5 States Have GOP AG Candidates Who Deny 2020 Election Results

A WIRED review has identified Republican candidates for attorney general in more than half a dozen states, including key swing states, who have repeatedly expressed a belief that the 2020 election was stolen from Donald Trump. The review names candidates in Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada and Kansas, several of whom have said they are willing to relitigate the 2020 race if elected, according to WIRED.

Who is the Arizona candidate at the center of the review?

Warren Petersen, an Arizona state senator running for attorney general, was among the most vocal backers of Trump's claim that the 2020 election was stolen, WIRED reports. Petersen signed a document asking Congress to accept 11 alternate electoral votes for Trump and later signed a separate letter demanding the US Senate reject Arizona's official slate of electors, per the outlet.

What role did Petersen play in the Cyber Ninjas audit?

Petersen was central to securing approval for the Maricopa County election audit run by Cyber Ninjas, a firm with no prior election-auditing experience, WIRED reports. The audit cost Arizona taxpayers $4 million and ultimately found no evidence of fraud — instead showing that Joe Biden had won by more votes than initially certified, according to the outlet.

Timeline of Petersen's involvement

• 2020: Petersen signs a document asking Congress to accept alternate Trump electors for Arizona, per WIRED.
• 2020: Petersen signs a second letter demanding the US Senate reject Arizona's certified electors.
• Post-2020: Petersen helps secure approval for the Cyber Ninjas audit of Maricopa County's vote, which costs taxpayers $4 million and finds no fraud, per the outlet.
• Earlier this year: Petersen complies with a grand jury subpoena, turning over Cyber Ninjas audit files to the FBI as part of a federal investigation into the 2020 election in Maricopa County, WIRED reports.
• This year: Petersen calls for an expansion of the attorney general's Election Integrity Unit while running for the office, according to WIRED.

Why does the attorney general's office matter for the 2028 election?

State attorneys general serve as their state's chief legal officer and are generally required to act as a check on both the governor and the federal government, WIRED notes. The outlet reports that attorneys general across the country have recently pushed back against Trump administration efforts to take control of elections, seize ballots and obtain voter rolls containing sensitive data on US citizens — functions that would fall to whoever holds the office heading into the 2028 presidential race.

What do critics say about electing 2020 deniers to the role?

"Any attorney general should be dedicated to upholding the rule of law," Christina Beeler, senior counsel for the Chicago Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights, told WIRED. Beeler added that the office "is a powerful office, and it is deeply important that anyone in that role is dedicated to upholding the rule of law and the results of elections," according to the outlet.

WIRED's review also notes ties among some candidates to broader election-denial figures, including one candidate's friendship with a Covid-denying former boxer filmed shouting "1776" on the Capitol steps on January 6, 2021, and another who was set to headline a rally with MyPillow founder and election-denial funder Mike Lindell, per the outlet.

For the full list of candidates and states, read WIRED's original reporting.