Following a close election night and four days of counting mail in ballets, the Associated Press has projected former Vice President Joe Biden the victor of the 2020 election. Biden earned 279 electoral college votes to Trump’s 214, with North Carolina, Georgia, Arizona and Alaska still being counted. Biden also leads in the popular vote by over 4 million votes.
Kamala Harris will be making history as the first woman and first woman of color to be elected on a presidential ticket. The soon to be former senator from California began the election season as a candidate, however after withdrawing late in 2019 she joined the Biden ticket in August this year. Residents of Thulasendrapuram, the Indian village in which Harris’s grandfather lived, were reported to have been praying for her success prior to Saturday’s announcement.
President Trump has no plans to concede the election. The campaign has filed several lawsuits in an attempt to stop the counting of ballots in key swing states. After months of sewing doubt as to the legitamacy and effectiveness of mail in ballots, Trump continues to spread false information in hopes of overturning the election results. In a speech early Wednesday morning, Trump told supporters he planned to file a motion with the supreme court, however as of writing it remains unclear whether or not the supreme court would help the administration if the justices decide to review it. The campaign has since opened a voter fraud hotline which has been bombarded with prank calls since launch. The President voted by mail this past August.
When the news broke celebrations began across the country, as well as several other nations. Following Saturday’s announcement Biden addressed the nation.
“We have to stop treating our opponents like the enemy,” Biden said. “They are not our enemies, they are Americans.”
Barring any Supreme Court challenges, Biden will take office Jan. 20 of next year.