{"id":911,"date":"2026-06-02T10:30:19","date_gmt":"2026-06-02T10:30:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/california-relocation-journal.com\/?p=911"},"modified":"2026-06-02T10:30:19","modified_gmt":"2026-06-02T10:30:19","slug":"why-a-loss-for-hilton-would-be-a-win-for-trump","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/california-relocation-journal.com\/?p=911","title":{"rendered":"Why a loss for Hilton would be a win for Trump"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

If the last few weeks have shown us anything, it\u2019s that the gubernatorial primary is an unexpectedly close race among a trio unlikely leaders: MAGA Republican Steve Hilton, and Democrats Xavier Becerra and Tom Steyer. <\/p>\n

Read more Democratic voters confident California election is secure, Republicans less so, poll finds<\/a><\/p>\n

Though Trump endorsed Hilton, a former Fox News host, a Hilton loss may be just what Trump wants \u2014 more fuel to fire up his MAGA base with false claims of rigged elections. <\/p>\n

\u201cWhether Hilton finishes first, second, or third, Trump will declare with zero evidence that there is voter fraud.,\u201d Matt Barreto told me. He\u2019s a professor of political science at UCLA and a founder of its Voting Rights Project, meant to promote free and fair elections. <\/p>\n

And since California will probably take days or weeks to count all the ballots, a tight race will be fertile ground for those fraudulent fraud claims. President Trump has already started, clearly planning to use our primary to further his push to assert federal control of state-run elections. <\/p>\n

\u201cYou have a really rigged vote in California,\u201d Trump said last week, when asked about Hilton and Los Angeles mayoral candidate Spencer Pratt, another unlikely right-wing contender. \u201cCalifornia\u2019s one of the most dishonest states for voting.\u201d<\/p>\n

California is not, of course, dishonest in its voting, and Trump has whined about elections for so long that this rhetoric might elicit little more than a shrug from most. But California elections matter at this pivotal moment only months before the midterms. Fraud claims here will further erode trust in our electoral system and could provide Trump with ammunition for interference across the country. <\/p>\n

Voter fraud claims may also test a new California law meant to protect real election integrity and trust \u2014 a law (Senate Bill 73, signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom last week) that has received little notice but one that could provide a model of protection for the rest of the U.S. It stops law enforcement agents, including federal agents, from \u201cproviding unauthorized access, disruption, modification, or seizure of voter rolls, <\/b>voter lists, or certified voting technology,\u201d without a court order. <\/p>\n

Call it the Sheriff Chad Bianco Act. <\/p>\n

Bianco, another MAGA gubernatorial hopeful, seized hundreds of thousands of ballots from a recent election, claiming he was investigating the kind of wrongdoing Trump constantly alleges without proof. State Sen. Tom Umberg (D-Santa Ana), a former federal prosecutor, said the warrant Bianco obtained from a friendly judge was \u201cwoefully deficient.\u201d <\/p>\n

So Umberg helped pass the measure to \u201cprotect the integrity of California elections\u201d from \u201crogue law enforcement officials,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n

And he\u2019s not just talking about Bianco. <\/p>\n

\u201cI am worried about interference in the election by federal authorities,\u201d Umberg said. \u201cI believe Donald Trump when he says, \u2018I\u2019m going to interfere in the election.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Umberg is so concerned that he has two other bills in the works he hopes will be law by November. One would stop Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents from being present at polling places. The other would make it illegal for anyone running for a third term as president to appear on the California ballot.<\/p>\n

The buildup of fraud claims around California elections and the pushback from legislators like Umberg is a background battle that hasn\u2019t received much attention, but one that is real and consequential.<\/p>\n

Read more A warmer world creates bigger and more damaging hailstones, study says<\/a><\/p>\n

Trump, through demands for voter rolls by the U.S. Department of Justice, the promotion of the SAVE Act, vague threats of ICE or other federal agents at polls, and the placement of election deniers in key federal rolls has gutted safeguards for voting on the national level. <\/p>\n

States have been slow to meet the threat, largely waiting for November to see how it plays out. California, to it\u2019s credit, isn\u2019t so complacent. <\/p>\n

The strange circumstances of this particular California election may be a test for both sides. Barreto, the UCLA voting expert, said he thinks \u201cHilton has the highest probability of finishing first on Tuesday with Becerra close by in second, and Steyer in third.\u201d <\/p>\n

But that could \u2014 and probably would \u2014 change as more ballots are counted. <\/p>\n

By Thursday, Barreto said, it\u2019s probable (far from certain) that Becerra is in the lead and Hilton is second. <\/p>\n

\u201cThere will definitely be millions more ballots counted on Wednesday and Thursday and they will be disproportionately Democratic and contribute to both Becerra and Steyer numbers,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Maybe pushing Steyer into second? Again, a long shot. But possible. <\/p>\n

Democrats have been holding on to their ballots until the last minute this year, with a huge number waiting until just the last few days to vote. It\u2019s possible (though unlikely) that by sheer numbers, Democratic voters will propel both Steyer and Becerra toward November. <\/p>\n

We do know that Republicans, despite their smaller numbers, have been voting, and trusting the postal service with their ballots this time around at a fairly high rate. That\u2019s despite Trump\u2019s claims that mail-in voting is inherently fraudulent. <\/p>\n

So at the same time that we are expecting a big influx of Democratic ballots in coming days, Republicans may be closer to their voting peak, meaning Hilton\u2019s numbers could top out on election night. <\/p>\n

If Hilton doesn\u2019t make the top three, after having been in the lead during in-person voting, MAGA will most certainly lose its collective mind. <\/p>\n

And Trump will have something just as good as a Republican governor in the Golden State \u2014 \u201cproof\u201d we cheated. <\/p>\n

Read more What\u2019s on Tuesday\u2019s ballot in California? A rundown of state, L.A. elections<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The California gubernatorial primary might not be decided for days or weeks. 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