Trump and Some GOP Candidates Still Press 2020 Fraud Claims as Many Voters Look Ahead
President Trump and some Republican candidates in battleground states are still saying there was widespread fraud in the 2020 election, while many Republican voters say they want to move on, according to NPR reporting published September 18, 2026.
The story, titled 'Some GOP candidates are still making election fraud claims. Voters want to move on,' was written by Sam Gringlas. It aired on Morning Edition. It was published at 4:45 AM ET on September 18, 2026.
NPR reported that Trump is the main source of the statements. Other Republican candidates in battleground races have repeated them, NPR said. NPR described the statements as false. It also reported that many GOP voters would rather leave the 2020 dispute behind.
That split is not new. In February 2022, The Hill reported that half of Republican voters wanted to move on from fraud statements about the 2020 election. The September 2026 NPR reporting says that gap between candidates and a large share of voters continues.
Trump has repeated the statement often. He said the 2020 election was "rigged" at least 107 times in the six months before May 26, 2026, according to Reuters. Multiple courts, state officials and past reviews found no evidence of widespread fraud in the 2020 election.
Polling still shows a party split over election administration and trust. A Reuters/Ipsos poll found a sharp party divide on fraud beliefs, with Republicans the most distrustful, according to Reuters. The poll was published April 23, 2026.
Legal fights over voting rules are still active. Reuters reported on September 14, 2026 that Trump said his 2020 loss came from widespread voter fraud, which Reuters described as false. Around the same time, a second judge blocked President Trump's mail-in voting restrictions, according to Reuters.
The statements about 2020 and the court cases are on separate tracks. One is campaign messaging about 2020. The other is administrative law, the rules for how mail-in voting is run.
The broader context here is about two groups of voters. Candidates need strong support from primary voters to win the nomination, then need broader support to win in November. It is like playing to the home crowd first, then needing neutral fans. Pressing 2020 fraud claims can help with the first group. The NPR reporting suggests it can hurt with the second. Voters who want to move on are not necessarily leaving the party. They are showing fatigue with rehashing 2020.
Looking at what this means for party strategy, the tension is structural, not just personal. When a nominee centers 2020, it sets the terms for down-ballot races in battleground states. Those candidates must choose to align, deflect or distance. Each choice affects fundraising, volunteer energy and news coverage. It can also affect court cases over election rules, where statements can be cited in court and in news reports.
For election officials, the practical question is trust in the count. Repeated false statements about widespread fraud do not change the earlier findings by courts, state officials and reviewers. They do affect voter confidence. That confidence gap, shown in the Reuters/Ipsos polling, will likely remain a factor in turnout and in disputes over certification after Election Day.
