GOP Senators to Contest Some Electoral College Results – By Lindsay Wise (The Wall Street Journal) / Jan 3 2020
WASHINGTON—Eleven current and incoming Republican senators said they would vote to reject the Electoral College votes of some states on Wednesday as not “lawfully certified” unless Congress appoints a commission to conduct an emergency, 10-day audit of the election results.
Although none of the challenges are expected to succeed, they could slow down the process and give President Trump’s allies a high-profile chance to demonstrate their loyalty to him. The move also highlights deepening divisions within the Republican Party over whether to accept the results of the 2020 presidential election as legitimate. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R., Ky.) and other Senate GOP leaders have congratulated Democrat President-elect Joe Biden and have urged their colleagues not to join in efforts to dispute the outcome.
By law, Congress must hold a joint session on Jan. 6 to ratify Mr. Biden’s 306-232 Electoral College win. Objections from some Republican senators and House members are expected to force debate and votes in both chambers of Congress. Majorities in the House and Senate would have to agree for the challenge to be successful, an extremely unlikely prospect given that Democrats control the House.
The GOP senators who signed onto the effort are Ted Cruz of Texas, Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, James Lankford of Oklahoma, Steve Daines of Montana, John Kennedy of Louisiana, Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee and Mike Braun of Indiana. It was also joined by Senators-elect Cynthia Lummis of Wyoming, Roger Marshall of Kansas, Bill Hagerty of Tennessee and Tommy Tuberville of Alabama.
