U.S. Sen. Steve Daines said Wednesday evening that he will vote to certify Joe Biden's electoral win, reversing his stance following today's assault on the U.S. Capitol Building in Washington, D.C.
“Today is a sad day for our country," Daines said in a statement. "The destruction and violence we saw at our Capitol today is an assault on our democracy, our Constitution and the rule of law, and must not be tolerated. As Americans, we believe in the right to peaceful protest. We must rise above the violence. We must stand together. We will not let today’s violence deter Congress from certifying the election. We must restore confidence in our electoral process. We must, and we will, have a peaceful and orderly transition of power."
The Montana Republican is the first senator to announce the switch, according to CBS News.
Daines had been one of 13 senators who had planned to challenge the results in certain swing states.
The Capitol has been secured, and Congress is expected to reconvene to certify the election Wednesday night.
