Race called after the Biden campaign wins Pennsylvania, giving him 273 electoral votes. You need 270 to win.
WASHINGTON — Joe Biden is the new president-elect of the United States. Multiple news outlets, from CNN to the Associated Press called the race Saturday morning, after Biden won Pennsylvania. That gives him 273 Electoral College votes, with counts still going in Nevada, Arizona, and Georgia.
Here in Virginia, Biden collected historic numbers across the board. Unofficial results from Chesterfield, for example, show Biden collected more than 52 percent over incumbent President Donald Trump. Why is that historic? The last time Chesterfield voted for a Democratic presidential nominee was 1948, when Harry S. Truman ran.
The cities of Lynchburg and Virginia Beach also changed decades-long trends when they went for Biden. Virginia Beach hadn’t gone for a Democratic presidential candidate since 1964, when incumbent Lyndon B. Johnson ran for re-election. For Lynchburg, it had been even longer. Biden won there with 48.64% of the vote to Trump’s 46.55%. Lynchburg hadn’t gone for a Democratic nominee in 72 years. That again was Harry S. Truman.
Also worth noting is that while Biden didn’t carry places like Halifax, Lunenburg, Mecklenburg, and Nottoway counties, he picked up more than 40% of the vote in those traditional Republican strongholds. In fact, east of Charlotte County, Biden picked up at least 40% in all but one Republican area and that was New Kent County. New Kent went 73% to 25% for Trump.
Why Did Virginia Vote Blue?
On Election Day, multiple people told Dogwood why they voted Democratic. There were two takeaways. The first was that they respected Biden. The second was that they felt Trump needed to go.
“It’s time to kick him out,” Blacksburg resident Makayla Lopez said. “That’s cruel what he’s doing. He can’t get away with that,” she said about Trump’s immigration policies.
Thomas Cooper and Bob Davidson said they went with Biden because the country needed ‘a better man’ in charge. Walking out of Freedom Baptist Church in Axton, this might have been the first time they voted Democratic, each said.
“I’m typically a Republican,” Cooper said. “But the world also needs some kindness right now. I think Biden’s got a more level head. Also, as a farmer, I can say I never had the problems I have now when Biden and Obama were there.”
Davidson nodded.
“I don’t think Biden will embarrass me,” he said. “I’m just ready to get on with life and not hear about the latest Trump tweet.”
Biden Delivers a Speech
Currently the Democratic nominee is on track to win the popular vote by more than 4 million people. Delivering a speech Friday night to supporters in Delaware, Biden said we as a nation need to remember we’re not enemies.
“We have to remember the purpose of our politics isn’t total unrelenting, unending warfare,” Biden said. “No, the purpose of our politics, the work of our nation, isn’t to fan the flames of conflict, but to solve problems, to guarantee justice, to give everybody a fair shot.”
Kamala Harris also makes history as the first Black woman to become vice president. The California senator, who is also the first person of South Asian descent elected to the vice presidency, will become the highest-ranking woman ever to serve in government.
Donald Trump becomes the first incumbent president to lose re-election since Republican George H.W. Bush in 1992.
Here in Virginia, state lawmakers said they were ready to help Biden move forward. Governor Ralph Northam said he looked forward to working with the new president, as did Attorney General Mark Herring. The majority’s feelings were summed up by House of Delegates members like Jennifer Carroll Foy.
“With Joe Biden and Kamala Harris at the helm, we will move forward and away from the carnage that defined the last four years,” said Foy. “I look forward to being a part of that progress.”
