The Washington Post has run a story about Republican election deniers running for office this fall. As they note, there are 299 Republican election deniers on the ballot across the nation this fall. According to WaPo, the numbers break down like this:
- 173 where they are expected to win
- 52 in close races
- 74 where they are not expected to win
So, if the close races break evenly, that’s 199 Republicans serving in public office who say the election was stolen, or who deny the validity of the election.
How did WaPo decide who qualifies at an election denier? Here’s the explanation from their web site:
The Post has identified candidates as election deniers if they directly questioned Biden’s victory, opposed the counting of Biden’s electoral college votes, expressed support for a partisan post-election ballot review, signed onto a lawsuit seeking to overturn the 2020 result or attended or expressed support for the rally on the day of the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.
So, how big a deal is this? Is it a significant problem for the Republican party, and the country? Well, consider this: It’s more than half of all Republicans running for federal and state offices.
So of course, I checked to see who from Kentucky made the list. I was pretty sure I knew. And there they were:
- Hal Rogers, who voted against certifying the election, saying there was fraud;
- And Rand Paul, who has continuously said the election was stolen.
They will probably both win, because the only thing that matters to some voters is whether there’s an R after the candidate’s name.
It’s a shame that voters — mostly Republican voters — will vote for a candidate that pushes claims that are demonstrably false. It’s one thing to disagree about a policy; it’s another thing to disagree about reality.
But that’s where the Republican party is these days. The facts don’t matter, reality doesn’t matter; all that matters is doing whatever it takes to win. And if that includes pushing conspiracy theories, then so be it.
Let us not make fun or point fingers at other states for electing election deniers. We are about to send both of ours back to D.C.
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