“Arizona officials certified the state’s election results Monday, formalizing Democrat Joe Biden’s narrow victory over Donald Trump even as the Republican president’s attorneys continued making baseless claims of fraud in the state’s vote count,” the AP reports.
For those keeping track, the other key states which have already certified a Biden win include Georgia, Michigan, Nevada and Pennsylvania.
Cook Political Report: “There have only been three federal elections in the last 100 years decided by fewer than 20 votes… But in an insult to injury for House Democrats, who have already lost a dozen incumbents to the GOP, Democrats are currently trailing by a scant six votes in Iowa’s 2nd CD and 12 votes in New York’s 22nd CD as both races head for lengthy legal fights.”
“The margins are infinitesimal but could make a huge difference in how the House operates. These two races will likely decide whether Democrats have a 222 or 224 seat majority and whether Speaker Nancy Pelosi can afford four, five or six defections and still pass legislation. There’s a third race yet to be called in California’s 25th CD, but GOP Rep. Mike Garcia holds a 405 vote lead that seems likely to hold.”
Washington Post: “In the three weeks before Nov. 3, the Trump campaign sent out 365 emails… In the three weeks that followed, from Nov. 4 to 24, the campaign sent out 354. Amazingly, it sent out more emails in the week after the election than the week before.”
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp (R) “pushed back on exhortations by President Trump, suggesting that the president was asking him to interfere in the Nov. 3 election in a way prohibited by state law,” the Washington Post reports.
Said a Kemp spokesman: “Georgia law prohibits the Governor from interfering in elections. The Secretary of State, who is an elected Constitutional officer, has oversight over elections that cannot be overridden by executive order.”
Earlier, President Trump continues to slam Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp (R): “Why won’t Governor Brian Kemp, the hapless Governor of Georgia, use his emergency powers, which can be easily done, to overrule his obstinate Secretary of State, and do a match of signatures on envelopes. It will be a ‘goldmine’ of fraud, and we will easily WIN the state…”
“Also, quickly check the number of envelopes versus the number of ballots. You may just find that there are many more ballots than there are envelopes. So simple, and so easy to do. Georgia Republicans are angry, all Republicans are angry. Get it done!”
Rep. Paul Mitchell (R-MI) asked President Trump to “stop the stupid,” tweeting: “Oh my God, President Trump. Please for the sake of our Nation please drop these arguments without evidence or factual basis.”
The makeup of the U.S. Senate will change slightly when Mark Kelly (D) will be sworn in on Wednesday at 12 p.m., bringing Republican majority down to 52 to 48.
“Former presidential hopeful Andrew Yang, who advocated for a “universal basic income” during the Democratic primary, is now the subject of a poll that tests New York City voters’ appetites for a third-party candidate in the upcoming mayoral race,” Politico reports.
“The poll did not indicate it was being conducted on Yang’s behalf… but several questions focused on his potential candidacy — something his team said he was weighing as recently as last month. Others asked respondents to gauge a nameless candidate, whose description closely matched Yang’s profile.”
Gallup: “President-elect Joe Biden’s favorability rating has risen six percentage points to 55% since the election compared with his final preelection reading. At the same time, President Donald Trump’s favorability has edged down three points to 42%.”
California Secretary of State Alex Padilla (D) has emerged as the front-runner to succeed Sen. Kamala Harris, the New York Times reports. However, Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) appears to be in no rush to make his choice official.
The Hill: “Democrats say they’re in need of serious course corrections to stay competitive in future elections, warning the party may no longer be able to rely on anger at President Trump to drive voters to the polls.”
Politico: “It could be months before Census apportionment data shows exactly which states will gain and lose seats, and it will take even longer to gauge the impact of the maps, from those drawn by partisan state legislators to commission-drawn maps in places like Michigan and New York.”
“But already, there are a few members of Congress who will almost certainly find themselves in more challenging terrain in 2022. This redraw will be most painful in the roughly ten states which are on track to lose a district, particularly ones with smaller populations. That could mean bare-knuckled maneuvering between the two Democrats in Rhode Island and three Republicans in West Virginia — states likely to drop a seat.”
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