Five Republican election deniers lose governor races in key US swing states

Following a decisive Democratic victory in the United States midterm elections, five Republican candidates who had previously questioned the 2020 presidential outcome have lost their bids for governorship in major battleground states. The candidates who came up short on Tuesday include Arizona Congressman Andy Biggs, Michigan Congressman John James, Pennsylvania State Treasurer Stacy Garrity, Wisconsin Congressman Tom Tiffany, and Georgia billionaire Rick Jackson.

All five individuals had either publicly cast doubt on Joe Biden’s 2020 victory over Donald Trump or voted to block the certification of those results. Jackson, for example, described Biden’s win as totally ridiculous and criticized Georgia state officials for failing to meet Trump’s demands to locate additional votes. During a campaign event earlier this year, Jackson remarked that the people had really let them down when pressed about the previous election.

Biggs and Tiffany both served in the US House of Representatives during the January 2021 certification process, where they voted to overturn the 2020 results. The two lawmakers also signed a lawsuit aimed at invalidating election outcomes in Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. James, who was not in Congress during the certification, had run unsuccessfully for the Senate in that cycle before winning a House seat in the 2022 midterms. Although he initially acknowledged Biden’s win, James reversed his stance in June 2026, telling podcaster Benny Johnson that the 2020 election was rigged and manipulated.

Garrity, who took office in 2020, campaigned alongside Trump to reverse the election defeat. She appeared at a Pennsylvania rally on January 5, 2021, urging state lawmakers to decertify the results. This occurred just one day before Trump supporters stormed the US Capitol. While Tiffany, Garrity, and Jackson have since clarified their positions and acknowledged Biden’s victory, Biggs and James have not. Their offices were contacted for comment but had not responded as of the latest reports.

The results of Tuesday’s midterms are expected to have significant implications for the 2028 presidential race. As Trump enters the final two years of his second term, he is constitutionally ineligible for re-election, leaving the Republican Party’s future standard-bearer undetermined. The five states involved have shifted between presidential nominees from both parties in recent years, making them critical determiners of the next US leader.

Governors in these states hold substantial power over voting access, election administration, and congressional redistricting. Over the past year and a half, Trump has encouraged state leaders to redraw congressional maps to benefit Republican candidates. In response, some Democratic-led states, including California under Governor Gavin Newsom, have pursued their own gerrymandering efforts. However, it remains uncertain whether the momentum for redistricting will continue following the midterm outcomes.

Georgia Governor Brian Kemp, a Republican barred from running again by term limits, announced on Wednesday that he will not call a special legislative session to redraw the state’s congressional maps before his Democratic successor, Keisha Lance Bottoms, is sworn in. This decision highlights the shifting dynamics in state leadership following the elections.

President Trump, who had spent years questioning election integrity, told The New York Times on Tuesday night that he was absolutely willing to accept the midterm results. He also pledged to engage with the Democratic Party, which has regained control of both chambers of Congress. Trump stated that he looks forward to working with the Democrats and believes the two parties will probably work something out.