started to urge his supporters to vote through the mail if it's convenient for them. Republicans say there's no contradiction between supporting mail voting and suing to make it more secure.
