Ex-Congressman Matt Salmon Says GOP Will Keep Losing Unless It Drops Election Denial

A group of Arizona Republicans has formed to push back on claims, including those from former President Donald Trump, that elections are rigged. Called the Democracy Defense Project, it says it aims to "defend the transparency, safety, security and validity of Arizona's elections system and restore voter confidence."

Former Gov. Jan Brewer and former Congressman Matt Salmon are involved in the effort. Salmon says many Republicans share his view that elections are run fairly and administered properly, but some have been unwilling to say so publicly because they fear retribution.

In an interview with KJZZ's The Show, Salmon said many people are worried about election security because the former president and a leading Arizona candidate who ran for governor promoted such doubts. He said many have accepted the argument because it has not faded away.

Salmon described himself as very conservative on policy, but said that has no bearing on whether someone accepts truth over fiction. "I don't subscribe to things that aren't true," he said. He added that fellow Republicans who hold different views on elections have a right to speak freely, but called it irresponsible to argue that elections are insecure, unsafe or do not count votes correctly. Such claims, he said, damage confidence in the process, and he considers efforts to undermine belief in constitutional democracy very troubling.

Asked how large a problem false claims will be this year, Salmon predicted that the number of election deniers will shrink with each election as more people, including within his own party, speak up against them. For now, he said, the claims remain prevalent in Arizona, and many people still agree with Trump's views. He said he was disappointed by what Trump said about the issue in the debate and noted that other candidates continue to campaign on it. He called it a serious problem that has not gone away, and said that is why his group is working to assure people that elections are safe and their votes count.

Salmon was also asked how to change minds while Trump leads the ticket and remains a major force in the party. "As long as the leaders of the Republican Party continue to espouse the election denialism and things that aren't true, we're gonna keep losing," he said. He said he believes the party may already have hit rock bottom in recent election cycles, though more losses may be needed before some people change their message.

With the election a few weeks away, Salmon said, many Republicans are holding their breath over whether the party could lose majority control of the state Legislature, or of one of its chambers. He argued that continuing to talk about stolen elections in general elections, rather than future policies to improve the state and country, means focusing on the past and on fiction.

Salmon also acknowledged a risk of a reinforcing cycle, in which continued Republican losses lead some in the party to blame rigged elections. He said people could dig deeper into those beliefs, which would keep costing the party at the ballot box.