Joseph R. Biden Jr. won the presidency Saturday as the Associated Press declared him the winner over President Donald Trump in one of the most divisive elections in U.S. history.
The AP called Pennsylvania for Biden at 11:25 a.m., lifting him past the 270 electoral votes needed to secure the presidency. An anxious nation spent four tense, grueling days watching key battleground states tallying votes.
“America, I’m honored that you have chosen me to lead our great country,” Biden tweeted just before noon. “The work ahead of us will be hard, but I promise you this: I will be a President for all Americans — whether you voted for me or not.”
Biden’s victory sets a major milestone in American history. His running mate, U.S. Sen. Kamala Harris of California, becomes the first woman and first person of color to win election to the vice presidency.
The 77-year-old Biden is used to helping a younger running mate make history: He served as vice president to Barack Obama, who became the 44th president in 2009 — and the first African-American to hold the nation’s highest office.
Biden became the first candidate to beat an incumbent president in 28 years — when Bill Clinton defeated George H.W. Bush in 1992. Facing a looming defeat for days, Trump signaled he wasn’t ready to concede and would contest any result that didn’t have him winning. Minutes before the race was called Saturday, Trump tweeted in all caps, “I WON THIS ELECTION BY A LOT!” It was subsequently flagged by Twitter with the note that “official sources may not have called this race when this was tweeted.”
In a stark contrast to Trump’s campaign of disinformation that cast doubt on the integrity of the election, Biden throughout the week urged calm and patience. He appeared on national TV Friday night and confidently assured the country that victory was at hand.
“The numbers tell us a clear and convincing story: We’re going to win this race,” he said.
For Biden, who was born in Scranton, Pa., the victory validated his main campaign premise. In a crowded field of Democratic candidates, the former vice president’s main closing pitch was that his working-class roots appealed to Midwestern Democrats, making him the one candidate who could rebuild the “blue wall” — the traditional Democratic rust belt states such as Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin that Hillary Clinton lost in 2016.
And Biden delivered on that promise.❐
