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As primaries are held across the country, House Republicans face a gloomy reality: Many of their nominees are conspiracy theorists and election deniers.
The stakes could not be clearer: “the November midterms may well affect the fate of free and fair elections in the country.”
Here are some extreme House candidates who have made it through primaries to become the Republican nominee:
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NC-01 nominee Sandy Smith participated in the Jan 6 Stop the Steal Rally and marched to the Capitol, and has repeatedly pushed election conspiracies.
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NC-13 nominee Bo Hines said he believes the presidential election was stolen, and rather than condemn the violent, armed insurrection at the United States Capitol, Hines attempted to cast blame on Democrats who he claims “hate American patriots like President Donald J. Trump.”
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OH-09 nominee J.R. Majewski admitted to breaching police barricades at the Capitol on Jan 6 and raised money to help others attend the rally at the Capitol that day. Majewski is a well-documented Qanon devotee.
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OH-13 nominee Madison Gesiotto Gilbert has spread voter fraud conspiracy theories for years, including that voting machines switched her vote. She praised the number of people who showed up to the Stop the Steal rally on Jan. 6th and expressed sympathy for the insurrectionists before claiming it was actually antifa who stormed the Capitol.
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OR-04 nominee Alek Skarlatos refuses to accept the results of the 2020 election, joining extreme Republicans in dismissing President Biden’s victory, and spreads lies about election fraud.
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PA-07 nominee Lisa Scheller implied she lost in 2020 due to mail-in ballot fraud and attended a fundraiser that featured a man who bussed hundreds of people to D.C. on January 6.
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PA-08 nominee Jim Bognet declared in the first ad of his 2022 campaign that the 2020 election was stolen from Trump and himself. Bognet also filed a lawsuit seeking to overturn election results in Pennsylvania’s 2020 election.
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TX-15 nominee Monica De La Cruz has repeatedly questioned the 2020 election results in Texas, falsely claiming that voter fraud “cost her the race” in 2020 and asserted, without evidence, that Texans cast ballots without being on the voter rolls.
These primary results should come as no surprise given that NRCC Chair Tom Emmer has refused to rule out backing insurrectionist House candidates. There will certainly be more extreme nominees to come as candidates make it through their primaries. Despite their dangerous records, the NRCC continues to back them.
DCCC spokesperson Chris Taylor:
“The Republican Party’s embrace of conspiracy theorists, election deniers, and ‘great replacement theory’ enthusiasts will haunt them come November. Voters are ready to reject these extremists.”
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