FACT CHECK: Did Votes Cast For Jill Stein Prevent Kamala Harris From Winning Virginia?

Christine Sellers | Fact Check Reporter

A viral post shared on X claims votes cast for Green Party candidate Jill Stein in the 2024 election prevented Democratic nominee Vice President Kamala Harris from winning the state of Virginia.

Verdict: False

The claim is false. Harris won the presidential race in Virginia, multiple sources, including the Virginia Department of Elections, indicate.

Fact Check:

Harris’ campaign reportedly ended their 2024 presidential bid in “at least $20 million in debt,” according to Newsweek, who cited Politico bureau chief Christopher Cadelago. Harris raised over $1 billion during her campaign and had “$118 million in the bank as of Oct. 16,” Cadelago wrote on X, the outlet indicated.

The X post, viewed over five million times as of writing, claims votes cast for Stein in the 2024 election prevented Harris from winning the state of Virginia.

“We [could’ve] secured Virginia if 20k woke [Twitter] warriors hadn’t voted for Jill Stein,” the post reads. The post features a photo of the vote totals in the Virginia race.

The photo shows President-Elect Donald Trump ahead of Harris at 49.5% (or 1,227,559 votes) compared to her 48.7% (or 1,207,424 votes). The same photo also shows Stein at 0.8% (or 20,830 votes) and Libertarian Party candidate Chase Oliver at 0.5% (or 11,982 votes). The photo, which appears to be from The Associated Press, indicates that the totals represent 52% reporting.

The claim is false. Election totals reported by the Virginia Department of Elections show that Harris won the race at 51.56% (or 2,226,768 votes). The same election totals place Trump at 46.36% (or 2,002,197 votes), Stein at 0.74% (or 32,147 votes), and Oliver at 0.43% (18,783 votes).

Likewise, Virginia Presidential Election Results reported by The New York Times show Harris won the race at 51.8% (or 2,227,756 votes) compared to Trump at 46.6% (or 2,003,384 votes). In addition, The Associated Press called the Virginia race for Harris at 11:42 p.m. on Election night.

Furthermore, Check Your Fact found no credible news reports to support the claim. Actually, the opposite is true. On Nov. 6, Lead Stories debunked the claim, citing both the Virginia Department of Elections and The Associated Press. (RELATED: Did Nancy Pelosi Say It Is Not A Good Morning After The Election?)

A spokesperson for the Virginia Department of Elections directed Check Your Fact to its election totals when asked to comment on the claim.

Christine Sellers

Fact Check Reporter

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