Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) said Sunday that he stands by his vote to certify the results of the 2020 presidential election, before quickly noting that he also hopes to certify former President Trump’s victory in the 2024 race.
“I will certainly stand by this decision and the next decision to certify the fact that Donald Trump will be the next president of the United States,” Scott said in an interview with ABC News’ “This Week” when asked if he supports the vote.
“November 5th, the day of reckoning, is coming. The first votes will be held in places like North Carolina starting in September,” he continued.
“We will focus on ensuring that we use every tool in the toolkit to ensure that the results of this election are clear and profound and that the American people have four more years of low unemployment, low inflation, high enthusiasm and a respected president and at often feared on the global stage. That president will be Donald Trump.”
Scott, one of the leading candidates to be chosen as Trump’s running mate, has not publicly committed to accepting the results of the 2024 election regardless of who wins. Instead, Scott sidestepped the question, saying Trump will be the next president.
After Trump lost in 2020 and exhausted all legal recourse to contest the election, the former president turned to January 6th – the ceremonial count of certified electors in each state. Lawmakers are allowed to raise objections, but they rarely do so.
In 2021, eight Republican senators voted to sustain the objections in one or both of the states that received a vote, while two-thirds of House Republicans voted to sustain the objections. Scott was not one of those senators.
Some Republicans have raised concerns about the likelihood of an event similar to Jan. 6 occurring again, especially as candidates have been hesitant to publicly commit to accepting the results.
“What happened in 2020 was something most people never thought possible — not just challenging the outcome of the election, questioning the legitimacy of the president, and then working to stop certification,” said Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska ) about persistent anxiety since the January 6, 2021 attack on the US Capitol.
She said Republicans are being asked whether they will accept the November election results because of how Jan. 6 still looms over the nation.
“It’s not a question that comes out of nowhere,” she said. “It’s something that’s important for people to know.”
“I want us to be in a place where we accept the results of fair and legitimate elections,” she added. “What I don’t like is the suggestion, months and months and months before an election, that there might be something nefarious at play.”
This story originally appeared on thehill.com read the full story
