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Kari Lake is considered a prominent election denier - and hopes for the governor's seat in Arizona
PHOTO: BRIAN SNYDER / REUTERS
They are still spreading the frequently refuted false claim by ex-President Donald Trump that he was deprived of a second term two years ago through massive election fraud: an influential group called “election deniers” has formed among the Republicans.
According to an analysis by the Washington Post, many of them have now won seats in the US midterm elections.
Overall, the newspaper counts 291 Republican candidates who believe the 2020 election fraud hoax.
As of Wednesday morning, at least 148 of them have won seats in the House of Representatives or the Senate – or a governorship.
Among other things, the "denier" Ron DeSantis achieved a clear victory in Florida.
The newly elected governor is considered a possible Republican presidential candidate – and Donald Trump’s inner-party opponent.
The new power of the election deniers
The fear isn't just that many Republicans might refuse to concede a possible defeat after the midterms.
The main question is what the election deniers could do with their power if they win elections in the future.
Especially since a particularly large number of them compete in states such as Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, which are considered key states in presidential elections.
Because elections for the White House are organized decentrally by the states and the results are certified there in a first step.
Should Republican officials refuse to confirm a possible victory for the Democratic candidate in 2024 - as Trump ultimately demanded in vain in 2020 - this could plunge US democracy into a new crisis.
However, putting up particularly radical candidates does not always help the Republicans.
In swing states like Arizona, Michigan and Nevada in particular, some of the electoral deniers fare poorly compared to their Democratic competitors.
Republican gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake in Arizona is behind in the count.
Lake is a former TV news anchor and ardent Trump supporter.
The telegenic 53-year-old is a rising Republican star and regularly raises doubts about the legitimacy of the 2020 election - she had said she would not promise that she would accept losing in the current gubernatorial race.
mrc/AFP