ICYMI: Republicans Running for Governor Won’t Say Where They Stand on Key Issues

New reporting from Axios is amplifying how Republican candidates for governor are hiding their extreme views from voters and refusing to say where they stand on key issues, like whether they believe the 2020 election was legitimate.

While the Big Lie conspiracy that the 2020 election was stolen has been thoroughly debunked and poses an undeniable threat to democracy, GOP candidates are staying silent to avoid scaring off far-right Republicans loyal to Donald Trump.

Here’s how Republicans are refusing to condemn conspiracy theories and ducking and hiding from key questions:

• In Colorado, Heidi Ganahl refused to say whether President Biden was legitimately elected, calling the issue “divisive.” She also stopped short of characterizing the January 6th insurrection as such, saying only that it was a “bad day for the country.”

• In Nevada, GOP candidate for gov Dean Heller also wouldn’t acknowledge Biden’s win or even say the president’s name out loud in an interview. The rest of the Nevada primary have followed a similar pattern of hiding from voters on questions; Sheriff Joe Lombardo has dodged questions on the fairness of the 2020 election.

• In Michigan, Detroit Dodger James Craig has also repeatedly avoided answering questions about the election.

• In Pennsylvania, Former Trump Attorney General Bill Barr has repeatedly dodged questions about the validity of the election.

“Republicans running for governor are too scared of unleashing the wrath of Donald Trump and his far-right base to condemn the Jan. 6th insurrection and the Big Lie for the legitimate danger to democracy they pose,” said DGA Communications Director David Turner. “Staying silent and dodging questions on far-right issues may keep Donald Trump temporarily at bay, but voters want answers — and they won’t stand for these GOP gubernatorial candidates who are too cowardly to call out extremism.”