In a recent appearance on HBO’s Real Time with Bill Maher, Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD) suggested he would accept the 2024 election results—provided the election is “free and fair.”
Raskin’s statement comes as Democrats continue to frame former President Donald Trump as a “wannabe dictator,” primarily citing the events surrounding the Capitol riot on January 6, 2021.
ABC: How can Kamala find “common ground” with President Trump’s supporters when she’s simultaneously smearing them and insulting him?
WALZ: “The vice president’s rhetoric is the rhetoric that a president of the United States gives.”
— Trump War Room (@TrumpWarRoom) October 30, 2024
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However, Raskin’s comments reveal that he, too, might challenge election results if he perceives any issues with fairness.
“We’re not going to allow them to steal it in the states, or steal it in the Department of Justice, or steal it with any other election official in the country,” Raskin said on Friday’s program.
“If it’s a free and fair election, we will do what we have always done — we will honor it.”
Maher supported Raskin’s claim, stating that Democrats have a history of accepting fair election outcomes.
Jamie Raskin says Democrats will only uphold the peaceful transfer of power if they view the election as fair:
Jamie Raskin: “When I say we will support a free and fair election, no we we’re not going to allow them to steal it in the states, steal it with the Department of… pic.twitter.com/wiczm4yz0I— Eric Abbenante (@EricAbbenante) November 2, 2024
However, Raskin’s own actions in 2017 tell a different story. At that time, Raskin joined members of the Congressional Progressive Caucus in objecting to the certification of Trump’s 2016 victory.
Raskin even linked on his congressional website to a piece in The Nation titled “Courageous House Progressives Raise ‘Justice and Fairness’ Objections to Certifying Trump,” which praised objections raised by caucus members.
Raskin’s comments to Maher included a significant qualifier: he would honor the results if they were “free and fair.”
This language mirrors statements he made earlier this year when he suggested that Democrats might challenge the 2024 results if concerns about fairness arise.
MUST WATCH: 10 minutes of Democrats denying election results. pic.twitter.com/bJRbzEcIO2
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) June 23, 2022
According to Axios, Raskin has been among a handful of Democrats who have hinted at the possibility of questioning the 2024 outcome. “If Trump won a free, fair and honest election, then we would obviously accept it,” he told the outlet, though he added, “I definitely don’t assume that.”
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Raskin’s remarks reflect the arguments Trump and his supporters used to contest the 2020 election, which they claimed was neither free nor fair.
Despite Raskin’s past objections to the 2016 results, he played a leading role in the second impeachment effort against Trump and served on the January 6 Committee, which was established to investigate what it deemed a “threat to democracy.”
In addition, Raskin has openly discussed legal maneuvers Democrats might consider if Trump wins in 2024.
He previously suggested that Section 3 of the 14th Amendment, which bars individuals who engaged in “insurrection” from holding office, could be invoked to disqualify Trump from the presidency.
Jamie Raskin is saying that congress will STOP Trump from taking office even if he’s chosen by the voters.
This is extremely dangerous. Every Democrat needs to be on the record about this immediately. pic.twitter.com/9IwRoGrrQu
— Charlie Kirk (@charliekirk11) August 5, 2024
This scenario has led some analysts to question whether Raskin and other Democrats might again challenge certification if Trump is reelected.
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Raskin’s recent comments underscore a nuanced stance among some Democrats: while condemning Trump for disputing election results, they also seem to keep the door open to similar objections in the future if they feel the election process lacks integrity.
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Where in the world do we find these imbeciles??
Congress!! 😏
He is one of the biggest scumbags of a politician on the Democratic side. He was big on the phony impeachments of our 45th President. I hope he is voted out sooner than later.