Washington – The joint session of Congress, which takes place on Wednesday for the counting and certification of votes for the Electoral College, is marked by high drama, as Republicans in the House and Senate have committed to challenging the results of several battlefield states.
A group of at least 12 Republican senators said they, along with more than 100 members of the GOP House, would object to the election votes cast in key states. But as the joint session approaches, a growing number of Republican senators break up with their colleagues and plan not to take up their challenges.
According to the Constitution, the event in the past is unpredictable – in 2017 the process of reading and voting of elections took 41 minutes, and in 2013 the joint sitting lasted only 23 minutes, according to a report by the Congress Research Service. .
While the objections will not change the outcome of the election, it will prolong the process by which Congress confirms the election of President Joe Biden. When the House and Senate separate to debate and vote on an objection, they have up to two hours to consider it, meaning the joint sitting is likely to last into the night.
The joint session is usually a formality, but this event will force Republicans to decide whether to support President Trump in his efforts to reverse the outcome of the election or to uphold the votes of millions of Americans.
Here’s where Republican senators stand from Monday morning:
Resist the counting of election votes
- Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee
- Mike Braun of Indiana
- Ted Cruz of Texas
- Steve Daines of Montana
- Bill Hagerty of Tennessee
- Josh Hawley of Missouri
- Ron Johnson of Wisconsin
- John Kennedy of Louisiana
- James Lankford of Oklahoma
- Cynthia Lummis of Wyoming
- Roger Marshall of Kansas
- Tommy Tuberville of Alabama
Supports the counting of election votes
- Roy Blunt of Missouri
- Richard Burr of North Carolina
- West Virginia Shelley Moore Capito
- Bill Cassidy of Louisiana
- Kevin Cramer of North Dakota
- Susan Collins of Maine
- John Cornyn of Texas
- Tom Cotton of Arkansas
- Lisa Murkowski of Alaska
- Mitt Romney of Utah
- Ben Sasse of Nebraska
- Richard Shelby of Alabama
- John Thune of South Dakota
- Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania
- Roger Wicker of Mississippi
Unknown / unclear
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell – Republican members have previously been reluctant to object, calling the upcoming vote last week ‘the most important vote’ he will cast.
- John Barrasso of Wyoming
- John Boozman of Arkansas
- Mike Crapo of Idaho
- Joni Ernst of Iowa
- Deb Fischer of Nebraska
- Lindsey Graham of South Carolina
- Chuck Grassley of Iowa
- John Hoeven of North Dakota
- Cindy Hyde-Smith of Mississippi
- Jim Inhofe of Oklahoma
- Mike Lee of Utah
- Kelly Loeffler of Georgia
- Jerry Moran of Kansas
- Rand Paul from Kentucky
- Rob Portman of Ohio
- Jim Risch of Idaho
- Mike Rounds of South Dakota
- Marco Rubio of Florida
- Rick Scott from Florida
- Tim Scott of South Carolina
- Dan Sullivan of Alaska
- Thom Tillis of North Carolina
- Todd Young of Indiana