London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Tuesday, Feb 17, 2026

The most prominent election-deniers lost their races. But at least 174 have won so far.

The most prominent election-deniers lost their races. But at least 174 have won so far.

More than 370 Republican candidates on the ballot denied or questioned the 2020 election results, according to a New York Times analysis.

Hundreds of Republican candidates on the 2022 midterm ballot have denied or have refused to accept the results of the 2020 presidential election.

More than 370 Republican candidates for the US Senate, House, and statewide office have denied or questioned the 2020 results, according to a New York Times analysis published in mid-October.

Of the election deniers up for election, at least 174 have won their elections as of Wednesday at 4:00 p.m. ET, according to Insider's elections partner Decision Desk HQ.

But many election deniers — 106 as of Wednesday — have lost their races. Notably, two election-denying GOP candidates for governor — Tudor Dixon in Michigan and Doug Mastriano in Pennsylvania — lost by wide margins.


Election deniers who have won their races


High-profile Republican election deniers who've won their 2022 midterm races include Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky. Paul previously said the 2020 election was stolen in "many ways."

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, a staunch ally of Donald Trump and an avid 2020 election denier, was re-elected for her House seat in Georgia. Greene fueled election fraud rumors on Twitter while voters were still casting their 2022 midterm votes.


Matt Gaetz, who won his re-election bid for the House in Florida, has also boosted claims that there was fraud in the 2020 election. Gaetz, in tandem with Greene, has been one of the loudest voices in spreading election fraud claims.

Gov. Ron DeSantis will serve another term in Florida. Although he only picked up a last-minute endorsement from Trump, the former president said he cast his ballot in DeSantis' favor.

GOP Rep. Dan Crenshaw of Texas succeeded in his bid for re-election to the House. Despite publicly jumping on the 2020 election fraud bandwagon by not objecting to the electoral college vote recount, Crenshaw has since admitted that the election denial claims were "always a lie." The former Navy SEAL turned House member went on to say he has had arguments with other GOP members about how it was "just a lie to rile people up."

Election deniers ran in every region of the country and in nearly every state nationwide, according to a Washington Post analysis.


Election deniers who could impact 2024 battleground states if elected


Of the election deniers on the ballot, 171 were favored to win and 46 were in races considered competitive. The rest were considered unlikely to win.

Many of the candidates are running for statewide offices that could exercise sway over the 2024 election.

Candidates like Sarah Palin, who is running for a House seat in Alaska, could play a major role in objecting to the electoral vote count following the 2024 presidential election.


Some deniers suffered defeat


Tudor Dixon, the GOP nominee for governor in Michigan has fueled election fraud conspiracy theories and refused to commit to accepting the 2022 election results. Decision Desk HQ called the race for Dixon's opponent, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, the night of the election. Dixon announced that she'd conceded the race the next morning.

Mark Finchem, a member of the Oath Keepers who ran for Arizona Secretary of State, has called for ballots to be hand counted and wants to give Republican authority figures the power to reject election results. Finchem lost to Democrat Adrian Fontes.

Kari Lake, the Trump-endorsed GOP nominee for governor in Arizona, made 2020 election lies central to her campaign. Lake has said she would not have certified the 2020 presidential election results and has called for her opponent, Democratic Secretary of State, Katie Hobbs, to be arrested for doing so. Lake boosted claims that there was fraud in her own election calling the state's voting procedures "embarrassing."

"We need to get in there and restore faith in our elections," Lake said."We can't be the laughingstock of elections anymore here in Arizona and when I'm governor I will not allow it. I just won't."

Decision Desk HQ called the Arizona race for Hobbs on November 14.

