Senate GOP Leader John Thune Opposes Nationalizing Elections

Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) shared with reporters on Feb. 3 that he’s not in favor of federalizing elections," following recent comments made by President Donald Trump on a podcast where the President suggested that "Republicans ought to nationalize the voting.”

During an appearance on former FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino’s podcast on Feb. 2, President Trump claimed that noncitizens who are in the U.S. illegally are voting in federal elections and stated that Republicans should “take over” in at least 15 states.

“We have states that are so crooked, and they’re counting votes — we have states that I won that show I didn’t win. Now you’re going to see something in Georgia where they were able to get with a court order, the ballots, you’re going to see some interesting things,” President Trump added.

President Trump’s comments come amid an effort by Republican Congressmembers to tighten voting requirements across the country.

“That’s a constitutional issue,” Thune said, referring to President Trump's remarks, further emphasizing that he is "a big believer in decentralizing and distributing power.”

Despite Thune’s dissent, the Senate Majority Leader confirmed his support for the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act, a bill already passed by the House of Representatives, which would require proof of citizenship when registering to vote in federal elections. The bill is still awaiting passage in the Senate, as Republicans attempt to bypass the 60-vote threshold required by the Senate’s filibuster rules.

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) has also chimed in on President Trump’s comments, stating, "It’s always been the responsibility of the states to administer elections, and it’s a system that works well, so long as the states make it a priority to ensure the integrity of our elections. And we have real concerns about some of the blue states, frankly, that have not been doing that well."

Johnson said that President Trump was "expressing that frustration" during the interview podcast.