US — In most swing states, at least one major Republican candidate has questioned or denied the results of the 2020 US presidential election. Andy Biggs is a Republican candidate for governor of Arizona and a US representative who voted against certifying Arizona's 2020 election results. John James is a Republican candidate for governor of Michigan who has claimed Donald Trump won Michigan three times in the 2020 election. Tom Tiffany is a Republican candidate for governor of Wisconsin.

Candidates for governor in Pennsylvania have cast doubt on the validity of the 2020 election results. Some Republican candidates for secretary of state in swing states have questioned or denied 2020 election results.

Governors sign off on state election results and issue certificates to presidential electors. Secretaries of state are the chief election officials in most US states. Secretaries of state oversee voting systems and advise local jurisdictions that run elections. Secretaries of state usually play a role in certifying election results.

In 2020, Donald Trump pressured governors and secretaries of state in several swing states to withhold their signatures on election results. Swing state governors and secretaries of state refused to stall or impede their states’ 2020 election results.

Andy Biggs has not straightforwardly acknowledged Joe Biden’s 2020 victory. In 2020, Biggs pressured Arizona Republicans, including the speaker of the statehouse, not to certify the election results. Biggs has claimed without evidence that there is widespread voter fraud. Biggs has cast doubt on voting machines.

On 6 January 2021, Biggs voted against accepting the electoral votes from Arizona and Pennsylvania. In prepared remarks on 6 January 2021, Biggs called for an audit of the election results in Arizona. Biggs said the debate as to the legitimacy of the 2020 presidential election had been suppressed by the left and its propagandists in the media until that day.

The Arizona senate conducted an audit of the 2020 election results. The Arizona senate audit affirmed Joe Biden’s win in the 2020 election. Warren Petersen is the Arizona senate president who launched the 2020 election audit. Petersen is the Republican nominee for attorney general of Arizona.

Biggs reportedly sought a presidential pardon for his role in seeking to overturn the 2020 election results. Biggs faces incumbent Democratic governor Katie Hobbs in the November general election.

Alex Kolodin is a Republican candidate for secretary of state of Arizona. Kolodin is a state representative and attorney in Arizona. Kolodin served as legal counsel on lawsuits seeking to overturn the 2020 election results in Arizona. Kolodin represented some of the fake electors in Arizona.

Arizona fake electors were charged by attorney general Kris Mayes. The case against Arizona fake electors was dismissed earlier this year. Kolodin was disciplined by the State Bar of Arizona.

Kolodin's discipline included a period of probation and required ethics courses. Kolodin faces Democratic incumbent Adrian Fontes in the November general election.

Rick Jackson is a Republican candidate for governor of Georgia. Jackson is a healthcare executive. Jackson attacked Georgia’s current Republican secretary of state, Brad Raffensperger, in his campaign ads.

Brad Raffensperger refused to give in to pressure from Donald Trump to question and overturn Georgia’s 2020 election results. Raffensperger lost in the Georgia gubernatorial primary. Jackson and Burt Jones made it to a runoff in the Georgia gubernatorial primary.

Jones was one of Georgia’s fake electors in 2020. Jackson won the Georgia gubernatorial runoff.

Jackson’s campaign stated that Jackson acknowledges both Joe Biden’s win and that there were issues in the 2020 election that needed to be resolved. Jackson faces Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms in the November general election. Bottoms is the former mayor of Atlanta.

John James has served in the US House of Representatives since 2023. James initially refused to concede his 2020 loss for a US Senate seat. James cast doubt on the results of his 2020 US Senate race. James has said the 2020 election was “rigged”.

Donald Trump lost Michigan in the 2020 election. In 2022, James told PBS News Hour that Joe Biden had been duly elected as president. James faces Democratic secretary of state Jocelyn Benson in the November general election. James has claimed without evidence that Benson “rigged and manipulated the election process to defeat me and President Trump” in 2020.

Jim Marchant is a Republican candidate for secretary of state of Nevada. Marchant is a state lawmaker in Nevada. Marchant previously sought the office of secretary of state of Nevada in 2022.

Marchant lost the 2022 Nevada secretary of state election to Democrat Cisco Aguilar. Marchant will face Aguilar again in the November 2026 election.

In 2022, Marchant was part of a coalition of Republican secretary of state candidates in swing states who supported Donald Trump’s claim that the 2020 election had been stolen. Marchant lost a 2020 bid for a US House seat. Marchant sued over his 2020 US House loss.

Marchant tried unsuccessfully to redo the 2020 US House election. Marchant supported the fake elector scheme in 2020.

Why It Matters

The positions held by governors and secretaries of state carry direct authority over election certification and administration. Governors sign off on state election results and issue certificates to presidential electors, while secretaries of state serve as chief election officials in most US states, overseeing voting systems and advising local jurisdictions. The continued questioning of the 2020 results by candidates for these offices shows the ongoing political relevance of election denial claims.

Legal and professional consequences have followed some individuals involved in efforts to challenge the 2020 results. Andy Biggs faced disciplinary action from the State Bar of Arizona, receiving 18 months of probation for violating rules related to presenting baseless claims in election-related cases. Alex Kolodin was also disciplined by the State Bar of Arizona, with penalties including probation and required ethics courses. These actions illustrate the potential professional risks for officials promoting unsubstantiated election claims.

Timeline

Andy Biggs was elected to the US Congress in 2016. In 2020, Andy Biggs pressured Arizona Republicans, including the speaker of the statehouse, not to certify the election results.

John James cast doubt on the results of his 2020 US Senate race. John James initially refused to concede his 2020 loss for a US Senate seat.

What's New

Arizona Republicans have a documented history of challenging election results, including the formation of the America First Secretary of State Coalition, which included Jim Marchant and other candidates promoting the false claim that the 2020 election was stolen. Jim Marchant, a Republican candidate for Nevada Secretary of State in 2022, was endorsed by Andy Biggs and Paul Gosar, showing a network of election deniers supporting each other across states. Jim Marchant was part of the America First Secretary of State Coalition, a group of 17 Republican candidates who promoted the false claim that the 2020 election was stolen, showing a coordinated effort among election deniers.

Andy Biggs has repeatedly claimed that he does not know who won Arizona in the 2020 election, despite the state's audit confirming Joe Biden’s victory, reflecting a consistent pattern of denying election legitimacy. Andy Biggs was subpoenaed by Arizona investigators in 2024 as part of a probe into efforts to overturn the state’s 2020 election results, indicating legal scrutiny of his role in election denial activities. Andy Biggs has been investigated by the House January 6th Committee for his involvement in efforts to challenge the 2020 election results, showing his direct role in the broader movement to overturn the election. Andy Biggs has faced disciplinary action from the State Bar of Arizona, receiving 18 months of probation for violating rules related to presenting baseless claims in election-related cases.

How Sources Differ

Sources differ on the details regarding Andy Biggs and the Arizona election.

There is also a difference in reporting on Andy Biggs' congressional vote. The Congressional Record states that Andy Biggs voted against certifying Arizona's 2020 election results.

Sources also differ on Andy Biggs' statements regarding an audit. The Congressional Record indicates that in prepared remarks on 6 January 2021, Andy Biggs called for an audit of the election results in Arizona.