Congressional Republicans have been overwhelmingly mum about their thoughts on the November election results.
Only 25 Republicans in Congress have publicly acknowledged that President-elect Joe Biden won the November election, according to a survey by the Washington Post. The vast majority, 222 of the 249 Republicans in the House and Senate, did not respond or were unclear about their thoughts on the election when contacted.
Only eight Republicans said they supported the president’s continued efforts to claim victory in the Nov. 3 contest, and nine members of the GOP said they oppose the efforts. Thirty Republicans said they would accept Biden as the winner if he cinches an Electoral College victory later in December, two said they wouldn’t, and 217 did not provide a clear answer.
Two of the Republicans, Reps. Mo Brooks of Alabama and Paul Gosar of Arizona, said that President Trump actually won the election when contacted by the newspaper — despite projections that Biden has won 306 Electoral College votes to Trump’s 232 and received a 51.4% share of the popular vote to Trump’s 46.9%.
Of the Republicans who recognize Biden as the victor, 11 are in the Senate, and 14 are in the House. Of the House GOP members, six are retiring in January, and two are based in districts where Biden won by a sound margin.
The Trump campaign has filed lawsuits alleging electoral malfeasance in several states, including Michigan, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Georgia, and Arizona. Other Trump-adjacent groups have also filed litigation alleging election and voter fraud, although the lawsuits have almost entirely failed to gain any traction in the court system.
Trump indicated in late November that if the Electoral College picks Biden to be the winner when it votes on Dec. 14, he would leave the White House.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has largely avoided weighing in on the matter and appears to be waiting for future developments.
“The future will take care of itself,” he said to reporters on Tuesday.
