As of this Tuesday, polling forecasts and betting odds data indicates that Vice President Kamala Harris has a good chance of beating former President Donald Trump in the upcoming election. If Trump loses, will he accept it?
Since the current GOP candidate lost the 2020 election to President Joe Biden, he had continued to make unfounded claims about election fraud and he even pushed to prevent votes for Biden from being certified. Now, a group of bipartisan former governors has joined together in an effort to make sure that the correct election results are certified after the 2024 election.
“Four years ago, Trump failed in his push to have a pair of Republican chief executives in battleground states – Brian Kemp in Georgia and Doug Ducey in Arizona, overturn the voters’ will in their states,” said POLITICO.
A letter from the “Keep Our Republic” group was first obtained by the outlet. According to the POLITICO, nearly 20 ex-governors had signed onto the effort. It urges sitting governors to certify election results by the Dec. 11 deadline.
“Certifying electors is a simple yet essential task that ensures a peaceful and lawful transition of power. Failing to meet this duty jeopardizes the voice of the voters and risks unnecessary chaos,” said Tom Corbett, a Republican and former governor of Pennsylvania.
Governors are responsible for certifying which candidate won the popular vote in their state through a document called the “Certificate of Ascertainment” per federal law, the Keep Our Republic site explained. This certificate names the electors that represent the winning candidate.
“While there is much to debate on the campaign trail, we expect all candidates and the American people will agree that this time-honored process during our post-election period is not open for debate. It is simply a ministerial and administrative duty,” said the group’s letter.
Signers include Republican former governors Jeb Bush of Florida, John Kasich of Ohio, George Allen of Virginia and Scott McCallum of Wisconsin as well as former Democratic governors Ted Strickland of Ohio and Grey Davis of California.
After the 2020 election, the Electoral Count Reform Act of 2022 was passed. That was also a bipartisan effort to clarify that each state must submit a single, conclusive slate of electors. It also reiterates that the vice president’s role is ceremonial.
“Trump’s plan four years ago centered on some battleground states submitting dueling sets of electors that would muddle the Electoral College certification process on Jan. 6 and have both sets voided,” said POLITICO. “That would have allowed, according to the plan, then-Vice President Mike Pence to toss them out and give the election to Trump.”
Pence did not do this. Some of the people who participated in the Capitol riot – an insurrection fueled by election fraud claims – chanted “hang Mike Pence” and made a makeshift noose for their chants.
POLITICO said Corbett was disappointed when Trump refused to admit he lost in 2020 and he’s concerned that Trump might do it again. One potential function of the Keep Our Republic group is to provide cover for governors the Trump campaign may target.
“When you make allegations, you better have some evidence,” Corbett said. “And I have not seen any evidence.”
These former governors aren’t the only group that has pledged to honor the election results. Axios reported last week that: “a half dozen House Republicans have so far signed onto a bipartisan letter vowing to respect the certified winner of the 2024 presidential election,” citing a copy obtained by the outlet.
Earlier this month, Audacy reported on poll results that found voters also doubt that Trump would respect the election results if he does not win. Last September, he said in an interview that he didn’t respect his own lawyers who told him he lost the 2020 election.
Trump’s voter base is more inclined to agree with the former president regarding his election claims, however. Last week, Audacy reported on poll results that found that 67% of Republicans trust the GOP candidate’s campaign – more than the 51% who trust government certifications – to provide accurate information on the 2024 election outcome. A vast majority of Democrats said they trust both government certifications (87%) as well as their candidate and her campaign (82%).
FiveThirtyEight polling data for November presidential election compiled as of Tuesday showed that Harris maintained a lead over Trump at 48.1% to 45.3%, while The Hill’s Decision Desk HQ showed that Harris had a 54% likelihood of winning the election. Meanwhile, betting odds reported by USA Today Monday also indicated that Harris was in the lead compared to Trump.