States with at least one statewide GOP candidate who is a 2020 election denier
Michigan is among 25 states that will field at least one 2020 presidential election denier on the Nov. 8 ballot.
Why it matters: Widespread election denial from GOP candidates has major implications for our democracy and shows how former President Trump has reshaped the Republican Party, Axios’ Jonathan Swan and Josh Kraushaar write.
The big picture: Nearly half of all Republican nominees in federal or statewide contests have questioned President Biden’s legitimate 2020 victory, FiveThirtyEight research finds.
Details: Each GOP candidate running for statewide office — gubernatorial candidate Tudor Dixon, attorney general candidate Matt DePerno and secretary of state candidate Kristina Karamo — has denied the results of the 2020 election, along with three congressional candidates.
- Three congressional candidates — Jack Bergman, Tim Walberg and Lisa McClain have fully denied the results, while John Gibbs and John James have “raised questions,” according to FiveThirtyEight.
- James cast doubt on the election before ultimately accepting the results in 2020.
The intrigue: Dixon isn’t talking about a stolen election the same way she did as a primary candidate.
- She agreed with her GOP opponents when asked whether widespread election fraud changed the outcome of the 2020 presidential election in primary debates in May and June, MLive reports.
- But when asked recently, she told MLive “I don’t think we can see enough of the evidence because we weren’t able to look back and some of that is destroyed now.”
Of note: The other candidates on the statewide ballot also aren’t talking about the 2020 election in the same way they did as primary candidates.
- DePerno declined answering questions about the 2020 election at the August convention.
- At the Red Wave rally on the Capitol lawn after the convention, Karamo chose not to repeat the phrase “Trump won” along with supporters when prompted for a picture.
What they’re saying: “I believe that there was enough fraud in the election that we have to be very concerned and we have to have the strong election laws that the legislature passed to make sure our elections are fair in the future,” Dixon told MLive.
Reality check: There was not widespread voter fraud that affected the outcome of Michigan’s 2020 election results.
Source: https://www.axios.com/local/detroit/2022/09/26/gop-election-deniers-on-michigans-ballot