Senate Democrats Weigh Blocking GOP Senators on Jan. 3 as Trump Eyes House Through Close-Race Challenges
Updated
Updated · The Guardian · Sep 29
Senate Democrats Weigh Blocking GOP Senators on Jan. 3 as Trump Eyes House Through Close-Race Challenges
3 articles · Updated · The Guardian · Sep 29
Summary
A 34-31 carryover Democratic edge in the Senate on Jan. 3 could let Democrats challenge and delay seating Republican senators-elect if Trump allies contest close House races.
That leverage stems from the Senate being a continuing body: 65 senators keep their seats into the new Congress, while the House starts from scratch and its initial majority controls who gets sworn in.
The report argues Republicans could exploit disputed certifications, a friendly House clerk or pending election contests to keep apparent Democratic House winners off the first roll of representatives-elect.
JD Vance, presiding as Senate president, could be overruled if he tried to seat a challenged Republican anyway, because appeals would be decided by the already seated Democratic majority.
The result could be a Jan. 3 standoff unseen outside the Civil War era, with each chamber using election challenges to fight over control of Congress.