Yesterday was the general election. Where do we stand?
Summary
While no major flips have occurred, several key battleground states have yet to be called and mail-in ballots have yet to be counted.
- According to ABC News and FiveThirtyEight, of 18 of 51 voting states have gone solidly democrat in the presidential election; 14 are solidly republican. 9 are leaning democrat, 8 are leaning republican, and 2 states (Georgia and Ohio) are a toss-up.
- This gives Joe Biden the lead with between 225 and 227 electoral votes, and Trump behind with about 213. Nearly 100 electoral votes are still up for grabs.
- As of this morning, the Alaska, Arizona, Georgia, Maine, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin races are yet to be projected.
- Alaska is leaning overwhelmingly in favor of Trump, as it did in the 2016 election.
- Maine is leaning in favor of Biden, as it did for Clinton in the 2016 election.
- If Pennsylvania goes red, as it is leaning right now, Biden will need to secure electoral votes from both Wisconsin and Michigan in order to win the election. Trump won in both states in 2016. This morning, PA Attorney General Josh Shapiro said that it was “way too early” to call the election in Pennsylvania.
- President Trump Tweeted that his campaign was clearly ahead in the election, but Democrats were trying to “steal” votes away from him. He also said that it was illegal for votes to be cast after polls close.
- Republican Senator Marco Rubio pushed back on Trump’s statement, saying that the election would not be decided until every legally cast vote was counted. Biden echoed this sentiment in a Tweet, saying that “it’s not my place or Donald Trump’s place to declare the winner of this election. It’s the voters’ place.”
- Says Biden is winning. Vox reports that Biden appears to have the “edge,” although the election is not out of the woods yet. Huff Post predicts that the rust belt will go blue, and Daily Beast writes that Biden is “roaring back” ahead in the polls.
- Highlights the underlying key issues brought forth by the election. Mother Jones writes that no matter who wins, this election has brought forth issues of more deep-seated political polarity that will be difficult to address. Slate reports that a Biden win won’t mean an end to political strife in the United States.
- CNN is following the ballot counts closely and optimistically.
- Reports that Trump is winning. The Blaze writes that Trump made major gains with almost every demographic group, and The American Spectator writes that conservatives should feel “encouraged” by the election. Daily Caller reminds readers that “it’s not over yet.”
- Amplifies the narrative that the election is rigged. Breitbart writes that poll workers stopped counting ballots in order to give Biden an advantage. The Daily Wire says that Trump plans to challenge the results of the election in the Supreme Court.
- Agrees that, win or lose, this election is a victory for conservatives. The Federalist expresses that the closeness of the election will send democratic leaders spiraling and questioning their values regardless of whether or not they win.
Return to Freespoke 
© Evelyn Torsher, 2020
