It's been two weeks since President-elect Donald Trump was elected back to White House on Election Day, helping Republicans win big and achieve a red trifecta, not only occupying the presidency, but also the House of Representatives and the Senate. But as Republicans continue their victory laps and celebrations across the country, some GOP candidates— and even some Democrats— who lost their respective bids say the fight isn't over yet.
Election denialism is nothing new for Republicans. In fact, throughout the Trump era, the GOP— largely fueled by Trump himself— have become much more comfortable with calling foul and trying to undo their losses. Those efforts were most widely seen during the 2020 elections, when the Trump team filed dozens of lawsuits across the country, almost all of which were struck down, claiming that the contest was rigged. Those claims would eventually lead to the Capitol Insurrection on Jan. 6, 2021, leaving six people dead within 36 hours.
But four years later, as Republicans position themselves to be the leading party once again, claims of rigged elections have been largely silent and scattered, with only a few candidates refusing to concede their contests.
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In Wisconsin, Republican Eric Hovde, who was seeking to oust incumbent Democratic Sen. Tammy Baldwin, said in a video posted on X, that he was considering seeking a recount in the battleground state contest. Hovde didn't concede his race until Monday. Baldwin currently leads by less than 30,000 votes, 49.4% to 48.5%, with 99% of the votes counted.
Wisconsin allows candidates to request recounts, though they are required to cover the expenses, if the margin of victory is less than 0.25 percentage points, NBC News reports. But Hovde has suggested that a recount would not fully address the "voting inconsistencies" he claimed occurred.
"While I'm deeply concerned, asking for a recount is a serious decision that requires careful consideration," he said. "Further, there are meaningful limits on a recount, because they don't look at the integrity of the ballot."
Hovde also pointed to the absentee ballots Milwaukee reported early Wednesday, which went heavily for Baldwin, as an "improbable" outcome, arguing the count did not match the in-person voting pattern in the city. Democrats have traditionally been more likely to vote absentee than Republicans, and Milwaukee is one of the main Democratic territories in Wisconsin, according to NBC News.
Similarly, in Arizona, former TV anchor, Trump-ally and repeated election denier Kari Lake has refused to acknowledge her loss against now Democratic Senator-elect Ruben Gallego. Her campaign called it "hard to believe" that Lake lost to Gallego, but she appeared to acknowledge she had come up short in a video message released last week.
"I can say for certain that truth will never stop mattering to me," Lake told her fans. "You will never stop mattering to me. These memories that we've made together will never go away— they will grow sweeter over time, and I will never stop fighting for the state I love."
But while she said in the video that she was leaving "this fight," she tiptoed around directly admitting defeat, according to the Arizona Mirror.
But Republicans are not the only ones putting up a fight post-elections. In fact, in Pennsylvania, Sen. Bob Casey has also not yet conceded the race against his opponent, Republican Dave McCormick. But he is also not questioning the integrity of the elections.
As of Tuesday, McCormick led the race by 0.2 percentage points, at 48.4% to Casey's 48.6%. That's just below the 0.5 point margin that triggers an automatic recount in the state. Casey has said he will not concede until every vote is tallied.
"This democratic process must be allowed to play out to determine the result of this election," Casey campaign manager Tiernan Donohue said in a statement.
Republicans are pressuring Casey to concede. A Republican group began airing an ad in the state this week calling Casey and Democrats "sore losers,"
"They're denying the results and trying to force an unnecessary recount using your tax dollars."
If McCormick's victory is confirmed, Republicans will control the Senate, holding 53 seats compared with 47 held by Democrats and independents. The GOP is also on track to narrowly control the House, but some races could be decided by less than one percentage point, and the losers could demand recounts.
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