2020 Election North
2020 Election North
results so far have offered few surprises and indicated little change in the
political balance of power from coast to coast.
As the clock ticked toward 1 a.m. in the eastern U.S., former Vice President
Joe Biden appeared briefly near his home in Wilmington, Del., to tell
supporters and reporters that the results were still unknown and could take
some time to become clear. He projected confidence as he appeared in the
hunt for electoral votes in Wisconsin, Michigan, Pennsylvania and even
Georgia.
“Look, we feel good about where we are. We really do,” Biden said at an
outdoor and socially-distanced parking lot. “We’re going to have to be
patient.”
A little more than an hour later, President Donald Trump addressed the race
from the White House’s East Room. In remarks that were not supported by
fact, Trump claimed that he had won Georgia and North Carolina, was
winning Pennsylvania and “had a lot of life” in Arizona (the Associated
Press soon after projected that Biden won Arizona.)
Trump claimed without evidence that a “sad group of people” were trying to
disenfranchise his supporters. In fact, 7% of votes were outstanding in
Georgia, 6% was out in North Carolina, 36% were out in Pennsylvania and
20% was yet to be counted.
The marquee race of the day, of course, is Trump vs. Biden. Polls had shown
Trump opening the day at a deficit against his Democratic challenger. But as
the candidates matched insult for invective, the country was left with the
choice of two white men in their 70s as the steward of a diverse nation.
Trump pledged to continue his norm-shattering while Biden promised to
return to a more staid version of America. Trump pledged to break the
mold. Biden cast himself as a transitional figure.
But the election results will decide not just who will occupy the White House
for the next four years but also to pick the next Congress, governors in 11
states and thousands of state and local leaders who will set trash pick-up
schedules, utility rates and school curricula.
With some 101 million ballots already banked before the sun rose on
Tuesday, the day was set to be one for the history books. Despite the
challenges of conducting an election in the middle of a public health crisis,
the mettle of America met the moment. Lines were long but moved
efficiently. The counts were coming quickly after polls closed. And the map
remained open for either party to make major changes.
With the balance of power at the Capitol seeming to coast to the status quo,
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi faced a question about how the party would
manage a rowdy Democratic caucus where some were agitating for change.
Election experts have stressed the importance of patience when waiting for
the official vote count of all the races. Candidates do not determine who
wins the election—regardless of what they may say. The final results are
determined by state and local election officials. The cable networks were
standing by for a potential address from the President from the White
House’s East Room.
Americans have relied more heavily on absentee and mail-in-voting this
election because of the coronavirus pandemic, which has made voting access
an even bigger issue than normal. Democrats and Republicans have already
filed hundreds of election-related lawsuits over whose votes count and how
hard it is to access the polls.
Early voting trends suggest that turnout and enthusiasm will be high. Some
states, like Hawaii and Texas, surpassed their total vote count from 2016
even before Election Day.
Clinton lost by about 91,000 votes in 2016—per the AP. Biden leads with
51.8% of votes, compared to 46.9% for Trump.
Sen. John Cornyn of Texas held off a Democratic challenger, as did Sen.
Lindsey Graham in South Carolina. Later in the night, Iowa Republican Sen.
Joni Ernst claimed victory, as well. In Montana, Sen. Steve Daines fended
off a challenge from Democratic Gov. Steve Bullock.
Democrats were down one seat, with a loss in Alabama for incumbent Sen.
Doug Jones to Tommy Tuberville. Efforts to oust McConnell came up short,
and Sen. Susan Collins of Maine appears on safer ground.
Even without final results, it looks like the Senate starting in January will be
incredibly tight. That foreshadows a contentious 117th Congress that could
be replete for infighting or dealmaking, depending on which party prevails
in the still-ongoing White House race.
Trump claimed victory in the wee hours in three battleground states that
were must-wins for the President.
Most notably, the Associated Press called a Trump victory in Florida (A
Florida win for Biden would have all but guaranteed his win.)
The Trump campaign has had a visible presence in Florida as they aimed to
secure its 29 electoral votes. In recent weeks, Trump, who changed his
residency from New York in 2019, cast a ballot for himself and hosted
several rallies in the state, which has come under scrutiny for its relatively
lax coronavirus controls and surging case count.
With 99% of precincts reporting votes, 51.3% of voters went for Trump,
while 47.8% went with Biden. In 2016, Trump’s win in Florida was an early
indicator that the election was going to be tighter than expected. Clinton
lost to Trump by some 113,000 votes.
In Ohio and Iowa, Trump cruised to victory with leads of about 7 percentage
points—despite some pre-election polls showing them within striking
distance for Biden.
Texas, normally reliably Republican, went for Trump shortly after 1 a.m. on
Tuesday, though Biden was able to reduce Trump’s 9-point margin from
2016.