See Which 2020 Election Deniers and Skeptics Won in the Midterm Elections

This article will be updated to include final results and other developments.

Spreading lies, misinformation and doubt about the 2020 election have proven to be a winning strategy for many Republicans across the United States.

The midterm victories of those candidates are a sign that election skepticism is not a fleeting fad. It has taken root in the Republican mainstream, ahead of the 2024 election.

The Times recently examined statements made by Republican candidates in all 50 states to track how skepticism of the 2020 election had permeated the Republican Party, despite the lack of evidence of any widespread voter fraud. The analysis identified more than 370 candidates who cast doubt in some way on the 2020 election.

Of those skeptics in the Times analysis, more than half have won their races, according to results so far, and most of them were elected to House seats. More than 100 of the winners questioned the 2020 election within this past year, long after Donald J. Trump’s defeat — another indication of the message’s longevity.

Most election skeptics sowed doubt, The Times found, by suggesting, sometimes again and again, that there were irregularities or unresolved questions about the way the election was conducted, or by saying that further investigation was needed.

Joe Biden won 7 million more votes and 74 more electors than Mr. Trump did in the last presidential election. Judges across the nation rejected attempts by Mr. Trump and his allies to dispute the results.

More than 170 Skeptics Elected in House

With results still pending, more than a third of the newly elected House has questioned or denied the 2020 election. More than two dozen explicitly said the last election was stolen or rigged, but the vast majority sowed doubt in other ways.

Most of the election skeptics who will serve in the House next year are incumbents who objected to the 2020 Electoral College results, supported a lawsuit to throw out results in four states or spread falsehoods in other public statements. Some did all three.

About half of skeptics who are newcomers have said the 2020 election was stolen or rigged, including Anna Paulina Luna of Florida, who will represent the 13th District in Florida, and Russell Fry, who won the Seventh district in South Carolina.

“It is very clear that it was rigged,” Mr. Fry said about the 2020 election.

A vast majority of states will have one or more Republicans who cast doubt on the 2020 election.

More than a Dozen Skeptics Elected in the Senate

The 16 Republican skeptics elected so far include several who have outright denied the 2020 election, including J.D. Vance, who will replace retiring Senator Rob Portman of Ohio.

“I think the election was stolen from Trump,” Mr. Vance said during a Republican primary debate in March.

Two Dozen Skeptics Elected to State Offices

More than 20 Republicans who won state races for governor, secretary of state and attorney general have questioned the 2020 election, including Gov. Kay Ivey of Alabama, who was re-elected to another term.

In April 2022, she said “the fake news, big tech and blue-state liberals stole the election from President Trump.”

Republican winner said the 2020 election was stolenRepublican winner questioned the 2020 election in other waysWinner is a Democrat, or a Republican for which The Times found no evidenceResults pendingNo election held

Methodology

The Times examined statements made by Republican candidates in all 50 states, combing through the candidates’ social media accounts, political emails and newsletters, speeches, interviews and campaign materials. The investigation most likely undercounted candidates who have expressed skepticism about the 2020 election. It is possible that some have questioned it in ways that did not surface in the materials reviewed.

The analysis included statements made from Election Day in 2020 to Nov. 7, 2022, and distinguished between people who said inaccurately that the 2020 election was stolen or rigged, and those who stopped short of that falsehood but nonetheless criticized the election. For example, people who:

said there were irregularities, fraud, mistakes or interference even if they did not change the outcome — or suggested that further investigation was necessary.

said they did not know who legitimately won the 2020 election, or suggested there was uncertainty.

said that Mr. Biden was president but suggested that he might not have been elected fairly.

said there was no fraud in their own state but could not speak to what happened in other states.

embraced a narrow procedural argument that it was unconstitutional for states to bypass state legislatures when they changed voting procedures during the pandemic (this unorthodox argument was used by some in Congress on Jan. 6, 2021, to challenge the Electoral College results).

promoted more elaborate conspiracy theories, like those espoused in the film “2000 Mules,” as well as the theory that the news media, Facebook and the F.B.I. colluded to interfere in the election.

took actions that could undermine the election or its credibility, like participating in lawsuits aimed at the results, signing letters alleging interference and co-sponsoring bills premised on problems with the 2020 election.