According to a report from AL.com, Donald Trump last remaining slim chance to overturn the 2020 presidential results rests in the hands of Rep. Mo Brooks (R-AL), who has given every indication that he will contest the Electoral College votes when they are presented on the floor of the House.
"The key, if you are a thinking individual, is to examine whether or not there has been voter fraud and election theft. And the evidence is overwhelming and compelling that voter fraud and election theft has plagued this 2020 election cycle unlike any time in American history," Brooks told the Alabama paper.
However, in order for his efforts to forestall certifying the election of President-elect Joe Biden to proceed, Brooks would need a counterpart in the Senate to follow his lead.
As CNN reported on Sunday, should Brooks succeed in convincing a Republican senator to assist him -- with incoming Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) his likely ally -- that could cause serious problems with Republican senators who are facing re-election in 2022.
As AL.com's Paul Gattis and Lee Roop wrote, "Regardless of the merits of the case Brooks is making, his election challenge is causing real-world consequences for Republicans, according to Jess Brown, a retired political scientist professor at Athens State University."
"If Brooks pushes forward with his challenge, every member of Congress will be forced into a vote on the Electoral College – or, put another way, if they agree with Trump's assertion that the election was stolen from him," the report adds. "That's an uncomfortable position for the almost two-dozen senators up for re-election in 2022 – either supporting Trump's voter fraud claims or risking the wrath of Trump in their re-election efforts, particularly the six or seven candidates who face difficult re-elections in states with strong Democratic support."
Those lawmakers could include Senators Ron Johnson (R-WI), Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK).
According to Larry Sabato's Election Crystal Ball: "If 2022 turns out to be a bad Democratic year — as it has been for the president's party in each of the last four midterms — the Senate would remain Republican. But there are sufficient Democratic targets for the party to win a narrow Senate majority if the political environment is not a burden."
The Republican Party leadership is already trying to tamp down on rank and file members from continuing their quixotic quest to keep Trump in office by forcing what has been termed a "toxic vote."
Early last week, the Senate's number two Republican, Sen. John Thune (R-SD) warned lawmakers their attempt to forestall the inevitable would "go down like a shot dog."
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