US Presidential Elections: Biden at 264 electoral votes, Trump at 214
WASHINGTON (WEB Desk/AFP) - Votes are being counted to elect America’s next president.
The Republican President Donald Trump is being challenged by Democratic Party nominee Joe Biden who is inches closer to victory. The later is popularly known as Barack Obama’s vice-president and has been in politics since 1970.
Nebraska split its electoral votes between the two — four for Trump and one for Biden. Maine was won by Biden, but so far, he has only three of the four electoral votes on offer, with the last still to be decided.
So far, that gives Biden 264 electoral votes and Trump 214. The magic number of electoral votes is 270.
Trump demands recount in Wisconsin
President Donald Trump’s campaign said Wednesday it was demanding a recount in Wisconsin, where early returns show Democrat Joe Biden with a slender lead.
“There have been reports of irregularities in several Wisconsin counties which raise serious doubts about the validity of the results,” campaign manager Bill Stepien said in a statement. “The president is well within the threshold to request a recount and we will immediately do so.”
Wisconsin is one of a handful of states where the fate of the US election now hangs in the balance.
Seven states still left uncalled
As it stands, there are seven states still left uncalled, including major prizes such as Pennsylvania and Wisconsin — meaning both Trump and Biden still have a path to victory.
US media outlets have projected wins for the Republican incumbent in 23 states including big prizes Florida and Texas, as well as Indiana, Kentucky, Missouri and Ohio — all states he won in 2016.
Biden has captured 20 states including his home state Delaware and big prizes California and New York, as well as the US capital. The former vice president has flipped one state won by Trump in 2016 — Arizona, in the southwest.
President Donald Trump and Democratic challenger Joe Biden are battling it out for the White House, with polls closed across the United States Tuesday — and a long night of waiting for results in key battlegrounds on the cards.
The results are flowing in, with US media projecting wins for the Republican incumbent so far in 22 states including big prize Florida, Indiana, Kentucky, Missouri, Ohio and Tennessee — all states he won in 2016.
Biden has captured 18 states including his home state Delaware and big prizes California and New York, as well as the US capital. As with Trump, so far, all states claimed by Biden were won by Democrat Hillary Clinton in 2016.
So far, that gives Biden 238 electoral votes and Trump a maximum of 213, because Nebraska splits its electoral votes based on congressional district (see note below).
But a number of key battleground states are still up in the air, including Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.
The magic number of electoral votes is 270.
The following is a list of the states won by each candidate and the corresponding number of electoral votes, based on the projections of US media including CNN, Fox News, MSNBC/NBC News, ABC, CBS and The New York Times.
TRUMP (213)*
Alabama (9)
Arkansas (6)
Florida (29)
Idaho (4)
Indiana (11)
Iowa (6)
Kansas (6)
Kentucky (8)
Louisiana (8)
Mississippi (6)
Missouri (10)
Montana (3)
Nebraska (4)*
North Dakota (3)
Ohio (18)
Oklahoma (7)
South Carolina (9)
South Dakota (3)
Tennessee (11)
Texas (38)
Utah (6)
West Virginia (5)
Wyoming (3)
BIDEN (238)*
Arizona (11)
California (55)
Colorado (9)
Connecticut (7)
Delaware (3)
District of Columbia (3)
Hawaii (4)
Illinois (20)
Maine (3)**
Maryland (10)
Massachusetts (11)
Minnesota (10)
Nebraska (1)*
New Hampshire (4)
New Jersey (14)
New Mexico (5)
New York (29)
Oregon (7)
Rhode Island (4)
Vermont (3)
Virginia (13)
Washington (12)
STATES NOT YET CALLED
Alaska
Georgia
Michigan
Nevada
North Carolina
Pennsylvania
Wisconsin
Muslim-American Congresswomen Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar win re-election
Muslim-American congresswomen Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar won the re-election of the US House of Representatives with an overwhelming majority of votes in their respective districts Michigan and Minnesota.
Tlaib and Omar were the first Muslim women to be elected in the Congress in 2018.
The women have been criticised by President Trump and even from people of their own party for their outspoken stance against the treatment of Palestinians at the hands of the Israeli government.
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez wins second term in US House
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has been re-elected to a second term in the US House of Representatives after defeating her Republican challenger John Cummings in the heavily Democratic New York 14th congressional district, which includes parts of New York City, The Bronx and Queens.
Ocasio-Cortez, a progressive Democrat, had created history after becoming the youngest woman ever elected to Congress.
“Thank you to the Bronx & Queens for re-electing me to the House despite the millions spent against us, and trusting me to represent you once more,” she said in a tweet Wednesday morning.
“Serving NY-14 and fighting for working-class families in Congress has been the greatest honor, privilege, and responsibility of my life.”
Polls Open In New York, New Jersey, Virginia
Polling stations opened in New York, New Jersey and Virginia early Tuesday, marking the start of US Election Day as President Donald Trump seeks to beat forecasts and defeat challenger Joe Biden.
The vote is widely seen as a referendum on Trump and his uniquely brash, bruising presidency that Biden urged Americans to end to restore “our democracy.”
New Hampshire hamlet casts first US Election Day votes
Voters in Dixville Notch, a village of 12 residents in the state of New Hampshire, kicked off Election Day at the stroke of midnight on Tuesday by voting unanimously for Biden.
The vote and count only took a few minutes, with five votes for Biden and none for President Donald Trump, who is seeking a second term.
The tiny northeastern town in the middle of the forest, near the Canadian border, has traditionally voted “first in the nation” since 1960.
Neighboring village Millsfield also begins voting at midnight but a third village in the area, which typically follows the same tradition, canceled overnight voting due to the coronavirus pandemic.
