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On the fourth day of the vote count, Joe Biden had a lead of 253-214. (Archive)
Washington:
Democrat Joe Biden came closer to winning the White House on Friday by expanding his lead over President Donald Trump in battle states, but television networks held back from declaring him the winner as officials continued to count votes.
Trump remained defiant, vowing to press unfounded claims of fraud as a tired and anxious nation waited for clarity in an election that only intensified the country’s deep polarization. Republicans sought to raise $ 60 million to fund lawsuits challenging the results.
On the fourth day of the vote count, former Vice President Biden held a 253-214 lead in the state-by-state Electoral College vote determining the winner, according to Edison Research.
Securing Pennsylvania’s 20 electoral votes would put Biden over the 270 he needs to win the presidency after a political career that stretches back nearly five decades.
Biden would also win if he prevails in two of the other three key states in which he was far ahead on Friday: Georgia, Arizona and Nevada. Like Pennsylvania, all three were still processing ballots on Friday.
Biden had planned a victory speech for Friday night, anticipating that the race would be called in his favor, according to employees.
But with the vote count drawn out, employees and allies said he would give a reduced speech.
“You are likely to hear an update on the race in which you will convey your confidence in the system, your optimism about the final result and your determination to lead a responsible path forward rather than some pronouncement that can make us all feel better and Let us go to sleep earlier, “said Sen. Chris Coons of Delaware, a Biden ally.
Nationally, Biden led Trump by 4.1 million votes out of a record 147 million cast.
However, its lead was much smaller in those four disputed states – just 83,937 votes out of more than 16 million cast. In Georgia, he led by just 3,962 votes.
In Pennsylvania, Biden’s lead jumped to 27,130 votes with 96% of the votes counted, Edison Research said. In Georgia, he had 4,289 votes ahead with 99% of the vote.
In Arizona, Biden’s lead fell to 29,861 votes with 97% of the vote counted. Its margin in Nevada jumped to 22,657 with 93% of the count completed.
Although the race did not achieve the landslide victory Democrats hoped for, the party held out hope of winning control of the US Senate in two runoff elections in Georgia on January 5.
Edison Research said incumbent Republican Senator David Perdue would miss 50% of the vote, forcing a runoff with Democratic challenger Jon Osoff. Incumbent Republican Senator Kelly Loeffler will also face Democrat Raphael Warnock that day.
If Democrats win both seats, that would give them at least 50 seats in the 100-seat chamber, allowing Biden’s running mate Kamala Harris to cast runoff votes.
That would make it harder for Republicans to block Biden’s priorities, like expanding healthcare and fighting climate change.
‘COUNTS EVERY VOTE’
As Biden’s lead grew in Pennsylvania, hundreds of Democrats gathered in front of the central Philadelphia vote-counting site, wearing yellow T-shirts that read “Count Every Vote.” Two men were charged with firearms crimes after being detained near the center, which has become a focus of protests. Local media displayed stickers on his vehicle promoting QAnon, a pro-Trump conspiracy theory.
In Detroit, a crowd of Trump supporters, some armed, protested in front of a counting site, waving flags and shouting “Fight!”
Under the banner “Stop the Steal,” Trump supporters planned 62 separate rallies for Friday and Saturday.
Meanwhile, Trump showed no signs that he was ready to budge, as his campaign launched a series of lawsuits that legal experts said were unlikely to alter the outcome of the election.
“Joe Biden shouldn’t unfairly claim the office of president. I could make that claim too. The legal proceedings are just beginning!” wrote on Twitter.
A Trump adviser described the campaign’s litigation strategy thus far as chaotic and disorganized. Another Republican official said he doubted the lawsuits would result in a Trump victory.
“This race is over and the only person who does not see it is Donald Trump,” said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
Election officials across the country have said they are not aware of any significant voting irregularities.
Some of Trump’s fellow Republicans in Congress said he should tone down his rhetoric.
The Trump campaign has sent out email and text requests seeking donations to fund Trump’s legal challenges, although the fine print indicates that more than half of the money raised would go to pay off campaign debts.
BIDEN PULLING FORWARD
In both Pennsylvania and Georgia, Biden surpassed Trump when officials processed thousands of mail-in ballots that were cast in urban Democratic strongholds, including Philadelphia and Atlanta.
The number of Americans voting early and by mail this year increased due to the coronavirus as people tried to avoid large groups of voters on Election Day. The methodical counting process has left Americans waiting longer than since the 2000 election to find the winner of a presidential race.
A sense of sad resignation settled in the White House on Friday, where the president was monitoring television and speaking to advisers on the phone. One adviser said it was clear that the race was leaning against Trump, but that the president was not ready to admit defeat.
Campaign General Counsel Matt Morgan said in a statement Friday that the elections in Georgia, Nevada and Pennsylvania suffered from irregularities and that Trump would ultimately prevail in Arizona.
He also said the campaign hoped to get a recount in Georgia, as it has said it will in Wisconsin, where Biden won by more than 20,000 votes. Such a wide margin has never been overridden by a recount, according to Edison Research.
Georgia officials said Friday they expect a recount, which a candidate can apply for if the final margin is less than 0.5%, as it currently is. Biden was leading 0.1% through Friday night.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is posted from a syndicated feed.)
