A prominent denier of Joe Biden's victory over Donald Trump in 2020 was defeated in a Republican primary race in Colorado, only to deny that she had lost and claim she was the victim of fraud.
Mesa County Clerk Tina Peters was vying to become Colorado's next secretary of state, whose duties include overseeing elections.
She garnered 28.8 per cent of the vote, losing out to Pam Anderson, who received 43.1 per cent. Ms Anderson has rejected Mr Trump’s claims electoral fraud.
“We didn't lose, we just found out more fraud,” Ms Peters said after Tuesday's election.
“All I can say is, I’m going to keep fighting for you guys. We’re going to do this. They’re cheating. And we’re going to prove it once again, like we already have.”
Ms Peters has been indicted on criminal charges for reportedly tampering with election equipment after an apparent effort to prove conspiracy theories about voter fraud.
She did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The National.
Ms Anderson is now positioned to challenge Democratic Secretary of State Jena Griswold in November.
Mr Trump has pushed baseless claims of widespread voter fraud since losing to Mr Biden by seven million votes in November 2020.
A special congressional panel investigation into the January 6, 2021, insurrection has heard detailed accounts of how Mr Trump's advisers told him that he had lost, but that he chose to push his false narrative anyway.
The former president's refusal to concede directly led to the attack on the US Capitol, the panel said.
Several other election-denying Republican candidates have lost in primary races this year, but Trump-backed candidates have had some successes.
Candidates who deny the results of the 2020 election have won Republican primaries for major elections in Alabama, Indiana, Nevada and New Mexico.
In Pennsylvania, Doug Mastriano, who was at the US Capitol during the insurrection, won the Republican nomination for governor.
If elected in November, he would be able to nominate the secretary of state.
January 6 hearing — in pictures
