Nearly three dozen House members on Friday signed onto a bipartisan pledge to respect the results of the 2024 presidential election and attend the inauguration for whichever candidate wins.
The “Unity Commitment,” led by Reps. Josh Gottheimer, New Jersey Democrat, and Don Bacon, Nebraska Republican, said the 32 signed members commit to accepting the presidential election results once the Nov. 5 election is over “and all legal means to challenge election results in the courts have been exhausted.”
The pledge signers — mostly members of the bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus — promise to acknowledge the elected winner and certify the results during a January joint meeting of Congress.
The last such effort on Jan. 6, 2021, resulted in violent riots at the Capitol as some supporters of former President Donald Trump refused to accept that he lost the 2020 election to President Biden.
The lawmakers committed to “serving as a voice for calm and reconciliation and speaking out against those who endorse or engage in violence that harms people, property, or public spaces.”
Mr. Trump is the Republican presidential nominee again this year, running against Vice President Kamala Harris after Mr. Biden dropped out of the race in July.
Democrats warn that Mr. Trump will refuse to accept the election results if he loses again. Mr. Trump previously said he would accept the outcome “if it’s a fair and legal and good election,” as he continues to refuse to acknowledge his 2020 loss and spread false narratives about widespread election fraud.
“After this election, America will have the rule of the mob unless the commonsense majority stands up,” the House members’ unity pledge reads. “It’s never been more critical for our leaders to embrace the enduring idea that America is and must always be one nation.”
Notably, the vast majority of the members who signed the pledge, 26 of the 32, are Democrats.
The Republicans who signed, in addition to Mr. Bacon, were Reps. Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania, Lori Chavez-DeRemer of Oregon, and Mike Lawler, Nick LaLota and Anthony D’Esposito of New York.
• Lindsey McPherson can be reached at lmcpherson@washingtontimes.com.
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