Biden Declares Himself Winner in Election as Media Project Him Passing 270 Electoral College Votes
In an election impacted by the ongoing coronavirus pandemic and record-breaking levels of mail-in voting, the tight race for the White House between incumbent Republican President Donald Trump and his Democratic opponent Joe Biden seems to have reached its climax with the arrival of the voting data from Pennsylvania.
Joe Biden has gathered enough votes to win the state of Pennsylvania, according to AP’s call. In light of the Democratic candidate's projected success in Pennsylvania, the AP has called Biden the winner in the 2020 US presidential election, as with this state he passes the 270 Electoral College votes required to win the presidency.
Biden was quick to react to the news, rushing to thank the country for "choosing" him as the next US president and promising not only to be president for those who voted for him, but also for those who did not.
America, I’m honored that you have chosen me to lead our great country.
The work ahead of us will be hard, but I promise you this: I will be a President for all Americans — whether you voted for me or not.
I will keep the faith that you have placed in me. pic.twitter.com/moA9qhmjn8
— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) November 7, 2020
His Republican opponent, Donald Trump, has not conceded to Biden, instead arguing that the election is far from over. POTUS has accused the Democrat and "his media allies" of rushing to "falsely pose as the winner" in an attempt to conceal the truth, presumably referring to his accusations of voter fraud and the counting of illegal votes that came in after the polls had closed. He added that his campaign will start prosecuting the case in court starting on Monday in a bid to ensure that "election laws are fully upheld and the rightful winner is seated".
"The simple fact is this election is far from over. Joe Biden has not been certified as the winner of any states, let alone any of the highly contested states headed for mandatory recounts, or states where our campaign has valid and legitimate legal challenges that could determine the ultimate victor", Trump said.
The AP call came as Trump was trailing Biden in Pennsylvania with 49.1% against 49.6% with 96% of the estimated ballots counted, according to the latest Edison Research report. Authorities in Pennsylvania are yet to officially announce the results of the tally, with several other states still counting votes.
The counting continues in Georgia, where Joe Biden recently took the lead over Trump after days of trailing behind. In Arizona, in turn, Trump has narrowed his margin against Biden to 0.6%, coming closer to turning the state red as 97% of the votes have been counted there so far, according to Edison Research. Nevada is another state where Trump trails slightly behind the Democrat with 47.9% versus 49.9% and with 6% of the ballots yet to be counted.
What Was the Situation in the Run-up to Election Day?
As Donald Trump and Joe Biden headed into Election Day on 3 November, pollsters had suggested the president’s Democratic opponent was registering a more comfortable lead than Hillary Clinton had four years ago against Trump. In 2016 Donald Trump had swept in to claim a stunning victory in the electoral college vote against his opponent.
The final polls before the 2020 election, released on 2 November, showed that while some states were close, Biden was ahead in enough swing states to potentially win.
https://sputniknews.com/us-elections-2020-news/202011071080997285-biden-reaches-winning-tally-as-battleground-state-of-pennsylvania-chooses-democratic-candidate/