Joe Biden is the next President of the United States, after securing victory in the state of Pennsylvania (a key bastion with 20 electoral votes) and obtaining 273 votes from the Electoral College (three more than the minimum necessary) compared to 214 for his opponent, the current President Donald Trump. After the triumph of Biden, the Republican President becomes the fifth ruler in American history not to be reelected. Trump – who won Pennsylvania in 2016 – had the lead in this state, but his lead narrowed as mail-in votes, which mostly favor Biden, were counted.
The 77-year-old Democrat will arrive at the White House after a historic campaign and vote, in which he not only managed to obtain a record number of popular votes but did so on an election marked by early voting (which began six weeks before the election day); which forced us to wait longer than usual to know the results of some states.
Although since Tuesday, November 3rd, when the voting centers closed, Biden showed an advantage over the Republican candidate, the result of several key states (due to the number of electoral votes they represent) could turn the election around. However, as the hours passed and the results began to arrive, they added to the victorious trend of now president-elect.
The vice president of Barack Obama was already favored by the polls that placed him at the head of the historic election day. Biden collected 51.2% of the intention to vote compared to 44% of the current President at the national level, also, he led by 2.3 percentage points in crucial states to win. Yet there was always fear that the measurements were far from the results at the polls as Hillary Clinton did in 2016. This time it was not. After the last update this Saturday at 10:34 a.m., Biden had 273 Votes from the Electoral Colleges while Trump had 214.
Knowing that the fight was going to take time, and in his first words after the polls closed, at the stroke of midnight on November 3rd, Biden asked his followers to keep hope and assured that “we are going to win this.”
The campaign in favor of the former vice president redoubled efforts to motivate voters, not only their bases but also all those worn down by the current US president’s political discourse. This is how the former senator managed to position himself among minorities and the African-American population. The turbulent year for the United States, marked by anti-racial protests and unrest over the handling of the Pandemic, contributed to increasing the electoral capital of the Democratic formula.
Although there is a sector of his party that was not convinced of his candidacy, Biden managed to position himself as the one that will come to sweep away the actions implemented by Trump in matters such as climate change and human rights.
Whether it was a vote in favor of the Democrat or rather one against the Republican, the population was mobilized to cast their vote. Before Nov. 3rd, more than 100 million US citizens voted early by mail or in person. Motivated by their desire for change or continuity, this number of people represents more than 73% of the total votes cast four years ago, so it is expected that a large number of voters will be reached this time.
However, the process has not been without controversy, mainly due to complaints about the long lines outside the voting centers. Another of the battles that the Democrat has not yet fought is the claims of Trump, who on election night ventured to say that he had won the elections, but without having any support for it. Also, he announced that he would go to the Supreme Court to dispute the count. “Frankly, we won this election,” he told a news conference from the White House.
The current President denounced “fraud”
“We want all voting to stop,” the president said, apparently alluding to the counting of mail-in ballots, which can be legally accepted by state polling stations after Tuesday if they were sent on time.
Measure versus stridency
Biden knows that it was not enough for him to convince the Democrats alone to get to the White House. The three-time presidential candidate tried to sell himself as the measured alternative to charm the undecided electorate and the one upset by Trump’s politics. But he also sought the progressive vote, the youth, and the African American community.
During this Tuesday he went to a church where the grave of his son Beau is, who died in 2010 due to a brain tumor. The bodies of his first wife, Neilia, and their young daughter, Naomi, who died in a tragic accident, also rest there. Later, he visited his native Scranton, Pennsylvania, where he stamped in the living room of his first home “From this House to the White House with the Grace of God.”
The democrat was confident but suspicious not to anticipate anything, even though the polls favored him. “What I hear is that there is overwhelming participation, particularly from young people and women, African Americans,” he said in Wilmington, Delaware, where he resides, considering this “a good omen.”
Different style
Biden’s campaign tried – and managed – to distance itself from what Trump was doing. From gestures such as promoting the use of a mask in all his public appearances and not falling into the provocations of his rival who has repeatedly tried to paint him as a man with cognitive impairment. The latter because at times he seemed to have lapses, the most recent during the same election day announcing to his supporters that he was going to introduce his son Beau, now deceased.
Even in the debates, the vociferous president was about to drive him out of his senses due to the constant interruptions until manifested “Are you going to shut up?” however, he always maintained his composure.
His message has also had the same tone, which is not different from his style during the Obama administration. But this has also cost him criticism for his moderate style that almost cost him the candidacy. Given this, he has promised that as President he will have more progressive positions on issues such as racial justice and the relief of student debt.
To scare away these questions, he added as his running mate Senator Kamala Harris, one of his opponents in the Democratic primary and who will mark history by becoming the first African-American woman to be Vice president of the United States.
