Here Comes the General

This year’s primary elections are officially over. As voters across the country begin to cast their general election ballots, new analysis from States United Action shows that voters in 43 states will have an Election Denier—someone who claimed that President Trump won the 2020 election or undermined the 2020 results—on their ballot for statewide or congressional office.

This year’s 92 races for governor, attorney general, and secretary of state will determine who oversees the administration of elections. And those elected to Congress this year will be among the people who will certify the results of the 2028 presidential election.

“We’re in the final sprint to this year’s midterm elections, and state and local election officials are working hard to process early ballots, finalize Election Day preparations, and ensure every eligible voter’s voice is heard,” States United CEO Joanna Lydgate said. “As Americans cast their ballots, we all need to be clear-eyed about the threat election denial poses to our democracy.”

You can explore all of the data for yourself, including which Election Deniers will be on the ballot in your state, at ElectionDeniers.org.

The Trump administration is still withholding disaster aid from states
In a new court filing, 20 state attorneys general told a judge that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is violating multiple court orders by continuing to withhold funding for state counterterrorism and disaster relief efforts. The states sued the Trump administration last year after it announced that it would condition the money on the states’ cooperation with federal immigration enforcement.

States United surveys show that about 7 in 10 Americans agree that the president should respect court rulings, even if they rule against him.

➡️ MORE: Sharing the Facts About Americans’ Views About Government Respecting Court Rulings

Justice Department prosecutors may serve as election monitors in November
In a sharp break with longstanding practices, the Justice Department is recruiting prosecutors to serve as election monitors at the polls this November. The NAACP filed a related lawsuit this week, asking a judge to order administration officials to release information about its expanded monitoring efforts.

For years, election monitors have promoted transparency and public confidence in elections, whether they’ve been Justice Department employees, political party representatives, or volunteers from nonprofits. But while they are a normal part of the American democratic process, it’s important for voters to remember that no matter who observers work for, they cannot interfere with election officials’ work or intimidate voters.

➡️ MORE: Sharing the Facts About Election Monitors

DHS investigates voter records and nonprofits
According to documents obtained and released by Democracy Forward, federal officials have investigated more than 150 nonprofits and voter registration organizations as part of its efforts to advance false claims of widespread noncitizen voting, despite a continued lack of evidence. Homeland Security Investigations, the investigative division of ICE, has also processed tens of millions of voter records, according to the documents.

➡️ MORE: What’s Breaking Through About False Claims of Noncitizen Voting

In New York, an ICE agent shot a man, firing seven rounds into a car and striking him in the neck. A five-year-old was in the vehicle with the man; the child was physically unharmed.

New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch noted that the agents were not wearing anything clearly identifying them, with some wearing construction-style vests. At least one was carrying a long gun, Tisch said.

“This is an unconscionable and incredibly serious situation,” New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani said in a statement. “I have called the President; when we speak I will demand that he ends all ICE enforcement actions in our city. I will not stand by while ICE agents terrorize our communities.”

The incident comes after ICE leaders reportedly told agents to once again ramp up daily immigration arrests.

➡️ MORE: What’s Breaking Through About Federal Law Enforcement Tactics

In Texas, Harris County officials announced that they completed processing thousands of voter registration applications. Last month, state officials discovered that a system error resulted in tens of thousands of voter registrations going unprocessed. After the error was reported, state officials resolved the issue and county officials received a deluge of applications. This week’s announcement from Harris County means that 75,000 voters in the Houston area are now registered to vote.

In Washington state, an appeals court temporarily paused a lower court’s order that reinstated Roger Rogoff as the U.S. attorney for the Seattle area. Federal judges unanimously appointed Rogoff to lead the office in July. But less than an hour after he was sworn in, he received notice from the Trump administration that he had been fired—leaving the administration’s preferred prosecutor in charge of the office.

A federal judge ruled last week that Trump didn’t have the power to fire Rogoff. The Justice Department appealed soon after.

“Unfortunately, this means that the U.S. Attorney’s Office remains under the leadership of an unlawfully appointed head, and the vital work of the federal prosecutors continues to be subject to challenge,” Rogoff said in a statement.

The administration has attempted to use similar strategies to keep its preferred prosecutors in charge of U.S. attorneys’ offices across the country. Federal judges have repeatedly disqualified those prosecutors, ruling the administration’s strategy violates federal law and the Constitution.

➡️ MORE: The Trump Administration’s U.S. Attorney Strategy, Explained

Votebeat: Are Trump’s claims the 2020 election was stolen losing steam?

States United Action, a nonpartisan nonprofit that supports state officials in protecting elections, examined the number of people running for statewide office or Congress who backed President Donald Trump’s false claim that the 2020 presidential election was stolen, refused to certify the legitimate results of that election, or attempted to overturn those results. The group categorizes those candidates as “election deniers.”

… The candidates this year on the States United Action list includes contestants for governor in key swing states, attorneys general, U.S. senators, members of the House of Representatives, and, perhaps most importantly, secretaries of state. If they win, it would give them expanded control over the levers of electoral power for what is expected to be a contentious 2028 presidential election.

… If history is any guide, most of them are likely to lose. Since 2021, according to the group’s analysis, fewer than one in four of such candidates have won a statewide office.

“We know that election denial is a losing campaign strategy and that Americans are tired of hearing the same old lies,” said Joanna Lydgate, CEO of States United Action. But, she added, “the threat they pose to our elections and the rule of law is very real: The candidates who win in 2026 will run our elections in 2028 and serve as a check on Trump’s power in the meantime.”

San Antonio Current: At least 19 election deniers are running for key offices in Texas this cycle

In its analysis of the 2026 midterms, States United Action warns that deniers elected to Texas’ statewide offices, would remain in them through 2028, raising concerns they may refuse to sign off on the results should Trump and his allies face losses that cycle.

When Congress met to certify the 2020 election results on Jan. 6, 2021, U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas and 16 U.S. House members from the Lone Star State voted against it. Cruz and 13 of those representatives still represent Texas in Congress, according to States United Action.

The ’Gander: These Michigan election deniers could be in office when 2028 votes are counted

According to a tracking site run by the democracy group States United Action, at least a dozen candidates on Michigan’s November ballot are classified as election deniers, including Republican nominees for governor and US Senate and eight nominees for US House.

The Boston Globe: Like it or not, the first-ever AI election is underway

Initial research into the reliability of chatbots for political information has been mixed. An August study from States United Democracy Center, a nonpartisan group, concluded “ChatGPT and Google AI offer incomplete and inconsistent responses to common voter questions, even as the accuracy of AI platforms improves.” It found a concerningly high share of chatbot citations came from Wikipedia.

In a new column in Newsweek, States United CEO Joanna Lydgate and former New Jersey Attorney General Matt Platkin write about the impact of the Trump administration’s attempts to unlawfully withhold federal funding—and how states are fighting back.

“Americans have kept their side of the bargain. We paid our taxes. Congress did its job to fund vital services millions of people rely on,” they write. “Now state attorneys general are standing up for the American people, making sure the president does his job, follows the law, and provides promised federal funding to support Americans across the country.”