Trump campaign files for new recount in Georgia

President Trump’s campaign said Saturday it filed a petition for a new recount in Georgia the day after officials there certified the election results showing President-elect Joe Biden with a lead in the Peach State.

“We are focused on ensuring that every aspect of Georgia State Law and the U.S. Constitution are followed so that every legal vote is counted,” the Trump campaign legal team said in an unsigned statement.

“President Trump and his campaign continue to insist on an honest recount in Georgia, which has to include signature matching and other vital safeguards,” the statement added.

The Trump campaign’s push for the recount in Georgia comes one day after Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger (R) certified the results of the election in the state, showing Biden leading Trump by more than 12,000 votes. He is the first Democratic presidential nominee to win Georgia since 1992.

Georgia conducted a hand recount of the 5 million votes cast in the presidential race, though Gov. Brian Kemp (R) signaled Friday when he certified the results that Trump’s campaign could pursue “other legal options” and request a new recount.

The campaign had until Tuesday to request the recount, which is allowed under state law if an election is decided by 0.5 percentage points or less. Trump and Biden are currently separated by about a quarter of a percentage point in the state.

The Trump campaign’s petition follows a series of other legal actions it has taken since the Nov. 3 election in a push to shift the election’s outcome, though the legal team has faced a number of setbacks in court.

A federal judge in Pennsylvania ruled Saturday that the campaign presented “strained legal arguments without merit” and “speculative accusations” without evidence in its lawsuit to invalidate millions of ballots in that state.

The campaign had sought to delay certification of Pennsylvania’s election results, which show Biden leading by more than 81,000 votes, but the judge dismissed the case.

The Trump campaign also filed for a recount in two Wisconsin counties this week, spending $3 million, after officials finished a statewide canvass of votes that showed Biden 20,608 votes ahead of Trump there.

Trump has not conceded to Biden while the legal challenges play out, though he has faced growing calls from Republicans to accept the election results as Biden puts together a team for his incoming administration.