Summary5 min read

Podcast Summary: How Democrats Steal Elections In 4 Mins

The Michael Knowles Show – The Daily Wire
Date: June 12, 2026

Episode Overview

In this concise, commentary-driven episode, Michael Knowles offers a rapid-fire historical overview of Democratic Party election tactics, focusing on allegations of fraud ranging from the 19th century to current events. He anchors his analysis on the supposedly suspicious 2026 Los Angeles election outcome and draws parallels to numerous historical examples to argue a consistent pattern of ballot manipulation and election interference by Democrats over nearly two centuries.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Contemporary Election Controversy in Los Angeles

[02:00]

Narrative set-up:
Michael Knowles opens with the 2026 LA election, where insurgent Republican Spencer Pratt initially led, but was ultimately overtaken after “five days of counting extra ballots” by socialist candidate Nithya Raman—removing Pratt from contention and ensuring only a Democrat would run the city.
Key Point:
This scenario is presented as yet another example of Democratic “ballot maneuvering” overturning a Republican lead.

“After five days of counting extra ballots, the Socialist Raman came up with just enough ballots to overtake Pratt, meaning that no matter what happened in the runoff, a Democrat would continue to run LA into the ground.” — Michael Knowles [02:11]

2. Historical Pattern of Alleged Election Fraud

[02:23-04:20]

Tammany Hall & 19th Century Machine Politics
- Party apparatuses like Tammany Hall institutionalized election theft: ballot stuffing, repeat voting, dead voter ballots, bribery, absentee ballots, and importing voters from outside areas.
- Notable Statistic:
  “An audit of a New York City election in 1868, for example, found that 16% of all votes cast were fraudulent cooked up by Democrats in Tammany Hall.” [02:34]
1948 Texas Senate Race
- Lyndon Johnson allegedly “stole” a Senate seat with 202 late votes in ballot box 13—a case so egregious it made the Supreme Court, which ultimately chose not to intervene.
- Quote:
  “That brazen election theft made it all the way up to the Supreme Court, which ultimately didn’t want to get involved and washed its hands of the matter.” [02:56]
1994 Pennsylvania State Senate Race
- Republican Bruce Marks led by 500 votes, but after absentee ballots were counted, Democrat William Stinson was declared the winner.
- A federal judge eventually found “hundreds of absentee ballot packets” had been “illegally delivered directly to the Democrats.”
2003 East Chicago, Indiana Mayor’s Race
- Similar absentee ballot harvesting tactics found; a new election was ordered, resulting in a Democratic loss.
1982 Illinois Election Indictments
- 62 indictments and 58 convictions for election fraud in Illinois alone; in Chicago, a grand jury found 100,000 fraudulent votes.

3. Absentee Ballots & Ballot Harvesting as Recurring Issues

[03:45-04:15]

Democrats’ increasing reliance on absentee ballots and ballot harvesting is characterized as a “playbook” for fraud.
Quote:
“Democrats’ reliance on absentee ballot harvesting became so widespread ... that the 1982 Illinois elections resulted in 62 indictments and 58 convictions ... in Chicago alone, a grand jury found that 100,000 fraudulent votes had been cast.” [03:54]
Citing the 1960 Presidential Election
- Historian Robert Dallek is quoted as concluding Democrats “probably stole Illinois from Nixon.”

4. Recent Changes & Legal Loopholes

[04:18-04:30]

2020 Election Changes
- Democrats are accused of changing voting laws to expand absentee ballot usage and “insecure” drop boxes, allegedly in violation of state constitutions (e.g., Pennsylvania).
Historic Convictions
- Hundreds of convictions for election fraud are cited as just "a small percentage of cases ... which represent only a small percentage of allegations of voter fraud, widely acknowledged by historians and really, by anyone with eyes.”

5. Summary Punchline and Rhetorical Challenge

[04:56]

Despite many of these actions being “perfectly legal, at least in a Democrat stronghold,” Knowles rhetorically asks:

“If Democrats want us to believe there isn’t any voter fraud, why do they keep expanding the use of all the same tricks they’ve used to steal elections for the past 200 years? The more you know.”
— Michael Knowles [04:56]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

“After five days of counting extra ballots, the Socialist Raman came up with just enough ballots to overtake Pratt...” [02:11]
“An audit of a New York City election in 1868 ... found that 16% of all votes cast were fraudulent cooked up by Democrats in Tammany Hall.” [02:34]
“That brazen election theft made it all the way up to the Supreme Court, which ultimately didn’t want to get involved and washed its hands of the matter.” [02:56]
“...hundreds of absentee ballot packets directly to the Democrats, who in turn collected votes from people who were ineligible to cast votes...” [03:16]
“...grand jury found that 100,000 fraudulent votes had been cast [in Chicago].” [03:59]
“Despite claims of perfectly secure elections, hundreds of Democrats over American history have been convicted over election fraud.” [04:36]
“If Democrats want us to believe there isn’t any voter fraud, why do they keep expanding the use of all the same tricks they’ve used to steal elections for the past 200 years? The more you know.” [04:56]

Timestamps for Important Segments

[02:00] — LA 2026 Election Setup & Suspicious Ballot Count
[02:23] — Tammany Hall & Historical Patterns
[02:56] — 1948 Texas Senate: LBJ’s Alleged Theft
[03:10] — 1994 Pennsylvania Race: Absentee Ballot Fraud
[03:26] — 2003 Indiana and More Absentee Ballot Tactics
[03:45] — 1982 Illinois: Mass Indictments
[03:59] — Chicago Voting Fraud Details
[04:18] — Ballot Harvesting & Modern Election Law Changes
[04:56] — Concluding Rhetorical Question

Tone and Style

The tone is brisk, sharply critical, and unapologetically partisan.
Knowles employs historical examples interlaced with sarcasm and rhetorical questions to reinforce his argument of pervasive Democratic election theft.

