MAGA Accuses Democrats of Trying to Steal Another House Seat

Republicans who support President-elect Donald Trump have, without evidence, accused Democrats of attempting to steal a congressional seat.
On Tuesday, Georgia Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene wrote on X, formerly Twitter: “The Democrats are actively stealing another House seat! WTF are we doing about this???”
Greene made the comment in response to reporting that additional ballots were counted in Merced County amid the race for California’s 13th Congressional District, slashing the lead of Representative John Duarte, the Republican incumbent, over Democrat Adam Gray from 1,564 votes to 227.
Counting is ongoing in the battleground county, which Duarte won by 564 votes in 2022, and the Associated Press has yet to call the race.
Earlier this week, supporters of Trump’s Make America Great Again movement made similar unfounded accusations of electoral fraud when Democratic challenger Derek Tran took a 36-vote lead over Representative Michelle Steel, the Republican incumbent, in the race for California’s 45th Congressional District. Both Orange and Los Angeles Counties insisted they had followed standard voting procedures.
According to the AP, as of 3:15 a.m. ET on Wednesday, Republicans had secured 218 seats in the House of Representatives, enough for a majority. With five races yet to be called, Democrats had secured 217. So the GOP is set to retain control of the House, having also won a Senate majority and the presidency on November 5. Still, the exact number of representatives they have could be crucial for any closely fought votes.
Responding to news of the Merced County ballots, MAGA Elvis, an X account with more than 21,000 followers, wrote: “New ballots coming 14 days after Election Day from California’s 13th Congressional District have cut Republican Rep. John Duarte’s lead from 1,564 votes to just 227 votes, and could lead to Democrats winning another House Seat. Cheating a** democrats.”
Publius, a self-styled “independent journalist” with more than 66,000 followers, wrote on X: “CA ELECTION FRAUD UPDATE: 2 Weeks after Election Day Democrats have just counted more ‘votes’ which cut Republican John Duarte’s lead from 1,564 votes down to just 227. Watch them continue ‘counting’ until Democrats steal yet another House seat!”
Patriot Oasis, an X account with 146,000 followers, wrote: “New ballots in California’s 13th District have cut Republican Rep. John Duarte’s lead from 1,564 to 227, with Democrats possibly gaining another House seat. How is any of this legal?”
The X users did not provide evidence to support their allegations of electoral fraud.
Newsweek contacted California Secretary of State Shirley Weber, Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, Representative John Duarte and Adam Gray for comment via email or online inquiry form on Wednesday outside regular office hours.
Journalists have also widely reported on the new ballots counted in Merced County, where Gray has a 3-point lead, without suggesting any wrongdoing.
Jacob Rubashkin, the deputy editor of Inside Elections, wrote on X: “The last truly toss-up House race is now a 227-vote race. The rematch between Republican Rep. John Duarte and Democrat Adam Gray is once again coming down to the wire. In 2022, Duarte won by 564 votes. This would be the closest House result of the year!”
Dave Wasserman, a senior editor at the Cook Political Report, which provides election analysis, wrote on X: “Newly tabulated Merced Co. ballots cut #CA13 Rep. John Duarte’s (R) lead from 1,564 votes to just *227* votes. This is going down to the wire, and an Adam Gray (D) win would cost the GOP another House seat.”
Wasserman added in a separate post: “Merced Co. estimates another 3,182 ballots left to tabulate, and if they break like the last batch did, Gray (D) would take the lead. Also several thousand votes left to count across Stanislaus, San Joaquin, Madera and Fresno parts of #CA13 that could tip the balance.”