WINDSOR TERRACE — Joe Biden has been projected as the winner of the presidential race.
The Associated Press projected Joe Biden the winner of the presidential race on Nov. 7, at 11:25 a.m. EST, after the vote count in the crucial swing state Pennsylvania showed him taking the lead over President Donald Trump.
President Trump refused to concede the election. On Saturday, he issued a statement in which he vowed to continue fighting.
Other news organizations, including the New York Times, Fox News, and CNN, also called the race for Biden.
If he is certified as the winner, Biden would become only the second Catholic in U.S. history to win the White House. The first was John F. Kennedy, who was elected in 1960.
If confirmed, Senator Kamala Harris of California, who Biden chose as his running mate, would make history as the first female vice president in U.S. history.
In his statement, Trump noted that despite media projections, Biden has not officially been declared the winner.
“We all know why Joe Biden is rushing to falsely pose as the winner, and why his media allies are trying so hard to help him: they don’t want the truth to be exposed. The simple fact is this election is far from over. Legal votes decide who is president, not the news media,” Trump said in his statement.
“Beginning Monday, our campaign will start prosecuting our case in court to ensure election laws are fully upheld and the rightful winner is seated. The American people are entitled to an honest election: that means counting all legal ballots, and not counting any illegal ballots. This is the only way to ensure the public has full confidence in our election,” he added.
Biden issued a statement in which he appeared to strike a note of unity.
“With the campaign over, it’s time to put the anger and the harsh rhetoric behind us and come together as a nation. It’s time for America to unite. And to heal. We are the United States of America. And there’s nothing we can’t do f we do it together,” Biden stated.
Pennsylvania, the state that appeared to put Biden over top with its 20 Electoral College votes, was the state where Biden was born.
Final vote tallies in Pennsylvania and the three other states — Georgia, Arizona, and Nevada — where the numbers are close have yet to be determined. And each state must also certify the results.
With Pennsylvania in his column, Biden appeared to have 273 electoral votes. Pennsylvania has 20 electoral college votes. To capture the White House, a candidate needs 270. As of Saturday, Trump had 214.
Millions of Americans voted by mail this year during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The vote count was still going on days after Election Day because of the deluge of mail-in ballots in many states.
Between mail-in ballots and in-person voting, an estimated 160 million Americans voted in the 2020 election – a record number.
Biden’s lead over Trump in key states was razor-thin.