Unfounded claims of election fraud have polarized the country since the 2020 presidential election and former President Donald Trump’s insistence that a lack of election integrity resulted in his loss to President Joe Biden.
Although election deniers have not been able to produce reliable evidence to back up their claims, they have managed to secure places on ballots for the upcoming midterm elections. This Wednesday, the United States Democracy Center released a list of election deniers running for state offices in November.
“Across the country, politicians who continue to spread lies about our elections are seeking control over future elections,” said the United States Democracy Center. “If these election deniers succeed, they could have the power to interfere with nonpartisan election administration and put our free, fair, and secure elections at risk.”
Based on data provided by the center, this is a guide of election denier candidates running for governor, attorney general and secretary of state in U.S. states:
ALABAMA
· Republican incumbent Kay Ivey is an election denier running for governor against Libertarian James ‘Jimmy’ Blake and Democrat Yolanda Flowers.
· Republican incumbent Steve Marshall is an election denier running against Democrat Wendell Major for attorney general.
· Republican Wes Allen is an election denier running against Libertarian Jason ‘Matt’ Shelby and Democrat Pamela Lafitte for secretary of state.
ALAKSA
· Republican incumbent Mike Dunleavy is an election denier running for governor against fellow Republican election denier Charlie Pierce and Democrat Les Gara as well as Bill Walker.
ARIZONA
· Republican Kari Lake is an election denier running for governor against Democrat Katie Hobbs
· Republican Abraham Hamadeh is an election denier running against Democrat Kris Mayes for attorney general.
· Republican Mark Finchem is an election denier running against Democrat Adrian Fontes for secretary of state.
COLORADO
· Danielle Neuschwanger is an election denier running for governor against Jarred Ahrend, Vande Krol, Paul Firoino, Ralph Tingle, Libertarians Kevin Ruskusky and William ‘Bill’ Stevens, Republican Heidi Ganahl, and Democrat incumbent Jared Polis.
CONNECTICUT
· Republican Dominic Rapini is an election denier running against Cynthia Jennings, Green Party candidate Douglas Lary and Democrat Stephanie Thomas for secretary of state.
FLORIDA
· Republican incumbent Ron DeSantis is an election denier running for governor against Carmen Jackie Gimenez, Jodi Gregory Jeluoudov, Libertarian Hector Roos and Democrat Charlie Crist.
· Republican incumbent Ashley Moody is an election denier running against Democrat Aramis Ayala for attorney general.
IDAHO
· Republican Raúl Labrador is an election denier running against Democrat Tom Arkoosh for attorney general.
INDIANA
· Republican Diego Morales is an election denier running against Libertarian Jeff Maurer and Democrat Destiny Wells for secretary of state.
IOWA
· Republican incumbent Kim Reynolds is an election denier running for governor against Libertarian Rick Stewart and Democrat Deidre DeJear.
KANSAS
· Republican Derek Schmidt is an election denier running for governor against Dennis Pyle, Libertarian Seth Cordell and incumbent Democrat Laura Kelly
· Republican Kris Kobach is an election denier running against Democrat Chris Mann for attorney general.
MAINE
· Republican Paul LePage is an election denier running for governor against Sam Hunkler and Democrat incumbent Janet Mills.
MARYLAND
· Republican Dan Cox is an election denier running for governor against David Harding, Green Party candidate Nancy Wallace, Libertarian David Lashar and Democrat Wes Moore.
· Republican Michael Peroutka is an election denier running against Democrat Anthony Brown for attorney general.
MASSACHUSETTS
· Republican Geoff Diehl is an election denier running for governor against Yen Diep, Luis Perez, Dianna Ploss and Democrat Maura Healey.
· Republican Rayla Campbell is an election denier running against Democrat incumbent William Galvin for secretary of state.
MICHIGAN
· Republican election denier Tudor Dixon and election denier Donna Brandenburg are running for governor against Daryl Simpson, Libertarian Mary Buzuma, Green Party candidate Kevin Hogan and Democrat incumbent Gretchen Whitmer.
· Republican Matthew DePerno is an election denier running against Gerald Van Sickle, Libertarian Joe McHugh and incumbent Democrat Dana Nessel for attorney general.
MINNESOTA
· Republican Kim Crockett is an election denier running against Democrat incumbent Steve Simon for secretary of state.
NEVADA
· Republican Sigal Chattah is an election denier running against Libertarian John Kennedy and incumbent Democrat Aaron Ford for attorney general.
· Republican Jim Marchant is an election denier running against Janine Hansen, Libertarian Ross Crane and Democrat Francisco ‘Cisco’ Aguilar for secretary of state.
NEW MEXICO
· Republican Audrey Trujillo is an election denier running against Libertarian Mayna Myers and Democrat incumbent Maggie Toulouse Oliver for secretary of state.
NEW YORK
· Republican Lee Zeldin is an election denier running for governor against Democrat incumbent Kathy Hochul.
NORTH DAKOTA
· Election denier Charles Tuttle running against Republican Michael Howe and Democrat Jeffrey Powell for secretary of state.
OREGON
· Election denier Donice Noelle Smith is running for governor against Betsy Johnson, Republican Christine Drazan, Libertarian R. Leon Noble and Tina Kotek.
PENNSYLVANIA
· Republican Doug Mastriano is an election denier running for governor against Joseph Soloski, Libertarian Matt Hackenburg, Green Party candidate Christina Digiulio and Democrat Joshua Shapiro.
SOUTH CAROLINA
· Republican incumbent Alan Wilson is running for attorney general.
TENNESSEE
· Republican incumbent Bill Lee is an election denier running for governor against Constance Every, John Anthony Gentry, Basil Marceaux, Charles Morgan, Alfred O’Neil, Deborah Rouse, Michael Scantland, Rick Tyler and Democrat Jason Martin.
TEXAS
· Republican incumbent Greg Abbott is an election denier running for governor against Libertarian Mark Jay Tippetts, Green Party candidate Delilah Barrios and Democrat Beto O’Rourke.
· Republican incumbent Ken Paxton is an election denier running against Libertarian Mark Ash Democrat Rochelle Garza for attorney general.
VERMONT
· Election denier Kevin Hoyt is running for governor against Susan Hatch Davis, Bernard Peters, Republican Peter Duval, Republican incumbent Phil Scott and Democrat Brenda Siegal.
· Republican H. Brooke Paige is an election denier running against Democrat Sarah Copeland Hanzas for secretary of state.
WISCONSIN
· Republican Tim Michels is an election denier running for governor against Joan Ellis Beglinger and Democrat incumbent Tony Evers.
WYOMING
· Republican Check Gray is an election denier running for secretary of state.
“These state officials are the referees of our democracy,” explained the United States Democracy Center about the positions, adding that “giving election deniers that power would be like putting arsonists in charge of the fire department.”
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