Can Donald Trump move Supreme Court to stop counting of votes? Does Trump have a legitimate reason to challenge the verdict? Palki Sharma Upadhyay decodes the developments with Simon Marks.

Gravitas: Race to the White House: Biden secures a narrow lead

What happens if Trump wins and Joe Biden does not concede defeat? What happens if it's the opposite? Can Trump refuse to vacate the White House? Palki Sharma Upadhyay has the answers.

Gravitas: U.S. Election: What happens next

If President Donald Trump loses his bid for reelection, as looked increasingly likely Wednesday, it would be the first defeat of an incumbent president in 28 years. But one thing seemed certain: Win or lose, he will not go quietly away.

Trailing former Vice President Joe Biden, Trump spent the day trying to discredit the election based on invented fraud claims, hoping either to hang onto power or explain away a loss. He could find a narrow path to reelection among states still counting, but he has made clear that he would not shrink from the scene should he lose.

At the very least, he has 76 days left in office to use his power as he sees fit and to seek revenge on some of his perceived adversaries. Angry at a defeat, he may fire or sideline a variety of senior officials who failed to carry out his wishes as he saw it, including Christopher Wray, the FBI director, and Dr. Anthony Fauci, the government’s top infectious diseases specialist in the middle of a pandemic.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/trump-voters-in-battleground-arizona-fear-their-votes-are-invalid-due-to-sharpie-pens-is-sharpiegate-real-340659" hreflang="en">Trump voters in battleground Arizona fear their votes are invalid due to Sharpie pens. Is 'Sharpiegate' real?</a>

And if he is forced to vacate the White House on Jan. 20, Trump is likely to prove more resilient than expected and almost surely will remain a powerful and disruptive force in American life. He received at least 68 million votes, or 5 million more votes than he did in 2016 and commanded about 48% of the popular vote, meaning he retained the support of nearly half of the public despite four years of scandal, setbacks, impeachment and the brutal coronavirus outbreak that has killed more than 233,000 Americans.

That gives him a power base to play a role that other defeated one-term presidents like Jimmy Carter and George Bush have not played. Trump has long toyed with starting his own television network to compete with Fox News, and in private lately he has broached the idea of running again in 2024, although he would be 78 by then. Even if his own days as a candidate are over, his 88-million-strong Twitter following gives him a bullhorn to be an influential voice on the right, potentially making him a kingmaker among rising Republicans.

“If anything is clear from the election results, it is that the president has a huge following, and he doesn’t intend to exit the stage anytime soon,” said former Sen. Jeff Flake of Arizona, one of the few Republican officeholders to break with Trump over the past four years.

That following may yet enable Trump to eke out a second term and four years to try to rebuild the economy and reshape the Republican Party in his image. But even from out of office, he could try to pressure Republican senators who preserved their majority to resist Biden at every turn, forcing them to choose between conciliation or crossing his political base.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/as-trump-demands-vote-count-to-stop-in-battleground-states-counteveryvote-trends-340625" hreflang="en">As Trump demands vote count to stop in battleground states, #CountEveryVote trends</a>

Until a new generation of Republicans steps forward, Trump could position himself as the de facto leader of the party, wielding an extraordinary database of information about his supporters that future candidates would love to rent or otherwise access. Allies imagined other Republicans making a pilgrimage to his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, seeking his blessing.

“It isn’t like his Twitter account or his ability to control a news cycle will stop,” said Brad Parscale, the president’s first campaign manager in this election cycle. “President Trump also has the largest amount of data ever collected by a politician. This will impact races and policies for years to come.”

Exit polls showed that regardless of prominent Republican defectors like Sen. Mitt Romney of Utah and the Never Trumpers of the Lincoln Project, Trump enjoyed strong support within his own party, winning 93% of Republican voters. He also did somewhat better with Black voters (12%) and Hispanic voters (32%) than he did four years ago despite his often racist rhetoric. And after his high-energy blitz across battleground states, late-deciding voters broke his way.

Some of Trump’s arguments carried considerable weight with members of his party. Despite the coronavirus pandemic and the related economic toll, 41% of voters said they were doing better than when he took office, compared with only 20% who described themselves as worse off. Adopting his priorities, 35% of voters named the economy as the most important issue, twice as many who cited the pandemic. Fully 49% said the economy was good or excellent, and 48% approved of his government’s handling of the virus.

“If he is defeated, the president will retain the undying loyalty of the party’s voters and the new voters he brought into the party,” said Sam Nunberg, who was a strategist on Trump’s 2016 campaign. “President Trump will remain a hero within the Republican electorate. The winner of the 2024 Republican presidential primary will either be President Trump or the candidate who most closely resembles him.”

Not all Republicans share that view. While Trump will no doubt continue to speak out and assert himself on the public stage, they said the party would be happy to try to move beyond him if he loses and he would be remembered as an aberration.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-election-2020-can-united-states-supreme-court-be-the-final-arbiter-340619" hreflang="en">US election 2020: Can United States Supreme Court be the final arbiter?</a>

“There will never be another Trump,” said former Rep. Carlos Curbelo of Florida. “Copycats will fail. He will gradually fade, but the scars from this tumultuous period in American history will never disappear.”

Indeed, Trump failed to reproduce his fluky 2016 success when he secured an Electoral College victory even while losing the popular vote to Hillary Clinton. For all of the tools of incumbency, he failed to pick up a single state that he did not win last time, and as of Wednesday, he had lost two or three, with a couple of others still on the edge.

Other presidents evicted after a single term or less — like Gerald Ford in 1976, Carter in 1980 and Bush in 1992 — tended to fade back into the political shadows. Ford briefly contemplated a comeback, Carter occasionally criticized his successors, and Bush campaigned for his sons, but none of them remained major political forces within their party for long. Politically, at least, each of them was seen to various degrees as a spent force.

