40% of Americans Think 2020 Election Was Stolen, Just Days Before Midterms

Despite being proven false, Donald Trump's 'Big Lie' about the 2020 presidential election being stolen from him keeps lingering over the American electorate, with its influence weighing heavily on voters just days before the midterms.

Some 40 percent of Americans believe that the 2020 presidential election, won by President Joe Biden, was rigged or stolen, a poll conducted by Redfield & Wilton Strategies on behalf of Newsweek found.

The survey, conducted on October 30 among 1,500 eligible voters in the U.S., found that 40 percent of respondents agreed with the now-debunked theory promoted by the former president, claiming that the 2020 presidential election was marred by electoral fraud.

Of these, 24 percent "strongly agreed" that the election was stolen while 16 percent "agreed."

Ballot Election Midterms
In this photo, a voter prepares their ballot at a polling station during early voting ahead of the US midterm elections in Los Angeles, California, on November 1, 2022. ROBYN BECK/AFP via Getty Images

Some 36 percent of respondents disagreed that the election was stolen. Of these last group, 27 percent strongly disagreed that the election was stolen, and nine percent disagreed.

Among the 36 percent of respondents who believe in the legitimacy of the 2020 election, some 45 percent said they don't think it's understandable why some may have doubts about its integrity.

Some 34 percent, on the other hand, said it was understandable.

Some 15 percent of respondents neither agreed nor disagree with the idea that the 2020 election was stolen, while eight percent said they didn't know.

The 2020 election denial is still pervasive of American politics, with many Republicans embracing Trump's claims of a stolen or rigged elections—an ideological move with has proven successful.

More than 100 Republicans who won their state's primary for the midterms ran on a message of the 2020 presidential election being rigged or somehow fraudulent, amplifying Trump's false claims, an analysis from The Washington Post found in June. Some 82 of these Republican candidates are running for the House.

In key governor's races across the country, election deniers are running for roles overseeing elections that could allow them to change election laws.

In Arizona, Kari Lake is currently expected by polling website FiveThirtyEight to have a 63 in 100 chance of defeating Democratic candidate Katie Hobbs. However, in Pennsylvania, election denier Doug Mastriano is expected to lose against Democratic rival Josh Shapiro, with only a 4 in 100 chance of winning.

The Redfield & Wilton Strategies's poll asked respondents to what extent, if at all, they would support or oppose politicians who have doubts about the integrity of 2020 being elected in the 2022 midterm elections.

Some 34 percent said they would support election-denying candidates—of which 17 percent said they would "strongly" support them—while only 25 percent of candidates said they would oppose nominees claiming the election was stolen or rigged—15 percent of which would "strongly" oppose them.

Some 10 percent said they didn't know whether they would oppose or support these candidates, while 30 percent said they would neither support them or oppose them.

Uncommon Knowledge

Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.

Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.

About the writer


Giulia Carbonaro is a Newsweek Reporter based in London, U.K. Her focus is on U.S. and European politics, global affairs ... Read more

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