Republicans refuse to say that Trump lost in 2020

It’s come to this:

Alaska candidates for the U.S. House in 2026 will be asked, “Who do you believe was the rightful winner of the 2020 election?

Alaska candidates for the U.S. Senate in 2026 will be asked: “Do you believe that Donald Trump was the rightful winner of the 2020 election?”

That this question has to be asked is because Donald Trump lies on a daily basis about his defeat in 2020. And Republican candidates play along with the liar-in-chief.

Four of the major Alaska news organizations—the Alaska Beacon, Alaska Public Media, KTOO and the Anchorage Daily News—are collaborating on a project to share candidate questionnaires. The details are here.

I don’t know why the question about the winner of the 2020 presidential election is different for House and Senate candidates, but it doesn’t matter much—the leading Republicans will refuse to answer it in an honest fashion.

They will retreat to the Trump-approved language that “Joe Biden was certified the winner.”

Cowardice about the 2020 election is the norm for the Republican Party today.

We saw this when Sullivan’s choice to become the newest federal judge in Alaska, Aaron Peterson, refused to admit to Congress that Trump lost in 2020. This is a stain that will remain on Peterson’s reputation for the rest of his lifetime appointment.

Peterson hid behind the weasel words that every wannabe judge and other GOP nominees are forced to use: “President Biden was certified as the winner of the 2020 presidential election and served as the 46th president of the United States.”

Rep. Nick Begich the Third has denied that Biden was the legit winner of the 2020 election, claiming the “techniques that were used in order to get him elected, I don’t think they’re legitimate.”

In Sen. Dan Sullivan’s case it will be no surprise if he refuses to say that Trump lost.

But Sullivan will be contradicting claims that Sullivan made in 2021 when no one thought Trump would ever again be a force to reckon with.

After the 2020 election, Sullivan had refused to acknowledge that Joe Biden had won the election and Trump lost. Sullivan was silent about the Trump cacophony of election lies.

As I wrote here on Jan. 10, 2021, it was obvious to Sen. Lisa Murkowski in November 2020 that Trump had lost, but not to Sullivan.

Trump’s failure to produce any winning legal arguments should have ended the matter, but Senate Republicans encouraged Trump with their support or silence and Trump continued to lie from the highest office in the land.

After the Electoral College met on December 14, 2020, Sullivan refused to say that Biden won the election and Trump lost. But he said the electors had met and determined that Biden was the president.

As late as Monday, January 4, 2021, Sullivan refused to comment on the GOP coup proposed by radical members of Congress who didn’t want to accept Trump’s defeat.

On Thursday, Jan. 7, 2021 Sullivan claimed to the Daily News he had "decided a number of days ago" to oppose the coup and accept the election results.

"I think had the president accepted the election results earlier and repudiated the mob violence earlier and more forcefully, it could have had an impact yesterday,” Sullivan told the Daily News a day after the riots, rewriting history to portray himself as someone who wanted Trump to change his behavior.

Sullivan claimed, “I never denied the results of the election.” He said he “supported the right of the Trump campaign to pursue legal challenges. . .”

In truth, Sullivan denied the results of the election for as long as possible.

In the post-riot term paper his office inflicted on Alaskans, Sullivan says, “I wish fervently that President Trump had accepted the results of the election. . .”

Sullivan waited until after the insurrection to express his fervent wish. Before that he was giving it the Sullivan Pebble Mine treatment—fervently wishing to stay quiet in a corner, trying to ride out the election without crossing Trump or Trump voters.

“While some instances of election fraud and irregularities have undoubtedly occurred, no Supreme Court justice, state or federal judge, state legislature, or governor found sufficient evidence to overturn their state’s election results,” Sullivan said.

Once Trump was out of office and Sullivan was trying to justify his vote not to impeach Trump. he said the 2020 election results were clear and the people had spoken in favor of Biden.

He said he condemned Trump’s “poor judgment” in calling a rally, allowing it to become a riot, and that Trump’s “blatant disregard” of Vice President Mike Pence “infuriates me.”

“With their votes this past election, the American people spoke and chose a new President,” Sullivan said.

For six years, Trump has continued to lie about the 2020 election, with the eager approval of nearly every Republican in Congress. Sen. Lisa Murkowski is an exception to the rule.

Begich will continue to lie about the election. Sullivan, if ever pressed on the topic, will not be forthright. He will not repeat his 2021 condemnation of Trump or say that Trump’s “blatant disregard” of Pence, “infuriates me.”

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