Blake Masters, the GOP candidate for the Senate in Arizona who has embraced 2020 election fraud claims, lost his election bid to the incumbent Democrat, Sen. Mark Kelly.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
UK Markets Signal Opportunity as Starmer Confronts Intensifying Political Pressure
Trump Criticises Newsom’s UK Climate Pact, Defends Federal Authority Over Foreign Engagements
UK’s Top Prosecutor Says ‘No One Is Above the Law’ as Police Review Claims Against Ex-Prince Andrew
Businessman Adam Brooks weighs in on the reports that the US is set to help Hamit Coskun flee the UK, over free speech concerns
U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi Releases 3.5 Million Pages of Jeffrey Epstein Case Files
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio Comment on European allies report blaming Russia for killing late Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny using toxin from poison dart frogs
Eighty-Year-Old Lottery Winner Sentenced to 16.5 Years for Drug Trafficking
UK Quran Burner May Receive Asylum in the US Amid Legal Challenges
Rubio Calls for Sweeping U.N. Reform, Saying It Has Failed to End Wars in Gaza and Ukraine
10,000 Condoms Distributed at Winter Olympics 2026 Athlete Village Depleted Within 72 Hours
Poland's President Advocates for Evaluating Independent Nuclear Weapons Development
Prince William Meets Saudi Crown Prince as Epstein-Andrew Fallout Casts Shadow
Starmer Calls for Renewed ‘Hard Power’ Investment at European Security Summit
UK Police Establish National Taskforce to Handle Domestic Epstein-Linked Allegations
UK Court Rules Ban on Palestine Action Unlawful in Major Free Speech Test
UK Faces Prospect of Net Migration Turning Negative as Economic Impact Looms
Mayor of Serdobsk in Russia’s Penza Region Resigns After Housing Certificates Granted to Migrant Family Trigger Public Outcry
Pentagon Reviews Anthropic Partnership After Claude AI Reportedly Used in Operation Targeting Nicolás Maduro
President Donald Trump and Hip-Hop’s Political Realignment: Pardons, Public Endorsements, and the Struggle Over Cultural Influence
China’s EV Makers Face Mandatory Return to Physical Buttons and Door Handles in Driver-Distraction Safety Overhaul
Goldman Sachs and DP World Executive Resignations: Elite-Reputation Risk and Corporate Governance Fallout From the Epstein Disclosures
‘Amelia’: The UK Government’s Anti-Extremism Game Villain Who Became a Protest Symbol
Peter Mandelson Asked to Testify Before US Congress Over Jeffrey Epstein Links
Walmart's Earnings and UK Economic Data Highlight Upcoming Financial Trends
UK Green Party Considering Proposal to Legalize Heroin for an Inclusive Society
SpaceX's New Vision: Lunar City Takes Precedence Over Mars Colonization
OpenAI and DeepCent Superintelligence Race: Artificial General Intelligence and AI Agents as a National Security Arms Race
Document Suggests Prince Andrew Shared UK Briefing on Afghan Investment Opportunities with Jeffrey Epstein
We will protect them from the digital Wild West.’ Another country will ban social media for under-16s
McDonald's Shortens Breakfast Hours in Australia Due to Egg Shortage
Heineken announces cut of 6,000 jobs due to declining beer demand
Beijing Brands UK Hong Kong Visa Expansion ‘Despicable and Reprehensible’ After Jimmy Lai Sentencing
Tesco Chief Warns UK Is ‘Sleepwalking’ Toward a Joblessness Crisis
Trump’s ‘Act of Great Stupidity’ Comment on UK Chagos Deal Reverberates Through Diplomacy and Strategy
New U.S. filings say Jeffrey Epstein repaid Les Wexner one hundred million dollars after theft allegation
Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick acknowledges 2012 visit to Jeffrey Epstein’s private island as lawmakers scrutinise past ties
Helsing and Stark Defence loitering-munition drones and Germany’s race to industrialise battlefield autonomy
UK orders deletion of Courtsdesk court-data archive, reigniting the fight over who controls public justice records
UK Police Review Fresh Claims Involving Prince Andrew as Senior Royals Respond to Epstein Files
Keir Starmer’s Premiership Faces Unprecedented Strain as Epstein Fallout Deepens
Starmer Vows to Stay in Office as UK Government Faces Turmoil After Epstein Fallout
China and UK Signal Tentative Reset with Commitment to Steadier, Professionally Managed Relations
UK Confirms Imminent Increase in ETA Fee to £20 as Entry Rules Tighten
UK Signals Possible Seizure of Russia-Linked ‘Shadow Fleet’ Tanker in Escalation of Sanctions Enforcement
Epstein Scandal Piles Unprecedented Pressure on UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s Leadership
UK’s ‘Most Romantic Village’ Celebrates Valentine’s Day and Explores the Festival’s Rich History
The Implications of Expanding Voting Rights to Non-EU Foreign Residents in France
Ghislaine Maxwell to Testify Before US Congress on February 9
Al.com Acquired by Crypto.com Founder for $70 Million
Apple iPhone Lockdown Mode blocks FBI data access in journalist device seizure
×