In the run-up to the US midterm elections, a trend has been witnessed that set off alarm bells for those concerned about the stability of United States democracy. According to reports, about 345 Republican candidates embraced the lie that the 2020 election was stolen from former President Donald Trump by massive fraud, according to an analysis by the Brookings Institution which is based in the capital city of the US.
Those fears eased slightly as the Republican Party underperformed in the polls on November 8, countering the predictions of a red wave at the ballot box. According to a report, Election deniers lost closely watched contests in swing states and failed to gain new ground in about 95 percent of statewide races. This report was given by an organization that tracked races with election deniers on the ballot.
Biden Says
On Monday, President Joe Biden called the midterm elections a slap in the face to election deniers. Speaking to reporters ahead of this week’s Group of 20 (G20) summit in Indonesia, Biden described the outcome as something that portrayed the very strength of Democrats.
He said that what these elections showed is that there’s a deep and unwavering commitment in America to preserving and protecting and defending democracy
In the November 8 midterms, those who denied elections were competing in races at virtually every level of government. The fight to control the US Senate, for instance, came down to battleground states such as Nevada and Arizona, where election deniers like Adam who was a staunch supporter of not holding the election and Black Masters lost by slim margins to their Democratic opponents. But equally important were state and local races that influence voter access and can in the future shape the outcome of presidential elections in swing states such as Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Arizona.
Such candidates often embraced a dark and conspiratorial view of the electoral process they would be tasked with helping to oversee the proceedings. Jim Marchant, a Republican candidate for secretary of state in Nevada, claimed on a podcast that the state had not witnessed a real election since 2006 and that representatives had been “installed by a deep-state cabal”.
The gubernatorial race in Arizona was one of the highest-profile contests, with outspoken Republican Kari Lake, a strong candidate, narrowly losing to Democrat Katie Hobbs. It took nearly a week for the counting process to end. Lake had made the false assertions that the election held in 2020 was a stolen cornerstone of her campaign.
Lake did not concede when the results were announced, instead tweeting, that Arizona knows BS when they look at it.
Such candidates carry an unusual dilemma for US Elections. What would happen if election officials used their positions to not pay heed to public faith in the legitimacy of elections?
Joanna Lydgate, CEO of States United Action, said that one thing is clear as daylight American voters stepped up to defend democracy in this election. In most places, voters decisively reject election deniers who want power over their voters.
