WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Republican U.S. Senator Susan Collins congratulated President-elect Joe Biden on his “apparent victory” on Monday and urged a transition process that ensures he and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris are ready to govern on Jan. 20.
“He loves this country, and I wish him every success,” Collins said in a statement. She was one of only a handful of Republican senators to congratulate Biden, a Democrat, after he won enough electoral votes on Saturday to clinch the presidency.
Collins, who last week won her own re-election race, also said Republican incumbent Donald Trump should have the opportunity to challenge the results of Tuesday’s election, however.
Trump has not conceded and is pursuing legal challenges to the outcome, claiming electoral fraud but offering no evidence.
Collins was only the third U.S. Republican senator so far to congratulate Biden, along with Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Mitt Romney of Utah, a former presidential candidate.
Most Republican senators, including Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, have avoided public comment on the outcome since major media organizations declared Biden the winner based on the votes counted so far.
Some Republican lawmakers, such as Senator Lindsey Graham, have backed Trump and urged him to continue fighting. House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy told Fox News on Sunday that “every legal challenge should be heard” before Americans can decide “who won the race.”
(Reporting by Doina Chiacu; Editing by Chris Reese and Sonya Hepinstall)
