For those who sat up all night alternating refreshing data from the Georgia secretary of state and checking the latest releases from Pennsylvania, searching for that magic moment … it was a long night. But magic did arrive in the early hours of Friday as Joe Biden pulled ahead in Georgia. Best of all, it pulled ahead when the votes from Clayton County—John Lewis’ former district—were reported. Just another reminder that the nation owes a tremendous debt to the Black voters who are once again set to deliver a victory that has leaned far too hard on their support.
Not only was it the heavy turnout of Black voters in Georgia that has flipped the state blue, not only was it the tireless organizing of Stacey Abrams who has again illustrated an unmatched understanding of her home state, but it was the protests following the police murder of George Floyd which sparked, not just marches, but a surge of new Democratic voter registrations. Black voters took their concerns to the polls. And this time they damn well get something to show for it, if the nation and the party expect a next time.
In Pennsylvania, the magic moment where Biden slips ahead has not yet come. All night long, that moment has seemed to be just minutes away. But there are still plenty of votes to count, every indication that Biden has more than enough votes to carry this home, and every reason to expect that Friday will finally be the day when it’s official.
Friday, Nov 6, 2020 · 1:56:07 PM +00:00 · Mark Sumner
Moments after this article first went up, a batch of just over 30,000 votes came in from the Philadelphia area. Those votes completely erased Trump’s 18,000 vote lead at that time and put Biden ahead 3,295,304 to 3,289,717.
Biden’s lead in Pennsylvania is expected to grow significantly.
At this point, it’s possible that the the promise of Pennsylvania votes coming in “any minute” may simply be burned into the screen. And yes, it is possible to be both supportive of the volunteers who stayed at their posts overnight, flipping through mail-in ballots under the eye of watching cameras and bipartisan observers, while still being frustrated that we haven’t seen the outcome of that work.
But we should be getting more votes from Pennsylvania … any minute now.
As of 8 AM ET on Friday morning:
Alaska: Donald Trump still leads after no new votes were reported overnight.
Arizona: Joe Biden is still holding onto a 47,052 vote advantage after a 75,000 vote update from Maricopa County and several small updates came in overnight. About 275,000 ballots are still thought to be outstanding. To win the state, Trump would have to take those votes by around 56%, which is pretty much on track with what has happened so far in post-election tallies. However, there are reasons to believe that the votes remaining are less Trump friendly. In any case, it’s likely to be close.
Georgia: Biden has pulled out to a 1,096 vote advantage. There are roughly 10,000 ballots remaining, however these might not include around 7,000 military ballots and expat ballots that could arrive as late as today. In any case, Biden’s advantage here will likely grow, but don’t expect a call on the state until things are a little more definitive.
Nevada: Biden has an edge of 11,438 votes. About 51,000 votes remaining from highly Democratic Clark County, which is why so much legal attention from Trump’s team is focused on the pretense that the voting there is somehow “illegal.” That includes an illegal use of the postal database to suggest that there are voters who have changed residence but still voted in Clark County, and the use of a woman who claims to be a victim of voter fraud, but may be the only known case of someone actually trying to vote twice in the whole state. In any case, expect Biden’s edge to grow when more votes are added around 2PM ET—at which point the state may be called.
North Carolina: No change overnight, with Trump still holding a 76,000 vote advantage. There’s no reason to believe what’s still outstanding in the state will add it to team blue, though some people are feeling more hopeful after seeing the slow trend toward Biden in Georgia.
Pennsylvania: This state is, of course, the ballgame. Biden could lose all the other remaining states if he took home Pennsylvania. With Pennsylvania, Arizona, North Carolina, and Nevada, Biden would lock up a substantial victory that rebuilt the “blue wall,” made a foray into the South, and added a new wall across the Sunbelt from California to New Mexico. Overnight, Biden added about 43,000 votes to Trump’s 13,000. A similar ratio is expected across the remaining votes, which should easily reverse the 18,000 vote edge Trump currently holds. The status of Pennsylvania really could change … any minute now.
Meanwhile, the Secret Service has increased its protection over Joe Biden and Kamala Harris. Like the FAA’s setting of a protective circle around Biden’s home, this isn’t an official confirmation. But it is a sign that behind the scenes the people who are responsible for protecting the president believe that title is going to go to Biden.
Oh, and also Donald Trump made a speech that was all lies, horribly corrosive to the nation, and openly encouraging of authoritarian actions and violence. As expected.