Karl Rove at a 2019 event in Beverly Hills, California. Photo: Michael Kovac/Getty Images
Karl Rove wrote in a Wall Street Journal op-ed Wednesday that President Trump's lawsuits are "not enough to change the final outcome" of the election" and "unlikely to move a single state" from President-elect Joe Biden's column.
Why it matters: The political consultant is one of the most prominent Republican figures to publicly acknowledge Biden's projected win as Trump and his allies continue to refuse to concede.
- Rove is regarded as "the architect" of Bush's gubernatorial and presidential campaigns, including the disputed 2000 election win over Democrat Al Gore that ended up in the Supreme Court.
- He told Fox News Radio earlier this year he had given the Trump campaign "unvarnished advice" whenever it contacted him.
What he's saying: In the op-ed, headlined "This Election Result Won’t Be Overturned," Rove wrote that in order for Trump to win his lawsuits in key battleground states, he "must prove systemic fraud, with illegal votes in the tens of thousands."
- "There is no evidence of that so far. Unless some emerges quickly, the President's chances in court will decline precipitously when states start certifying results," he added.
"Closing out this election will be a hard but necessary step toward restoring some unity and political equilibrium. Once his days in court are over, the president should do his part to unite the country by leading a peaceful transition and letting grievances go."
Go deeper: Arizona's GOP AG rejects voter fraud claims, expects Biden to win state