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Arizona is center stage as Congressional Republicans try to toss out election results, keep Trump in office

The state is one of three targeted for objections by GOP lawmakers. Usually ceremonial certification of vote could become forum for baseless conspiracy theories.

PHOENIX — UPDATE: Congress has overwhelmingly turned aside a challenge to President-elect Joe Biden’s victory in Arizona, guaranteeing the result will stand.

Earlier Wednesday, supporters of President Donald Trump breached the U.S. Capitol, forcing a lockdown of the lawmakers and staff inside. Trump has claimed widespread voter fraud to explain away his defeat to Biden, though election officials have said there wasn’t any.

Now that Arizona is out of the way, Congress will reconvene as the joint session and make its way through the rest of the states that have objections.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.

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Arizona’s vote for President-elect Joe Biden will be under the microscope Wednesday in the nation’s Capitol. 

A joint session of Congress will meet to certify the votes of state electors in the presidential election. 

Dozens of Republicans, with President Donald Trump’s urging, plan to stage a last-ditch attempt to throw out the election results and keep Trump in office.

Experts on constitutional law, as well as a handful of GOP senators, say Congress has no legal authority to do that. 

RELATED: Here's how Congress will count Electoral College votes

Late Tuesday, the New York Times reported that Vice President Mike Pence had informed Trump that Pence had no power to change the election outcome.

Republicans’ objections to the certification are based on unfounded conspiracy theories and outright lies that have been refuted by elections officials and rejected by the courts. 

The usually scripted, ceremonial event is scheduled to start about 11 a.m. Arizona time. It could go well into the evening as Republicans object to state votes during a roll call and then debates ensue.

Three states will be targeted, according to news reports: Arizona, Pennsylvania and Georgia. Since it’s an alphabetical roll call, Arizona will face the first objections.

Congressman Andy Biggs of Gilbert, a diehard Trump supporter, and Texas Sen. Ted Cruz are expected to object to certifying Biden’s Arizona electors. 

An objection is considered only when it’s raised by both a congressman and a senator.

When that happens, the House and Senate each meet for two hours of debate. Each member has five minutes to speak. They will then vote on the objection.

Both chambers would have to vote to sustain an objection. 

That isn’t likely to happen, given that Trump’s Republican supporters fall short of a majority in the House and the Senate.

Each objection is handled the same way.

The debates and members’ votes will be complicated by coronavirus restrictions in Congress.

Congress’ constitutionally-mandated certification brings to a head Arizona Republicans’ failure over the last two months to prove any wrongdoing.

The state Republican Party has pumped out baseless conspiracy theories and speculation about the vote in Maricopa County. 

Biden won Arizona by 11,000 votes but it was Maricopa County that delivered the victory, by voting for a Democratic president for the first time in 72 years.

More than half of Arizona’s Republican lawmakers at the state and federal levels have supported tossing out the election results.

Arizona Republican Party Chairwoman Kelli Ward is one of Trump’s fiercest defenders but has nothing to show for it. 

Judges at the county, state and federal levels have tossed out election lawsuits brought by Ward and Arizona lawmakers. 

Ward did announce on Twitter Tuesday night that she will run for a second term as party chair, with Trump’s support.

Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani was brought in for a Republican town hall in Phoenix that featured a cavalcade of self-described elections experts. 

Guiliani's impact was felt at the Capitol: The Legislature had to shut down for a week out of concern that he exposed several lawmakers to COVID-19.

Arizona Politics

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