Election 2020 updates: Biden warns of 'dark winter,' pushes masks in pandemic plan
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.
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Trump projected to win South Carolina
Trump will win South Carolina’s nine electoral votes, ABC News projects, raising his Electoral College standing to 72 votes, while Biden stands at 89.
Hickenlooper projected to win Colorado, 1st Senate seat Dems pick up
In the first Senate flip of the night, Democrat John Hickenlooper, former governor of Colorado and 2020 presidential candidate, will defeat GOP Colorado Sen. Cory Gardner, ABC News projects.
It’s a hopeful sign for Democrats who are seeking to flip the upper chamber.
Gardner was seen as one of the most vulnerable incumbents defending his seat heading into the election.
Hickenlooper had to battle against some ethics violations brought down during his time as governor, but his general popularity and assistance from the DSCC helped him through the final months of the election. The race shaped up to be the 10th most expensive at $95,670,908 according to the Center for Responsive Politics.
-ABC News' Meg Cunningham
Trump projected to win the Dakotas and Alabama, Biden to win Colorado
Trump will win the Dakotas and Alabama -- raising his Electoral College standing to 63 votes -- ABC News projects, and Biden will win Colorado -- raising his Electoral College standing to 89 votes, with 30% of the expected vote in nationwide.
