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Stories by Eugene Kiely
Former Director, FactCheck.org
The Whoppers of 2022
The midterm elections are finally over, but it won’t be long before the 2024 campaign cycle — which will really start in 2023 — gets going. Before that happens, we’ve put together this list of the year’s biggest whoppers that politicians and others made over the past 12 months.
Bernie Sanders Overstates Number of Americans Without Health Insurance
Explaining why he is likely to vote against an $858 billion defense spending bill, Sen. Bernie Sanders wrongly said there are “85 million Americans who have no health insurance.”
FactChecking Trump’s Presidential Bid Announcement
Speaking from his Mar-a-Lago home, Trump rattled off a string of familiar claims.
FactChecking Trump’s Bizarre Claim of Stopping DeSantis’ 2018 Election ‘From Being Stolen’
Former President Donald Trump claimed he “sent in the FBI and the U.S. Attorneys” to Broward County during the 2018 election to stop “ballot theft” and help Ron DeSantis become Florida’s governor. But a spokesman for the county elections office said there was no “federal law enforcement presence” for that election.
‘Harmless Data Error’ to Blame for Glitch at Some Detroit Polling Places, Contrary to Trump’s Post
A “harmless data error” resulted in a glitch at some Detroit polling precincts that incorrectly registered some in-person voters as having already been issued an absentee ballot, the city elections department said. The issue was resolved, and ballot security safeguards are in place to prevent duplicated votes, it said.
Major Themes of the Midterms
Voters are about to get a respite from the political attack-ad onslaught: Election Day is tomorrow. That means no more messages from Democrats attacking Republicans over abortion rights or the future of Medicare; no more Republicans blaming Democrats for inflation or crime. At least for a little while.
FactChecking DSCC’s Abortion Ad in Nevada Senate Race
Adam Laxalt, the Republican candidate for Senate in Nevada, opposes abortion and has called the overturning of Roe v. Wade a “historic victory.” But he has not voiced support for criminalizing abortion for women, as the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee suggests in a TV ad that shows a woman being arrested for having an abortion.
GOP’s Shaky Claims About Cortez Masto’s Net Worth
A Republican TV ad accuses Nevada Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto of putting her “own financial interests over yours” and “becoming a multimillionaire while in office.” But the claims rely on financial disclosure reports that provide only broad ranges of assets and liabilities and show no evidence of wrongdoing.
Biden’s Numbers, October 2022 Update
Various measures of what has happened in the country since the president’s inauguration.