Rove: Trump's legal maneuvering won't overturn election

Karl Rove, who twice helped George W. Bush win the White House, says President Trump’s legal maneuvering in a half dozen states won't change the outcome of the 2020 election, which many media outlets have declared was won by Joe Biden.

Rove said Trump is entitled to legal recourse over reports of voter fraud and other irregularities, "but the president’s efforts are unlikely to move a single state from Mr. Biden’s column, and certainly they’re not enough to change the final outcome."

“To win, Mr. Trump must prove systemic fraud, with illegal votes in the tens of thousands," Rove wrote in a Wall Street Journal piece. 

There is no evidence of that so far, he said.

“Once his days in court are over, the president should do his part to unite the country by leading a peaceful transition and letting grievances go,” Rove continued.

Biden is projected to win 290 electoral votes to Mr. Trump’s 217, according to the latest total from The Associated Press. It takes 270 to win the presidency.

Rove noted that Trump "is now pursuing legal challenges in Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Michigan, Arizona and Nevada, and there will be an automatic recount in Georgia, given Mr. Biden’s 0.29-point lead there.

"Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is correct that Mr. Trump is '100% within his rights' to go to court over concerns about fraud and transparency. But the president’s efforts are unlikely to move a single state from Mr. Biden’s column, and certainly they’re not enough to change the final outcome," Rove said.

He also argued that if history is any guide, changing the outcome will be next to impossible.

"There are only three statewide contests in the past half-century in which recounts changed the outcome: the 1974 New Hampshire Senate race, the 2004 Washington governor’s contest, and the 2008 Minnesota Senate election. The candidates in these races were separated, respectively, by 355, 261 and 215 votes after Election Day. These margins aren’t much like today’s. Mr. Biden led Wednesday in Wisconsin by 20,540 votes, Pennsylvania by 49,064, Michigan by 146,123, Arizona by 12,614, Nevada by 36,870 and Georgia by 14,108," Rove pointed out. 

Rove said that unless some systematic fraud emerges quickly, "the president’s chances in court will decline precipitously when states start certifying results."

Georgia will on Nov. 20, followed by Pennsylvania and Michigan on Nov. 23, Arizona on Nov. 30, and Wisconsin and Nevada on Dec. 1.

By seating one candidate’s electors, these certifications will raise the legal bar to overturn state results and make it even more difficult for Mr. Trump to prevail before the Electoral College meets Dec. 14, Rove added.