Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell’s (R-Ky) support for the voter count law renews the schism between him and former President Trump, setting up a vote that could split the GOP caucus.
Supporters hope McConnell’s support will lead to a majority in the GOP Senate Conference backing the legislation, drafted in response to the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol that many blame on Trump.
Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio), co-sponsor of the bill, said he thinks 20 to 30 Senate Republicans might ultimately support the proposal, which is expected to be voted on in the lame session after the day of ballot. He added that McConnell’s move will be a big reason for that.
“Mitch’s endorsement of the final bill that came out of the Rules Committee was very important. If he hadn’t supported it, it would have been difficult for us to get a large vote. Portman told The Hill. “Mitch has a lot of credibility in this area,” he added, pointing to McConnell’s longstanding opposition to federalizing elections.
At least three other Senate Republicans — John Thune (SD), John Cornyn (Texas) and Bill Cassidy (La.) — threw their support behind the push to pass the bill on Wednesday. Cassidy said he was “out of sympathy” for the legislation, which was overwhelmingly passed by the Senate Rules Committee on Tuesday.
But signs are emerging that a battle is brewing among Republicans over the voter count law.
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) has made his position on the voter count law clear.
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), the only lawmaker to vote against the bill at the committee level on Tuesday, insisted that politics and an anti-Trump animus are at the heart of the push.
There is also strong opposition to Jan. 6-inspired electoral reform among Trump’s House allies, and a number of Trump-backed House and Senate candidates who have repeated his baseless claims about voter fraud while throughout their campaigns.
“Hell, everything is political here,” Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) told The Hill in an interview when asked about Cruz’s remarks.
Cruz and Tuberville were among eight GOP senators to vote against certification of election results in Arizona or Pennsylvania on Jan. 6, 2021.
However, aside from Cruz and Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), the majority of senators who opposed both voter lists are keeping their powder dry and said they are still reviewing the latest version of the law on the electoral count.
“I don’t mind changing something if it needs to be changed,” Tuberville said. “But don’t do anything unless it helps you. If it can improve the situation, I’ll be all for it.
In addition to Tuberville, Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) said he still hasn’t read the voter count bill that emerged from the rules committee, while a spokesman for the Sen. Roger Marshall (R-Kan.) told The Hill that he is still reviewing the bill. Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) told Axios on Tuesday that he, too, was “reviewing” it. Hawley told Axios he doesn’t see the need for the bill and would “probably” vote against it.
The legislation would dramatically raise the threshold for lawmakers to object to electoral college votes of a senator and a member of the House, respectively, to one-fifth of each house. It would also prevent state officials from submitting electoral votes that do not match a state’s popular vote.
Republicans supporting the bill have downplayed its political aspect and argued that its potential passage would be in the name of good politics.
“When I get home, I’ve never had anyone ask me about it, so it’s good policy for me,” said Sen. Thom Tillis (RN.C.) , co-sponsor of the proposal.
“We’ll just have to deal with this and agree to disagree,” Tillis said of the rift between McConnell and Trump on the issue. “I was in this chamber on January 6. It never occurred to me that someone in this body could determine what we were deliberating on, and I think that brings some clarity.”
Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), who has led GOP efforts on electoral reform, has indicated she hopes to be one of the Jan. 6 opponents outside of Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss .), who voted to advance it from the panel on Tuesday, will also jump on board.
Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) encourages support for the Voter Count Act.
“The committee vote speaks for itself,” she said in a 14-to-1 interview. “I believe we have momentum.”
One argument that supporters of the bill could help sway pro-Trump members and conservatives is that it would define the vice president’s role in the process as strictly ceremonial – meaning it would rule out any chance that Vice President Harris can take matters into her own hands. hands in January 2025.
“If you’re conservative, why don’t you think the shoe is on the other foot and isn’t it better to have an honest route where everyone plays by the same rules?” said Cassidy.
But Cruz was unswayed at Tuesday’s committee meeting.
“I understand why Democrats support this bill,” he said. “What I don’t understand is why Republicans support him.”