Republican Michigan congressman: ‘The people have spoken’

Longtime Rep. Fred Upton (R-Mich.) is defending the legitimacy of the election process in Michigan, saying early Sunday that “the people have spoken” while pointing to President-elect Joe Biden’s current lead of more than 150,000 votes over President Trump in the state.

“You know what? The voters have spoken. No one has come up with any evidence of fraud or abuse. All 83 counties have certified their own election results,” Upton told CNN’s Dana Bash on “Inside Politics.” 

“Those will be officially tabulated or should be tomorrow. We expect that that process move forward and let the voters, not the politicians speak,” he continued.

Upton is one of growing number of Republicans in Michigan, and more in Congress, to speak out as the president and his legal team have mounted challenges in the state and other battlegrounds challenging the election’s results.

When discussing Biden’s lead in the state, Upton on Sunday noted the president-elect was not leading by “a razor-thin margin,” but by more than 150,000 votes.

“You have to let those votes stand. People know the process. … I voted absentee. So did my wife. So did my parents. So did my brother and his wife. The process has been in place for a long time. It works. And there’s no issues of fraud anywhere,” he said.

“So, 154,000 votes, I mean, … my own county commission race was a dead-even tie. Then [had] a draw to see who won because it was exactly the same, 154,000 votes is too many to overcome,” he stated. 

According to The Associated Press, which called the race in Michigan for Biden earlier this month, the former vice president currently leads Trump by 155,629 votes.

Mike Shirkey, a Republican serving as majority leader in the Michigan state Senate, and Lee Chatfield, the Republican Speaker of the state House, also defended the state’s election process this past week.

In a joint statement seen by CNBC, the two said shortly after a meeting with Trump at the White House that they have “not yet been made aware of any information that would change the outcome of the election in Michigan and as legislative leaders.”

“We will follow the law and follow the normal process regarding Michigan’s electors, just as we have said throughout this election,” they also said in the statement, which comes as Trump has pushed unproven claims of voter fraud in the state. 

“Michigan’s certification process should be a deliberate process free from threats and intimidation,” they also said.

“Allegations of fraudulent behavior should be taken seriously, thoroughly investigated, and if proven, prosecuted to the full extent of the law,” they added. 

“And the candidates who win the most votes win elections and Michigan’s electoral votes. These are simple truths that should provide confidence in our elections.”