(NewsNation) — Kentucky’s Republican secretary of state vowed the 2024 presidential election will be “fair and free” while distancing himself from former President Donald Trump‘s false claims that the last contest was stolen.
During a Saturday interview on “NewsNation Prime,” Secretary Michael Adams insisted there’s “simply no reason” for any candidate to state ahead of time they won’t accept the 2024 results. He pointed to the thousands of volunteer poll workers from both parties who will oversee the process.
“Even if you think that there were some changes that were due to COVID in how states ran their elections, there are some of those that I championed and I stand by them,” Adams said. “But regardless, 2020 is over. This is 2024.”
Trump has continued repeating the falsehood that the 2020 election was “rigged” during his campaign rallies as he seeks the Republican nomination again. Some allies have also demurred when asked if they’ll accept the next results, no matter the winner.
Republican South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott, considered a potential Trump running mate, declined to give a straight answer when pressed recently, saying only: “The 47th president…will be President Donald Trump.”
Adams called such hedging “kind of frustrating” and emphasized the integrity of election officials at all levels who he said have proper “checks and balances.”
As for Trump’s conspiracy theories, the secretary said he’s “working to make sure that Americans trust our system.”
“We’re very transparent. We show people from top to bottom how we count votes, how we make sure that they’re not fraudulent, how we have prompt results,” Adams said.
Trump’s refusal to admit his 2020 defeat helped incite the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol by a mob trying to overturn his loss. Adams said he doesn’t expect a similar incident in 2024 based on increased security preparations, but warned: “It could come down to one state or two states and a very, very close outcome.”
Adams said he’ll vote for Trump if the former president wins the GOP nomination, as his heavily Republican state is expected to back Trump by 30 points. But he struck a nonpartisan tone on administering the presidential election, which he said comes down to whether Republicans who backed other candidates join Democrats in accepting the final tally.
“It’s going to be a free and fair election either way,” Adams said.