The top of Arizona’s GOP ticket is littered with 2020 election deniers
Politics — 2026-07-22 00:15:00 — www.politico.com
Trump Doubles Down on False Election Claims as Arizona GOP Embraces Election Denialism
Donald Trump continues to refuse to acknowledge his loss in the 2020 presidential election, maintaining a central role in pushing false claims about election integrity. In a recent primetime speech, Trump announced his administration would declassify documents he alleged show Chinese interference in the 2020 race, stating, “Our elections were left vulnerable to being rigged and stolen, and the trust of the American people was lost. This cannot be allowed to continue.”
Arizona GOP Candidates Align with Trump’s Election Denial
The influence of Trump’s persistent falsehoods is evident in Arizona’s Republican primaries, where candidates who supported efforts to overturn the 2020 election results have emerged victorious. The party’s litmus test remains loyalty to the narrative that the election was stolen from Trump. This has propelled figures like Rep. Andy Biggs, a staunch Trump ally, to the gubernatorial nomination, and state Rep. Alexander Kolodin, who represented fake electors and filed lawsuits to overturn election results, to the secretary of state nomination.
State Senate President Warren Petersen, another election denier, led the attorney general primary after launching a taxpayer-funded audit into Maricopa County’s election system, echoing Trump’s baseless claims of widespread fraud.
False Narratives and Their Consequences
Trump’s repeated promotion of the stalled SAVE America Act and his ongoing rhetoric about election integrity have kept false narratives alive in the Arizona GOP. Despite multiple investigations and audits finding no evidence of widespread fraud in Arizona’s 2020 election, Trump and his allies have continued to pressure state officials and promote conspiracy theories. Trump’s refusal to accept the certified results, along with his push for dramatic changes to election law, has shaped the party’s direction.
Election Denialism: A Risk in the General Election
While Trump’s stance has proven beneficial in Republican primaries, it has been a losing strategy in general elections. In 2022, Arizona Republicans who ran on hardline election denialism lost key races for governor, U.S. Senate, and secretary of state, even as the party performed well nationally. In 2024, Kari Lake lost her Senate bid, despite Trump winning the state by more than five percentage points.
Strategists warn that candidates like Biggs and Kolodin will be “saddled with election denialism” heading into November, a position that has historically alienated independents and moderate Republicans.
Conclusion
Trump’s ongoing refusal to accept the 2020 election results and his promotion of unfounded claims about election fraud continue to shape the Arizona GOP. As the state remains a critical battleground, the embrace of election denialism may energize the party’s base but poses significant risks in the general election, where voters have repeatedly rejected these falsehoods. The coming months will test whether Trump’s influence can overcome the broader electorate’s demand for truth and confidence in the democratic process.
Source: https://www.politico.com/news/2026/07/22/arizona-republicans-elect-2020-deniers-trump-01007511