Jacob Ogles
Outgoing Rep. Francis Rooney is one of the few sitting Republican officials nationwide to congratulate Joe Biden for winning the Presidency.
Rooney tweeted his words to the Democratic President-elect on Sunday. That came a day after cable networks projected the former Vice President as the winner.
“Congratulations to Pres-elect Biden on a successful campaign,” Rooney tweeted.
“All Americans need to come together to support Pres-elect Biden. Our nation will only be successful if the new admin is. We must work together to enact bipartisan legislation and solve the problems our country faces that is how our system of government works. We have more that unite us than divide us, and now that the heat of battle has drawn to a close we must come together for the betterment of all our citizens.”
Notably, Rooney was among the few Republicans willing to praise certain Biden policies, like the Democrat’s pandemic response plan, even in the lead-in to the Presidential election.
He was also among the only Republicans in the House to support investigating actions by President Donald Trump in the Ukraine that led to his impeachment. Rooney ultimately voted against impeaching Trump, but was the last Republican in the House to go on record ruling a yes vote out.
Perhaps not coincidentally, Rooney began criticizing Trump’s actions in Ukraine a day before announcing he would not seek a third term in the House.
But his words of congratulations for Biden come as Trump refuses to concede and most GOP elected officials stay mum or offer support for the President’s evidence-free accusations of voter fraud.
In comparison, Rep.-elect Byron Donalds, who was elected this week to succeed Rooney representing Florida’s 19th Congressional District, has started soliciting fundraising for a legal fund for Trump as he challenges election results.
“It is critical that we have the resources to fight back against the Left’s attempt to overthrow election integrity,” Donalds tweeted on Thursday.
