A significant share of Republicans plan to object to the Electoral College vote results, slowing down the inevitable that Joe Biden will be the next president.
Their objections stem from false allegations of widespread voter fraud in an election that experts say went smoothly and the results of which all 50 states and the District of Columbia have certified. President Trump has continued to push conspiracy theories of irregularities and has called on Republicans — including his own vice president — to challenge the results.
By this week, the tally of those planning to raise objections has reached more than 100 House Republicans and more than a dozen GOP senators.
They include Republican Reps. Mo Brooks of Alabama, Matt Gaetz of Florida and Louie Gohmert of Texas, who were among the first wave of members of Congress to say they would object to the results. Dozens more have joined the ranks.
Other House members expected to object Wednesday include Ohio's Jim Jordan, New York's Elise Stefanik, Georgia's Jody Hice and South Carolina's Joe Wilson. Several freshman Republicans have also said they will join in the plans.
Notably, top House GOP members have remained mum on the plan publicly, though Brooks claims he has the support of the chamber's minority leader, Kevin McCarthy.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., and other Senate GOP leaders had urged their caucus not to take part — a member of the upper chamber is needed to join a House member's objection for it to move forward. (Here's more on how that works.)
However, Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri was the first to publicly break ranks last month, and he was soon followed by Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas and others. Sen. Kelly Loeffler, who is facing a tough first election run in Georgia's Senate runoff races, was among the most recent additions to the group.
In a recent statement, Cruz said he joined forces to raise objections about electoral votes from "disputed states," along with Sens. 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.
Several newly elected senators who began their terms on Sunday are also in the group with Cruz, including Cynthia Lummis of Wyoming, Roger Marshall of Kansas, Bill Hagerty of Tennessee and Tommy Tuberville of Alabama.
GOP sources familiar with the discussions say the Republican lawmakers planning to object on Wednesday are focused primarily on Arizona, Georgia and Pennsylvania. They are also weighing challenges against Michigan, Nevada and Wisconsin.
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