Former President Donald Trump s lies about widespread election fraud remain the driving force in GOP politics 18 months after his loss, shaping everything from a Senate election in Arizona to state legislative battles in Wisconsin while continuing to sow doubt in American democracy and setting the stage for a possible second attempt to steal the election in 2024.

We cannot move on, Mehmet Oz, the television personality who is Trumps endorsed candidate in Pennsylvanias GOP Senate primary, said during a debate last week when asked about the 2020 election. He noted he had spoken about the election with Trump.

There is no evidence to support Trumps claims of a stolen election, conspiracy theories about mass voter fraud have been repeatedly debunked, and multiple Republican-led reviews of the election across the country have uncovered zero evidence of wrongdoing. Trumps lies have inspired both the Jan. 6 insurrection in the U.S. Capitol and a wave of GOP-backed laws restricting voting rights and giving Republican appointees more power over elections.

As campaign season moves into high gear with a month of primaries starting Tuesday, claims the election were stolen are central to Republican messaging and often receive thunderous applause at GOP events and rallies. Polling indicates a majority of Republican voters continue to believe the election was stolen, and those who do are the most excited to vote in the midterm elections. Trump routinely threatens politicians who resist a complete and total embrace of the lies.

While there are isolated bits of resistance from establishment Republicans , the bulk of the party has embraced candidates who continue to insist Trump won. All but one of the GOP candidates running in a crowded Senate primary in Ohio on Tuesday insist the election was stolen, as do leading Senate candidates in Georgia, Nevada and Arizona. The incumbent governor of Alabama, Kay Ivey, opened one of her television ads by proclaiming: The fake news, big tech and blue state liberals stole the election from Donald Trump.