Editordude: I voted for Katie Porter on Tuesday but now I’m pissed off at her for falsely claiming California’s Senate primary was “rigged” – echoing Trump’s election denials and bogus claims of “rigged elections.”
Here’s Jeremy B. White, reporter for Politico, late yesterday:
Fellow Democrats are excoriating Rep. Katie Porter for saying her opponents, including rival Rep. Adam Schiff, sought to “rig” California’s Senate primary — language that echoes former President Donald Trump’s election denialism.
Porter finished a distant third in the Super Tuesday contest behind Schiff and Republican Steve Garvey. The swift reaction to her social media outburst underscores how California’s enormously expensive Senate race — for a likely safe Democratic seat — has left lingering bruises. It also raises warnings for Democrats tempted to use rhetoric they’ve condemned as undermining public trust in the nation’s elections.
Porter’s claim spurred an indirect rebuke from Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), who wrote that California’s vote was “not rigged.” And Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), who formerly oversaw California voting as the state’s top elections official, called the notion “ridiculous” without naming Porter.
“It’s not rigged,” Padilla told POLITICO. “As the former secretary of state of California, I can assure you of the integrity of the elections and the results.”
For the balance of this article, please go here.
{ 17 comments… read them below or add one }
Rigged is a pretty strong word which implies election fraud, but it was certainly some below the belt campaigning and manipulation to prop up a Republican that’s perceived as an easier opponent. This is par for the course with democrats here unfortunately. And the republicans love the free attention, finishing 2nd, that they can monetize after. Although his primary showing was pretty impressive for a California Republican.
But I’d say based on Katie’s low count, not even an honest ranked choice election would’ve got her into a runoff with Schiff.
Aren’t all campaigns filled with shady below the belt tactics?
Sure. Although this is unique to the open primary system giving an easy path for popular Dem candidates, by propping up a Republican.
I hope Garvey wins now just for spite of the process.
“Porter’s claim spurred an indirect rebuke from Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), who wrote that California’s vote was “not rigged.””
This is the problem with the democrats, there should not be an “indirect rebuke,” rather there should be a full throated attack on her terrible choice of words. Bringing the democrats down to the orange man’s level is unacceptable!
I’m going to say this again. 75%+ OF REGISTERED VOTERS DIDN’T VOTE. Who’s fault is that? Everybody knew what Schiff was doing, but that still didn’t get people out to double down and support Porter. With or without the ads, GOPhers are going to vote GOPher. Barbara Lee is cutting the progressive vote on the other side. The deflection is astounding.
75%, can you verify that? Chris, ever question that number? 75% based on what figures Chris? From whom did they come from? Ever think about trying to verify the voter apathy with some public records requests? That is the most easily fabricated number in our elections. It is not a conspiracy to acknowledge this considering everyone I know voted.
According to the California secretary of state website there was a 24.4% voter turnout for the primary this year.
https://electionresults.sos.ca.gov/returns/maps/voter-turnout
I find that incredibly difficult to believe, anyone else? I am not doubting these are the posted numbers, I am doubting the metric by which they are measured and the vulnerability of the statistic itself.
Bear with me; in order to manipulate an outcome, lower the threshold, right? You don’t stuff a ballot box, you eliminate votes, jus sayin.
Our registrar happens to be undoubtedly the most controversial registrar of voter’s in the nation, Michael Vu. He ran afoul in Cuyahoga County and was ran out of town on a rail, then miraculously got a promotion when hired by the County of San Diego in ’07.
Vu was sued successfully for mishandling the San Diego County Primary Election audits in 2016 in San Diego Superior Court.
While the case was under appeal, Lorena Gonzalez-Fletcher and Bill Quirk fast tracked legislation to legalize Michael Vu’s circumvention of the laws regarding 1% manual tallies.
Vu is the master of use the “provisional ballot envelopes” which if deployed effectively can potentially avoid any audit altogether in the 1% manual tally.
I voted for Katie Porter and hoped for a Porter-Schiff general election so that we could get a true airing of the issues. However, I was very disappointed to see that Porter ran some ads supporting Garvey’s little known republican opponent. Seems like a case of the pot calling the kettle black.
Bribes not only pay for campaign advertising but pay-to-play coverage from the corporate networks. Once that spigot is turned off the five mega media use every electronic print media platform that they control to immediately come in, talons out. “The Party” is out of our control and they will never ever hesitate to destroy any progressive candidate representing the people that may threaten “the Party’s” corporate money machine.
Do you have any proof to these random allegations?
All one has to do is follow the money, it’s public record. All one has to do is watch the same local news broadcasts on every single corporate media owned television channel to see the reality of pay-to-play.
My scrutiny in well founded in reality, and no one’s eyes are deceiving them, we see the decay, and the misery that has been legislatively accelerated by sycophants posing as community leaders and getting “the Party’s” backing time and again, by design. Absolute power has corrupted absolutely. Democrats must vilify Democratic voters, and resident constituents in the absence of a conservative boogeyman, to feebly try and rationalize their greed.
And by bribes are talking about the amount of money that was spent on advertising? Because that just isn’t bribery.
All campaign contributions over $500 are bribes in my book. The “contributions and donations” is a narrative construct watering down what every American already knows to be true this is a bribery scheme, has been for years and was hyper accelerated by the Citizen’s United decision.
Sigh, have to say I can’t disagree with the comments, I’m super disappointed to learn that Porter supported ANY Republican candidate, plus her choice of word “rigged” is really beneath her intellect. The primary was not rigged, but it was manipulated by Schiff in a dirty way that reflects poorly on him and the whole party. As kh says, while a terrible lesson, it would serve the Dems right if Garvey somehow won, as it could have been such a different, decent race….
And to think Phat Nixon whined incessantly about a “rigged” election…
Yo! What Up?
Come on Katie, quit whining. This is par for the course and we’ve all seen it happen over and over. I voted for her, but this isn’t helping her future. Let’s try ranked choice voting next.
Now we get more of the same with Schiff. Maybe he’ll play those political games for CA. He’s sure good at them.