Georgia Senate Nominee Repeats 2020 Claims as Many Republicans Do the Same
Georgia Republican Senate nominee Mike Collins said during his 2026 campaign that the 2020 presidential election was stolen from Donald Trump.
Collins also said he supports payment for some people prosecuted for storming the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 to disrupt certification of the 2020 vote, according to NPR. Certification is the formal sign-off on the results. Collins is the Republican nominee for Senate in Georgia in 2026.
Trump was still talking about the 2020 election during the 2026 midterm campaign, as reported in NPR transcripts. Many Republican candidates in the 2026 midterms, including in tossup races where either party can win, continue to support Trump's statements about election integrity.
Polling shows the issue ranks low for voters. A September 2026 New York Times-Siena College poll found 1% of voters said election integrity was the top issue deciding their vote in November 2026. Many voters said they wanted to move on from Trump's 2020 claims, according to reporting from WUFT and Wyoming Public Media.
NPR reported in May that dozens of candidates who dispute the 2020 result could win offices that control voting, as noted in NPR. That earlier reporting gives context for the offices on the ballot in November.
Action over voting rules is a separate track from campaign statements. Trump said he was willing to use the powers of his office to sway the midterm elections, according to AP. Democratic-controlled states filed a lawsuit challenging Trump's executive order seeking to limit mail voting, as reported in AP.
Democrats in Congress are preparing for possible midterm election interference by Trump, according to NPR transcripts. State and local voting officials from both major parties were preparing for possible 2026 election interference from Trump, as reported in NPR. Ahead of November's midterms, Trump made a rare appearance in Nevada to talk about the economy at a Las Vegas casino, according to AP.
The broader context here is the split between winning a nomination and winning in November. Supporting Trump's account of 2020 remains common among Republicans seeking federal office this cycle, including in tossup contests where local turnout and provisional-ballot rules can decide outcomes. Provisional ballots are counted when a voter's eligibility is in question. At the same time, polling puts election integrity at the bottom of voters' stated concerns, and interview reporting points to fatigue with revisiting 2020. For campaign staff, that leaves a narrow path: argue over procedure and ballot access in court and in legislatures while keeping paid ads focused on issues voters rank higher. For election officials and congressional oversight staff, the work is procedural, focused on mail-voting rules, certification timelines and planning for federal action.
