GOP Lawmakers Abandon Challenges to Biden Win at Electoral Vote Count

Rachel Olding
Tasos Katopodis/Getty
Tasos Katopodis/Getty

Several shocked Republican lawmakers said they would abandon their effort to challenge President-elect Joe Biden’s win as Congress resumed on Wednesday night to count Electoral College votes—hours after an extraordinary attack on the building by Trump supporters.

“To those who wreaked havoc in our Capitol today, you did not win,” Vice President Mike Pence said as he reconvened Congress just after 8 p.m. “Violence never wins. Freedom wins and this is still the people’s house. And as we reconvene in this chamber, the world will again witness the reliance and strength of our democracy.”

Congress was in the middle of certifying the votes for President-elect Joe Biden when the Capitol went into lockdown and lawmakers were evacuated amid gunfire, broken windows, and bouts of teargas.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) had told members they should return to the chamber tonight “to project strength” after a catastrophic day, CNN reported, citing two senior GOP sources.

When the vote resumed late Wednesday, he said Congress would vote to certify the winner. “We are back at our posts. We will discharge our duty under the Constitution... and we’re going to do it tonight,” he said, calling rioters who invaded the Capitol “unhinged.”

Sen. Kelly Loeffler (R-GA), who lost her re-election bid to Democrat Raphael Warnock on Tuesday, said she would vote to certify Biden’s Electoral College win, backtracking on her vow to object.

“The events that have transpired today have forced me to reconsider and I cannot now in good conscience object to the certification,” she said. “The violence, the lawlessness, and the siege of the halls of Congress are abhorrent and stand in direct attack on the very institution my objection was intended to protect.”

After months of indulging Trump’s fact-free voter fraud crusade, McConnell had finally drawn the line while speaking on the Senate floor earlier on Wednesday, calling claims of fraud “extraordinarily thin.”

But at least 12 Republican senators had signaled their intention to object to their state’s votes, which would trigger hours of debate yet most likely have no impact on the election result.

And, outside the Capitol, Trump was whipping protesters into a frenzy, vowing to demolish Republicans who oppose him and pinning all hopes on a vice president with no political power to change the result.

But, after the riot, several Republicans backtracked on their objections, citing their shock and dismay at the events of the day.

Trump loyalist Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) said he didn’t think there would be any more objections to Biden’s win, according to pool reports, while Sens. Steve Daines (R-MT) and James Lankford (R-OK) said in a statement they would also now certify the result.

“Today is a sad day for our democracy,” Daines said. “We must restore confidence in our electoral process. We must, and we will, have a peaceful and orderly transfer of power.”

Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) said in a statement: “What we have seen today is unlawful and unacceptable. I have decided I will vote to uphold the Electoral College results and I encourage Donald Trump to condemn and put an end to this madness.”

Some, however, only dug in. Rep. Paul Gosar (R-AZ), who had objected to the count, doubled down on his insanity after the riot, claiming—once again, with no evidence—that the Trump supporters breaching the Capitol “has all the hallmarks of Antifa provocation.”

He said he would proceed with his objections on behalf of Arizona—along with Sen. Ted Cruz and Rep. Andy Biggs. “Leftist violence—or any violence— will not deter our mission for truth and transparency,” he tweeted. “The people need and deserve the truth.”

After Congress’ roll-call vote, Pence is expected to certify the result—a largely ceremonial act that Trump had characterized as a last-ditch path to overturning the election result.

In announcing that Congress would resume on Wednesday night, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi had written: “Today, a shameful assault was made on our democracy... It was anointed at the highest level of government. It cannot, however, deter us from our responsibility to validate the election.”

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