Joe Biden is now projected to have 290 Electoral College votes, the Associated Press (AP) news agency said on Saturday, above the threshold needed to clinch the hard-fought United States presidential election.
The president-elect was projected to have surpassed the 270 electoral vote threshold after the AP called Pennsylvania in his favour. Shortly after that, AP also called Nevada for Biden.
“I am honoured and humbled by the trust the American people have placed in me and in Vice President-elect [Kamala] Harris,” Biden, 77, said in a statement a few minutes after the projection was announced.
With Biden’s projected win, Harris will be heading to the White House as his vice-president, and is set to create new records along the way.
She has had a trailblazing career, and will now be the first woman, first African American and first person of Asian descent to serve as vice president.
Meanwhile, President Donald Trump’s campaign has vowed to challenge the result, particularly in the states of Georgia, Pennsylvania and Arizona.
In a statement on Saturday, the incumbent Republican president said the “election is far from over” and accused Biden of “rushing to falsely pose as the winner”.
“Joe Biden has not been certified as the winner of any states, let alone any of the highly contested states headed for mandatory recounts, or states where our campaign has valid and legitimate legal challenges that could determine the ultimate victor,” the statement said.
The Trump campaign announced plans to seek a recount in Wisconsin and filed lawsuits in several states. Separately, Georgia also announced a recount.
Ballot counting continues in several key battleground states where the margins are razor thin.
In US elections, it is common practice for news organisations, after determining that a candidate no longer has a path to victory, to project a winner in the race.
“Beginning Monday, our campaign will start prosecuting our case in court to ensure election laws are fully upheld and the rightful winner is seated,” Trump’s statement read.
“The American People are entitled to an honest election: that means counting all legal ballots, and not counting any illegal ballots.”
Biden, for his part, has called for unity after what was an extremely divisive election campaign.
“With the campaign over, it’s time to put the anger and the harsh rhetoric behind us and come together as a nation,” he said in his statement.
Source: Al Jazeera
