Before the results of Tuesday’s California gubernatorial recall election have even come in, top-polling Republican candidate Larry Elder appeared to be already conceding defeat on Monday and preparing to blame his loss on baseless claims of widespread voter fraud. As first reported by the Sacramento Bee, Elder’s campaign launched a website calling for his supporters to report incidents of fraud and sign a petition to investigate the election results.
The site, which is paid for by the campaign, includes language that assumes Gov. Gavin Newsom had already won, though no results had yet been released and Elder is still campaigning. “We implore you… to join us in this fight as you are able, primarily by signing our petition demanding a special session of the California legislature to investigate and ameliorate the twisted results of this 2021 Recall Election of Governor Gavin Newsom,” the site says.
Additionally, the website states “statistical analyses used to detect fraud in elections held in 3rd-world nations (such as Russia, Venezuela, and Iran) have detected fraud in California resulting in Governor Gavin Newsom being reinstated as governor.”
With polls showing Newsom heavily favored to remain in office, Elder and other Republicans have increasingly and falsely suggested the election is rigged in favor of the Democrats, echoing former President Donald Trump’s “Big Lie” about the 2020 presidential election.
