‘He’s clearly laying groundwork’: Hawley paves Election 2024 path – POLITICO

The face of the Biden resistance is taking shape in the Senate: Josh Hawley.

In a prelude to a widely expected 2024 presidential bid, the Missouri Republican is the only senator to oppose every one of President Joe Biden’s Cabinet nominees — a distinction sealed Tuesday when he voted against confirming new Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. Hawley briefly held up the confirmation of another Cabinet official, for the Department of Homeland Security.

Even before Biden became president, Hawley initiated his bid for the Trump wing of the party by becoming the first senator to announce he would vote against the Electoral College results certifying the new president’s win, thrilling the outgoing president and his followers.

Hawley, whose Senate seat is up for election in 2024, has said repeatedly that he isn’t running for president.“

All I can say is no,” Hawley said in an interview on Wednesday, denying he has an overarching plan to oppose Biden’s nominees. “What can I say? That’s clearly not my focus.”

But aside from Hawley’s allies, no one familiar with presidential politics or the U.S. Senate is taking the 41-year-old at his word — especially after several Democratic senators used their opposition to early Trump appointees as a springboard to 2020.

Source: ‘He’s clearly laying groundwork’: Hawley paves 2024 path – POLITICO

Hawley denies trying to overturn election results | TheHill

Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) denied on Wednesday that he was trying to overturn the presidential election with his votes to challenge the Electoral College results in Arizona and Pennsylvania on Jan. 6.

“I never said that the goal was to overturn the election,” he said. “That was never the point and it was never possible.”

Hawley’s votes to contest the results came after former President Trump for weeks after the election promoted unfounded claims that widespread voter fraud led to his loss and called on his supporters to protest certification on Jan. 6.

Rioters supporting Trump ended up storming the Capitol that day in an attack that resulted in five deaths and temporarily delayed Congress from affirming Biden’s election win.

Congress reconvened later that evening after the building was secured. Eight Republican senators and 139 House GOP members still voted to challenge the Electoral College results in at least one of the two states despite the day’s violence.

Hawley and Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) were among the most scrutinized, facing accusations they incited violence by committing to teaming up with House Republicans contesting the results, which forced both chambers to head into debate before eventually certifying the vote.

Source: Hawley denies trying to overturn election results | TheHill

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