Election doubters and deniers running for Secretary of State in 2022
An NPR analysis of 2022 secretary of state races across the country found at least 15 Republican candidates running who question the legitimacy of President Biden's 2020 win, even though no evidence of widespread fraud has been uncovered about the race over the last 14 months. In fact, claims of any sort of fraud that swung the election have been explicitly refuted in state after state, including those run by Republicans.
CANDIDATES TO DEFEAT
FOR STATE SECRETARY:
The GOP nominee for secretary of state in Arizona, state Rep. Mark Finchem, for example, “introduced a resolution to decertify 2020 election results in the state,” NPR reported. “Finchem — a longtime member of the Oath Keepers, a far-right extremist group — was at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, and in an interview with NPR earlier this year he declined to call what happened there a riot or an insurrection.” Several members of the Oath Keepers have pleaded guilty and/or been convicted of crimes for their Jan. 6 actions.
Jim Marchant, Republicans’ nominee for secretary of state in Nevada, says that he would not have certified President Biden’s Nevada win (a victory that had a margin of more than 33,500 votes).
Michigan’s GOP nominee for secretary of state is arguably crazier. As the Atlantic reports:
Kristina Karamo, a community-college professor who’d previously accused Democrats of having a “satanic agenda,” went on Fox News again and again to describe how illegal ballots supposedly had been tallied for Joe Biden at the TCF Center in Detroit, where she worked as a poll watcher. She testified before the State Senate that sacks of votes inexplicably had been dropped off there in the middle of election night. She suggested that Dominion Voting software had flipped Trump votes to Biden votes statewide.
None of what Karamo described actually happened—as far as anyone has been able to confirm.
GEORGIA (Biden +0.2 pts. in 2020)
Rep. Jody Hice Objected to certification in Congress on Jan. 6, 2021. TRUMP ENDORSED
David Belle Isle Said Georgia results should not have been certified.
ARIZONA (Biden +0.3 pts. in 2020)
State Rep. Mark Finchem Attended Stop the Steal rallies in Jan, and spoke of election fraud in Virginia before that state's governor's race. TRUMP ENDORSED
State Rep. Shawnna Bolick Introduced bill that would give legislators the power to overturn an election, in response to fraud claims, and voted not to certify the 2020 election in Arizona.
MICHIGAN (Biden +2.7 pts. in 2020)
Kristina Karamo Pushed 2020 election conspiracy theories, and conspiracy theory that it was actually Antifa who attacked the Capitol on Jan. 6.
TRUMP ENDORSED
ARKANSAS (Trump +27.6 pts. in 2020)
Eddie Joe Williams Said he's "not sure" if Biden actually won
MINNESOTA (Biden +7.2 pts. in 2020)
Kim Crockett Cast doubt on 2020 election results and broader election infrastructure.
OHIO (Trump +8 pts. in 2020)
John Adams Said there were "shenanigans" in the 2020 election that have not yet been resolved.
NEW MEXICO (Biden +10.8 pts. in 2020)
Audrey Trujillo Shared a number of conspiracy theories about voter fraud on her personal twitter.
COLORADO (Biden +13.5 pts. in 2020)
David Winney Campaign website linked to videos alleging fraud and says "the overwhelming evidence of stolen election(s) cannot be ignored."
KANSAS (Trump +14.6 pts. in 2020)
Mike Brown Defended former President Trump "asking questions" about election results.
CALIFORNIA (Biden +29.2 pts. in 2020)
Rachel Hamm Attended QAnon conference last fall, and endorsed by election denial leader Mike Lindell.
MASSACHUSETTS (Biden +33.6 pts. in 2020)
Rayla Campbell Posted photos during a previous campaign wearing a QAnon shirt.