More than 30 House members, including a half-dozen Republicans, have signed a bipartisan pledge to uphold the results of the 2024 election amid an increased focus on Congress’ role in certifying the tally next January.
A pair of House centrists, Reps. Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J.) and Don Bacon (R-Neb.), have worked for months to organize what they’re calling a “unity commitment” — an agreement to “safeguard the fairness and integrity” of this fall’s presidential election.
Five other Republicans also signed on: Reps. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.), Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.), Lori Chavez-DeRemer (R-Ore.), Nick LaLota (R-N.Y.) and Anthony D’Esposito (R-N.Y.).
None of the six Republicans who signed the pledge voted against certifying the 2020 election on Jan. 6, 2021. (Several of them were not yet in office.) A total of 139 House Republicans did vote against certifying President Joe Biden’s victory.
In addition to vowing to certify the election and attend the inauguration ceremony in person, the lawmakers will also speak up as “a voice for calm and reconciliation” and speak out “against those who endorse or engage in violence.”
“In America we respect election results especially once the courts and appeals work through the process,” Bacon said in a statement. “We fight hard to win during campaigns and then respect the results when the votes are counted.”
In his third presidential run, former President Donald Trump has continued to insist that he did not lose the election in 2020 — stoking fear that he may again encourage his supporters to block certification of the election next January if he loses for a second time. Trump and his allies have also continued to raise unfounded alarms about voter fraud that could impact the election.
But some Republicans have also pointed to comments from Democrats such as Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.), who has questioned whether Trump would be legally qualified even if he did win the election under the Constitution. Raskin has pointed to the Fourteenth Amendment, which bars people who have “engaged in insurrection or rebellion” from holding office — though the Supreme Court ruled earlier this year that enforcing that clause lies solely with Congress.
