2020 Election Deniers

49% of Southerners and 22% of non-Southerners have a “2020 election denier” representing them in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Percent of U.S. House of Representatives seats held by a “2020 election denier”

2023

Source: FiveThirtyEight, House.gov. Notes: “2020 election denier” is defined as someone who has fully denied the results of the 2020 election, having clearly stated (in media interviews, public debates, campaign materials, social media and/or through direct outreach from FiveThirtyEight) that the 2020 election was stolen from Donald Trump or taken legal action to overturn the results.

Despite there being no evidence of widespread fraud in the 2020 election and expert consensus that it was secure, more than 300 candidates across the country who ran for election last November denied the results of the 2020 election, all Republicans.^1,2,3 Polling shows that concern over the “future of democracy” was among the top reasons voters turned out to cast their ballots and election deniers lost in a number of key battleground races — particularly for offices with a responsibility to administer or oversee elections.^4,5 However, at least 125 election deniers were elected or re-elected to the House of Representatives. In the current Congress, 48% of Southerners are represented by a 2020 election denier, as are 22% of non-Southerners.

These claims by candidates at the national, state, and local levels are a continuation of the surge of misinformation and disinformation since 2020 — especially on the topics of election integrity and the Covid pandemic. This misinformation can have a significant impact on public confidence in the political system. A 2022 survey found that 64% of Americans believe that U.S. democracy is in crisis and is at risk of failing.⁶

1. “No evidence for systematic voter fraud: A guide to statistical claims about the 2020 elections”. Eggers, Garro, and Grimmer. PNAS. November, 2021. https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2103619118

2. “JOINT STATEMENT FROM ELECTIONS INFRASTRUCTURE GOVERNMENT COORDINATING COUNCIL & THE ELECTION INFRASTRUCTURE SECTOR COORDINATING EXECUTIVE COMMITTEES”. CISA. November, 2020. https://www.cisa.gov/news/2020/11/12/joint-statement-elections-infrastructure-government-coordinating-council-election

3. “Democracy on the ballot–How many election deniers are on the ballot in November and what is their likelihood of success?” Kamarck, Eisen. Brookings. October, 2022. https://www.brookings.edu/blog/fixgov/2022/10/07/democracy-on-the-ballot-how-many-election-deniers-are-on-the-ballot-in-november-and-what-is-their-likelihood-of-success/?utm_campaign=Brookings%20Brief&utm_medium=email&utm_content=228994851&utm_source=hs_email

4. “VoteCast: Inflation top concern, but democracy a worry too”. Boak, Fingerhut. AP News. November, 2022. https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-abortion-biden-inflation-cf4dffe87a7c2fd1bdd58df0346e15dc

5. “Election Deniers Lost Key Races for federal and State Offices in the 2022 Midterm Elections”. Bedekovics, Maciolek. Center for American Progress. November, 2022. https://www.americanprogress.org/article/election-deniers-lost-key-races-for-federal-and-state-offices-in-the-2022-midterm-elections/

6. “Seven in ten Americans say the country is in crisis, at risk of failing”. Newall, Jackson, and Diamond. Ipsos. January, 2022. https://www.ipsos.com/en-us/seven-ten-americans-say-country-crisis-risk-failing