November 08, 2020, 12:28 AM
United States Democratic challenger Joe Biden has won the historic 2020 presidential election with more than 270 electoral votes, edging out incumbent U.S. President Donald Trump.
America, I’m honored that you have chosen me to lead our great country.
— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) November 7, 2020
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
Biden's road to victory
Biden has bagged Pennsylvania, which gave him an additional 20 electoral votes, pushing him over the 270 threshold to win the presidency.
CNN, Associated Press, ABC News and NBC News called the win for Biden at around 12:27am Singapore time.
BREAKING: Joe Biden wins Pennsylvania, NBC News projects. https://t.co/2lPBSdCgyW pic.twitter.com/48093CS54Q
— NBC News (@NBCNews) November 7, 2020
Biden's lead over Trump is 0.51 per cent, which is more than the margin of recount of 0.5 per cent.
PA Presidential Election Results - Called for Biden (D)
— Decision Desk HQ (@DecisionDeskHQ) November 7, 2020
Biden (D): 49.68% (3,344,528 votes)
Trump (R): 49.17% (3,310,326 votes)
Biden Margin: 34,202 (+3,291)
% Difference: 0.51%
Estimated: > 95% votes in
More results here: https://t.co/BgcQsEyt3j
With Pennsylvania under Biden's belt, incumbent U.S. President Trump's chances at reelection have effectively been cut off.
The latter needed to get Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Georgia, as well as either Nevada or Arizona to attain the 270 electoral votes needed to get reelected to the White House.
Biden earlier took a narrow lead over Trump in Georgia, but could not secure a victory alone with it even if it was confirmed, for the electoral votes gained brought him to 269 electoral votes, putting him on the cusp of the required 270.
He has also bagged the battleground prizes of Wisconsin and Michigan, reclaiming part of the "blue wall" that the Democrats lost in 2016.
While Trump had a strong start with votes that were cast in-person on Election Day on Nov. 3, Biden overtook him later on when mail-in ballots were counted.
Biden has also broken the record for the most votes received by a presidential candidate in U.S. history.
Biden's running mate, Kamala Harris, will be America’s first female and non-white Vice President.
But the official result of the election could be days or even weeks away.
Trump’s campaign has previously requested a recount in Wisconsin, and has sued in Michigan and Pennsylvania.
Georgia has also confirmed a recount of its votes.
Such legal challenges, while not likely to have an impact on the election result, could present a challenge to Biden’s transition.
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Top image by JIM WATSON/AFP via Getty Images
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