Some Republican candidates who lost their primary bids are leaning on a strategy that relies on insisting the 2020 election was rigged against former President Donald Trump, claiming similar widespread voter fraud is also responsible for their losses.
Two GOP candidates in Colorado who lost their primary elections late last month have requested recounts, alleging widespread irregularities without presenting evidence. Among these is Mesa County Clerk Tina Peters, who lost her bid to become Colorado’s secretary of state, which was not entirely unexpected after the elections official was indicted on seven felony charges of tampering with voting machine equipment.
JUDGE ORDERS ARREST OF COLORADO COUNTY CLERK TINA PETERS
However, Peters says she believes her loss is due to “extensive malfeasance” caused by fraud.
“I have reasons to believe extensive malfeasance occurred in the June 2022 primary,” Peters wrote in her request. “And that the apparent outcome of this election does not reflect the will of Colorado voters not only for myself but also for many other America First statewide and local primary candidates,” she said, referring to the coalition of conservative candidates who promote claims the 2020 election was stolen.
Allegations of rigged primaries ahead of the midterm elections in Colorado and elsewhere reveal a new political strategy among some Republicans: denying Trump lost in 2020 and insisting the fraud that was present during that election is responsible for their defeat.
“There’s a clear reason they’re doing it, and it’s a much broader, coordinated attack on the freedom to vote across the country,” Joanna Lydgate, the CEO of States United Action, a group that promotes election integrity, told the Associated Press.
Some candidates have begun using the tactic even before their primary is held. Kari Lake, who is vying to clinch the GOP nomination in Arizona’s gubernatorial election, warned supporters earlier this week that her top challenger “might be trying to set the stage for another steal” in next month’s primary. Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey criticized her comments, calling them “irresponsible.”
“The 2022 elections haven’t even been held yet, and already we’re seeing speculation doubting the results — especially if certain candidates lose,” Ducey said in a tweet. “It’s one of the most irresponsible things I can imagine.”
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The strategy emulates a model set by Trump as early as 2016 when he claimed then-Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton won the popular vote because of widespread voter fraud. When he was elected, Trump formed a commission to investigate the election that was later disbanded after it found no evidence of widespread fraud.
After his loss in 2020 to President Joe Biden, Trump continued to point to claims of fraud and rigged voting machines despite being told by aides that election reviews in several states found no evidence. As a result, Trump and several of his supporters lost 63 of 64 lawsuits challenging the election results, according to the Associated Press.
