The president-elect emphasized how he would handle the pandemic response.
Joe Biden is set to become the 46th president of the United States, capping a tumultuous and tension-filled campaign during a historic pandemic against President Donald Trump. ABC News characterized Joe Biden as the apparent winner of his home state of Pennsylvania, putting him over the 270 vote threshold needed to capture the presidency.
The hard-fought battle against the president was set against the backdrop of racial unrest and the coronavirus pandemic and bitter divisions among the electorate.
Trump had falsely declared on election night, when he held a lead in several key states, that he won the contest and alleged without evidence, after the count started to swing the other way, that the election was being stolen from him and that fraud had been committed.
Painting the election as a "battle for the soul of the nation," Biden won on a message of unity over division, compassion over anger, and reality over what he called Trump's "wishful thinking" as the coronavirus pandemic cast a heavy shadow over the campaign.
The 2020 election has shattered voting records with votes totaling 147 million and counting, surpassing the 138 million who voted in 2016.
ABC News projects Trump will win in Tennessee and Indiana, raising his Electoral College count to 42. Biden's stands at 44.
Also in Tennessee, Republican Bill Hagerty is projected to defeat Democratic candidate Marquita Bradshaw to fill the seat of retiring GOP Sen. Lamar Alexander.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is projected to win in Kentucky and keep his Senate seat, following a high-profile race with Democratic challenger Amy McGrath.
McConnell was the favorite heading into Election Day, but the race with McGrath diverted key resources across the Senate map to Kentucky.
McGrath raised an astonishing $88 million in the race and spent $73 million in her unsuccessful effort to oust McConnell.
-ABC News' Kendall Karson and Soorin Kim
Former Counselor to the President Kellyanne Conway said the Trump campaign is "not in a rush," when it comes to results in this uncertain election.
Conway also said the president is "expected to address the nation later from the East Room of the White House."
Biden is projected to win Delaware, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey and the District of Columbia, and Trump is projected Oklahoma.
With 12% of the nationwide vote in, Biden currently has 44 Electoral College votes to Trump's 35.
In Senate races, Democrats are projected to keep seats serving Delaware, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and New Jersey with wins projected for incumbent Sens. Chris Coons, Ed Markey, Jeanne Shaheen and Cory Booker.
Republican Sen. Jim Inhofe is projected to keep his seat representing Oklahoma.
Democrats currently hold 39 Senate seats and Republicans hold 31. Fifty-one seats are needed to control the chamber.
