Trump isn't the only Republican trying to steal an election he lost
Losing candidates in Pennsylvania and Illinois are following Trump’s lead and refusing to admit defeat.
Republicans across the country are taking a page from Donald Trump’s anti-democratic playbook and trying to block Democrats who rightfully won state and federal elections from being seated.
On Tuesday, the GOP-run Pennsylvania state Senate refused to seat a Democrat whose victory over his Republican opponent in November has already been certified.
Democratic state Sen. Jim Brewster defeated Nicole Ziccarelli by 69 votes, a win that was finalized when the state certified its vote total last month. Ziccarelli is still contesting her defeat, even though a legal challenge she filed in state court was dismissed.
The Republican-led Legislature has refused to swear Brewster in, leading to a chaotic scene on the floor of the state Senate.
“Senate Republicans are ignoring voters, state court decisions, federal court decisions and certification from @PAStateDept,” the Pennsylvania Democratic Party tweeted, adding that Republicans were trying to remove the state’s Democratic Lt. Gov. John Fetterman from presiding over the chamber, which they eventually succeeding in doing. “This is an attempted coup from Senate Republicans. Plain and simple,” tweeted the party.
In Illinois, perennial Republican candidate Jim Oberweis is contesting his loss to Democratic incumbent Rep. Lauren Underwood in the state’s 14th Congressional District, citing baseless allegations of illegal voting.
Underwood, who defeated Oberweis by more than 5,300 votes in the Nov. 3 general election, was sworn in for a second term on Sunday.
These efforts follow Trump’s failed efforts to steal the election President-elect Joe Biden won.
Courts have thrown out lawsuits filed on his behalf by his campaign and supporters, saying they have provided no evidence for their allegations of voter fraud. On Tuesday, a federal judge in Georgia dismissed Trump’s latest lawsuit to decertify Biden’s win in the Peach State.
In states that Trump lost, legislatures have refused Trump’s demands to seat Electoral College electors who would vote for him despite Biden’s win.
And Trump’s attempt on Wednesday to get Congress to block the certification of Biden’s Electoral College victory will fail.
Even so, more than 150 Republican members of the House and Senate are following Trump’s lead in attempting to overturn the election results and deny Biden the presidency, putting themselves on record as willing to steal a free and fair election.
Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation.
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