US presidential election deniers line up for their shot in spotlight
More than 300 candidates who deny the legitimacy of the last US presidential election are standing in the mid-terms.
More than 300 candidates who deny the legitimacy of the last presidential election are standing in the mid-terms, stoking fears that they could dispute the 2024 vote if they dislike the outcome.
According to the Brookings Institution 345 candidates, all of them Republicans, are standing in national and state elections after adopting Donald Trump’s assertion that the 2020 election was rigged in favour of President Joe Biden. There is no evidence to support Trump’s claims, yet trust in the electoral process has never been lower.
Some of those seeking office could play a leading role in certifying the next presidential election result if they win on Wednesday AEDT. In 38 states, the secretary of state is the chief election official and has the duty of confirming, or rejecting results.
Mark Finchem, a member of the right-wing extremist Oath Keepers group who says he was protesting at the US Capitol on January 6 last year, but did not enter the complex, is standing to be Arizona’s secretary of state. He continues to argue that the 2020 election was stolen.
If elected, Mr Finchem could be working with Kari Lake, the Trump-backed Republican candidate for governor.
Asked last month whether she would accept the election result if she lost, Ms Lake refused to answer.
The Times
Germany’s new leader must stand up to Putin
If the chancellor and western allies are to keep Ukraine safe, decades of submissiveness have to go.
First openly gay imam is shot dead
The Muslim leader was shot and killed when his car was ambushed by masked gunmen in South Africa where he had established a mosque for the LGBT community.