Daily Beast Exposes Republican Gubernatorial Candidates for Boosting Trump’s Election Lie
A new report from the Daily Beast exposes Republican gubernatorial candidates in Pennsylvania, Michigan, Nevada, and New Jersey for spreading Donald Trump’s election lies. The article says the GOP’s shift to the far-right “has aspiring Republican governors in blue states walking a narrow path, casting doubt on President Joe Biden’s victory, even if they won’t outright allege fraud.”
In June, Pennsylvania’s Bill McSwain wrote a letter to Trump baselessly alleging voter fraud, for which Former Trump Attorney General Bill Barr accused McSwain of lying to win a Trump endorsement. On the campaign trail, McSwain has repeatedly dodged questions about the validity of the election. The Daily Beast reports, “Non-answers like McSwain’s are becoming boilerplate for some Republican candidates.”
Nevada gubernatorial candidates are also diving down the rabbit hole of Trump’s ‘Big Lie.’ Sheriff Joe Lombardo has dodged questions on the fairness of the 2020 election and said, “I personally believe there was probably fraud on both sides.” Lombardo’s far-right stance is already defining the primary. Former U.S. Senator Dean Heller, just days after getting into the race, appeared to try to one-up Lombardo by refusing to acknowledge Biden’s win or even say the president’s name out loud.
In Michigan, Detroit Dodger James Craig has also repeatedly avoided answering questions about the election.
Republican gubernatorial candidates have even gone so far as to lie about their anti-democratic stances. New Jersey Republican nominee Jack Ciattarelli spoke at a “Stop the Steal” rally in November but has since denied knowing the event promoted voter fraud conspiracy theories despite speaking in front of a “Stop the Steal” sign.
DGA Deputy Communications Director Sam Newton said: “Election conspiracy theories have become the norm in the Republican Party, and these desperate candidates are walking a thin line by lying to appease Trump’s base. By casting doubt on the validity of our democracy, McSwain, Lombardo, Heller, Craig, Ciattarelli, and the rest of the lying GOP are proving their positions are too dangerous for our democracy.”
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