They rejected Biden's 2020 win. Now they're running for office.
A look at GOP candidates running for governor who disputed election results
POLITICS
Arizona Rep. Andy Biggs challenged President Donald Trump's loss in the 2020 election even though he won reelection on the same ballots.
And U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany of Wisconsin voted against certifying Joe Biden's Electoral College victories in Arizona and Pennsylvania after the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol attack, when Trump urged his supporters to fight his election loss. Tiffany later said he would have objected to his own state's electoral votes, too, if he had the opportunity.
These are just some of the Republicans running for governor of politically competitive states who were among those who rejected Biden's victory in 2020. If they win, they would have power over election administration.
Conservatives say the candidates could be instrumental to help ensure potential election problems in their states are handled quickly and aggressively, including ensuring noncitizens don't vote.
Hans von Spakovsky, a former Justice Department official and election integrity expert at the conservative advocacy group Advancing American Freedom, told USA Today that governors can be instrumental in bolstering election security by working "with their state legislatures to pass state versions of the SAVE Act," referring to a Trump-backed bill in Congress that includes heightened voter ID and proof-of-citizenship requirements.
Demonstrated cases of intentional voter fraud are exceedingly rare: The conservative Heritage Foundation found only 1,500 instances spanning decades of elections involving more than 1 billion votes cast nationwide. Voting rights activists say the bigger threat to election security comes from officials who questioned, challenged or sought to overturn the 2020 election results and who could use the levers of state government to influence future election administration.
"We know who won the 2020 election. It is the most scrutinized election probably in world history," said David Becker, founder and executive director of the Center for Election Innovation & Research, a nonpartisan nonprofit that since 2016 has worked with election officials to bolster election security and integrity. "So it should be troubling to anyone who's an American voter who's going to be governed in any of these states when there is a candidate who seemingly is disconnected from reality."
Biden won the popular vote by more than 7 million votes and the Electoral College by a 306-232 margin. Trump and his allies filed more than 60 lawsuits challenging the results and failed to overturn a single state's outcome.
The group States United Action, which says it advocates for "free and fair elections," tracks candidates who reject the 2020 results and run for statewide and congressional office. It says the latest data shows such candidates appear on the ballot in at least half the states across the country.
Though some have gone all in for Trump on the question, others have been more mixed in their support, including some who differed in their public and private statements, Becker said.
Here's what to know about candidates who could be running key battleground states in 2028 after challenging the results of the last disputed presidential election.
Byron Donalds, Florida
U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds of Florida, a close Trump ally, was among the GOP lawmakers who voted against certifying Biden's Electoral College victory after Jan. 6, 2021. Donalds echoed Trump's concerns about election security and supported Trumpbacked voter ID requirements, citizenship verification and other election integrity measures, including the SAVE America Act.
Backed by Trump's early endorsement and holding a big fundraising advantage, Donalds is the leading candidate in the race to succeed Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis.
Tommy Tuberville, Alabama
Alabama Sen. Tommy Tuberville joined a group of 147 Republican senators and House members who voted to overturn the 2020 election results after a mob of Trump supporters stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6.
After the attack, he also supported creation of a commission to investigate fraud allegations in disputed states.
A heavy favorite in the Alabama's governor's race, the former college football coach remains one of the highest-profile elected officials in gubernatorial races after supporting challenges to the 2020 results.
Tom Tiffany, Wisconsin
Tiffany, also endorsed by Trump for his gubernatorial race, continues to push claims of potentially rigged elections since voting against certifying Biden's Electoral College victories in Arizona and Pennsylvania after the Jan. 6 riot. Biden won Wisconsin by 20,695 votes in 2020, an outcome that was confirmed after Trump sought a recount in the two most populated counties.
Tiffany claimed election laws were improperly changed before the 2020 election and has supported tighter election security measures.
Tiffany said he supported the FBI's effort to interview high-ranking Wisconsin state election officials at their homes about the 2020 presidential election.
"So clearly they have found something that is worth investigating, and so I just believe they should be allowed to complete the investigation," Tiffany told a Channel 3000/News 3 Now reporter. "If there's nothing there, then that'll go away. If they do find something, then they can investigate that even further to make sure that there's been no problems."
"Tom Tiffany and Stacy Garrity have two things in common − election denialism and a Trump endorsement," said Democratic Party of Wisconsin spokesperson Emily Stuckey in a statement in March.
The Tiffany campaign did not respond to requests for comment.
Pamela Evette, South Carolina
In South Carolina, another pivotal battleground state, Trump endorsed Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette for governor on May 29 from a large GOP primary field of candidates. Many of them say Trump won the 2020 election.
Other candidates included U.S. House Rep. Ralph Norman, who called for military intervention to block Biden from the White House in 2021; Rep. Nancy Mace, who dubbed herself "Trump in high heels"; and Attorney General Alan Wilson, who signed on to a Texas lawsuit full of conspiracy theories that sought to overturn the 2020 election.
Evette and Wilson advanced to a runoff election this month.
Evette repeatedly attacked her GOP primary challengers for what she claims was their inadequate support of Trump's efforts to overturn the 2020 election. She posted an AI-modified social media video criticizing Mace for "supporting Democratic efforts to elect Joe Biden" because Mace signed a letter refusing to support Republican efforts to challenge the results of the 2020 election.
She also publicly attacked Wilson for "affirming Biden's election" and "betraying Trump" and has what Democracy Docket says is a "thoroughly detailed plan for weakening voting rights if elected governor."
Andy Biggs, Arizona
One of the most outspoken Republicans challenging the 2020 results, the GOP congressman is running for governor in Arizona, one of the nation's most important election-administration battlegrounds.
Biggs objected to Electoral College votes from Arizona, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Michigan and Nevada on Jan. 6, 2021, according to his own congressional statements. He won reelection in 2020 on the same ballots that delivered Arizona to Biden by roughly 10,500 votes.
The Jan. 6 committee investigating the Trump-led effort to overturn the 2020 election results recommended that the House Ethics Committee investigate Biggs and three other Republican lawmakers, citing evidence they participated in meetings and other efforts to challenge or overturn the 2020 results.
Biggs denied wrongdoing.
John Rose, Tennessee
Tennessee Rep. John Rose also voted to object to Biden's electoral votes from Arizona, Pennsylvania, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada and Wisconsin for the 2020 election, saying widespread concern from constituents over election integrity warranted further study. He also joined a Texas lawsuit challenging how Pennsylvania conducted its elections that the Supreme Court shot down.
Rose emphasized election integrity and voting security as part of his campaign for Tennessee governor. Tennessee Rep. Marsha Blackburn is the heavy favorite in the Republican primary Aug. 6.
Stacy Garrity, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania Treasurer Stacy Garrity, the Trump-endorsed Republican nominee for governor, faced criticism for comments questioning Biden's victory in 2020. Speaking at a campaign rally in 2022 with Trump at her side, Garrity said, "We know that he won." She later said she accepted Biden's presidency while continuing to raise concerns about how the election was conducted.
Pennsylvania is another of the most closely watched battleground states. It has been the center of repeated battles over mail voting, ballot counting and election procedures.
In the November general election, the former U.S. Army Reserve officer faces popular Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro, who is seeking his second term.
Garrity "cannot be trusted to lead the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania," the state Democratic Party said in a statement in January 2026. "If we can't trust her to uphold the basic responsibility of respecting Pennsylvanians' votes and protecting democracy, how can we trust her to protect our families or fight for us?"
The Garrity campaign did not respond to a request for comment.
Conservatives say the candidates could be instrumental to help ensure potential election problems in their states are handled quickly and aggressively, including ensuring noncitizens don't vote.
