From Arizona to Wisconsin, election deniers are vying for office nationwide

In most swing states, at least one major Republican candidate has questioned or outright denied the results of the 2020 US presidential election, which Donald Trump lost to Joe Biden.

While voters in swing states have previously largely rejected candidates who denied election results, Republicans running for statewide offices across much of the country are trying again.

In Arizona, gubernatorial candidate and US representative Andy Biggs voted against certifying his own state’s election results. In Wisconsin, Republican gubernatorial hopeful Tom Tiffany similarly voted against certifying the 2020 results as a US representative for his state.

Candidates for governor in Pennsylvania and Michigan have cast doubt on the validity of the 2020 results. And some swing state Republican candidates for secretary of state have questioned or denied election results.

Governors sign off on state election results, issuing certificates to the presidential electors of whichever candidate wins. They can call for investigations or special sessions, and use their bully pulpit to cast doubt on election results. Secretaries of state are meanwhile the chief election officials in most US states, overseeing voting systems and advising the local jurisdictions that run elections. They usually play a role in certifying election results, too.

In 2020, Trump pressured governors and secretaries of state, alongside a host of state and local officials in several swing states, to withhold their signatures in a broad campaign to overturn his loss. Swing state governors and secretaries of state refused to stall or impede their states’ results.

But if election deniers or skeptics are elected to these key statewide roles, they would be in office in 2028, raising apprehension that they may refuse to sign off on results, or succumb to pressure from Trump and his allies, should Republicans lose.

None of the candidates mentioned below responded to inquiries from the Guardian about who they currently believe won the 2020 election, or whether they would certify the 2028 results.

Arizona

Governor candidate: Andy BiggsBiggs, a former state lawmaker elected to the US Congress in 2016, still has not straightforwardly acknowledged Biden’s 2020 victory. That year, he pressured Arizona Republicans, including the speaker of the statehouse, not to certify the valid election results. He has repeatedly claimed, without evidence, that there is widespread voter fraud and cast doubt on voting machines.View image in fullscreenAndy Biggs in Tucson, Arizona, on 7 August. Photograph: Bloomberg/Getty ImagesOn 6 January 2021, Biggs voted against accepting the electoral votes in his home state of Arizona, and in Pennsylvania. In prepared remarks, he called for an audit of the results in Arizona. The eventual audit by the Arizona senate affirmed Biden’s win. The Arizona senate president who launched the audit, Warren Petersen, is the Republican nominee for attorney general this year.“The debate as to the legitimacy of the 2020 presidential election has been suppressed by the left and its propogandists [sic] in the media….until today,” Biggs said in his prepared remarks. He reportedly sought a presidential pardon for his role in seeking to overturn the election results.He faces incumbent Democratic governor Katie Hobbs in November.

Governor candidate: Andy Biggs

Biggs, a former state lawmaker elected to the US Congress in 2016, still has not straightforwardly acknowledged Biden’s 2020 victory. That year, he pressured Arizona Republicans, including the speaker of the statehouse, not to certify the valid election results. He has repeatedly claimed, without evidence, that there is widespread voter fraud and cast doubt on voting machines.

On 6 January 2021, Biggs voted against accepting the electoral votes in his home state of Arizona, and in Pennsylvania. In prepared remarks, he called for an audit of the results in Arizona. The eventual audit by the Arizona senate affirmed Biden’s win. The Arizona senate president who launched the audit, Warren Petersen, is the Republican nominee for attorney general this year.

“The debate as to the legitimacy of the 2020 presidential election has been suppressed by the left and its propogandists [sic] in the media….until today,” Biggs said in his prepared remarks. He reportedly sought a presidential pardon for his role in seeking to overturn the election results.

He faces incumbent Democratic governor Katie Hobbs in November.

Secretary of state candidate: Alex KolodinKolodin, a state representative and attorney, served as legal counsel on lawsuits seeking to overturn the 2020 results in Arizona. He has also represented some of the fake electors in the state, who were charged for their roles by attorney general Kris Mayes, though the case was dismissed earlier this year.View image in fullscreenAlex Kolodin on a program hosted by Arizona PBS on 14 May in Phoenix. Photograph: Rob Schumacher/The Republic/USA Today Network/Reuters ConnectKolodin was disciplined by the state bar of Arizona, including a period of probation and required ethics courses. Kolodin dismissed the complaints as made by “radical left-wing activists”.Kolodin faces Democratic incumbent Adrian Fontes in November.

Secretary of state candidate: Alex Kolodin

Kolodin, a state representative and attorney, served as legal counsel on lawsuits seeking to overturn the 2020 results in Arizona. He has also represented some of the fake electors in the state, who were charged for their roles by attorney general Kris Mayes, though the case was dismissed earlier this year.

Kolodin was disciplined by the state bar of Arizona, including a period of probation and required ethics courses. Kolodin dismissed the complaints as made by “radical left-wing activists”.

Kolodin faces Democratic incumbent Adrian Fontes in November.

Georgia

Governor candidate: Rick JacksonJackson, a rich healthcare executive, attacked Georgia’s current Republican secretary of state,