Five election deniers lose governor races in key US swing states after strong Democratic midterms

Battleground losses for Republicans

Five Republican election deniers came up short in gubernatorial races in top battleground states after what the report describes as a Democratic blowout in the midterms. Billionaire Rick Jackson also lost in Georgia, a state central to Donald Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 results.

The report names Biggs, Tiffany, James and Garrity among the candidates. It does not provide their first names or identify the states in which they ran.

Candidates’ records on 2020

James was not in Congress during the certification of the 2020 results. He acknowledged Biden’s victory in 2022, then said in June that the election was “rigged and manipulated”. Garrity campaigned with Trump to reverse his defeat; Tiffany, Garrity and Jackson later acknowledged Biden had won, while Biggs and James had not.

Governors and the 2028 race

Governors can have major influence over voting access and election administration, and they can be involved in efforts to redraw congressional maps. Those powers could carry implications for the 2028 presidential contest.

Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin have shifted between presidential nominees of both parties in recent elections. Trump has spent the past year and a half urging state leaders to redraw congressional maps to help Republicans, but the report says it is unclear whether that effort will retain momentum after the midterms.