Pelosi begins mustering Democrats for possible House decision on presidency
Source: Politico
Speaker Nancy Pelosi has begun mobilizing Democrats for the possibility that neither Joe Biden nor President Donald Trump will win an outright Electoral College victory, a once-in-a-century phenomenon that would send the fate of the presidency to the House of Representatives to decide.
Under that scenario, which hasnt happened since 1876, every states delegation gets a single vote. Who receives that vote is determined by an internal tally of each lawmaker in the delegation. This means the presidency may not be decided by the party that controls the House itself but by the one that controls more state delegations in the chamber. And right now, Republicans control 26 delegations to Democrats 22, with Pennsylvania tied and Michigan a 7-6 plurality for Democrats, with a 14th seat held by independent Justin Amash.
A battle inside the House could be brutal, even more politically bare-knuckled than Trump and Senate Republicans pushing through a Supreme Court nominee days before the election. In some states, a single seat could decide the partisan makeup of a delegation. There could be extended legal challenges over declaring victors in House races, as national party leaders and their legal teams dive headlong into the results for individual races at the county or even precinct level.
Pelosi, in a Sunday letter to House Democrats, urged them to consider whether the House might be pulled into deciding who is president when determining where to focus resources on winning seats in November. This could lead to more concerted efforts by Democrats to win in states such as Montana and Alaska typically Republican turf but where Democrats have been competitive statewide. In these states, Democratic victories could flip an entire delegation with a single upset House victory.
Read more: https://www.politico.com/news/2020/09/27/pelosi-mobilizes-democrats-house-decision-on-presidency-422359
murielm99
(30,656 posts)People are voting in droves. Trump will lose decisively.
On edit: This was speculated in 1968. It was already a bad enough year with the assassinations. George Wallace won five states. Some people thought the election would be thrown into the House. It was not.
Fiendish Thingy
(15,366 posts)Polybius
(15,238 posts)Humphrey would have won.
pandr32
(11,446 posts)We have to be better prepared than Trump's goons. That is something we have all over them: smarter people.
forgotmylogin
(7,496 posts)Plan for the worst, hope for the best.
Hoyt
(54,770 posts)BlueWavePsych
(2,634 posts)iluvtennis
(19,757 posts)2naSalit
(86,048 posts)The one House seat we have could make the state look and vote blue with just one candidate. She's a great legislator and should be there to represent us.
The pollsters seem to care only about the big population states. We get bumkes about the Montana senate race.
yaesu
(8,020 posts)about it for years.
CTyankee
(63,769 posts)I had given that up but lookee here! Maybe, just maybe...
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fightvision81
(9 posts)Geez, this year is freaking me out with so much at stake
sarcasmo
(23,968 posts)LastLiberal in PalmSprings
(12,538 posts)If they keep finding more arcane ways to get around the popular vote, then let's settle it like men. Think of the television ratings it will get!
klook
(12,134 posts)Not sure that would be much of a shocker at this point.
ecstatic
(32,566 posts)hoping for the best.