
Letters from an American February 4, 2026
37 snips
Feb 5, 2026 Discussion of a push to seize federal control of elections after a surprising Texas state Senate flip. Revelations from Epstein files about Steve Bannon's influence and image laundering. Tracing long-running GOP myths about immigrant voting and the origins of 'Stop the Steal.' Historical parallels to the 1898 Wilmington coup and how racial politics shape modern fraud claims.
AI Snips
Chapters
Books
Transcript
Episode notes
Longstanding Falsehood About Noncitizen Voting
- Trump allies amplify claims that undocumented immigrants corrupt elections despite no evidence.
- Heather Cox Richardson traces this rhetoric back to Republican attacks after the Motor Voter Act in 1994.
Evidence Shows Tiny Incidence Of Noncitizen Votes
- Investigations and fact-checks repeatedly failed to find widespread noncitizen voting.
- Brennan Center outreach found only about 30 possible incidents out of 23.5 million votes in reviewed jurisdictions.
'Stop The Steal' Became A Perpetual Narrativ
- 'Stop the Steal' began during the 2016 GOP primaries and evolved into a broader tool to delegitimize Democratic wins.
- Heather Cox Richardson shows how the tactic reframes any loss as fraud to sustain support.




