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Top Minnesota Republicans buy into Trump’s unsupported claims about election

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By | | Pioneer PressMinnesota’s top Republicans Friday have decided to buy in, at least publicly, to President Donald Trump’s baseless claims that somehow Tuesday’s election is a fraudulent conspiracy.Trump has shown no evidence that would suggest the continued counting in several yet-to-be-called battleground states is anything other than what election officials from those states are saying: Normal operations, just taking a bit longer in a pandemic.Trump’s statements have been so riddled with misinformation that from his Thursday night address, and the New York Times titled its episode of “The Daily” podcastNationally, , who has previously criticized the American democratic election process. After his 2016 victory, he proclaimed widespread fraud that was later determined by his own task force to not exist.Some conservative media outlets also began to shift the narrative.A , for example, began this way: “President Trump is losing the support of top Republicans as he continues to demand a halt to vote counts around the country, leaving him increasingly isolated at the White House and reliant on the support of family members and a core of senior advisers.” In a , the online publication’s executive editor said evidence of fraud was “nonexistent.”But another type of response emerged Friday: General statements of democratic principles while subtly endorsing the idea — providing zero evidence — that maybe there’s something fishy going on.U.S. Rep. Tom Emmer, R-6th, who was re-elected Tuesday and also serves as chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee, the House GOP’s fundraising arm, issued a statement that read: “The American people deserve confidence in the validity of their elections, and that must include scrutiny and transparency at every level. All Americans can agree that only legal ballots should be counted. Allegations of fraud deserve a complete and thorough investigation. Our nation is stronger when we work together to root out fraud and protect our democratic process and the right of every American to have their vote counted.”Trump has said numerous times in the past several days that unnamed Democrats were trying to “steal” the 2020 election.Emmer declined requests for an interview with the Pioneer Press.Statements along similar lines were issued or said in interviews by U.S. Reps. Pete Stauber, R-8th; and Jim Hagedorn, R-1st, who were both re-elected Tuesday, as well as former state Sen. and Minnesota Lt. Gov. Michelle Fischbach, a Republican who defeated longtime U.S. Rep. Collin Peterson, D-7th.Some suggested that the delays in reporting results were suspicious. In fact, they were predicted. In several of the states, including Wisconsin and Pennsylvania, efforts by Democrats to start counting mailed ballots before Nov. 3 — as was done in Minnesota — were blocked by Republicans, who were following Trump’s lead in discouraging voting by mail. Democrats were encouraging the public to vote by mail or early in an effort to prevent crowds at polling stations during the coronavirus pandemic.Many political observers predicted that this would lead to a “red mirage” as the first votes counted would skew Republican, giving Trump an apparent lead until the Biden-heavy mailed ballots were tabulated later. This appears to be what has happened in Wisconsin, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Georgia.The issue matters because in the current polarized environment, some proportion of Trump’s loyal followers will, the past four years have shown, believe what he says, even if it’s demonstrably false.Democrats are predictably up in arms. State party Chairman Ken Martin released a statement Friday calling it “incredibly disappointing and alarming” watching Minnesota Republican leaders lend support to Trump’s claims.Pushing the fraud narrative appears to be a national Republican strategy.At least, that’s what Jennifer Carnahan, chairwoman of the Republican Party of Minnesota, said in a Zoom call Thursday with party activists. Recorded audio clips of the private call were , which had a reporter on the call.At one point, Carnahan said that Republican National Committee Chair Ronna McDaniel asked her to rally other Republicans around the fraud notion.“In regards to the fraud and the concern that the president’s campaign is feeling around the country, another thing that Ronna had said on the call today is she asked us as chairs: Can you get your other leaders in the state to start coming out and speaking about this? Because it can’t just be the state party chair, right? It can’t just be me saying, ‘Hey we have concern of the validity of some of this stuff.’ … So I’m gonna be making calls tomorrow to all of our leaders asking us to be a voice.”After the call Thursday, the Pioneer Press asked Carnahan to discuss Trump’s claims, and she declined to comment. After the recording became public Friday, she declined a request for an interview but issued a statement. It was similar in theme to Emmer’s, extolling the virtues of legal votes being counted but illegal votes not being counted — without specifying where any illegal votes might have been cast or how they might have a bearing on the ultimate outcome of the election.In a passage that suggests a concern of how the push could be perceived, Carnahan said: “This does not mean we are conspiracy theorists or trying to harm our country’s foundation. It means we have the courage to stand up and call attention to concerning behavior and activity.”By early Friday evening, the national race remained too close to call, but Biden appeared on the cusp of being the projected winner, and Trump’s chances appeared to be narrowing.Here are some of the statements that Minnesota’s leaders said when asked specifically to address the president’s claims.Hagedorn: “I support the President’s effort to count every legal vote. Because the current winning margin in several of the key battleground states for president is so minuscule, as compared with the total number of votes, the Trump campaign is right to take all possible steps to ensure an accurate tally and fair election.“The process of vote certifications, recounts, and direct challenges of invalid votes and voters, a process that could include court proceedings, is likely to take many weeks. For the sake of our nation’s future, it’s important for our nation’s future that we allow the process to play out and give both sides the opportunity to make their case.”Fischbach could not be reached for comment. In an interview on Fox and Friends on Friday, she said this: “I pray that it will be handled correctly, and that President Trump will win, because I believe he did win. And I think when those votes — when they didn’t win the votes of the American people, they’re just finding votes.”Stauber’s office released this: “The world is watching our great nation. Every legally cast vote should be counted. Every illegally cast vote should not. It is imperative to ensure Americans can trust our system and election integrity is upheld. In our great state of Minnesota, we knew our results on election night. This should be the case nationwide.”In an interview with the on Friday morning, Stauber was asked if he agreed the election was rigged or being stolen. He responded: “I’m not a lawyer and I’m not going to play one in any conversation.”Minnesota Senate Majority Leader Paul Gazelka, R-E. Gull Lake, was unavailable Friday afternoon.Minnesota House Minority Leader Kurt Daudt, R-Crown, declined to comment.We invite you to use our commenting platform to engage in insightful conversations about issues in our community. 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By | | Pioneer PressMinnesota’s top Republicans Friday have decided to buy in, at least publicly, to President Donald Trump’s baseless claims that somehow Tuesday’s election is a fraudulent conspiracy.Trump has shown no evidence that would suggest the continued counting in several yet-to-be-called battleground states is anything other than what election officials from those states are saying: Normal operations, just taking a bit longer in a pandemic.Trump’s statements have been so riddled with misinformation that from his Thursday night address, and the New York Times titled its episode of...

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Journalist. Minneapolis City Hall reporter for the Star-Tribune. Formerly of the St. Paul Pioneer Press.

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Twin Cities news, sports, politics, entertainment and business from the St. Paul Pioneer Press, Minnesota's first newspaper.

Top Minnesota Republicans buy into Trump’s unsupported claims about election

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