Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) will object to the presidential election results in Arizona when Congress is expected to convene Wednesday to certify the Electoral College in favor of President-elect Joe Biden, according to a Tuesday report.
The Hill reports:
Cruz’s planned challenge, confirmed to The Hill by a source familiar, is expected to be backed by several of the 10 GOP senators who signed on to a plan vowing to support objections to the election results.
Because Congress votes on Electoral College results alphabetically by state, Cruz’s objection is expected to be one of the first and, according to the source, will focus on his request for a commission to review the presidential election rather than arguing for setting aside the state’s election results.
At least two states besides Arizona are so far expected to see challenges from Senate Republicans to their Electoral College votes when Congress convenes its joint session to formally count the results.
The news comes after Cruz announced Saturday that he will lead a group of Republican senators in objecting to the election certification. Those joining Cruz include: Sens. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), Steve Daines (R-MT), John Kennedy (R-LA), Mike Braun (R-IN), Cynthia Lummis (R-WY), Roger Marshall (R-KS), Bill Hagerty (R-TN), and Tommy Tuberville (R-AL).
Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) was the first Republican senator to announce his opposition to certifying the election results.
On Monday, Sens. Kelly Loeffler (R-GA) and David Perdue, both locked in fierce U.S. Senate runoff elections Tuesday, will also object in at least one state.
“Elections are the bedrock of our democracy and the American people deserve to be 100% confident in our election systems and its outcomes. But right now, tens of millions of Americans have real concerns about the way in which the November Presidential election was conducted—and I share their concerns,” Loeffler said in a Monday statement first obtained by Fox News.
“The American people deserve a platform in Congress, permitted under the Constitution, to have election issues presented so that they can be addressed,” the Georgia Republican continued. “That’s why, on January 6th, I will vote to give President Trump and the American people the fair hearing they deserve and support the objection to the Electoral College certification process.”
“We must restore trust, confidence and integrity in our election system,” she concluded.
Additionally, at least 140 House Republicans are also expected to object to certifying the election results.