Republicans widely alleged voter fraud could be a prominent factor in the lead up to the 2024 US election, but since Donald Trump’s win it has been some Democratic supporters questioning results.

Those complaints were buoyed by the success of Democratic senators and governors in key states won by Trump, resulting in claims of election interference and cheating from progressive voters online.

In Nevada, Arizona, Michigan and Wisconsin, where Trump’s electoral college victory was confirmed, Democratic senate candidates outperformed Kamala Harris to win the seats.

In North Carolina, Josh Stein beat Mark Robinson easily to the governor’s house.

PolitiFact, a United States-based fact-checking organisation, broke down why Trump was able to successfully win in swing states carried by Democratic senators, ruling it likely the result of split-ticket voters and Trump’s personal appeal.

“Although there’s a strong historical correlation between votes cast for president and senator, it’s not ironclad,” PolitiFact said.

“In each of these races, the Democrats benefited from an advantage or two, such as incumbency or a politically damaged opponent, that may have put them over the top.”

In Arizona, Kari Lake is hugely unpopular after three election defeats, leading to Democrat Ruben Gallego winning the seat.

Across the country in North Carolina, outspoken conservative warrior Robinson was marred by controversy after his regular appearances in porn shops and posts declaring himself a “black nazi” surfaced before the election.

Reverse in fortunes

Conspiracy theories, misinformation and disinformation have mainly been associated with Republicans in American politics, given Trump and his allies’ penchant for ignoring facts.

But it should come as no surprise that more traditionally left-leaning voters can be swept up too.

Dr Mathew Marques, a senior lecturer in social psychology at La Trobe University and member of the International Society of Political Psychology, said although it is often assumed that conservative voters are more susceptible to misinformation, the issue is far more complex than a simple left-right paradigm.

“When it is such an important contest and has competing values and interests, then narratives enable people to feel like there has been as injustice,” he said.

“The Democrat conspiracy theories aren’t too dissimilar from those around Russian interference in 2016. There are ideologically consistent conspiracy theories that help explain the result of the election.”

The most prominent example before the election was questioning the legitimacy of an assassination attempt against Trump as a ‘false flag’ to shore up his support.

Marques said beliefs often conform to their worldview to help explain an event.

“The winning side this time around was still trying to reconcile their prior beliefs that his election was going to be stolen,” he said.

“It shows just how malleable and fluid conspiracy theories and misinformation are.”

Four years of chaos?

Although Democratic voters may be clinging to conspiracies to explain Trump’s success, the White House will be doing the heavy lifting of disinformation and conspiracy.

The odds-on bet for Trump’s pick to run the Department of Health, Robert F Kennedy Jr, has previously been associated with a measles outbreak in Samoa that killed 182 people after he helped spread vaccine scepticism in the country.

RFK Jr has been embroiled in controversy given his role in suppressing vaccine uptake in countries visited by his NGO. Photo: Getty

He has pushed an array of false conspiracy theories targeting everything from fluoride in the water to global cabals.

Marques said it is “worrying” that someone who has spread so much misinformation could be in charge of critical departments.

“What you hope for is checks and balances in other departments or regulations that make it difficult for people to enact dangerous public health policies,” he said.

“Appointing certain people to health and CDC-related departments, when those same people are also spreading misinformation about vaccines and health-related areas, that is extremely worrisome.”