Who is Josh Hawley? Senator to object Biden presidential certification
AMERICA’s youngest senator Josh Hawley announced that he will contest the electoral college vote certification that secured Joe Biden’s presidential win.
The senator said he would challenge Congress when they convene to certify the electoral college vote citing election irregularities.
Who is Josh Hawley?
Joshua David Hawley is an American lawyer and politician serving as the junior U.S. Senator from Missouri.
At 40-years-old, he is the youngest senator in the United States.
Raised in rural Missouri, Hawley previously served as Missouri’s Attorney General.
Senator Hawley graduated from Rockhurst High School in Kansas City. After graduating from Stanford University in 2002 and Yale Law School in 2006, he moved back home to mid-Missouri.
He is married to Erin Hawley and the pair have two children together, Elijah and Blaise.
What has Josh Hawley said about Biden’s presidential win?
Hawley announced on December 30 that he would challenge Congress’s counting of the Electoral College vote on January 6.
The senator’s objection would ensure a debate and vote in the House and Senate on the Electoral College results, according to The Hill.
“I cannot vote to certify the electoral college results on January 6 without raising the fact that some states, particularly Pennsylvania, failed to follow their own state election laws,” Hawley said in a statement.
“And I cannot vote to certify without pointing out the unprecedented effort of mega-corporations, including Facebook and Twitter, to interfere in this election, in support of Joe Biden.
“At the very least, Congress should investigate allegations of voter fraud and adopt measures to secure the integrity of our elections. But Congress has so far failed to act,” Hawley added.
Hawley’s announcement comes after a group of House conservatives lead by Republican representative Mo Brooks pledged to make a bid to overturn the results of the presidential election.
“In order to force a debate and a vote on their objection to a state’s results House members need the support of a senator who will also object — something they didn’t have before Hawley’s announcement,” writes The Hill.
The objection is not expected to win majority support in either chamber due to opposition from both Democrats a few Republicans.
When did Josh Hawley join the Senate?
Hawley assumed office as a Missouri senator on January 3, 2019, after defeating two-term Democratic incumbent Senator Claire McCaskill in the 2018 election.
Before his role, he acted as the 42nd Attorney General of Missouri between 2017-2019.
A few GOP senators spoke out against Hawley’s recent decision to challenge the presidential election in January 2021.
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“I mean, in the Senate, it would … go down like a shot dog,” Senator John Thune (R-S.D.) told The Hill earlier this month.
“I just don’t think it makes a lot of sense to put everybody through this when you know what the ultimate outcome is going to be.”
Hawley is seen as a 2024 presidential contender.