Republicans object to Electoral College certification
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Republicans objected to certifying the Electoral College count on Wednesday in a final effort to overturn the 2020 election results.
Why it matters: President Trump and his allies have no other path to change the election and are relying on this last ditch effort that will ultimately confirm Joe Biden as the next president.
- Rep. Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.) and Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) objected to Arizona's electoral count, prompting members to leave the joint session and debate in their respective chambers.
State of play: Vice President Mike Pence will preside over the Senate debate while Speaker Nancy Pelosi will chair the House proceedings.
- Members of the House and Senate have two hours to debate the objection before voting to certify the state electoral count.
- Pelosi chose Reps. Zoe Lofgren, Adam Schiff, Jamie Raskin and Joe Neguse as debate leaders. Members from the respective states will also debate the certification.
What they're saying: "Sure – they want to avoid an angry tweet from the outgoing President," Rep. Ruben Gallego is expected to say in today's remarks. "But that’s not the only reason, and it’s not the most dangerous."
- "The most dangerous reason Republicans are trying to undermine our free and fair elections is because they want to sow doubt in our elections in order to justify voter suppression efforts in the future."
Sen. Mitch McConnell will speak first during the Senate debate. Sens. Chuck Schumer, Roy Blunt and Amy Klobuchar are expected to follow with comments.
What's next: After the debate, members must reconvene in the House chambers to resume the joint session.
- Republicans are expected to object to at least Georgia and Pennsylvania, but have left the door open to object to other states as well.
Once objectives are heard there is expected to be enough bipartisan opposition to this effort to easily move past objections and certify Biden's win.
