Scoop: Some top Dems won't commit to certifying a Trump win

• Democratic leaders, however, seem fully prepared to certify a Trump victory – making potential dissenters a small minority.

What they're saying: Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.), the House Oversight Committee ranking member and former Jan. 6 committee member who objected to Trump electors in 2017, told Axios in an interview that if Trump "won a free, fair and honest election, then we would obviously accept it."

• However, Raskin said he "definitely" doesn't assume that Trump would use free, fair and honest means to secure a victory.
• Trump "is doing whatever he can to try to interfere with the process, whether we're talking about manipulating electoral college counts in Nebraska or manipulating the vote count in Georgia or imposing other kinds of impediments," Raskin said.

Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.), a senior chief deputy whip who voted to object to George W. Bush electors in 2005, said of Trump, "I don't know what kind of shenanigans he is planning," adding: "We would have to, in any election ... make sure that all the rules have been followed."

• Schakowsky later said in a statement that she was "proud to ... join all my Democratic colleagues in certifying the 2020 election" and looks forward to "doing the same in January 2025."

Zoom in: House Rules Committee Ranking Member Jim McGovern (D-Mass.), who also objected to Trump electors in 2017, said Democrats would certify a Trump victory "assuming everything goes the way we expect it to."

• "We have to see how it all happens," McGovern told Axios – though he added, "My expectation is that we would."

Between the lines: House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.), who wields huge influence over his members, has signaled there is little chance of an organized effort to decertify electors.

• "House Democrats are going to do everything necessary to ... ensure that the winner of the presidential election is certified on January 6th without drama or consequences," Jeffries said at a September press conference.
• House Administration Committee Ranking Member Joe Morelle (D-N.Y.), Jeffries' top deputy on election administration issues, has made similar statements.

Zoom out: The two parties have very different histories when it comes to election objections, with Democrats lodging doomed, symbolic challenges as part of largely uneventful proceedings.

• In 2005, Democrats' objection to Bush's win in Ohio failed 31-267 in the House and 1-74 in the Senate.

• In 2017, a half dozen House Democrats filed objections to ten Trump elector slates, but failed to get the backing of a senator and were unable to force any votes.
• In 2021, a majority of House Republicans voted to object to President Biden's wins in Arizona and Pennsylvania. It was part of a sprawling effort to overturn the 2020 election that culminated in the deadly attack on Jan. 6.
• Argued Raskin: "Democrats don't engage in election fraud and election fabrication."

State of play: Trump and his loyalists are already laying the groundwork to deny a Harris victory, including filing over 100 lawsuits challenging election procedures, Axios' Zach Basu reported.

• Democrats, for their part, may challenge a Trump win in court but likely wouldn't take that fight all the way to Congress, said former Jan. 6 Committee Chair Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.).
• Thompson argued there are "enough provisions in law ... so that losers who feel aggrieved in their loss can take it to court."

The bottom line: "I expect we would do as we did in 2016," Rep. Dan Kildee (D-Mich.), a member of Jeffries' leadership team, told Axios.

• "While disappointed with the outcome of the election and despite a handful of outliers making a 'statement,' we did not object then [nor] would we now object to the result of a democratic election."

Editor's note: This story has been updated with additional context.