Michigan election officials on Monday certified Democrat Joe Biden’s 154,000-vote victory in the state amid President Donald Trump’s challnge to the election tallies.
The Board of State Canvassers, which has two Republicans and two Democrats, confirmed the results on a 3-0 vote with one abstention. Allies of Trump and losing GOP Senate candidate John James had urged the panel to delay voting for two weeks to audit votes in heavily Democratic Wayne County, home to Detroit.
The move is another setback in Trump’s efforts to challenge the election. It comes after he made direct overtures to Republican officials in the state by inviting them to the White House last week.
Under Michigan law, Biden claims all 16 electoral votes. Biden won by 2.8 percentage points — a larger margin than in other states where Trump is contesting the results like Georgia, Arizona, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania.
Some Trump allies had expressed hope that state lawmakers could intervene in selecting Republican electors in states that do not certify. That longshot bid is no longer possible in Michigan.
What's next?
Trump's legal team on Monday said it would continue its legal strategy to challenge the results of the 2020 presidential election after Michigan officials certified a 154,000-vote Biden win.
“Certification by state officials is simply a procedural step," said Jenna Ellis, a legal adviser to Trump's 2020 campaign, in a statement. "We are going to continue combatting election fraud around the country as we fight to count all the legal votes. Americans must be assured that the final results are fair and legitimate."
Reuters contributed to this report.
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