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Biden Flips Arizona

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BY PHILIP ELLIOTT AND SANYA MANSOOR
UPDATED: NOVEMBER 4, 2020 3:44 AM EST | ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED: NOVEMBER 3, 2020 7:00 PM
EST

E lection Day in America has drawn to an unsatisfactory close. The

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.

“This is an embarrassment to our country. We were getting ready to win this

election,” Trump said to a rowdy White House crowd. “Frankly, we did win
this election.” No such declaration was supported by media projections.

An airplane flies over Erie, Penn. to encourage people to vote.

Lorenzo Meloni—Magnum Photos for TIME

Still, as Wednesday began and polls in all jurisdictions closed, Biden was yet
to win any state that Trump carried four years ago. The so-called Blue Wall
of reliably Democratic states was still on a wobbly foundation.

Trump claimed victory in Florida and Ohio—both states President Obama

won. And Democratic efforts in North Carolina and Texas were more
proving more aspirational than actually in play. Trump won Texas by nearly
6 percentage points, though North Carolina remained too close to call.

The focus of the race is now on the 2016 battlegrounds of Michigan,

Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. With mail-in ballot counts only just
beginning, it looked increasingly likely that the result would not be known
until Wednesday, or even later this week.

House Democrats were on pace to hold their majority in the House.

Tantalizingly close Senate races proved slippery for Democrats, who netted
a seat in Colorado but lost one on Alabama. Republicans fended off
challenges in Texas and South Carolina—expensive races that bled cash
from other contests, like those in Georgia and Arizona, where results were
yet to come. Sen. Joni Ernst of Iowa, a Republican who entered office with
the promise to “make ‘em squeal,” and has since become an ally for
President Donald Trump, also won a second term.

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.

The flexing of the United States’ democratic might—amid a resurgent

pandemic—seemed one of the most resolute rejections of a difficult
year rocked by COVID-19, the ensuing economic collapse and a reckoning
on racial justice. Amid heightened fears about how things may have
devolved into chaos, America took a deep breath of relief as things seemed
to proceed normally—at least so far.

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.

Biden flips Arizona

Biden is projected to win Arizona—the first state to switch parties from

2016.

Arizona has traditionally been a Republican stronghold but a

strengthening Latino vote—in part—has called the state’s
traditional political leanings in question, leaving its 11 electoral votes up for
grabs. The win widens Biden’s path to victory with Pennsylvania, Michigan,
Wisconsin and Georgia still up for grabs.

The Trump Administration’s restrictive immigration policy, separation of

families, as well as racist insults have made him relatively unpopular among
many Latinos.

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.

Senate looks safer for Republicans

John Hickenlooper Wins Senate Seat in Colorado
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Despite an early loss for incumbent Sen. Cory Gardner of Colorado,

the embattled Republican Senate majority appeared safer the further from
poll closing the count came.

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.

At a net change of zero, Democrats were still looking at pick-up

opportunities in Arizona, Iowa and North Carolina. But if Trump wins the
White House, that would leave a 50-50 Senate that would be in Republican
control, since Vice President Mike Pence breaks ties.

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 claims victory in must-win Florida, Ohio

and Texas

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.

However, the President failed to pick up a state he had suggested could be

within his grasp. The AP called Minnesota’s 10 electoral votes for Biden.
Minnesota was a close race in 2016—with Clinton winning by less than
45,000 votes—but has largely stayed Democratic over the years; no
Republican presidential candidate has won Minnesota since 1972.

Biden: ‘We believe we’re on track to win’

Biden Speaks on Night of Election As Results Continue to Come In (Full Speech)
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Biden’s brief remarks on election night projected optimism and urged

patience as both campaigns awaited final results from most of the key states
that will decide the outcome of the presidential election. “We believe we’re
on track to win this election,” Biden said at an outdoor event in Wilmington
Delaware, as an audience of cars honked their applause. “We knew because
of the unprecedented early vote, the mail-in vote, that it’s gonna take a
while, that we’re gonna have to be patient until the hard work of tallying
votes is finished.”

“It ain’t over until every vote is counted,” he said. “But we’re feeling good
about where we are.”

As of roughly 12:40 a.m. Eastern Time, when Biden made his remarks, votes
were still being counted in Georgia, Wisconsin, Michigan, and Pennsylvania,
four states that form his path to victory.

“We’re feeling really good about Wisconsin and Michigan. And by the way—
it’s gonna take time to count votes, we’re gonna win Pennsylvania.” he said.
“As I’ve said all along, it’s not my place or Donald Trump’s place to declare
who’s won this election, that’s the decision of the American people. But I’m
optimistic about this outcome.”

“Keep the faith, guys,” he ended. “We’re gonna win this.”

1 of 2 Georgia Senate races headed for runoff

The outcome of at least one of the two hotly contested Georgia Senate races
will remain unclear for a good while longer. Republican Sen. Kelly Loeffler
will face off against Democrat Raphael Warnock in a January runoff after a
close special election, which involved a broad field of candidates that
prevented anyone from getting a majority of votes outright. With 97% of
precincts reporting, Warnock banked 31.7% of votes, followed closely by
26.5% for Loeffler and 20.5% for Republican Doug Collins. (State law
requires that a winner receive at least 50% of the vote.)

Loeffler was appointed to her seat by Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp following
the