Biden certification process: How Minnesota representatives voted
Vice President Mike Pence and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., stand after to reading the final certification of Electoral College votes cast in November's presidential election during a joint session of Congress after working through the night, at the Capitol in Washington, Thursday, Jan. 7, 2021. Violent protesters loyal to President Donald Trump stormed the Capitol Wednesday, disrupting the process.[AP/ J. Scott Applewhite]
Early Thursday, Congress confirmed Joe Biden as the winner of the November 2020 presidential election, after the certification process Wednesday was halted by violent right-wing protests at the U.S. Capitol.
Here is a breakdown of how the Minnesota congressional delegation voted:
Those who voted to raise objections:
- 1st District – Rep. Jim Hagedorn (GOP) – voted in favor of certification objection
- 7th District – Rep. Michelle Fischbach (GOP) – voted in favor of certification objection
Those who voted against certification objections:
- 2nd District – Rep. Angie Craig (DFL) – voted against the certification objection
- 3rd District – Rep. Dean Phillips (DFL) – voted against the certification objection
- 4th District – Rep. Betty McCollum (DFL) – voted against the certification objection
- 5th District – Rep. Ilhan Omar (DFL) – voted against the certification objection
- 6th District – Rep. Tom Emmer (GOP) – voted against the certification objection
- 8th District – Rep. Pete Stauber (GOP) – voted against the certification objection
Tuesday afternoon, the Minnesota DFL issued the following statement, calling for Fischbach and Hagedorn to be expelled from Congress:
“Just three days after Representatives Hagedorn and Fischbach swore oaths to defend the United States Constitution from all enemies, foreign and domestic, they violated those oaths by lending aid and comfort to an insurrectionist mob through their votes to overturn the results of a free and fair American election. Today, I am calling on Congressional leaders to begin the formal process of expelling Representatives Hagedorn and Fischbach from the House of Representatives.
“Yesterday’s mob breached the United States Capitol with the explicit goal of halting the certification of the 2020 presidential election and thwarting American democracy. It is unthinkable that any sitting members of Congress would share these aims, especially after that mob laid siege to the Capitol, yet Representatives Hagedorn and Fischbach have done exactly that and must face severe repercussions for their actions.
“At the core of any democracy is the agreement to resolve political differences through the ballot box, rather than the use of violence. By perpetuating the false notion that the former is no longer possible, Representatives Hagedorn and Fischbach have made the latter inevitable. If shortsighted and irresponsible politicians are allowed to continue leading our nation down this dark path, we may never recover. It is time for Congress to act in order to safeguard the future of American democracy.”