For months, candidates and activists who built their campaigns on questioning American elections warned that the 2026 midterms would be stolen. When Democrats swept House and Senate races, those same figures largely fell silent, and the election deniers 2026 midterms story became one of concession rather than contest.
Fraud Claims Fade as Results Come In
Election Day began with familiar assertions: mail-in ballots would be compromised, noncitizens would vote in large numbers, and results would be flipped toward Democrats. None of that materialized, and the country appeared to reject the policies of President Donald Trump’s administration. A review of pivotal races involving election deniers found that nearly all lost, and neither the candidates nor the groups supporting them raised questions about the outcomes.
Concessions Without Conspiracy
In Arizona’s governor race, Andy Biggs, who had challenged the 2020 results on January 6, 2021, conceded to incumbent Democrat Katie Hobbs without mentioning fraud. He attributed the loss to turnout, saying his side had not achieved the level it wanted.
Michigan Senate candidate Mike Rogers, who had grown more skeptical about election security in the months before the vote, was decisively defeated by Abdul El-Sayed. Rogers has not publicly commented and did not respond to a request for comment.
Wisconsin’s Tom Tiffany, who objected to certifying Joe Biden’s 2020 victory and had welcomed a baseless FBI inquiry into the state’s elections, lost the governor’s race to Democrat David Crowley. He conceded without referencing election rigging.
In Ohio, Vivek Ramaswamy, who had baselessly claimed the 2020 presidential election was stolen by “big tech,” lost his governor’s race to Amy Acton. He told supporters he had called to concede and wish her well, making no mention of fraud.
Nevada secretary of state candidate Jim Marchant, who had promised to deregister every Nevadan if elected, lost to incumbent Cisco Aguilar. Marchant has not commented publicly and did not respond to a request for comment.
Colorado’s James Wiley, who called himself the Red Flame of Liberty and made undermining trust in elections central to his campaign, was roundly defeated by Amanda Gonzalez. Wiley conceded without questioning the results and said he now plans to run for chair of the Colorado Republican Party, describing the outcome as a signal that the party had been doing something wrong and might need to rewind to Lincoln.
Pennsylvania Representative Scott Perry, whom the January 6 Committee found directly involved in attempts to overturn the 2020 election, lost his seat to Democrat Janelle Stelson. Asked before results came in whether he would accept them, Perry said he hoped so. He has not commented publicly since, and his campaign did not respond to a request for comment.
A Few Winners, Still No Fraud Talk
Some election deniers did win. Byron Donalds, the Trump-backed candidate for Florida governor, had refused during the 2024 election to say he would accept results. On Tuesday night, thanking supporters, he made no reference to voter fraud or rigging.
The Broader Network Goes Silent
The candidates were only part of a larger network built since 2020. As results emerged, groups and activists that had posted for months about threats to elections stopped talking.
True the Vote, which provided data behind the debunked 2000 Mules film about ballot stuffing, posted dozens of times on X while voting was open, boosting claims of irregularities at polling locations. After results came in, the account remained silent.
MAGA activist Scott Presler spent Tuesday amplifying voting issues at polling places. When results arrived, he wrote only that passing the SAVE America Act would have been a good idea, referring to legislation Trump failed to get passed that would have disenfranchised millions of Americans.
Cleta Mitchell, founder and chairman of the Election Integrity Network, who has worked closely with the administration to undermine US elections, has not posted since results came in.
Seth Keshel, a prominent figure in the election denial community who has allegedly briefed White House officials on voting irregularities, posted repeatedly about results but never questioned them. Patrick Byrne, the Overstock.com founder who has funded large parts of the movement, has not mentioned the midterm results on social media.
The most prominent election denial figure was not silent. Late on election night, Trump called in to Fox News and congratulated Democrats on their victory.
