As the world reckoned with another day of uncertainty over the result of the U.S. presidential election, Trump’s premature victory claim, unsubstantiated allegations of voter fraud and the threat of legal challenges continued to overshadow the drawn out vote count, from which no clear winner has emerged.
The indecision was met with deep unease around the globe over what lies ahead for the U.S. political process — and more than a little glee from America’s traditional adversaries.
Votes continue to be counted in the handful of states where a winner has yet to be projected in the 2020 presidential election, with officials releasing new batches of results on Thursday showing Joe Biden improving his standing in three states and President Trump making inroads in a fourth.
Projections have it that Biden has secured 253 electoral votes, just 17 shy of the 270 needed to win the presidency. Mr. Trump is currently projected to win 213 electoral votes.
The race now centers on Arizona, Nevada, Georgia, Pennsylvania and North Carolina, following projections on Wednesday that Biden will win Michigan and Wisconsin. Biden holds slim leads in Nevada and Arizona, both of which are still considered likely Democratic states in CBS News’ estimation.
Biden expanded his lead in Nevada in new results from mostly Democratic counties, with his margin more than doubling since Wednesday. He has also cut into the president’s lead in Georgia, trailing by less than 13,000 votes with about 47,000 remaining to be counted.
Mr. Trump’s standing improved in Arizona after more ballots were reporting early Thursday morning, although he trails Biden by roughly 69,000 votes and faces a steep uphill climb. Arizona officials won’t report more results from populous Maricopa County until later in the evening.
(Source: CBS News and Washington Post)
