Michigan politicians join nationwide, bipartisan efforts to fend off attacks on the electoral system

LANSING, Mich. – Former Michigan governors and elected officials from both parties are joining a broader initiative to combat misinformation and attacks on voting and ballot counting in several swing states ahead of the fast-approaching presidential election.

The Democracy Defense Project also includes former officials from several states where then-President Donald Trump tried to overturn his election loss in 2020, including Georgia. Their goal is to build confidence in the election through radio and television advertising, media outreach and local engagement.

“We will speak out together, wherever necessary, when people try to question the integrity or accuracy of our elections. We believe in our system and we do not appreciate people making up stories that only serve their own interests,” former Michigan Governor James Blanchard told the Associated Press ahead of the official launch of the Michigan branch on Thursday.

Blanchard, a Democrat who served as governor from 1983 to 1991, is joined on the Michigan team by former Republican governor John Engler, former Democratic lieutenant governor John Cherry and former Republican U.S. Rep. Mike Bishop.

The focus on building confidence in elections in swing states follows years of attacks on their electoral systems by Trump and his allies, who have consistently sought to undermine the results of the 2020 presidential election.

In Michigan, where 15 Republicans were charged with voter fraud, Trump pressured authorities not to certify the results, and armed protesters surrounded the secretary of state's house, claiming there was voter fraud.

Many officials and lawyers are preparing for similar challenges this year as Trump warns his supporters – without evidence – that Democrats are trying to cheat.

While most Americans have at least a “moderate” level of trust in the government-certified election results, Republicans are more likely to trust Trump and his campaign team, according to a new poll from the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research and USAFacts. At the same time, a majority of Republicans believe Trump's lies that Joe Biden was not legitimately elected president.

During the debate with Vice President Kamala Harris on Tuesday, Trump again expressed doubts about the outcome of the 2020 election, even though his campaign had lost dozens of court cases, his own attorney general had said there was no evidence of widespread voter fraud, and reviews, recounts and audits in the swing states where he contested his defeat – including Michigan – all confirmed Biden's victory.

Bishop said it was “painful to watch” Trump continue to deny losing the 2020 election and that he “turned off the television at that moment.”

“It was very disappointing to me that this issue was brought up again. I did not expect this. I think most people did not expect this either,” he said. “I think this is a big blow to the Republican candidate.”

Engler, who served as governor from 1991 to 2003, expressed a similar view, saying Trump “lost the election, he has not served as president and he will not serve a single day as president in this four-year term.”

“It's over. And in my opinion it's stupid of him to keep thinking about it,” Engler said.

Many other members of the Democracy Defense Project have condemned Trump's comments about the 2020 election. Still, some plan to support him this year, said the group's national spokesman, Brian Jones, adding that they “still believe in the importance of our electoral system and that the 2020 election was decided correctly.”

The group is active in eight states: Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, New Hampshire, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.