Contested battleground states to determine fate of election
The 2020 presidential race has not yet been called, as battleground states are still counting ballots. Graphic by HARRY LADA, Art Director
Nov. 4, 2:13 p.m. PT: With the winner of the 2020 presidential race yet to be determined, a victory for either candidate hinges on results from battleground states. The candidates, President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden, are currently racing to secure the necessary 270 of the 538 Electoral College votes required to win the presidency. According to The Associated Press, Biden has currently secured 248 electoral votes, with Trump trailing at 214.
Of the 13 battleground states in play this election, Trump is projected to win Florida, Texas, Ohio and Iowa, while Biden appears to have secured Arizona, New Hampshire and Wisconsin, as per The Associated Press. Trump’s campaign manager, Bill Stepien, stated this morning that the Trump campaign will request a recount in Wisconsin. The president’s campaign has also filed a lawsuit with the Michigan Court of Claims to halt the ballot count in Michigan, where Biden is leading with 49.9% of the vote, compared to Trump’s 48.6% according to The Associated Press. Both Democrats and Republicans, as well as voting-rights groups, have lawyers on standby in contested states.
Trump holds a stronger lead in Pennsylvania, which is considered a key battleground state with a prized 20 electoral votes. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the state received about 10 times more mail-in ballots than in past elections, which are still in the process of being counted. As it stands, however, Trump is leading Pennsylvania with 52% of the votes to Biden’s 46.9% according to The Associated Press.
Trump also leads in North Carolina and Georgia by less than 2%, while Biden is leading in Nevada by less than 1%. If Biden wins Michigan and Nevada, which each have 16 electoral votes and six electoral votes, respectively, he will win the presidency even without Pennsylvania. Trump, however, will fall five electoral votes short of victory if he only wins the states he is leading in: Georgia, North Carolina and Pennsylvania.