Democratic congressman joins efforts for faithless electors to reject Donald Trump

Impact

A new high-profile name has joined the calls for the Electoral College to reject President-elect Donald Trump when electors meet on Dec. 19 to vote based on their state's election results.

"We're 5 wks from Inauguration & the President Elect is completely unhinged," Rep. Jim Himes (D-Conn.) tweeted Sunday night. "The electoral college must do what it was designed for."

Himes' call for faithless electors to break their pledge to vote for Trump came in response to yet another Trump tweet assaulting the press.

"Just watched @NBCNightlyNews — So biased, inaccurate and bad, point after point," Trump tweeted, seemingly in reference to a piece the broadcast network had just run on Trump rejecting the CIA's finding that Russia meddled in the election to help Trump win. "Just can't get much worse, although @CNN is right up there!"

Democrats have been vocal in their hope for members of the Electoral College — who have pledged to vote for the nominee of their party when electors meet Dec. 19 in their respective state capitals — to reject Trump.

Yet only one Republican has publicly stated he will vote against Trump. Christopher Suprun, an elector from Texas, wrote in a New York Times op-ed that he will vote against Trump on Dec. 19 because Trump, "Shows daily he is not qualified for the office."

One defection is not even remotely enough to deny Trump a win. Based on the election results, Trump won 306 Electoral College votes — far more than the 270 votes needed to win.