Corporate leaders fund election deniers in secretary of state races

Over two dozen corporate leaders and businesses are quietly donating to the campaigns of at least four Republicans who have pushed false claims about the 2020 election results while running to become secretaries of state, according to a review of state campaign finance disclosures.

The secretary of state candidates in Jim Marchant, Mark Finchem, Kristina Karamo and Chuck Gray — all endorsed by former President Donald Trump — have disputed the 2020 election results on the campaign trail. If elected, they could have ultimate administrative control over their states’ election processes.

Marchant is running to be Nevada’s secretary of state, while Finchem and Karamo are aiming for the same position in Arizona and Michigan, respectively. Gray is fighting to be Wyoming’s next secretary of state.

Nevada, Arizona and Michigan are each considered swing states during presidential elections, and Trump lost to President Joe Biden in all three of those states. The former president and his allies filed lawsuits challenging the results in those states, only for courts to reject them.

If the candidates win, they would have a critical role in both administering the election and counting ballots in 2024 — when Trump could again lead the GOP presidential ticket. Even as they spread some debunked claims about the 2020 election, the candidates have found deep-pocketed supporters in the business community.

Beyond his endorsements, the former president himself has given the candidates financial support. His political action committee, Save America, has donated $17,000 combined to the Finchem, Marchant and Karamo campaigns, according to a report by campaign watchdog Issue One.

The candidates have echoed Trump’s false claims that widespread fraud cost him the 2020 election against President Joe Biden. The allegations led to dozens of failed lawsuits attempting to overturn state results and prompted the deadly Jan. 6, 2021 riot at the U.S. Capitol.

Despite the fact that they have embraced false election conspiracies, the candidates have received donations from corporate leaders across a variety of industries. Those business officials started financing the secretary of state candidates in Aug. 2021 and continued their donations through September, according to state records.

Overall, the 12 secretary of state candidates who have disputed the 2020 election results have raised at least $5.8 million over the two-year 2022 election cycle, said Michael Beckel, a research director at Issue One, in a tweet. The other Republican candidates that have denied the election results are running to be secretaries of state in Alabama, Indiana, Connecticut, Minnesota, Massachusetts, New Mexico, Vermont and South Dakota.

The wealthiest donors to Marchant, Finchem,…