Loeffler says she won’t object to Georgia results

Sen. Kelly Loeffler (R-Ga.) said on Wednesday that she is dropping her plan to object to the Electoral College results from Georgia in the wake of rioters breaking into the Capitol.

Loeffler, speaking from the Senate floor, said she could not “in good conscience” move forward with her plan to object to the votes from her state after Wednesday’s violence, which saw rioters take over both the House and Senate chambers.

“The events that transpired have forced me to reconsider and I cannot now in good conscience object to certification of these electors. The violence, the lawlessness and siege of the halls of Congress are abhorrent and stand as a direct attack on what my objection was intended to protect, the sanctity of the American democratic process,” Loeffler said from the Senate floor.

Senate Republicans had been expected to object to three states: Arizona, Georgia and Pennsylvania.

The Senate will vote on a challenge to Arizona’s election results after the breach of the Capitol suspended the chamber’s debate as senators sheltered in place and then were moved to a secure location.

But Republican senators are hopeful that their GOP colleagues have agreed to drop their plan to object to the other two states. Spokespeople for Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), who had planned to object to Pennsylvania, have not responded to questions about Hawley’s plan after the violence.

Without support from a senator, any objections from House Republicans will not be able to force a vote or debate on their challenges.