Almost all news agencies claimed the former vice-president to be winning more than the required 270 electoral votes in the 2020 US elections
by: Isti Miskolczy
Even though votes are still being counted in Georgia, New Carolina, and Alaska, Joe Biden has already reached and passed the required amount of 270 electoral votes and with that has become the 46th president of the United States. His vice-president-elect Kamala Harris is about to make history by becoming the first woman, the first black, and the first South-Asian candidate to assume this office.
Official portrait of United States Vice President Joe Biden in his West Wing Office at the White House.
Date 10 January 2013 Source White House Author David Lienemann Via Wikimedia Commons
Despite Trump securing an early-projected win in almost all typically republican states as well as in the swing states of Florida, Ohio, Indiana, and Iowa, he still lost the elections as Biden managed to flip back not just Michigan, Wisconsin, and Pennslyvania after 2016, but also Arizona, which has not seen a single democrat winner since 1996.
Interestingly, this is only the third time since 1960 that a candidate managed to become a president-elect without earning Florida's 29 electoral votes. Previously only John F. Kennedy (1960) and Bill Clinton (1992) got elected without winning in the 'sunny state'.
As of the date of publication of this article, Joe Biden has 290 projected electoral votes compared to Trump's 214. Nevertheless, not all states have finished counting their votes. No official results have come in yet from Alaska, North Carolina, and Georgia, with Trump leading in the two former and Biden in the latter. If no change occurs in these projections, Biden will have 306 electoral votes and thus a convenient lead over Trump. If all these three are won by Trump, Biden will still have 290 electors secured and with that a closer but still convincing majority.
The outcome of the presidential elections in each state. Blue stands for Joe Biden, red for Donald Trump. States coloured in grey where the outcome is still to be decided. Data is up to dane on 08/11/2020. Photo courtesy of Clker-Free-Vector-Images via Pixabay. Data (from CNN) added by author.
Biden in his first address to the nation as a president-elect in Wilmington, claimed his win "a victory for we the people".
"I am humbled by the trust and conficence you have placed in me. I pledge to be a president who seeks not to divide but unify, who does not see red states as lost states, only sees the United States" - he continued. He also went on elaborating on the fact that he won with the most votes ever casted for a presidential candidate in the history of the United States.
In some following tweets he expressed his gratitude to all the volunteers and workers of the polling stations, adding: "this is the time to heal America". Vice-president elect Kamala Harris also thanked their campaign staff and volunteers for their job.
Harris - in a speech at the same event - also said that "We, the people have the power to build a better future". "You chose hope and unity, decency, science, and yes, truth" - she added.
"While I may be the first woman in this office, I will not be the last" - she also told the gathered supporters.
Photo courtesy of Gerd Altmann via Pixabay
The incumbent president, Donald Trump, on the other hand, claimed victory to be his own via Twitter and accused the election to be "stolen". He also called for stopping the count several times in states such as Pennsylvania or Arizona, which were turned by Biden days after the elections.
"I had such a big lead in all of these states late into election night, only to see the leads miracouosly disappear as the days went by. Perhaps these leads will return as our legal proceedings move forward." - he added.
Trump's campaign staff was indeed considering legal proceedings against the results. They are said to be planning to take the matter to court and trying to achieve a re-count in some of the swing states.
The electors of the United States will meet in their respective state capitals on the 14 of December to formally cast their votes - of which Joe Biden and Kamala Harris are very much looking like to receive more than the required 270. Biden is expected to be inaugurated on the 20 of January 2021.
