Loeffler sidesteps questions on challenging Electoral College vote in Senate

Sen. Kelly Loeffler (R-Ga.) on Sunday avoided directly answering whether she’ll join her fellow GOP senators in challenging the Electoral College if she wins the Georgia runoff the day before.

Appearing on “Fox News Sunday,” Loeffler appeared to voice support for the 11 Republican senators who have said they will challenge the Electoral College results without directly stating that she would join in them in their efforts.

“I said from the start, everything’s on the table here, and I’m seriously looking at that,” Loeffler told host Bret Baier. “We have to make sure that Georgia and all of Americans trust our voting process, but my No. 1 objective right now has to be winning on Jan. 5 so that we can get to the bottom of what happened in these elections.”

Congress will vote on Jan. 6 to certify the Electoral College vote. Eleven Senate Republicans said they would oppose the results. Loeffler avoided saying outright where she stood on the issue, saying, “None of it matters if I can’t win on Jan. 5.”

Baier also asked Loeffler how she would have voted in the Senate’s decision to override Trump’s veto of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which passed 81-13. Both Loeffler and fellow Georgia Republican Sen. David Perdue were not present to vote on the measure.

“I voted to support the NDAA,” Loeffler said in reference to when the bill passed the chamber, adding, “The bill that came out of conference was very different from what we’d been promised, so I don’t know. I was here in Georgia, working across the state, and I will continue to stand with our men and women in the military.”

When Baier asked again how she would have voted, Loeffler said, “Look, what’s at stake here is our military and our freedoms. Those are what’s on the ballot right now, and I’m the daughter and granddaughter of veterans. We’re the fifth-largest state for veterans and active-duty military here in Georgia.”

“I won’t belabor it, but that’s not a yes or no [on] whether you would sustain the veto or not,” replied Baier.

Loeffler responded, “That’s right.”

Loeffler will face off against Democratic challenger the Rev. Raphael Warnock in one of two Senate runoff races in Georgia on Jan. 5 that will determine which party controls the chamber.

More than 3 million Georgia voters have already cast their ballots in the runoff elections.