January 06, 2025

Duckworth Statement on the Certification of the 2024 Presidential Election

 

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] – U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) issued the following statement following Congress’s vote to uphold the results of November’s presidential election:

“When my Army buddies and I raised our right hands and vowed to protect and defend the Constitution, we didn’t qualify our oaths by saying we’d follow orders only when the Commander-in-Chief was someone whose election we were happy with. Just like when every Member of Congress was sworn into office, we didn’t mutter under our breath that we’d discharge our duties only when it served our political interests—though some of my Republican colleagues seemed to forget that the last time we certified a presidential election.

“So while I am deeply, deeply troubled by what four more years of a President Donald Trump will mean for working families and the future of our nation’s democratic form of government, today, I respected the will of the American people and upheld my oath to the Constitution by certifying November’s results. Because—despite what we witnessed in this place, on this day, four years ago, at Trump’s own urging—I still believe in the values our nation was founded upon, and I still believe that in this government of, by and for the people, voters choose their leaders, not the other way around.

“But if there’s one thing I know, it’s that my buddies and I didn’t sign up to defend our democracy in warzones thousands of miles away only to watch it crumble in hallowed halls back at home. So today, I also want to reassure all those who feel unseen, insulted or imperiled by Trump’s election that I will continue to do everything in my power to safeguard our Constitution and protect the civil rights that Americans have bled and died for throughout our history. Because as we prepare for another four years of Trump in the Oval Office, now is not the time to give up. Now is the time to dig deep—to give all that we can, whenever we can, in an effort to defend the values, rights and freedoms we hold so dear.”

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