PENNSYLVANIA – After dodging the issue for weeks, Republican vice-presidential candidate J.D. Vance said unequivocally on Oct 16 he believes false claims that former US president Donald Trump did not lose the 2020 election.

       Taking questions from reporters at a campaign event in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, Mr Vance was again asked if Trump lost to US President Joe Biden four years ago.

       “On the election of 2020, I've answered this question directly a million times. No! I think there are serious problems in 2020,” Mr Vance said. “So, did Donald Trump lose the election in 2020? Not by the words that I would use.”

       Trump, the Republican candidate for president in 2024, continues to falsely claim that he lost the 2020 election due to extensive voter fraud, a view shared by millions of his supporters. Numerous inquiries, however, have found no evidence of fraud.

       During his current run for president, Trump has suggested he will challenge the results if he does not prevail in the Nov 5 contest against Democrat Kamala Harris, the US Vice-President.

       His efforts to overturn the 2020 election led to his indictment by federal and state officials. He still awaits trial in those cases. His refusal to accept the outcome also sparked the Jan 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol by thousands of his supporters.

       Mr Vance, a first-term US senator, made headlines when he sidestepped the question during his debate with Ms Harris’ running mate, Mr Tim Walz, on Oct 1, saying he was focused on “the future”.

       That led Mr Walz to rebuke him. “That’s a damning non-answer,” he said.

       In Williamsport, Mr Vance said he was not espousing “some crazy conspiracy theory” in arguing Trump won. Instead, he blamed the election outcome on online censorship by large tech companies.

       Pennsylvania is considered perhaps the most critical of the seven battleground states that will determine the election. REUTERS