Greetings, OnPolitics readers!
It’s Amy here with a special USA TODAY Network project to share.
Across the country, more than 300 candidates who have either questioned or renounced the 2020 outcome without providing evidence will be on the ballot in 2022.
They are vying for Congress, governor, attorney general and secretary of state, and a significant number are running in vital battleground states that propelled Joe Biden into the White House.
USA TODAY Network examined seven of those swing states Biden won in 2020 — Arizona, Georgia, Wisconsin, Michigan, pennsylvania, new Mexico and Snowfall — representing a total of 84 electoral votes.
“We hear stories about all this is what’s happening nationally, but we have to remember that we don’t have a national election. We have 50 different elections,” said USA TODAY reporter Philip M. Baileywho wrote the overarching story.
One challenge was defining what an “election denier” is, project editor and Atlantic Region Politics and Government Editor Dustin Racioppi writes:
The term election denier is a loaded one, but the definition isn’t always clear. That’s why it’s important to define it.
In these seven states, a candidate is included as an election denier if they:
- Were one of the 147 members of Congress who voted against certifying the election results or said they would have if they were in office.
- Have publicly said the 2020 election was “rigged,” “stolen,” marred by voter fraud or otherwise illegitimate — and have not recanted their false claim.
- Or still publicly question the results of the 2020 election, nearly two years after it has been certified.
Sources included in the main story for this project may have different ways to define an election denier.
But the many experts interviewed by USA TODAY agree that denying the legitimacy of the 2020 election poses a threat to American democracy. That’s why it’s important for the public to know precisely what candidates have said and done as they seek their votes in November, in an election those candidates may not accept.
📲 Dig deeper:Hundreds of elections deniers running for office nationwide in 2022 pose ‘major threat’ to US democracy
Real quick: stories you’ll want to read
- When parody law becomes parody: The Onion, a well-known satirical publication, filed a 23-page legal brief at the Supreme Court on Monday that captured the attention of court watchers even on the busy first day of the high court’s new term.
- Oath Keepers trial: Tuesday in court revealed preparation for Jan. 6 by five Oath Keepersbeginning shortly after the 2020 election was called in Biden’s favor.
- Latino voters share thoughts on border: Less than half of registered Latino voters believe that the US-Mexico border is totally secure, an NBC News/Telemundo poll found. Read more about the poll’s findings from USA TODAY’s Merdie Nzanga.
- Trump files lawsuit against CNN: Former President Donald Trump has filed a $475 million lawsuit against news organization CNN. Trump claims that CNN defamed him and cost him the 2020 election.
- Trump appeals to Supreme Court: New this afternoon, ex-president Donald Trump filed an emergency appeal at the high court, asking the justices to review a court order in connection with the classified documents seized at Mar-A-Lago.
✈️Next stop: Florida. President Joe Biden is headed to Florida tomorrow to address communities that have been impacted by Hurricane Ian. For a full look at how the hurricane has damaged the state,click here.
www.usatoday.com
George is Digismak’s reported cum editor with 13 years of experience in Journalism