Conservatives pushed back Saturday against the decision by media outlets to declare former Vice President Joseph R. Biden the winner of the 2020 presidential election.
“The media do not get to determine who the president is. The people do,” tweeted Sen. Josh Hawley, Missouri Republican. “When all lawful votes have been counted, recounts finished, and allegations of fraud addressed, we will know who the winner is.”
Concerned Women for America CEO Penny Nance said the lawsuits filed by the Trump campaign challenging the vote counts should be resolved before the winner is declared.
“The news media does not get to call the election,” Ms. Nance said. “We will let the legal process play out, and if former Vice President Biden is the winner, we will congratulate him, pray for him, and engage him to do the right thing on the issues about which we care.”
Conservative radio and television host Mark Levin concurred, saying that “the media do not declare who’s president-elect.”
“There’s a constitutional and statutory process. Gore litigated for 37 days,” tweeted Mr. Levin, referring to 2000 Democratic presidential candidate Al Gore’s challenge in Florida. “Clearly the media want this ended today.”
The media do not get to determine who the president is. The people do. When all lawful votes have been counted, recounts finished, and allegations of fraud addressed, we will know who the winner is
— Josh Hawley (@HawleyMO) November 7, 2020
1. The media do not declare who’s president-elect. There’s a constitutional and statutory process. Gore litigated for 37 days. Clearly the media want this ended today.
— Mark R. Levin (@marklevinshow) November 7, 2020
The Associated Press, NBC News, CNN, and Fox News projected Saturday that Mr. Biden had won the 2020 presidential election after declaring that he had won both Nevada and Pennsylvania, pushing him over the threshold of 270 electoral votes.
“I am honored and humbled by the trust the American people have placed in me and in Vice President-elect Harris,” Mr. Biden said in a statement. “In the face of unprecedented obstacles, a record number of Americans voted. Proving once again, that democracy beats deep in the heart of America.”
In a Saturday statement, the Trump campaign said “Joe Biden has not been certified the winner of any states, let alone the highly contested states headed for mandatory recounts, or states where our campaign has valid and legitimate legal challenges that could determine the ultimate victor.”
Ms. Nance said that the “hundreds of thousands of conservative women I represent know how to play offense and defense, and we do not shy away from any circumstance.”
“One thing is for sure. Our election process needs reforming,” Ms. Nance said. “It helps no party to have this many Americans show such strong distrust of the process. I am glad to see some senators, like Sen. Josh Hawley, already looking to introduce legislation to safeguard our elections.”
Mr. Hawley said Thursday that he would introduce election integrity legislation to ban ballot-harvesting and guarantee poll-watcher access.
• Valerie Richardson can be reached at vrichardson@washingtontimes.com.
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