Sen. Josh Hawley
Joshua (Josh) David HawleyPush for ,000 stimulus checks hits Senate buzzsaw GOP Georgia senators throw support behind ,000 stimulus checks Five GOP senators to watch in next month's Electoral College fight MORE (R-Mo.) said on Wednesday that he will object during Congress's counting of the Electoral College vote on Jan. 6, becoming the first GOP senator to back the effort by House conservatives.
The decision by Hawley would ensure a debate and vote in the House and Senate on the Electoral College results.
“I cannot vote to certify the electoral college results on January 6 without raising the fact that some states, particularly Pennsylvania, failed to follow their own state election laws," Hawley said in a statement.
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"And I cannot vote to certify without pointing out the unprecedented effort of mega corporations, including Facebook and Twitter, to interfere in this election, in support of Joe Biden
Joe BidenGeorgia signature audit finds no fraud in presidential election Pence refused to sign on to plan to overturn election, lawyers say New Lincoln Project ad shows Trump border wall built from tombstones of COVID-19 victims MORE. At the very least, Congress should investigate allegations of voter fraud and adopt measures to secure the integrity of our elections. But Congress has so far failed to act," Hawley added.
His office didn't immediately respond to a question about which states he will object to next week.
Hawley's decision comes as a group of House conservatives, led by Rep. Mo Brooks
Morris (Mo) Jackson BrooksTrump campaign asks Supreme Court to review Wisconsin challenge Five GOP senators to watch in next month's Electoral College fight GOP seeks to avoid messy Trump fight over Electoral College MORE (R-Ala.), have pledged to make a long-shot bid to overturn the results of the presidential election next Wednesday by objecting to the Electoral College results.
In order to force a debate and a vote on their objection to a state's results House members need the support of a senator who will also object — something they didn't have before Hawley's announcement.
It will be the third time Congress has had to debate an objection since 1887, according to the Congressional Research Service. The other two times, in 1969 and 2005, were ultimately unsuccessful in changing the results of the election and the objections were rejected.
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Congress will convene a joint session on Jan. 6 to formally count the election results. If an objection has the support of both a member of the House and Senate, lawmakers split off into their respective chambers to debate it for up to two hours and vote on whether or not to uphold the objection.
The objection is not expected to win majority support in either chamber given opposition from Democrats and some Republicans, meaning the efforts in Congress to change the results of the election will fall short.
But GOP leaders in the Senate had hoped to avoid the fight altogether, with Majority Leader Mitch McConnell
Addison (Mitch) Mitchell McConnellGOP senator says he'll block consent for ,000 stimulus checks Intercept's DC bureau chief: McConnell was 'quite fine' with Trump losing reelection Trump targets congressional Republicans on multiple fronts MORE (Ky.) and members of his leadership team publicly urging Republicans against objecting during a conference call earlier this month.
The vote, Republicans worry, would put a host of GOP incumbents up for re-election in 2022 in a bind by forcing them to decide between throwing their support behind Trump's baseless claims of voter fraud, which many of them have publicly dismissed, or breaking with the president and opening themselves up to a bloody primary fight.
"I mean, in the Senate, it would ... go down like a shot dog," Sen. John Thune
John Randolph ThuneTrump targets congressional Republicans on multiple fronts Sanders to slow down NDAA veto override in bid to get vote on K checks proposal This week: Trump's grip on Hill allies faces test MORE (R-S.D.) told reporters earlier this month. "I just don't think it makes a lot of sense to put everybody through this when you know what the ultimate outcome is going to be."
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Hawley is seen as a 2024 presidential contender, and his move will put pressure on others who may be eyeing the race.
Several other GOP senators have not yet said if they will object, including Rand Paul
Randal (Rand) Howard PaulGOP senator says he'll block consent for ,000 stimulus checks Billions for foreign governments, pennies for Americans Federal judge: 'Not surprising that a criminal like Trump pardons other criminals' MORE (Ky.), Ted Cruz
Rafael (Ted) Edward CruzFive GOP senators to watch in next month's Electoral College fight The Memo: Could Pence run and win in 2024? George Clooney calls Trump 'a charismatic carnival barker' MORE (Texas) and Tom Cotton
Tom Bryant CottonStatues do not teach history Five GOP senators to watch in next month's Electoral College fight Trump's legacy: An enduring contempt for truth? MORE (Ark.), who like Hawley are viewed as potential 2024 contenders.
Sen. Kelly Loeffler
Kelly LoefflerPush for ,000 stimulus checks hits Senate buzzsaw 2.3 million people have voted in Georgia's Senate runoffs with week to go Intercept's DC bureau chief: McConnell was 'quite fine' with Trump losing reelection MORE (R-Ga.), who is sticking closely to Trump ahead of her runoff election on Tuesday, hasn't said what she will do. Sen.-elect Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) is also drawing close scrutiny after his campaign manager said he was seriously considering objecting.
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