Texas Democratic Rep. Jasmine Crockett is making headlines this week after floating an unsubstantiated theory that Republicans may be plotting to “rig” the 2026 midterm elections — this time through Dominion voting machines.
Speaking Monday on the podcast Defending Democracy with Marc Elias, Crockett suggested that the recent acquisition of Dominion Voting Systems by Liberty Vote founder and CEO Scott Leiendecker, a former Republican election-reform advocate, could be part of a covert effort to manipulate vote counts in favor of the GOP.
“We do know that one of his friends has purchased Dominion,” Crockett said. “So, it’s going to be really important for us to educate all states that we can to make sure that their secretary of states are like, ‘We don’t want the Dominion machines.’”
Crockett went on to claim — without evidence — that Leiendecker’s connection to President Donald Trump motivated the purchase. “I personally believe that that ally purchased Dominion so that he could potentially play with the machines,” she said. “Because we know that they’re trying to cheat by changing the lines for the midterms. And I think that they’re trying to solidify their cheat potentially with the voting machines.”
Her remarks come despite the absence of any factual support linking Leiendecker’s company or Trump to election interference. The terms of the October deal for Liberty Vote’s purchase of Dominion explicitly required the settlement and dismissal of several lingering defamation suits Dominion had filed against prominent conservatives and outlets like One America News Network (OANN).
For his part, Leiendecker has publicly rejected the kind of distrust Crockett is promoting. In a statement to the Daily Caller, he said, “Every legacy system is under review.
Liberty Vote will be 100 percent American-owned, American-built and independently audited. We won’t ask for trust — we’ll earn it and prove it.” His company’s mission, he added, is to “rebuild trust from the ground up,” emphasizing paper-based transparency and verifiable tabulation.
Dominion itself became a lightning rod following the 2020 election when false claims circulated that its software helped swing votes away from Trump. Those claims spawned a series of high-profile defamation suits that culminated in Dominion’s $787.5 million settlement with Fox News in 2023 and another $67 million settlement with Newsmax the following year. Now, under new ownership, the company is attempting to distance itself from both the conspiracy theories of the Right and the growing suspicion from the Left.
Still, Crockett’s speculation is part of a broader trend among Democratic commentators who have begun voicing doubts about electoral fairness ahead of the 2026 midterms. Figures like James Carville, Joy Reid, and Charlamagne tha God have all suggested, without proof, that Republicans are “rigging” the political system through new legislation or redistricting efforts.
