U.S. Senator Cruz leads long-shot Republican bid to overturn Biden's victory

U.S. Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) attends a campaign event ahead of runoff races in Georgia for control of U.S. Senate, in Cumming, Georgia, U.S., January 2, 2021. REUTERS/Elijah Nouvelage

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. Senator Ted Cruz on Saturday said he will spearhead a drive by nearly a dozen Republican senators to challenge President-elect Joe Biden’s victory when Electoral College results are tallied in Congress on Jan. 6 – a largely symbolic move that has virtually no chance of preventing Biden from taking office.

Cruz's effort is in defiance of Senate Republican leaders, who have argued that the Senate's role in certifying the election is largely ceremonial and had been looking to avoid an extended debate on the floor about the outcome.