Hundreds of elected and appointed Republicans around the country are backing President Donald Trump s false claims he won the 2020 presidential election , a widespread embrace that is likely to empower Trumps grip over the GOP even after he leaves office and turn belief in Trumps falsehoods into a litmus test for a significant segment of Republican voters.

The Republicans embracing Trumps cause, and the nonsensical conspiracy theories used to justify it, come from every level of government. They include prominent senators like Texas Ted Cruz, ambitious attorneys general, well-known conservative bombthrowers and little-known state legislators. They are egged on by a vocal portion of GOP voters who refuse to accept President-elect Joe Biden s victory, and are unlikely to change their minds anytime soon.

This is going to be a long-term litmus test for some Republicans. Even though Trumps leaving office, hes not going to let go of the reins of the party, said Ryan Williams, a GOP operative who was a top spokesman for Mitt Romneys 2012 presidential campaign. He contrasted Trump with former Republican President George W. Bush: Hes not going to go back to Crawford, Texas, to paint portraits of dogs and foreign leaders.

The efforts have zero chance of actually overthrowing the election. Almost every Republican with the power to somehow impact the result has declined to indulge Trumps delusions, and many have subsequently faced vociferous criticism from other members of their party.

I make the distinction between whats professional wrestling and whats a serious attempt to undermine democracy, said Pennsylvania Lt. Gov. John Fetterman, a Democrat who has repeatedly worked to shoot down conspiracy theories about Bidens narrow win in the state. He noted GOP leaders in Pennsylvanias state Legislature have never made an actual move to overthrow the election result.