Republican lawmakers who want to be eligible for election in 2024 have spent weeks in urgent talks with advisers, while asking the highest question to support objections to this week’s presidential election certification, President Joe Biden.
Why it matters: Republican sources tell Axios that these lawmakers view Wednesday’s vote as a decisive factor in their political viability, as did prospective Democratic candidates in 2004 over the Iraq war in 2002.
What we hear: Sens. Josh Hawley and Ted Cruz bet that objection will give them the support of MAGA loyalists; Sens. Tom Cotton, Mike Lee and, to some extent, Vice President Mike Pence is concerned about the long-term damage to American democracy. They hope that GOP voters will appreciate their big picture thinking.
On the sidelines: Other hopefuls of 2024, such as Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, have the luxury of putting off this fight as they play no part in Wednesday’s joint sitting.
A split screen of Lee and Cruz campaigning in Georgia over the weekend one section emphasized.
- Sources present say Cruz used much of his time to point out his plan to object to the outcome of the Electoral College – a distraction from the boost the Texan was supposed to give to Republican candidates David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler.
- Lee, who announced today that he will not object, kept the focus on the candidates. The Utahan got away from any conversations regarding voter fraud.
Cotton’s statement Sunday against protest reflects another stick: the pro-Trump disagreement. The Arkansan and the undisputed Trump supporter argue the short-sightedness of this move and trust that the base will understand it.
- While Trump regularly denigrates his opponents, Cotton is a veteran and hawk who has stood in the president’s corner his entire term – until now.
- Cotton bets enough Republican primary voters that a doomed election certification challenge could cause the party to fall back.
- It’s a risky bet, as he is take all the heat from the president and his supporters.
Pence is in a harder place, and he can set a third example for a disagreement against Trump as he confirms Biden’s victory.
- Pence, who will chair Wednesday’s proceedings, did not say whether he would object.
- A statement from his chief of staff, Marc Short, said on Saturday that the vice president “shares the concern of millions of Americans about voter fraud and irregularities.”
- The remarks are considered a distraction while the posing is taking place.
The conclusion: Top Republicans are worried that Georgia voters will not turn up for Perdue and Loeffler – despite Biden ‘stealing’ the election because they do not trust the integrity of the election.