GOP congressional candidates express doubts about Biden’s 2020 White House win

Three of the four Republicans running for Illinois’ 11th Congressional District seat have expressed doubts that Joe Biden legitimately won the 2020 presidential election.

Elburn Mayor Jeff Walter, Naperville resident Michael Pierce, Aurora resident Charlie Kim and Palos Park resident Tedora M. Brown are seeking the GOP nomination in the 11th District, which now is represented by Democrat Bill Foster of Naperville.

Pierce and Walter were asked about the 2020 election during a joint virtual interview with the Daily Herald. Kim didn’t participate but shared his opinion later via email.

Brown refused to participate in the group interview or to share an opinion on the 2020 election results.

President Donald Trump continues to push debunked allegations that widespread election fraud cost him the White House in 2020. Last month, the FBI raided an elections office in Georgia and seized ballots from that election. National Intelligence Director Tulsi Gabbard reportedly has led an investigation into the 2020 election and was present for the raid.

Pierce, a U.S. Army veteran making his first bid for elected office, acknowledged Biden was sworn in as president in 2021. “Obviously, he was president,” Pierce said. “Now the question is the legality of it.”

Americans will “never really know” if Biden won, Pierce said. Without offering evidence, Pierce alleged that the election was tainted by unspecified “irregularities” in the swing states.

“I don’t think it was a fair election,” he added. “I think we do need to find out what actually happened.”

Walter, who is in his third term as Elburn’s mayor, acknowledged Biden was elected by the Electoral College and held the Oval Office for four years. But he questioned if Biden’s victory was legitimate.

“As of right now, we don’t know,” Walter said. “I can’t make that decision until all the evidence is out.”

Walter supported the continued search for evidence of wrongdoing.

“If it’s there, they’ll find it,” he said. “We don’t know what’s out there. We don’t know what we don’t know.”

Kim, a business owner, expressed doubts about the 2020 election results when he unsuccessfully ran for Congress in the 14th District in 2024. This week, Kim said he believes illegitimate votes were counted in Georgia in 2020.

Trump could’ve won the 2020 election “if it was fairly done,” Kim said. He called for unnamed election officials to be indicted on unspecified federal charges.

The 11th Congressional District encompasses portions of Cook, DuPage, Kane, Lake, McHenry, Will, DeKalb and Boone counties.

The winner of the March 17 Republican primary will face Foster in November’s general election. Foster is unopposed in the Democratic primary.