Eight of members of the US House of Representatives from Pennsylvania plan to vote against the certification of the 2020 election results.
US Sen. Pat Toomey has condemned Republicans’ plans to attempt a coup on Wednesday.
“A fundamental, defining feature of a democratic republic is the right of the people to elect their own leaders,” he said in a statement on Monday. “The effort by Senators Hawley, Cruz, and others to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election in swing states like Pennsylvania directly undermines this right.”
There have been numerous allegations of fraud, Toomey said, but “these allegations have been adjudicated in courtrooms across America and were found to be unsupported by evidence. President Trump’s own Attorney General, Bill Barr, stated ‘we have not seen fraud on a scale that could have effected a different outcome in the election.’”
Toomey endorsed President Donald Trump for re-election and voted for him. On Wednesday, Toomey said, he intends to “vigorously defend our form of government by opposing this effort to disenfranchise millions of voters in my state and others.”
President-Elect Joe Biden beat Trump by more than 80,000 votes in Pennsylvania. Gov. Tom Wolf and Secretary of State Kathryn Boockvar certified the results and the Electoral College awarded the state to Biden in a vote last month.
The opposition to election results is not expected to derail certification of Biden as the next president. It will, however, delay the process when Congress meets in joint session on Jan. 6.
The Republican Effort to Overturn the Election Results
Republicans in Congress first started talking about officially opposing the election results last week, when US Sens. Josh Hawley (R-Missouri) and Ted Cruz (R-Texas) said they will reject electors from states where Trump has contested his defeat.
The Eight Pennsylvania Representatives in Congress Who Plan to Contest the Election Results
Eight Republican members of Pennsylvania’s Congressional delegation have said they will oppose the certification of electors.
They claim Wolf, Boockvar, and the state’s Supreme Court exceeded their authority when they allowed counties to set up drop boxes to collect mail-in ballots, count mail-in ballots received after 8 p.m. on Election Day, and count mail-in ballots if the signatures did not exactly match the signatures on file.
“These unlawful actions were taken without the authority or consent of the Pennsylvania state legislature. These are facts, and they are indisputable,” the lawmakers said in a joint statement. “By definition, such unlawful, unregulated, and inconsistent activities resulted in a highly questionable and inaccurate vote total. The scope of these inaccuracies cannot be known until the legal ballots are identified and counted, and the illegal ballots are disqualified. This has not been done.
“Therefore, the state’s official certification of electors was based upon a flawed system and an inaccurate vote count. Thus, very possibly resulting in an erroneous certification.”
These representatives signed the letter:
- Mike Kelly (R-Butler)
- Dan Meuser (R-Luzerne)
- Glenn Thompson (R-Centre)
- Scott Perry (R-York)
- Lloyd Smucker (R-Lancaster)
- Guy Reschenthaler (R-Allegheny)
- John Joyce (R-Blair)
- Fred Keller (R-Snyder)
Brian Fitzpatrick was the only Republican representative from Pennsylvania who did not sign the letter.
No proof of widespread voter fraud has been found. The only fraud found in the state was committed by Trump voters.
All of the representatives opposing the results won re-election on Nov. 3. None of them are opposing the results in their own election nor any other election that resulted in Republican victories.
Pennsylvania Democrats Decry the Republicans’ Plans
Politics
Philadelphia DA cancels arrest warrant for state Rep. Kevin Boyle on eve of Pa. primary
Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner said a detective had sought the warrant against Boyle, a Democrat whose district includes a section of...
Influencers and creators find new ways to engage young Philadelphia voters
Rec Philly, a space for creators and influencers, teamed up with Show Up Strong to get hundreds of young Philadelphia residents engaged in the...
New Biden rule protects privacy of women seeking abortions
Under the new rules, state officials and law enforcement cannot obtain medical records related to lawful reproductive health care with the goal of...
Local News
Conjoined twins from Berks County die at age 62
Conjoined twins Lori and George Schappell, who pursued separate careers, interests and relationships during lives that defied medical expectations,...
Railroad agrees to $600 million settlement for fiery Ohio derailment, residents fear it’s not enough
Norfolk Southern has agreed to pay $600 million in a class-action lawsuit settlement for a fiery train derailment in February 2023 in eastern Ohio,...