U.S. Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden speaks during a drive-in campaign event at Bucks County Community College in Bristol, Pennsylvania, October 24, 2020.
Kevin Lamarque | Reuters
Pennsylvania and Nevada on Tuesday officially certified that President-elect Joe Biden defeated President Donald Trump in both states’ elections, making Trump’s effort to reverse Biden’s projected win in the Electoral College even more unlikely to succeed.
The certifications of Biden’s victory in both states — where the Trump campaign had challenged new mail-in ballot processes — came came a day after Michigan certified that he had won the election in that state.
It also came a day after the Trump administration authorized the release of federal funds to the former Democratic vice president to begin his transition into the White House.
Despite that authorization Trump refuses to concede he lost.
And the Trump campaign is still waging a long-shot legal effort in a federal appeals court to reverse Biden’s win in Pennsylvania, which has 20 Electoral College votes, as part of a broader bid to undo his projected national win in the Electoral College.
But Tuesday’s certification of the popular votes in Pennsylvania and in Nevada, which has six electoral votes, as well as the certification of wins for Biden in Michigan and Georgia, will make that task even more difficult for the Republican president.
Nationally, Biden is projected to win 306 electoral votes — 36 more than he needs to clinch the presidency — compared with 232 electoral votes for Trump. The Electoral College is scheduled to meet and vote on Dec. 14.
Bob Bauer, the Biden campaign’s senior legal advisor, in a statement said, “It’s readily apparent to everyone besides Donald Trump, [Trump campaign lawyers] Rudy Giuliani, and Jenna Ellis that this election is over and that Joe Biden won resoundingly.”
“Trump did everything he could to disenfranchise voters and stop the results from being certified in Pennsylvania, including filing over 15 unsuccessful lawsuits — most recently producing one of the more embarrassing courtroom performances of all time, with the judge in the case ruling that their arguments were ‘without merit’ and ‘unsupported by evidence,'” Bauer said.
“Trump did not succeed in Pennsylvania and he will not succeed anywhere else. Trump’s lawsuits will continue to fail, as they have in over 30 cases since election day, states will continue to certify their results, and Joe Biden will be sworn in as President on January 20, 2021.”
Biden, who is a native of Scranton, Pennsylvania, won the state with 50% of the vote, compared with 48.8% for Trump.
According to the tally released by Secretary of State Kathy Boockvar’s office on Tuesday, Biden and his running mate, Sen. Kamala Harris, received 3,458,229 votes, while Trump and Vice President Mike Pence received 3,377,674 votes.
Jo Jorgensen, the Libertarian Party presidential nominee, and her running mate, Jeremy Spike Cohen, received 79,380 votes, about 1,200 fewer votes than the margin between the Biden and Trump tickets.
In Nevada, whose vote results were certified by the state Supreme Court, Biden received 50% of the vote and Trump got almost 47.7%. Biden won almost 343,600 vote more than Trump.
Pennsylvani Gov. Tom Wolf in a tweet said that he had signed the “Certificate of Ascertainment for the slate of electors for Joe Biden and Kamala Harris” after Boockvar certified their win.
“Again, I want to thank the election officials who have administered a fair and free election during an incredibly challenging time in our commonwealth and country’s history,” Wolf added in another tweet.
“Our election workers have been under constant attack and they have performed admirably and honorably.”
Boockvar said in a statement, “We are tremendously grateful to all 67 counties who have been working extremely long hours to ensure that every qualified voter’s vote is counted safely and securely.”
“The county election officials and the poll workers are the true heroes of our democracy, enabling us to vote in record numbers, amid challenging circumstances, so that every eligible voter’s voice could be heard,” Boockvar said.
