Tom Cotton opposes a challenge to certification

I’m a huge admirer of Ted Cruz, but in this case, I think Cotton’s got the better argument

Endangers the Electoral College

Nevertheless, the Founders entrusted our elections chiefly to the states — not Congress,” Cotton noted. “They entrusted the election of our president to the people, acting through the Electoral College — not Congress. And they entrusted the adjudication of election disputes to the courts — not Congress. Under the Constitution and federal law, Congress’s power is limited to counting electoral votes submitted by the states.

“If Congress purported to overturn the results of the Electoral College, it would not only exceed that power, but also establish unwise precedents,” he continued. “First, Congress would take away the power to choose the president from the people, which would essentially end presidential elections and place that power in the hands of whichever party controls Congress. Second, Congress would imperil the Electoral College, which gives small states like Arkansas a voice in presidential elections. Democrats could achieve their longstanding goal of eliminating the Electoral College in effect by refusing to count electoral votes in the future for a Republican president-elect. Third, Congress would take another big step toward federalizing election law, another longstanding Democratic priority that Republicans have consistently opposed.”

For these reasons, he will “not oppose the counting of certified electoral votes” on Wednesday. Doing so won’t give President Trump a second term, he argued, “it will only embolden those Democrats who want to erode further our system of constitutional government.

Thus, I will not oppose the counting of certified electoral votes on January 6. I’m grateful for what the president accomplished over the past four years, which is why I campaigned vigorously for his reelection. But objecting to certified electoral votes won’t give him a second term—it will only embolden those Democrats who want to erode further our system of constitutional government.