More than seven months after the 2020 presidential election, a majority of Republicans polled still refuse to accept the outcome as legitimate. According to a new Ipsos/Reuters poll, approximately 56% of GOP respondents believe the November results were due to “illegal voting or election rigging.” In addition, 61% of Republicans either “strongly agree” or “somewhat agree” that the election was actually stolen from the 45th president. These figures reflect the unserious and distracted nature of too many on the Right.
In recent weeks, it has been made clear that deep loyalty to former President Donald Trump still exists within the ranks of the GOP. Rep. Liz Cheney’s removal from House GOP leadership and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy’s refusal to support a bipartisan Jan. 6 commission are just two examples.
Having affinity for Trump is one thing. This should actually be expected of his longtime supporters. After eight years of former President Barack Obama, Republicans were anxious for their own large-scale victory. In so many ways, Trump the president delivered what Trump the candidate promised. Not only did the pre-COVID-19 economy excel during his presidency, but a record number of judges were confirmed and three appointments were made to the Supreme Court. Preferring his policies to that of President Joe Biden’s is a no-brainer for Republicans.
However, viewing Biden’s victory as an actual theft is an opinion based entirely on feelings, not facts.
It was reported in mid-February that “more than 50” lawsuits targeting the election outcome had been dismissed by a variety of judges. Importantly, some of these judges were actually Trump appointees. Despite these rejections, claims of a stolen election and widespread fraud still persist. The former president himself shared as much on his personal website Tuesday, repeating his claim that the election was stolen.
In Arizona’s Maricopa County, where an audit of votes is ongoing, some Republicans grow frustrated at claims that their handling of the election was in any way fraudulent. Earlier this month, Arizona Senate President Karen Fann sent a lengthy letter claiming an entire election database was deleted and ballots were missing. In return, county officials sent their own letter outlining technical and procedural details and called Fann’s assertions “false, defamatory, and beneath the dignity of the Senate.” These debates continue even after no widespread fraud was found in multiple states earlier this year.
Unfortunately, there will always be voters on either side of the political aisle who think fraud is the only possibility if their preferred candidate loses. But the percentages seen in polling show it is far more than a handful of Republicans who believe this about the November election. This is damaging on multiple levels.
Regardless of outcome, the GOP should only make election claims based on actual data. Spreading false stories or claims when it suits personal Republican bias is just as bad as when opponents in the Democratic Party do it. There is no place for it among sober, yet passionate, members of either major party. Worst of all, continuing in nonsense such as this only serves to discourage independents and Trump-critical Republicans from supporting the GOP in the 2022 midterm elections and beyond.
Taking back Congress and the White House requires honesty. The starting point for that honesty must be acknowledging that the election was not “stolen” from the former president. This doesn’t mean that any Republican has to like the end result, but it does mean that he or she needs to accept it. There is zero evidence of widespread election fraud or election rigging. Discrepancies can and do exist in every cycle but not to the level that is being claimed of the 2020 election.
The Republican Party as a whole must finally move past the fantasies about the presidential election. The goal now should be combating the Biden administration and a Congress controlled by Democrats. But this can’t be achieved if the majority of those in the GOP remain unwilling and unable to look beyond Nov. 3, 2020.
Kimberly Ross (@SouthernKeeks) is a contributor to the Washington Examiner’s Beltway Confidential blog and a columnist at Arc Digital.
