It was no surprise that Ron Hanks and Tina Peters lost their Republican primaries.
His opponent spent 14-to-1 on Hanks. Peters, who was vying to become Colorado's top elections official, was indicted on seven felony charges for her alleged involvement in a voting system hack.
This past week, both candidates requested recounts of their primary elections, which are believed to have been rife with fraud.
Peters wrote in her request for a recount that she believed extensive malfeasance occurred in the June 2022 primary and that the apparent outcome of the election did not reflect the will of Colorado voters.
America First is a group of conservative candidates and officeholders who promote the idea that Democrat Joe Biden did not win the presidential election.
This idea has been seen in this year's Republican primaries, where many candidates are running on a platform that denies President Donald Trump's defeat in the 2016 election. As some of those candidates lose their races, they are reaching new frontiers in election denial by saying that the primaries were rigged as well.
"There's a clear reason they're doing it, and it's a coordinated attack on the freedom to vote across the country." The validity of the 2020 election is supported by her group.
She said that people who don't want to accept defeat are one of the reasons.
Trump is an obvious role model for the loser.
Trump baselessly claimed fraud and demanded an investigation after his first election loss as president. He claimed that Hillary Clinton won more votes than he did because of fraud. The commission was set up by Trump. The commission couldn't produce any evidence.
Trump and his supporters lost many legal challenges to the election. Even after his own attorney general and election reviews in the states failed to turn up any widespread wrongdoing that would affect the outcome, Trump continued to blame fraud.
When Republicans face Democrats in thousands of races across the country, this year's post-primary election denial could be a preview. The GOP is expected to do well, which could lead to more false claims of fraud when some of those candidates lose.
Some Republicans are making fraud claims without waiting for Democratic votes.
A few recent candidates have done that.
Perdue and Hice lost the May primaries to the governor and secretary of state. The fringe candidate for governor refused to concede because he claimed there was widespread cheating.
The Republican who goes by the name of Trucker Bob lost his primary to the governor. He and another losing GOP candidate, Lauren Martel, complained about the election to the state party. They were rejected by the party.
Some people who have cried fraud are more well known.
The second place winner in the Nevada Republican primary for governor posted a video on his Facebook page. He said that the elections were like Swiss cheese. There is too much hole.
Before the riot at the U.S. Capitol, Gilbert requested a recount. The final tally probably won't be changed by the results. He did not reply.
In Arizona, a former newscaster won the endorsement of the president in her quest for the party's nomination for governor. She told her supporters that her opponent might be trying to set the stage for another steal in the upcoming primary.
She was rebuked by the governor who has endorsed Lake's chief rival.
Even though the elections haven't even been held yet, we're already seeing speculation about the results. It is one of the most irresponsible things I have ever seen.
Messages seeking comment were not returned.
In Colorado, the county clerk questioned the results of the primary after it was clear that she lost the secretary of state's race. Looking at the results, Peters said it was obvious that the election should be changed.
At the GOP state assembly last spring, she and Hanks gained the support of the party's strongest activists by repeating Trump's lies. Both candidates in letters to the secretary of state's office this past week demanded a recount, citing that support in explaining why they could not have lost their primaries.
There were no responses to questions sent to the email address Hanks referred the reporter to.
600,000 people voted in the June primary, and the activists who attend the GOP gathering are just a small part of them. Peters lost by 88,000 votes and Hanks lost by 56000 votes.
The candidates believed the votes were being manipulated.
A recount in Colorado will cost $236,000 for each candidate. According to Annie Orloff, the deadline for the candidates to pay was Friday night.
That's right.
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