Portman still waiting for recounts, won’t call Biden president-elect yet
Sen. Rob Portman still won’t call Joe Biden president-elect.
He told reporters on Tuesday that Biden is leading in enough states to win the presidency. But the Republican from Terrace Park said it’s premature to call him president-elect, at least until all of President Donald Trump’s legal challenges have been exhausted. Portman said “the recounts need to be completed.”
“If you care about keeping this country moving forward together,” Portman said, “I think it’s very important at end of this process that you have the maximum number of people possible thinking this was legitimate and that the new president is legitimate”
Trump’s efforts to challenge election results, partly based on allegations of ineligible votes and inadequate observer access to ballot counting, have largely failed. In Pennsylvania alone, Trump supporters have filed at least 15 legal challenges in an effort to reclaim the state’s 20 electoral votes.
Judges in Pennsylvania, Arizona, Michigan, Georgia, Wisconsin and Nevada, however, have quickly dispatched some of them. A few have been appealed.
Many Republicans have been reluctant to contradict Trump, who has refused to concede.
Indeed, Ohio Gov. Mike Dewine faced the president’s wrath after DeWine on CNN on Sunday called Biden the president-elect and suggestedTrump should start the transition of power. Trump the next morning tweeted a thinly-veiled threat of an Ohio Republican Primary for governor in 2022 against Dewine.
Portman, like Dewine is up for reelection in 2022; a GOP primary could mean trouble for him.
Ohio’s other senator, Democrat Sherrod Brown, took to the Senate floor to criticize those, like Portman, who won’t acknowledge Biden’s victory.
“I know my Republican colleagues feel like they have to humor President Trump, but enough is enough. Joe Biden won the election. Stop playing along with the president’s tweets and the chaos. We need to move on and deliver for our country,” he said.
Portman said he hears from his constituents in Ohio who don’t believe the election was fair. The president has not proven his claims of voter fraud, and his legal challenges have not succeeded in battleground states. Portman cited a poll from Politico/morning Consult on Nov. 9 that showed 70% of Republicans don’t believe the presidential election was “free and fair.”
Is Portman one of the 70% who believes fraud took place in the election?
“There’s fraud in every election,” Portman said. “I don’t think anybody questions that. Of course, there’s going to be some fraud in every election, it’s not my job to tell you how much. That’s what the court system is for.”
Portman didn’t provide specific examples of election fraud he referenced. When asked whether these types of allegations erode confidence in the electoral system, Portman said that’s the reason why the election should work its way through the legal process.
“It’s good to have this process proceed so the American people can see in a transparent way what the result is,” Portman said. “I think that’s very important to help bring our country together.”
Biden should start receiving intelligence briefings, Portman said, as part of the transition.
But as the president’s legal options dwindle, more Republicans have acknowledged Biden’s victory.
At least six other Republican senators have acknowledged Biden as the president-elect: Mitt Romney, R-utah, Jim Risch, R-idaho, Susan Collins, RMaine, Marco Rubio, R-fla., Ben Sasse, R-neb. and Lisa Murkowski, R-alaska.
USA TODAY contributed