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Hope, Healing And 'Better Angels': Biden Declares Victory And Vows Unity

Former Vice President Joe Biden, joined by running mate Kamala Harris, gives remarks on Thursday in Wilmington, Del., his third day of waiting on vote counting.
Former Vice President Joe Biden, joined by running mate Kamala Harris, gives remarks on Thursday in Wilmington, Del., his third day of waiting on vote counting.

President-elect Joe Biden has realized a political dream that began nearly three decades ago. On Saturday, he crossed the 270-electoral vote threshold to win the presidency after securing Pennsylvania and its 20 electoral votes, according to the AP and other networks.

Biden is set to give remarks to the American people at 8 p.m. ET. Watch live here when it begins.

The former vice president's path to being elected the 46th president of the United States was a tumultuous one, marked by unprecedented campaign challenges because of the coronavirus pandemic and an incumbent opponent who declared a premature victory.

President Trump on Saturday signaled that he has no intention of conceding the race.

Biden's triumph came in the midst of a series of last-minute legal actions taken by the Trump campaign, seeking to halt the processing and counting of mail-in ballots in some contentious swing states while pushing for a recount in others.

Beginning very early on in his bid for reelection, Trump and his surrogates sought to undermine the democratic process, falsely asserting that the increase in mail-in ballots, largely driven by the pandemic, would lead to widespread fraud. That stance primed the president's supporters for his eventual false claim that Democrats were trying to steal the election.

While Trump maintained his hold in Ohio and Florida, Biden brought the so-called "blue wall" states of Pennsylvania, Michiganand Wisconsinback to the Democrats' column.

Early data suggests about 160 million Americans voted this election, according to the U.S. Elections Project, a turnout-tracking database run by University of Florida professor Michael McDonald.

Copyright 2020 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Barbara Sprunt is a producer on NPR's Washington desk, where she reports and produces breaking news and feature political content. She formerly produced the NPR Politics Podcast and got her start in radio at as an intern on NPR's Weekend All Things Considered and Tell Me More with Michel Martin. She is an alumnus of the Paul Miller Reporting Fellowship at the National Press Foundation. She is a graduate of American University in Washington, D.C., and a Pennsylvania native.
Camila Flamiano Domonoske covers cars, energy and the future of mobility for NPR's Business Desk.
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