…Trump defeats Biden in Florida
Ibe Pascal Arogorn with Agency report
President Donald Trump on Wednesday claimed he had won the US election , despite the final results not yet being given, and said he would go the Supreme Court to dispute the counting of votes .
“ We did win this election , ” Trump said in a speech from the ceremonial East Room of the White House .
“ For the good of this nation , this is a very big moment . This is a major fraud on our nation . We want the law to be used in a proper manner .
So , we will be going to the US Supreme Court , ” Trump stated .
The Republican , who according to initial results is in a neck -and-neck race with Democrat Joe Biden , said he would go to court and “ we want all voting to stop. ”
He appeared to mean stopping the counting of mail – in ballots which can be legally accepted by state election boards after Tuesday’ s election , provided they were sent in time .
However, Biden said it is not his place or Trump’ s place to declare the winner of Tuesday election .
“ It ’ s not my place or Donald Trump’ s place to declare the winner of this election . That ’ s the decision of the American people. But I am optimistic about this outcome, ” Biden spoke live from Wilmington , Delaware.
Already , polls are gradually closing across the United States and a long night of waiting for results lies ahead .
A record number of ballots were cast before Election Day , totalling more than 100 million, due to fears of congregating in polling stations in person during the coronavirus pandemic.
Meanwhile, President Donald Trump and Democratic challenger Joe Biden are battling it out for the White House , with polls gradually closing across the United States Tuesday — and then a long night of waiting for results ahead .
The first results are trickling in , with US media projecting wins for the Republican incumbent so far in 19 states including Indiana, Kentucky , Missouri , Ohio and Tennessee — all states he won in 2016.
Biden has captured 17 states including his home state Delaware and big prizes California and New York , as well as the US capital . As with Trump, so far , all states claimed by Biden were won by Democrat Hillary Clinton in 2016.
So far , that gives Biden 213 electoral votes and Trump a maximum of 138, because Nebraska splits its electoral votes based on congressional district ( see note below ) .
The magic number is 270. Observers expect the hotly contested race for the White House to come down to a handful of key battleground states that have yet to be called.
The following is a list of the states won by each candidate and the corresponding number of electoral votes , based on the projections of US media including CNN, Fox News , MSNBC/NBC News , ABC , CBS and The New York Times.
TRUMP ( 138 )
*Alabama ( 9)
Arkansas ( 6)
Idaho ( 4)
Indiana ( 11)
Kansas ( 6)
Kentucky ( 8)
Louisiana ( 8)
Mississippi ( 6)
Missouri ( 10)
Nebraska ( 5) *
North Dakota ( 3)
Ohio ( 18)
Oklahoma ( 7)
South Carolina ( 9)
South Dakota ( 3)
Tennessee ( 11)
Utah ( 6)
West Virginia ( 5)
Wyoming ( 3)
BIDEN ( 213 )
California ( 55)
Colorado ( 9)
Connecticut ( 7)
Delaware ( 3)
District of Columbia ( 3)
Hawaii ( 4)
Illinois ( 20)
Maryland ( 10)
Massachusetts ( 11)
New Hampshire ( 4)
New Jersey ( 14)
New Mexico ( 5)
New York ( 29)
Oregon ( 7)
Rhode Island ( 4)
Vermont ( 3)
Virginia ( 13)
Washington ( 12)
- Nebraska splits
its five electoral votes — two electors are assigned based on the plurality of votes in the state, and the other three are awarded based on congressional district . Biden could eventually peel at least one of these votes away.
-Trump defeats Biden in Florida –
President Donald Trump won Tuesday in Florida , one of the most important battleground states in his battle for reelection against Democratic challenger Joe Biden , US media projected .
With 29 electoral votes, the Sunshine State was seen as a must-win for Trump. He also won the state in 2016, besting Democrat Hillary Clinton by less than a percentage point.
The state is famous for nail -bitingly close election results , perhaps the most famous in 2000 between Republican George W . Bush and Democrat Al Gore, and its voters have picked the winner in 18 of the past 20 presidential elections .
Meanwhile, Democrats flipped a US Senate seat in Colorado Tuesday in their bid to regain control of the upper chamber of Congress, but Republicans countered by ousting a vulnerable Democrat in Alabama, networks projected .
With control of the Senate up for grabs , Democrats put their stamp once again on the House of Representatives , securing another two years as the party in power with Speaker Nancy Pelosi — President Donald Trump’ s chief nemesis in Washington — likely to preside over her flock again .
“ I ’ m very , very proud of the fact that tonight — relatively early — we are able to say we have held the House , ” Pelosi said .
In the more closely -watched Senate showdown , Democrats drew first blood when Colorado’ s former governor John Hickenlooper, a 68-year -old businessman and geologist , handily defeated one – term Senator Cory Gardner to pick up a seat.
“ Thank you , Colorado! Serving you is the honor of my life, and I can’ t wait to be your Senator , ” Hickenlooper said on Twitter .
Republicans are scrambling to preserve their 53-47 Senate majority , with polls showing several races tilting towards Democrats .
Election forecaster FiveThirtyEight. com give Democrats a three in four chance of winning Senate control.
Democratic nominee Joe Biden ’ s party would need to gain four seats to seize the chamber — or three seats if Biden wins the White House , as a US vice president breaks a tie in the Senate in the event of a 50-50 vote .
Republicans got a defensive boost though when retired American football coach Tommy Tuberville , 66, handily defeated Senator Doug Jones in a race that was widely expected to result in a Republican pick-up.
Jones had faced steep reelection odds in a ruby-red southern state after winning in a 2017 special election upset against Roy Moore, a Republican who faced sexual misconduct allegations .
