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.
Here's how election week unfolded. All times Eastern.
Nov 03, 2020, 5:05 PM EST
Stocks had their second-biggest Election Day rally ever
U.S. financial markets rose sharply today, achieving their second-biggest Election Day rally after 2008.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average climbed 555 points, or 2%, by the time markets closed. The S&P 500 closed up 1.8% and the Nasdaq spiked 1.9%.
Hopes that there will be a decisive victor soon and not a long, drawn-out battle, helped drive the rally. Many investors said they are bullish on the idea that there will be clarity sooner rather than later.
Sentiments around elections on Wall Street can cause financial markets to swing wildly. Historically, the stock market was closed on Election Day in the U.S. through 1980.
-ABC News’ Rebecca Jarvis
Nov 03, 2020, 4:59 PM EST
Vermont’s Republican governor votes for Biden
Vermont Gov. Phil Scott, a moderate Republican, told reporters this afternoon that he voted for Joe Biden for president.
Scott, who is running for reelection against Democratic Lt. Gov. David Zuckerman, is a regular critic of the White House but had not publicly announced his intention to vote for Biden prior to Election Day, though he did say back in August that he wouldn't be voting for Trump. His moderate Northeast counterparts -- Larry Hogan of Maryland and Charlie Baker of Massachusetts -- wrote-in Ronald Reagan and left the presidential spot blank, respectively.
-ABC News’ Adam Kelsey
Nov 03, 2020, 4:30 PM EST
Harris makes last-ditch appeal to Michigan voters
Sen. Kamala Harris made two stops in the Detroit area Tuesday as part of a last-ditch effort to get out the vote in the battleground state where Trump narrowly won in 2016.
Harris' first stop was a canvass kickoff at Union Hall in Southfield. Harris thanked the 120 people in the crowd and spoke about the importance of Michigan and encouraged those to vote for Democrats down-ballot.
“Today is the day that the path to the White House runs right through this hood, right through Michigan,” she said.
Democratic vice presidential candidate Kamala Harris arrives at Metro Airport in Romulus during on Election Day in Michigan, Nov. 3, 2020.
Rebecca Cook/Reuters
Harris gave a version of her stump speech, framing Donald Trump as incapable of handling the pandemic, economic downturn and race issues. Lawmakers Rep. Brenda Lawrence, Sen. Debbie Stabenow and Sen. Gary Peters were all in attendance.
Harris' second stop was outside of a church in Detroit where she greeted a much smaller crowd.
“You know, in Michigan, the last election for president, in 2016, the outcome of that election was decided, on average, by two votes per precinct in Michigan, two votes,” Harris said. “Can you imagine if each of us just pulled out another two people to make sure they voted today? That could determine who will be the next president of the United States of America.“
Harris has now boarded her plane and is en route to Wilmington, Delaware, for the campaign’s Election Night event.