This summary captures the episode’s essential assertions, providing a snapshot of Michael Knowles’ perspective on Democratic election practices—anchored in both present-day and historical controversies.

Loading summary

Transcript23 lines

[00:00]
A
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[00:04]
B
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[00:08]
A
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[00:08]
B
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[00:17]
A
Even during the World Championship.
[00:19]
B
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[00:33]
A
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[00:34]
B
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[00:41]
A
How do I get started?
[00:42]
C
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[00:56]
D
Trading not available in all jurisdictions. Check local regulations before trading restrictions and eligibility requirements apply.
[01:00]
A
Man, whenever I use a sportsbook during the soccer world championship, I feel like I robbed.
[01:04]
B
Dude, delete that app. You need to be using Polymarket.
[01:08]
A
Polymarket.
[01:09]
B
Polymarket is a prediction market, not a sportsbook. You trade against other fans, not the house. That means more money for you and less for greedy sportsbooks.
[01:17]
A
Even during the world Championship.
[01:19]
B
Especially during the World Championship. Whether you're trading on who wins the next match or who lifts the trophy in the final, Sportsbooks take around $9 on a $100 position and pay out around $500. Polymarket pays out $650 on that same position.
[01:33]
A
What's the catch?
[01:34]
B
No catch and it' 50 states. Polymarket is so confident they're giving you $50 free on your first trade. Huh?
[01:41]
A
How do I get started?
[01:42]
C
Download Polymarket now and use Promo code pass for $50 free on your first trade. With the world championship heating up, stop letting sportsbooks steal from you. Download Polymarket and use Promo code pass for $50 free on your first trade.
[01:55]
D
Use Promo Code Pass Trading not available in all jurisdictions. Check local regulations before trading restrictions and eligibility requirements apply.
[02:00]
E
On election day, 2026, insurgent candidate Spencer Pratt looked like he might flip Los Angeles to the edging out socialist candidate Nidhia Raman, setting up a runoff between former communist turned Democrat incumbent Karen Bass and the Republican Pratt. But then something strange happened. After five days of counting extra ballots, the Socialist Raman came up with just enough ballots to overtake Pratt, meaning that no matter what happened in the runoff, a Democrat would continue to run LA into the ground. How did the Democrats do it? To answer that question, we need to take a trip down memory lane. The Democratic Party was founded in 1828. Shortly thereafter, party apparatuses such as Tammany hall institutionalized election theft by stuffing ballot boxes, repeat voting, casting ballots for dead people, bribery, intimidation, absentee ballots, ballot harvesting, and importing voters from outside areas. An audit of a New York city election in 1868, for example, found that 16% of all votes cast were fraudulent cooked up by Democrats in Tammany Hall. In 1948, Lyndon Johnson infamously stole a Texas Senate seat thanks to the drop of 202 late votes in ballot box 13, giving LBJ an 87 vote victory. That brazen election theft made it all the way up to the Supreme Court, which ultimately didn't want to get involved and washed its hands of the matter. As a result, LBJ went on to become Vice President and then President of the United States. In 1994, Democrats tried to steal a state Senate seat in Pennsylvania. On Election Day, Republican Bruce Marks led Democrat William stinson by over 500 votes. But the absentee ballots curiously went overwhelmingly for the Democrat, giving Stinson just enough votes to win overall. In that case, happily, a federal judge found that Philadelphia election officials had illegally delivered hundreds of absentee ballot packets directly to the Democrats, who in turn collected votes from people who were ineligible to cast votes when they weren't forging the votes outright. Democrats ran precisely the same absentee ballot playbook in 2003 in the East. Chicago, Indiana Mayor's race fraud we know about only because the Indiana Supreme Court decided to get involved, ordering a new election, which the Democrat fraudster happily lost. Democrats reliance on absentee ballot harvesting became so widespread that, especially in states such as Illinois, Arkansas and Georgia, that the 1982 Illinois elections resulted in 62 indictments and 58 convictions for election fraud involving not only campaign workers, but precinct captains and election officials. In Chicago alone, a grand jury found that 100,000 fraudulent votes had been cast. But Chicago had already been a central hub of Democrat election theft for decades, most infamously exemplified by the 1960 presidential election in which Robert Dallek, a biographer of both John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon, concluded that Democrats, quote, probably stole Illinois from Nixon. In 2020, Democrat politicians infamously changed voter laws throughout the United States to increase absentee ballots and insecure ballot drop boxes. In some cases, such as Pennsylvania in violation of the state constitution. Despite claims of perfectly secure elections. Hundreds of Democrats over American history have been convicted over election fraud. And those convictions represent only a small percentage of cases, which represent only a small percentage of allegations of voter fraud, widely acknowledged by historians and really, by anyone with eyes. In Los Angeles, we see the same old story. A Republican defeated by the last minute count of absentee ballots cast without any solid chain of custody, often in ballot drop boxes without any election security. Those circumstances might all be perfectly legal, at least in a Democrat stronghold such as Gomorrah by the Sea. But we're still left with a simple if Democrats want us to believe there isn't any voter fraud, why do they keep expanding the use of all the same tricks they've used to steal elections for the past 200 years? The more you know.