Donald Trump didn’t write Katie Porter’s requiem post on social media. But add a few spelling mistakes and capital letters and it could very well be.

“Thanks to you, we scared the establishment,” she told supporters of her failed bid for the U.S. Senate in a statement on Wednesday night about an ‘attack from billionaires spending millions. to manipulate these elections.”

That word suggesting there was something illegal, suspicious or not entirely kosher about this week’s California primary was not just baseless and self-serving.

Given today’s charged environment, this was reckless and totally irresponsible, like throwing kerosene on a fire, or a child holding a loaded gun.

There are enough questions about the fact that our controversial electoral system is owned by Trump and his MAGA movement without Porter, a law professor with a broad following on the political left, making her false accusations.

To be clear, Adam Schiff and Steve Garvey advanced to the Senate runoffs in November because they were favored by California Democrats and Republicans, respectively.

There were no ballots, no illegal payouts, no decisive box of countless ballots mysteriously turning up overnight at a fruit stand outside Yucaipa. (At least not that we, or Porter, know.)

The battle for the top two seats and the chance to face off against each other in November’s general election wasn’t even close. Porter finished a distant third.

“Nothing was rigged,” said Gale Kaufman, a veteran Democratic strategist who remained neutral in the Senate race. “She fled, like many other people who were on the ballot. She lost.

“When you lose, there are all kinds of reasons,” Kaufman said. “But maybe you should take a look in the mirror.”

Yes, Schiff boosted Garvey by running him millions of dollars in TV ads, persuading Republicans to step up and push the former Major League Baseball star past Porter, who faces a tougher opponent in the general election. elections would have been.

And yes, crypto industry billionaires spent a small fortune attacking Porter, accusing her of hypocrisy for taking corporate donations, while simultaneously attacking Schiff for taking corporate donations.

This tactic of special interests protecting their interests by attacking other special interests can stink of excessive cynicism. But that’s politics. It is not election fraud as most people would understand the term.

Two explanatory comments that X users added to Porter’s social media post provided useful context.

“’Rigging’ implies illegal manipulation of election results, a serious violation that undermines democracy,” the first said.

Spending money “on advertising… falls under protected freedom of speech, provided it complies with campaign finance laws,” the second said. “It’s not ‘rigging’.”

After a flurry of condemnations, on X and elsewhere, Porter posted a follow-up statement.

Rigged means rigged by unfair means,” the Orange County congressman wrote. “I said ‘rigged by billionaires’ and our politics are actually manipulated by big dark money.”

True enough. There is much to be said and criticized about the unholy influence of money in our politics.

By then, however, Porter’s back-and-fill declaration was too late. She was drowned out by a chorus of condemnations for her inflammatory use of the r-word.

Among those participating was California’s senior U.S. Senator Alex Padilla, a Democrat and the state’s former chief election official.

“It’s not faked,” he told Politico. “As a former California Secretary of State, I can assure you of the integrity of the election and the results.

Porter fought hard to win her seat in Orange County in 2018 and quickly became a household name, wielding her whiteboard like a lance as she took on billionaire CEOs and a gallery of business failures.

Many Democrats were disappointed when they gave up the seat to run for Senate. The opening has jeopardized the party’s chances of retaining its seat in its district

column, which is crucial if Democrats hope to gain control of the House of Representatives in November.

At 50, with a robust fundraising base and national following, Porter still has a potentially bright political future. She’s talking about running for statewide office, attorney general or perhaps even governor, as early as 2026.

But first, Porter will face questions about her decision to abandon the House of Representatives and her constituents to run for the Senate, and about the ruthless and misguided manner in which she left the race.

“Instead of leaving the stage and congratulating Adam Schiff, who won, she has chosen to be incredibly unhelpful to her party and to the people she currently represents,” said Kaufman, the Democratic strategist.

Winning is easy. It is losing that tests one’s character and courage.

Donald

CQfull name

Trump has shown himself to be the worst kind of loser, someone who wants to tear down the country and erode trust in its institutions so he can inflame his supporters and declare defeat.

Katie

here also

Porter shouldn’t emulate him.