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 that the Georgia Senate race between Sen. David Perdue (R) and Jon Ossoff (D) will advance to a runoff on Jan. 5.
ABC News has already projected that the 2020 Senate special election in Georgia will advance to a runoff between Rev. Raphael Warnock (D) and Sen. Kelly Loeffler (R).
Biden is leading Pennsylvania by 28,833 votes.
Biden has 3,336,887 votes, or 49.6%, compared to Trump's 3,308,054 votes, or 49.1%.
Pennsylvania has 20 electoral votes.
-ABC News' Adam Kelsey and Alex Hosenball
Biden's lead in Georgia grew overnight and now stands at 7,248 after several counties uploaded all or a portion of their military and overseas ballots and provisional ballots, including roughly 5,000 from Fulton County.
Biden now has 49.4% (2,461,455 votes) while Trump has 49.3% (2,454,207) as of 6:30 a.m. Saturday.
ABC News estimates that there are approximately 15,600 ballots that could still be counted, including overseas/military, provisional and any other outstanding absentee ballots.
This outstanding total doesn't include all counties' potential absentee ballot cures, but it does include 535 absentee by mail ballots from Gwinnett County that required a signature of cure. The total also includes and 965 provisional ballots that will be reviewed by the Gwinnett County Board of Voter Registrations and Elections to determine their eligibility to be tabulated.
Approximately 5,000 additional votes, including all or a portion of its provisional ballots and military/overseas ballots, also came from Fulton County overnight.
-ABC News' Soorin Kim
The former vice president took to the stage three nights after Election Day to again say his prospects for taking the White House look good.
"We don't have a final declaration of victory yet, but the numbers tell us it's clear," Biden said. "We are going to win this race."
No outlet has projected the election winner, but Biden leads in four critical battleground states yet to be called: Georgia, Nevada, Arizona and Pennsylvania. His lead has narrowed in Arizona Friday, but only grown in the other three. He leads by more than 20,000 votes in Nevada, Arizona and Pennsylvania.
Biden didn't step to the podium until nearly 11 p.m. Eastern time. Vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris joined Biden on stage, but did not give remarks as previously planned if the race had been called. The former vice president spoke from the stage in Wilmington that had been constructed for a possible victory speech on election night.
Biden highlighted his 74 million votes, a record in a presidential election, and claimed victories in Arizona and Pennsylvania, though ABC News has not projected those races.
"We're beating Donald Trump by over 4 million votes, and that’s a margin that is still growing as well," he said. "One of the things I'm especially proud of is how well we've done well across America."
He spoke to the frustration many Americans -- and maybe some in his camp -- are feeling watching the slow trickle of votes come in.
"I know watching these vote tallies on TV moves very slow, and as slow as it goes, it can be numbing," Biden said. "But never forget, the tallies aren’t just numbers. They represent votes and voters, men and women who exercised their fundamental right to have their voice heard."
The Democratic nominee also promised to address the COVID-19 pandemic "from Day 1," but added he's never been more optimistic about the future of the country. Biden said he would also speak to the country on Saturday.
