Florida Republican senators split on objection to election results in Pennsylvania; uphold results in Arizona
President-elect Joe Biden’s 2020 election win certified by Congress
Congress was forced to abruptly halt its session on counting Electoral College votes won by President-elect Joe Biden as supporters of President Donald Trump swarmed the U.S. Capitol. But the counting resumed, and Biden’s win was certified.
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - Both of Florida’s Republican senators voted to uphold the electoral votes in Arizona, but responded differently on the results in Pennsylvania after a pro-Trump mob stormed the U.S. Capitol.
U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio voted to reject objections to the Arizona and Pennsylvania results while fellow U.S. Sen. Rick Scott rejected the Arizona objections. Prior to Wednesday’s insurrection, he said he would "likely vote to sustain the objection to their state of electors."
Scott was one of just seven senators to uphold the objection to the Pennsylvania results. The objection ultimately failed in a vote of 92-7.
Both Rubio and Scott voted in favor of upholding the electoral votes in Arizona.
The objection to the results in Arizona — spearheaded by Rep. Paul Gosar and Sen. Ted Cruz — was rejected 93-6 by the Senate and 121-303 by the House on Wednesday night.
Objections to the Electoral College votes in Georgia, Michigan and Wisconsin, which all went to Biden, were withdrawn by senators in the wake of the pro-Trump riot inside the U.S. Capitol.
Prior to Congress resuming the session, Scott used the words "thugs" and "un-American" in describing those that stormed the Capitol, saying they should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.
While Republicans and Democrats alike called for an end to the riot, Democrats blamed the president for sparking it. At a rally earlier in the day, President Trump repeated debunked claims of election fraud, encouraging supporters to keep up the fight against the results and to March on the capital.
After a nearly four-hour lockdown, the House and Senate resumed their joint session. Before sunrise, Congress certified the electoral votes, confirming Joe Biden’s win.
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Vice President Mike Pence, presiding over the joint session, announced the final tally, 306-232.