In the United States they are referred to as election deniers, literally the deniers of the vote. They are the ones who, after Trump’s defeat in 2020, supported the ex-President’s efforts to overturn the results of the polls. There have never been so many and they could be decisive in certifying the presidential vote of 2024, for which Donald Trump will announce the re-nomination on November 15, according to what is stated by the tycoon at last night’s rally in Ohio. The germ of electoral denial was sown by Trump in 2020 and culminated with the attack on Congress on January 6, 2021. Instead of being cornered by the Republican party, they were re-nominated in all key offices of American institutions and many of them have a high chance of winning.
Who they are and how many could be elected
In total the election deniers are 291. A number that comes out of the public statements and on social media of the candidates of the Grand old party, as well as the legal actions taken to have the 2020 votes recount and not to certify Biden’s victory in some states. Of these 291 not all will be elected to one of the branches of parliament, or to the roles of governor, secretary of state and attorney general. 171, however, are favorites in the electoral race according to the averages of the polls analyzed by Washington Post. Another 48 are considered as competitive, it means that the probability of winning or losing in the elections is around 50%. Everyone else should have neither seats nor offices starting tomorrow.
The alleged “election fraud” of 2020 was an integral part of the campaign of denier candidates in key states. Kari Lake, a candidate for the role of governor against Democrat Katie Hobbes, has repeatedly argued that she would not “certify the result of 2020” and said that her rival deserves to “go to jail for doing so. “. Also in Arizona, Mark Finchem, possible new secretary of state, identified himself as a member of the Oath Keepers, the militia that stormed the Capitol, and tried to request a manual count of all ballots and give the legislator Republican-led authority to reject the election results.
In Michigan, all the most important positions for the state are at risk of taking a Republican turn: Tudor Dixon, Matthew De Perno and Kristina Karamo have been among the most vocal supporters of Trump’s machinations to take back the Oval Office. The first, running for the role of governor, has re-launched various conspiracy theories, all already subject to overseas fact checking, on presidential past and refused to admit Biden’s legitimate victory; De Perno was at the center of an investigation as the “main instigator” of a plan to obtain improper access to voting machines, so as to contest the outcome; Karamo, on the other hand, rose to prominence in Detroit as the first poller to make false claims about election fraud.
What problems could their election bring
“The problem of having deniers in these public offices – according to the polling center Fivethirtyeight – is what they could do if the electoral results were not to their liking. A governor who does not believe in results that are unfavorable to him could challenge the popular vote, while an elected member of Congress can vote to have the votes counted or blocked ». Larry Jacobs, a professor of legislative policy at the University of Minnesota, is also of the same opinion, interviewed by the Wp: “In 2024, Republican candidates will once again challenge the electoral results”. In the long term, Jacobs said, the country’s democratic foundations are at risk: “It is a disease that is spreading in our political process and its implications are very profound. It’s not about Donald Trump anymore. It is about the whole electoral system and what is regarded as legitimate elections ».
In a week The Donald will announce the new attempt to climb to the top of American institutions. If the Republicans win a large number of seats and offices tonight, then the next elections could be a re-edition of the past ones, because only with a Republican victory would the security of US institutions be guaranteed.