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Wake Up To Politics - November 6, 2020

It’s Friday, November 6, 2020. Inauguration Day is 75 days away. Have questions, comments, or tips? Email me.


Campaign 2020

Biden assumes lead in Georgia as election nears conclusion

Including states that have been called by the Associated Press and all five television networks, former Vice President Joe Biden has won 253 electoral votes while President Donald Trump has won 214. Six states, totaling 71 electoral votes, remain up in the air. Here is the latest in those states, as of 8:15 a.m. Eastern Time:

Georgia (16 electoral votes). With more than 98% of estimated votes reported, Biden has edged into a slim lead of 1,097 ballots, with 49.38% of the vote to Trump’s 49.36%. About 10,000 votes have yet to be counted, including 4,800 in Gwinnett County, an Atlanta suburb in which Biden has been leading by 18% so far.

Pennsylvania (20 electoral votes). With 95% of estimated votes reported, Trump’s advantage has slipped to 18,049 ballots, with 49.5% of the vote to Biden’s 49.2%. About 163,500 absentee ballots have yet to be counted, including 60,000 in Philadelphia County and 36,000 in Allegheny County, which includes Pittsburgh. Biden is leading comfortably in both counties so far and has been heavily favored in the mail-in ballots counted so far; he is expected to overtake Trump in the state at some point today.

North Carolina (15 electoral votes). With 95% of estimated votes reported, Trump leads Biden by 76,737 votes, 50% to 48.6%. The president is expected to maintain his edge in the state.

Arizona (11 electoral votes). With 90% of estimated votes reported, Biden’s lead has grown to 47,052 ballots, taking 50.1% of the vote to Trump’s 48.5%. About 204,000 votes have yet to be counted, many of which are from Maricopa County, which includes Phoenix.

Nevada (6 electoral votes). With 89% of estimated votes reported, Biden has an 11,438-vote advantage, with 49.4% of ballots cast in the state to Trump’s 48.5%. Clark County, which includes Las Vegas and is trending in Biden’s favor, has about 51,000 votes left to count; the state also has 60,000 provisional ballots outstanding.

Alaska (3 electoral votes). With 56% of estimated votes reported, Trump is comfortably leading by 51,382 votes, with 62.9% of the vote to Biden’s 33%. Absentee ballots will be accepted as long as they arrive by November 10; the state will not begin counting any mail-in votes until then, which is why so few ballots have been counted in the state.

The New York Times electoral map as of 8:15 a.m. Eastern Time. 

Assuming Trump wins Alaska — which is slow to count votes but has been won by every Republican presidential nominee since 1968 — he would have 217 electoral votes to Biden’s 253.

To get to the needed 270 electoral votes, Trump would need to also emerge victorious in Pennsylvania and three of the four remaining states (Georgia, North Carolina, Arizona, Nevada). Biden could surpass the magic threshold by winning Pennsylvania or two of the four other battlegrounds — a much more straightforward path to 270.

Biden urged his supporters to remain calm in remarks from Delaware on Thursday. “The count is being completed and we’ll know very soon,” he said, adding that “we have no doubt that when the count is finished, Senator Harris and I will be declared the winners.” According to the Washington Post, the Secret Service is ramping up Biden’s protective unit after the former vice president’s campaign alerted the agency that he “could make a major speech as early as Friday.”

Meanwhile, in remarks from the White House briefing room on Thursday, Trump espoused a litany of baseless claims about the vote-counting. “This is a case where they’re trying to steal an election, they’re trying to rig an election, and we can’t let that happen,” the president said; no evidence has emerged to support any of those allegations. Several Republican lawmakers rebuked Trump for seeding doubt in the democratic process with his statement.


Daybook

All times Eastern.

President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence have no public events scheduled.

Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden and vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris have no public events scheduled.

The Senate will meet at 9 am for a brief pro forma session.

The House is not in session.

  • House Speaker Nancy Pelosi will hold her first post-election press conference at 10:45 am.

The Supreme Court justices will meet for their weekly conference.


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