Newly sworn-in Tampa Bay congressman joins Republicans contesting presidential election results

TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — A Tampa Bay area congressman who was just sworn in to the U.S. House of Representatives announced Monday he is joining a group of his Republican colleagues in challenging the results of the 2020 presidential election.

Rep. Scott Franklin (R-FL) released a statement Monday saying he would challenge the election results to “ensure that there is a fair election process that counts every legally casted vote.”

“Following the election, there has been a lack of transparency in counting votes in several states that merit closer scrutiny. For that reason, I will join my Republican colleagues in challenging the results of the 2020 presidential election to ensure that there is a fair election process that counts every legally casted vote,” Franklin said.

His announcement comes days before a congressional joint session to count electoral votes. That session is set to take place Wednesday and is the final step to reaffirm President-elect Joe Biden’s win before his inauguration on Jan. 20.

In his statement, Franklin says Democrats “showed the country that they were willing to deploy any tactic to ensure that Donald Trump was not re-elected as president of the United States.” The congressman references the president’s impeachment and “mass mailing unsolicited ballots.”

“While I unequivocally support a peaceful transfer of power in our esteemed democracy, it must be done in accordance with fairness, transparency and integrity,” Franklin wrote. “There are many valid questions that have been raised about this process.”

Rep. Franklin was sworn in on Sunday after winning the U.S. House District 15 race in November. He made it to the general election by defeating fellow Republican and incumbent Congressman Ross Spano.

According to the Associated Press, he now joins dozens of House Republicans, as well as several GOP senators, who are expected to object to the results from some swing states where President Donald Trump has alleged fraud. A number of election officials, and the now-former Attorney General William Barr, have said there was no widespread fraud in the election. The AP says neither Trump nor any of the lawmakers promising to object have presented credible evidence that would change the outcome.

The AP also reports there has been a number of current and former GOP officials condemning the efforts to overturn the election.