Cruz leads Republican drive challenging Biden win

In a largely symbolic move, Senator Ted Cruz says he’ll lead a drive to challenge President-elect Joe Biden’s victory.

The Texas senator and ten other Republican senators said Saturday they intend to vote to reject electors from states that have been at the center of President Donald Trump’s unproven assertions of election fraud. They said Congress should quickly appoint a commission to audit election results in those states.

A Biden campaign spokesman dismissed the move as theater, saying, "This stunt won't change the fact that President-elect Biden will be sworn in on January 20."

Congress will count the Electoral College votes on Wednesday; Biden is set to take the oath of office on January 20.

Cruz’s effort comes just days after Missouri Congressman Josh Hawley became the first sitting member of the Senate to say he’ll challenge the election result. Some House Republicans also plan to contest the tally.

But several Republican senators including Majority Leader Mitch McConnell have said they do not back efforts to derail the certification of the Electoral College vote.