WASHINGTON (AP) – Senate Leader Mitch McConnell thinks it is dangerous for his party to challenge President-elect Joe Biden’s election victory. But some Republicans are storming ahead anyway, and this time McConnell is faced with a dynamic that he cannot fully control.
Despite opposition from the Kentucky Republican Party, 13 GOP senators have said they will join dozens of colleagues from their homes and object on Wednesday when Congress formally confirms Biden’s Electoral College victory. The effort, which is sure to fail, was spurred by the soundly defeated President Donald Trump as an unwarranted attempt to ignore the election results that all 50 states have already certified.
McConnell has warned his colleagues that the confrontation is risky because it will force GOP senators, including those in potentially tough re-elections in 2022, to decide whether to support or oppose the tweet-happy Trump in a fight they are sure to lose. In mid-December, McConnell warned them privately that pushing the matter would force a ‘terrible vote’, even when he publicly congratulated Democrat Biden on his victory, ignoring Trump’s refusal to admit.
To put forward his views, GOP aides say McConnell plans to be the first speaker when the first objection is raised at Congress’ joint meeting on Wednesday and senators return to their chambers for debate and vote of two hours. McConnell has also made it clear that the Senate will meet all night if necessary to address any objections, the aides said.
McConnell has actively avoided confronting Trump whenever possible, but he is clearly tired of Trump chaos. His comments on Wednesday leave no doubt how seriously he takes the vote, which goes to the heart of the orderly transfer of power in American democracy.
But McConnell cannot avoid the objections allowed by the constitution and federal law when a representative and senator contest a state’s electoral votes. He also faces overwhelming political dynamics, including some senators ‘anticipated presidential ambitions for 2024, others’ desire to protect themselves from 2022 primaries prompted by an offended Trump, and the temptation to use the fight to raise money. Rally and sustain the support of Trump’s ardent followers.
“You have people who want to be presidential candidates who are acting in the best interest to run,” said David Winston, a political adviser to the GOP leaders of Congress.
Trump’s allegations of voter fraud, which he began making months before election day, have been rejected by Republican and Democratic officials in state after state and countless judges, including the conservative-dominated Supreme Court. Former Trump Attorney General William Barr has said there is no evidence of fraud that could alter the election results.
Freshman Senator Josh Hawley, R-Mo., Has said he will challenge Pennsylvania election votes. Senator Ted Cruz, R-Texas, who leads a group of 11 senators seeking to set up a committee to investigate baseless allegations of election fraud, is expected to challenge Arizona’s votes. Both men are expected to become president in 2024.
Sen. Kelly Loeffler, R-Ga., Can also dispute the results in her state. Pennsylvania, Arizona, and Georgia were all pivotal states that Biden won on his way to his 306-232 Electoral College victory.
Spokesman David Popp said McConnell does not pressure his colleagues to vote with him. But he has made his point clear, telling GOP senators last week that he considers the vote to be the most consistent of his career and he shares his views with countless colleagues who have sought him out.
His most powerful allies are with him, with South Dakota’s GOP Whip John Thune earning a Twitter threat from Trump after predicting the Senate effort “would fail like a dog shot.”
McConnell is trying to steer his colleagues on a conservative argument that Congress should not override states’ election decisions. He has gained momentum in recent days, gaining support from influential members including moderate Senator Rob Portman, R-Ohio, and conservative Sens. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., And Pat Toomey, R-Pa.
Aides expect a majority of GOP senators to join McConnell and all Democrats in shooting the election challenges. Cotton is considered another presidential candidate.
McConnell, 78, has served as a Republican leader since 2007 and is the longest-serving Senate GOP leader in history. But his status as a majority leader is under threat for reasons beyond the control of the internal electoral college. The GOP majority in the Senate faltered early on Wednesday when Democrat Raphael Warnock won one of the two offshoots of the Senate in Georgia; a razor-thin margin separated the Republican and Democratic candidates in the second game. Losing both would cost McConnell his majority.
McConnell did not shy away from fighting the party’s conservative base. He’s more than not won lately, but in 2010 and 2012, fringe GOP candidates in Nevada, Colorado and Indiana seemed to cost the party seats. But he turned the tide in 2014, beating his own primary challenge and leading the GOP to Senate scrutiny after eight years outnumbered.
Cruz’s group includes all four Senate freshman Republicans, a troubling sign to McConnell as staunch allies like Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., And Pat Roberts, R-Kan., Have retired. Each freshman pledged allegiance to Trump in their campaigns and cast the first vote of their Senate career in accordance with Trump’s wishes.
In the old days, freshmen may have been more likely to side with established order leaders who are likely more important than an outgoing president.