Ep. 2440 - The California Election Is Corrupt, Just Not How You Think

June 8, 2026

AI Summary

5 min read

In a June 2nd Los Angeles mayoral primary, early returns showed independent candidate Spencer Pratt leading progressive councilwoman Nithya Raman by roughly 25,000 votes. By June 6th, Raman had overtaken Pratt by a net swing of more than 43,000 votes, securing a runoff against incumbent Karen Bass. Ben Shapiro argues this is not a glitch or a mystery—it is the predictable outcome of California's election laws, which he says amount to a "blueprint" for corruption that was "stolen months ago."

The Mechanism: Ballot Harvesting and Weak Verification

Shapiro’s central claim is that the election was not stolen by a single person falsifying ballots at a tabulator, but through a system that legalizes large-scale ballot harvesting while eliminating meaningful voter ID. In California, first-time voters can register using a commercial credit card or a health club ID. The state’s election code explicitly says "any doubt must be liberally construed to let a person cast a regular ballot." This creates a system with "zero real verification."

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What you'll learn

1 (02:25) **The California Election Is Corrupt, Just Not How You Think** - Shapiro argues the LA mayoral election wasn't stolen by ballot fraud, but by legal ballot harvesting and lax voter ID laws.
2 (12:55) **The Case for the SAVE Act** - Shapiro argues that California's system is a perfect example of why voter ID and ballot harvesting restrictions are necessary.
3 (15:00) **Fake Sports Fans: Zor Momdani and AOC** - Shapiro mocks politicians who cosplay as diehard sports fans for political gain.
4 (22:05) **Graham Platner and the Democratic Party's Anti-Semitism Problem** - Shapiro discusses the Democratic Senate candidate for Maine and the party's refusal to condemn anti-Semitism.
5 (30:40) **Middle East Update: Iran, Hezbollah, and the Pain Game** - Shapiro analyzes the latest escalation between Israel and Iran, framing it as a test of will.
6 (49:00) **Media Bias and the Scott Pelley Meltdown** - Shapiro mocks former CBS News anchor Scott Pelley for claiming the network needs "adult supervision" after his firing.
7 (56:26) **Dana Loesch Defends Erica Kirk Against Conspiracy Theorists** - Shapiro praises Loesch for calling out Tucker Carlson and Candace Owens for spreading conspiracy theories about Charlie Kirk's death.

+ Full timestamped outline available in the app

Guests on this episode

Spencer Pratt Nithya Raman Karen Bass Ben Shapiro

Show Notes

LA’s mayoral election is thrown into chaos as "late-counted votes" boot Spencer Pratt from the race; New York’s Zohran Mamdani cosplays as a Knicks fan; and we analyze the latest news from the Middle East.

Ep. 2440

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