Outgoing Miami-Dade County mayor and incoming U.S. Rep. Carlos A. Giménez is among those urging the president to not admit defeat. On Wednesday, Giménez told NPR's All Things Considered host Ailsa Chang that he doesn't think the president should concede. (Miami Herald reporter Doug Hanks tweeted about the interview this morning.)
"I think that the president has every right to a process," Giménez said. "And that process means if they think that there's some kind of irregularities in different states, pursue it through the courts.... There's a process, and that process needs to be played out. And at the end, that process will work. And in the end, some — you know, a winner will be determined, and that will be the next president of the United States."
Chang asked Giménez how he thinks Trump will be able to "overcome a lead of several thousands of votes" in states where the president is disputing results.Miami-Dade Mayor @MayorGimenez : Trump should not concede. Cited overturning of 1997 election of @XavierLSuarez1 as Miami mayor after absentee-ballot fraud discovery prompted judge to toss out some votes. "Strange things have happened," Gimenez said Wed https://t.co/q3dLvTKyTu
— Doug Hanks (@doug_hanks) November 13, 2020
In response, Giménez referenced absentee-ballot fraud in the 1997 election of Xavier Suarez for mayor of the City of Miami. A Miami-Dade circuit judge ruled that the mayoral race between Suarez and incumbent Joe Carollo was marred by "a pattern of fraudulent, intentional and criminal conduct" and overturned Suarez's victory.
"Strange things have happened," Giménez noted.
Strange things have happened, indeed. But what's truly strange is Giménez's comparison of a small municipal election where fraud was discovered to a nationwide presidential race in which elections officials in every single state have said there is no evidence of voter fraud, or even "irregularities," that affected the outcome of the election.
In the Miami mayoral race, a grand jury found that absentee ballots had been stolen from mailboxes and that voters had been coerced into casting ballots for particular candidates, according to the Washington Post. At least 36 people were charged in connection with absentee-ballot fraud.
Trump, meanwhile, has instigated a veritable witch hunt to substantiate its baseless claims that the election was rigged. And politicians who support Trump, like Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, are offering rewards to anyone who can uncover evidence of voter fraud.
Can Trump still win, as he continues to insist?
The New York Times reports it's impossible. Trump cannot overcome Biden's winning margins in key states like Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, and Michigan through his legal challenges or with recounts.
