Live

Election 2020 updates: Biden warns of 'dark winter,' pushes masks in pandemic plan

The president-elect emphasized how he would handle the pandemic response.

ByCatherine Thorbecke, Morgan Winsor, Libby Cathey, Adia Robinson, Lauren King, Emily Shapiro, Ivan Pereira, and Marc Nathanson
Last Updated: November 10, 2020, 10:14 AM EST

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.

Top headlines:

Here's how election week unfolded. All times Eastern.
Nov 03, 2020, 9:25 PM EST

Massive Texas turnout gives Dems hope they can turn state blue

More than 9.5 million people in Texas have cast their ballot early in Texas, ABC News correspondent Marcus Moore said. The number of people who have voted early in the state surpasses the number of people who voted in 2016.

Election workers process mail-in ballots ahead of Election Day in Houston, Texas, Nov. 2, 2020.
Callaghan O'hare/Reuters

"When we talk about the voter turnout, it has been massive here in Texas," Moore said. "And it is the reason why Democrats feel like they can turn this historically red state blue and of course time will tell if that happens."

Voting has gone smoothly in Texas, Moore said, with only a few polling stations open late because of technical difficulties. Both Democrats and Republicans are encouraged by good weather in the state.

Nov 03, 2020, 9:10 PM EST

Biden projected to win New York, Connecticut; Trump prjected to win Arkansas

Biden will win New York’s 29 electoral votes and seven from Connecticut, ABC News projects, while Trump will win six from Arkansas.

With 27% of the the expected vote in nationwide, Trump is projected to have 48 Electoral College votes to Biden’s 80.

Democratic presidential nominee and former Vice President Joe Biden and President Donald Trump.
AFP via Getty Images, FILES

Republicans in the Senate are faring well so far in the South with projected wins for Sen. John Cornyn of Texas and Sen. Tom Cotton of Arkansas.

Nov 03, 2020, 9:07 PM EST

Stacey Abrams on the intricacies of voting in Ga.

Stacey Abrams references her close race for governor as an indication of Georgia's mixed voter population.

Abrams references her close race for governor as an indication of Georgia's mixed voter population.
1:29
Stacey Abrams discusses the intricacies of voting in Georgia Abrams references her close race for governor as an indication of Georgia's mixed voter population.
ABCNews.com

Nov 03, 2020, 9:03 PM EST

Polls close in 14 states 

The polls are closing in New York, Nebraska, Louisiana, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Wyoming, Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, North Dakota, South Dakota, Kansas, Michigan and Texas.

John Briggs of Black Hawk, Colo., drops off his ballot for the presidential election on Nov. 3, 2020, in Rollinsville, Colo.
Jason Connolly/AFP via Getty Images

Related Topics

Sponsored Content by Taboola