Voters – Let’s Deny the Deniers, Part 3
Election Deniers Are On the November Ballot. It’s Time to Name Names
Our previous posts listed the names of Secretary of State and Attorney General candidates who publicly deny the legitimacy of the outcome of the 2020 Presidential election. Many of these candidates refuse to say publicly whether they will accept the outcome of future elections. They all are part of an alarming number of candidates running for public offices — offices that have control over state election systems.
In this final “naming names” post, we list the names of candidates for Governor who fall into the category of election deniers.
First, let’s briefly review the role a Governor plays in administering elections. According to States United Democracy Center, the Governor:
Can sign or veto legislation and state budgets that shape state election procedures and financial resources for administering elections.
Can issue executive orders to improve intergovernmental coordination on election issues or address emergency situations impacting elections.
Can be part of a litigation impacting a state’s election and voting laws or redistricting process.
Can directly appoint the Secretary of State — in conjunction with the state legislature — in 12 states.
Of the 36 Governor's races across the United States in 2022, 18 races include candidates who are considered election deniers. Here is the list (alphabetical by state):
Alabama — Kay Ivey
Alaska* — Mike Dunleavy
Alaska* — Charlie Pierce
Arizona — Kari Lake
Colorado — Danielle Neuschwanger
Florida — Ron DeSantis
Iowa — Kim Reynolds
Kansas — Derek Schmidt
Maine — Paul LePage
Maryland — Dan Cox
Massachusetts — Geoff Diehl
Michigan — Tudor Dixon
New York — Lee Zeldin
Oregon — Donice Smith
Pennsylvania — Doug Mastriano
Tennessee — Bill Lee
Texas — Greg Abbott
Vermont — Kevin Hoyt
Wisconsin — Tim Michels
Click here for the methodology and the evidence.
*Alaska now uses ranked-choice voting; the top four (4) candidates in the primary election have advanced to the general election. Two (2) of these candidates are Republicans; both publicly deny the legitimacy of the 2020 Presidential election.
Election watchers are nervously watching the Governor’s race in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, “the 2022 election that poses the most risk to the nation,” as George F. Will puts it. Pennsylvania has been one of the handful of important “swing” states in past Presidential elections, and could very well determine the outcome of the 2024 Presidential election. In Pennsylvania the Governor appoints the Secretary of State, the chief elections officer. Candidate Doug Mastriano has publicly said that his Secretary of State appointment will be someone “who’s delegated from me the power to make the corrections to elections, the voting logs and everything. And I can decertify every [voting] machine in the state.”
Thus begins the inexorable slide toward autocracy with politicians who proclaim that they alone can make “corrections” to elections. We still have the ability to halt this erosion of our democracy by denying the deniers — do not vote for politicians who publicly claim that the 2020 election was a fraud or who refuse to say that they will accept the outcomes of future elections.
In Pennsylvania and elsewhere, vote like your democracy depends on it. Because it truly does.