Senator Josh Hawley released a statement on December 30th that he will not vote to certify the electoral college results. This makes him the first Senator to commit to challenging the Electoral College results on January 6th.

“I cannot vote to certify the electoral college results on Jan. 6 without raising the fact that some states, particularly Pennsylvania, failed to follow their own state election laws,” Hawley wrote in a statement on Twitter. 

He further clarified that Democrat members of Congress objected during both the 2004 and 2016 elections, raising concerns about election integrity. “They were praised by Democratic leadership and the media,” Hawley stated, they “were entitled to do so.” He says now, Republicans are entitled to the same.

Over the last week, several Republican members of the house have already said they plan to object to the counting of Electoral College votes. In a situation where both a single house member and a single senator object, a series of debates would be held before Congress can certify any state’s votes.

If Congress finds the election results untrustworthy, the election will be decided by the House of Representatives.