California recall vote show Trump’s big lie is now Republican playbook

Pre-emptively branding as rigged an election you are likely to lose risks turning off GOP voters and undermining democracy

It was a pre-emptive strike against truth by some of the biggest names on the American right wing.

Former president Donald Trump warned that the ballot would be rigged". The Republican candidate Larry Elder predicted shenanigans". The conservative media star Tomi Lahren suggested that voter fraud" was inevitable.