(REUTERS): Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden is all set to become the next United States president after securing the crucial 270 electoral votes he needed to win the White House, according to international media.
Biden ended up securing victories in the “blue wall” battlegrounds of Wisconsin and Michigan and narrowing President Donald Trump’s path to reelection. Multiple news outlets, including CNN, Fox, The New York Times and the major television networks called the election after projecting Biden would win Pennsylvania, giving him more than the 270 electoral votes needed.
The development came after he won the state of Pennsylvania which got him 20 more electoral votes, enabling him to cross the required 270 to hit 284 votes. Taking to Twitter, the President-elect issued a statement, saying he is “honoured” that America has chosen him to lead “our great country”.
America, I’m honored that you have chosen me to lead our great country.
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.
I will keep the faith that you have placed in me. pic.twitter.com/moA9qhmjn8
— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) November 7, 2020
“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. I will keep the faith that you have placed in me,” the statement added.
Vote counts took longer than in most years because states were deluged with mail-in ballots cast in record numbers by people avoid polling stations amid the coronavirus pandemic.
The confirmation of victory of Biden, who at 78 will be the oldest American president, brings to a climax nearly three days of post-election anxiety and uncertainty that followed one of the most bruising US presidential races in modern times.
Before becoming the Democratic presidential nominee, Biden served as vice president under former President Barack Obama. In 2008, when he was the vice-presidential nominee, Biden and Republican Senator Richard Lugar were awarded the ‘Hilal-i-Pakistan’ in recognition of consistent support for Pakistan.
Biden and Lugar that year had introduced a bipartisan US aid plan which called for aid of $1.5 billion per year in non-military spending to support economic development in Pakistan.
Vice President
Many records have been broken this presidential race, such as the highest voter turnout — 147 million — and the flipping of traditionally Republican states that led to Biden’s comfortable victory.
In another record, Kamala Harris will be the country’s first female and first Black vice president. She will be the first woman to hold the office. She will also be the nation’s first Black and South Asian vice president.
After Pennsylvania was called, Harris said that the election had been a fight about the soul of America and our willingness to fight for it. “We have a lot of work ahead of us. Let’s get started,” she wrote on Twitter.
