Alabama Rep. Mo Brooks (R) first proposed to challenge the results of the state’s Electoral College vote on Jan. 6.
A joint session of Congress on Jan. 6 will count and certify the state’s electoral votes. There are currently at least 25 Republican members of Congress who plan to challenge on Jan. 6 (list attached at end of article).
Of the 25 Republican members of Congress, 24 are members of the House of Representatives or elected members of the House of Representatives, and the only member of the Senate who has confirmed a challenge is Josh Hawley (R-Texas).
Hawley said Dec. 30: “You (President Trump) won the support of 74 million voters, but those voters feel disenfranchised, they feel their votes are being ignored. This joint session of Congress gives me an opportunity, as a U.S. Senator, to take this opportunity to support you and make my voice heard, and that’s what I’m going to do.”
If an objection is filed against a state’s electoral votes, it needs to be submitted in writing, with one member of each House and Senate signing the written document at the same time. When this occurs, members of the House and Senate each have two hours to debate and then vote. If both the House and Senate vote in favor of the objection, the objection stands and the challenged state’s electoral votes are nullified.
Georgia U.S. Rep. elect Marjorie Taylor Greene (D-Ga.) announced a few days ago that she will file her own challenge on Jan. 6. She said she and several other House members already plan to oppose the electoral votes of six swing states, including Georgia, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Michigan, Arizona and Nevada, and are considering opposing New Mexico’s electoral votes.
The first member of Congress to propose a challenge to the electoral vote in a joint session of Congress on Jan. 6 was Rep. Mo Brooks (R-Ala.).
Brooks had said in a November interview on the show, “Based on what I know so far, and what I have personally experienced in terms of Democrat electoral fraud and vote-theft, I judge that Donald Trump has won the electoral votes if you just count the legal votes of American citizens.”
So far this week, many lawmakers or lawmakers-elect have announced they will join this opposition to the electoral vote.
Utah Congressman-elect Burgess Owens (R) issued a statement saying, “If there are election irregularities, we should review them and address them so that we can ensure that our election process is accurate and reflects the will of the American people. Millions of people across America have expressed concerns about the election process, and we would be doing them a disservice if we ignored their voices.”
So far from the Senate, Senate Republican leaders are opposed to the challenge plan, with about two dozen Republican senators saying they will not mount a challenge, and other Republican senators having hinted at the possibility of a challenge. Kelly Loeffler of Georgia, Rand Paul of Kentucky, Tommy Tuberville of Alabama, Rick Scott of Florida and Ted Cruz of Texas have indicated likely to mount a challenge.
All Democratic lawmakers have stated that they will not object to the electoral votes and have expressed criticism of Republican lawmakers who plan to mount challenges. A spokesman for Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden said Dec. 30 that counting electoral votes on Jan. 6 is just a procedure for Biden’s team, and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said she is confident Biden will be elected president.
Here are the members of Congress who have been confirmed to oppose the electoral votes in a joint session of Congress on Jan. 6.
Missouri Senator Josh Hawley (R)
Alabama Congressman Mo Brooks (R-Ala.)
Florida Congressman Matt Gaetz (R)
Georgia Congressman Jody Hice (R)
Texas Congressman Brian Babin (R)
Texas Congressman Louie Gohmert (R)
North Carolina Congressman Ted Budd (R)
South Carolina Congressman Jeff Duncan (R)
Rep. Lance Gooden (D-Texas)
New Jersey Congressman Jeff Van Drew (R)
Rep. Mark Green (R-Tenn.)
Rep. Ralph Norman (R-SC)
Rep. Paul Gosar (R) of Arizona
Pennsylvania Congressman Scott Perry (R-PA)
Georgia Congresswoman-elect Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA)
North Carolina Congresswoman-elect Madison Cawthorn (R)
Alabama Congressman-elect Barry Moore (R)
Virginia Congressman-elect Bob Good (R)
Colorado Congresswoman-elect Lauren Boebert (R)
Texas Congressman-elect Ronny Jackson (R)
Utah Congressman-elect Burgess Owens (R)
Georgia Congressman-elect Andrew Clyde (R)
Alabama Congressman-elect Jerry Carl (R)
New Mexico Congressman-elect Yvette Herrell (R)
Tennessee Congresswoman-elect Diana Harshbarger (D)
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