By Grace Mersch

November 23, 2020

The 2020 presidential election concluded on Nov. 7 with the calling of Pennsylvania. The state’s 20 electoral votes went to former Vice President Joe Biden, putting him over the 270 vote threshold.

    Shortly before officials called the state, Biden was the projected winner of Arizona and Nevada. At the time, Biden would have won 270 electoral votes exactly. 

    The calling of Pennsylvania left two battleground states remaining — North Carolina and Georgia. North Carolina had been on a trajectory to go to President Donald Trump, and the state declared him the winner on Nov. 13. This victory put him at 232 electoral votes.

    That same day, officials called Georgia’s results. In a race that differed by a mere 10,000 votes, Biden won the state’s 16 electoral votes, marking a conclusive result to the 2020 presidential election after ten days.

    Upon hearing the news of the election, Trump declined to concede. He is currently working to challenge the results by requesting vote recounts in key battleground states and demanding an end to mail-in ballot counting. 

    Despite Trump’s denial, many top Republicans are acknowledging Biden’s victory. Senator Mitt Romney of Utah was the first congressman to congratulate Biden and his running mate, senator Kamala Harris. 

    In a social media post on Nov. 7, the day Pennsylvania called their results, Romney said, “Ann and I extend our congratulations to President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris. We know both of them as people of good will and admirable character.”

    While Republican lawmakers like Romney were accepting of the results, many others refused to acknowledge Biden’s victory. Republican representative Steve Scalise of Louisiana said on Twitter that the election “isn’t over until all legal votes are counted and certified.”

    As mail-in ballots are still being counted, it appears the results are unlikely to change once the counting is finished. Officials in Georgia certified Biden as the winner of the state on Friday, diminishing Trump’s hope for victory. This certification came after a full recount of almost five million votes with few changes to the results.

    Technically, the election is not completely over; however, is very unlikely that Trump would be able to overturn the results, especially since he is 38 electoral votes shy of the 270 threshold. In the coming weeks, more Republicans are expected to accept the results despite Trump’s litigation tactics, while Biden is expected to announce more candidates for his cabinet in preparation to become the 46th President of the United States.