The former United States Vice President and Democratic challenger, Joe Biden, says it is not his place or incumbent President Donald Trump’s place to declare the winner of Tuesday election.
Biden, who spoke live from Wilmington, Delaware on Tuesday night, said it is the place of the American people to declare their next president through the ballots.
He said, “We know this is gonna go long but who knows if it is gonna go longer. But we feel good about where we are. We believe we are on track to win this election.
“We know because beyond president’s early votes, the mailing votes are going to take a while. We gonna have to be patient until the hard work of counting votes is finished, until every vote is counted. But we’re feeling good about where we are.
“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.”
Already, polls are gradually closing across the United States and a long night of waiting for results lies ahead.
The first results are trickling in, with US media projecting wins for the Republican incumbent so far in 13 states including Indiana, Kentucky, Oklahoma, Tennessee and West Virginia — all states he won in 2016.
Democratic challenger Joe Biden has captured 11 states including his home state Delaware and big prize New York, plus the US capital Washington. As with Trump, so far, all states claimed by Biden were won by Democrat Hillary Clinton in 2016.
So far, that gives Biden 237 electoral votes and Trump 213. 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.
TRUMP (Electoral College votes)
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 (Electoral College votes)
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)
