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WILMINGTON, Delaware – Joseph R. Biden Jr. rose to the top of the presidency Saturday, taking advantage of President Trump in Pennsylvania and Georgia and building on his leadership in Nevada as he moved ever closer to securing the 270 electoral votes needed to reclaim the White House.
“We are going to win this race with a clear majority of the nation behind us,” Biden said Friday night as he recounted the vote totals in the major battle states and projected confidence that victory was inevitable. “We have rebuilt the ‘blue wall’ in the middle of the country that collapsed just four years ago. Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin, the heart of this nation. “
Biden, who won the popular vote by more than four million votes Friday night and already won 253 electoral votes, had been ahead of Trump in Pennsylvania by more than 28,800 votes. If its lead holds, and it is expected to, the state’s 20 electoral votes would throw it over the threshold to win the election.
In his comments at an event center in Wilmington, Delaware, Mr. Biden called for a “mandate for action” to begin work on issues that included the coronavirus, the economy, climate change and systemic racism.
But he also urged patience and calm as the results came in.
“We have to stay calm, be patient, let the process work while we count all the votes,” he said.
In Philadelphia, some Biden supporters began dancing in the street in front of the convention center, in front of a banner that read “The People Have Spoken.”
In Georgia, Biden’s lead was initially so limited that state officials said a recount was inevitable. But by Friday night it had risen to about 4,000 votes.
In Arizona, Biden maintained his leadership as election officials continued to review tens of thousands of ballots from Phoenix and its suburbs. His lead narrowed slightly, but not as much as the Republicans expected.
In Nevada, Biden nearly doubled his lead on Friday to about 22,600 votes.
Biden’s appeal to let the process unfold stands in contrast to that of Trump, who took the lectern in the White House meeting room Thursday to falsely claim that the elections were riddled with fraud, as part of an elaborate process of coast to coast. Costa conspiracy by Democrats, the media and Silicon Valley to deny him a second term.
As the number of outstanding ballots slowly dwindled, Trump was increasingly left with only legal challenges to prevent defeat, while Biden was betting on the constant backlog of mail-in ballots to keep him on top in Pennsylvania.
Biden had already begun to project the image of a man preparing to assume the mantle of the presidency, meeting with his economic and health advisers to receive information on the coronavirus pandemic.
Biden kept a low profile for much of Friday. But outside the Westin Hotel near his home in Wilmington, there were signs of celebration, a celebration that would end up being delayed, again, as Biden awaited an official call for the race.
Thomas Kunish, 40, of Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, 100 miles away, said he had driven to show his support for his five-year-old son by spending the night in the car. The last time he voted, he said, it was for George W. Bush in 2000.
“It was interesting, the last four years,” Kunish, who works in the defense industry, said of the Trump presidency. “There was hope when he was elected, maybe things would change?” Instead, he said, the Trump administration was marked by “confusion.” He and his son were hoping to see the fireworks on Friday night, which did not happen.
Biden’s team hoped the former vice president had delivered a victory speech in prime time, but instead, Biden spoke briefly to a small group of reporters Friday night.
“I hope to speak with you tomorrow,” Biden said.
