Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) will object to the certification of Arizona's Electoral College votes on Wednesday, two sources familiar with his plans confirmed to Axios.
Why it matters: Cruz is one of 13 senators that have threatened to object to President-elect Biden's Electoral College victory. Arizona is at least the third state whose certification Republican lawmakers plan to challenge.
- Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) has said he'll object to Pennsylvania's certification, while Sen. Kelly Loeffler (R-Ga.) says she'll object to Georgia's results.
- Cruz, who is leading a separate coalition of 11 senators, will be joined in the House in his Arizona objection by Rep. Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.).
- The Washington Post was the first to report on Cruz's plans.
Between the lines: Cruz is choosing to object to Arizona in an effort to bolster his request for an electoral commission on alleged voter fraud early on in the certification process.
- States are certified alphabetically — meaning Arizona will be the first battleground state brought to the joint session of Congress.
- The Trump campaign has repeatedly lost lawsuits seeking to overturn election results, including in Arizona.
What they're saying: "I assembled a coalition of 11 senators that we are going to vote to object to the electors — not to set aside the election, I don’t think that would actually be the right thing to do," Cruz said on the Mark Levin Show on Monday.
- "But rather to press for the appointment of an electoral commission that can hear the claims of voter fraud, hear the evidence and make a determination as to what the facts are and the extent to which the law was complied with."
What to watch: Republicans' objections to the certification process are virtually guaranteed to fail, as the Democrats hold a majority in the House and a number of Republican senators have condemned their colleagues' efforts as damaging to democracy.