The last defeated president to try to play a power-broker role after leaving office was Herbert Hoover, who positioned himself to run again after his loss in 1932 to Franklin D. Roosevelt and became an outspoken leader of the conservative wing of the Republican Party. While he wielded significant influence for years, it did not regain him the nomination nor change the verdict of history.

For Trump, who cares about “winning, winning, winning” more than almost anything, being known as a loser would be intolerable. On Election Day, during a visit to his campaign headquarters, he mused aloud about that. “Winning is easy,” he told reporters and staff members. “Losing is never easy. Not for me it’s not.”

To avoid such a fate, the president sought Wednesday to convince supporters that the election was being stolen simply because state and local authorities were counting legally cast ballots. The fact that it was not true evidently mattered little to him. He was setting up a narrative to justify legal challenges that even Republican lawyers called groundless and, should those fail, to set himself up as a martyr who was not repudiated by the voters but somehow robbed by unseen nefarious forces.

Trump himself has a long history on the other end of fraud allegations. His sister asserted that he got someone else to take his college-entrance exam. The daughters of a Queens, New York, foot doctor claimed that their late father gave Trump a diagnosis of bone spurs to protect him from the draft for the Vietnam War as a favor to Fred Trump, his father. And his business dealings have often ensnared him in allegations and law suits.

The younger Trump paid $25 million to students of his Trump University to settle fraud accusations. His charitable foundation was shut down after authorities found a “shocking pattern of illegality.” He participated in dubious tax schemes during the 1990s, including instances of outright fraud, according to a New York Times investigation. And Michael Cohen, his estranged lawyer and fixer, wrote in a recent book that he rigged two online polls on Trump’s behalf.

The president has survived all of that and a string of bankruptcies and other failures through a life of celebrity and populist appeals that gave him the aura of a winner that he nurtured. From his time in real estate and reality television, he has been part of the country’s pop culture firmament for 30 years, a recurring figure in movies, television shows and his own books.

He has been, for millions, a symbol of gold-gilded aspiration and wealth. He was the star of a popular television series for 14 seasons, one that introduced him to the country long before he ran for office. And once he did, his boisterous rallies bonded his supporters to him in a way that underscored how much of a cultural phenomenon he is.

For months, as his chances of being reelected dwindled, Trump told advisers — sometimes joking, sometimes not — that should he lose he would promptly announce that he was running again in 2024. Two advisers said they anticipate he will make good on that declaration if his legal challenges fail and is defeated, a move that if nothing else would allow him to raise money to finance the rallies that sustain him.

When he appeared likely to lose his original campaign in 2016, he and some of his family members talked about starting a media property, loosely conceived of as “Trump TV.” Some of those discussions have continued into this year, according to people familiar with them.

“There’s no question that he is one of the greatest polarizing political figures of modern history,” said Tony Fabrizio, one of Trump’s pollsters. “His supporters adore him, and his opponents revile him. There is no middle ground on Donald Trump.”

If President Donald Trump loses his bid for reelection, as looked increasingly likely Wednesday, it would be the first defeat of an incumbent president in 28 years.

If President Donald Trump loses his bid for reelection, as looked increasingly likely Wednesday, it would be the first defeat of an incumbent president in 28 years. But one thing seemed certain: Win or lose, he will not go quietly away. Trailing former Vice President Joe Biden, Trump spent the day trying to discredit the election based on invented fraud claims, hoping either to hang onto power or explain away a loss. He could find a narrow path to reelection among states still counting, but he has made clear that he would not shrink from the scene should he lose. At the very least, he has 76 days left in office to use his power as he sees fit and to seek revenge on some of his perceived adversaries. Angry at a defeat, he may fire or sideline a variety of senior officials who failed to carry out his wishes as he saw it, including Christopher Wray, the FBI director, and Dr. Anthony Fauci, the government’s top infectious diseases specialist in the middle of a pandemic. Also read: Trump voters in battleground Arizona fear their votes are invalid due to Sharpie pens. Is 'Sharpiegate' real? And if he is forced to vacate the White House on Jan. 20, Trump is likely to prove more resilient than expected and almost surely will remain a powerful and disruptive force in American life. He received at least 68 million votes, or 5 million more votes than he did in 2016 and commanded about 48% of the popular vote, meaning he retained the support of nearly half of the public despite four years of scandal, setbacks, impeachment and the brutal coronavirus outbreak that has killed more than 233,000 Americans. That gives him a power base to play a role that other defeated one-term presidents like Jimmy Carter and George Bush have not played. Trump has long toyed with starting his own television network to compete with Fox News, and in private lately he has broached the idea of running again in 2024, although he would be 78 by then. Even if his own days as a candidate are over, his 88-million-strong Twitter following gives him a bullhorn to be an influential voice on the right, potentially making him a kingmaker among rising Republicans. “If anything is clear from the election results, it is that the president has a huge following, and he doesn’t intend to exit the stage anytime soon,” said former Sen. Jeff Flake of Arizona, one of the few Republican officeholders to break with Trump over the past four years. That following may yet enable Trump to eke out a second term and four years to try to rebuild the economy and reshape the Republican Party in his image. But even from out of office, he could try to pressure Republican senators who preserved their majority to resist Biden at every turn, forcing them to choose between conciliation or crossing his political base. Also read: As Trump demands vote count to stop in battleground states, #CountEveryVote trends Until a new generation of Republicans steps forward, Trump could position himself as the de facto leader of the party, wielding an extraordinary database of information about his supporters that future candidates would love to rent or otherwise access. Allies imagined other Republicans making a pilgrimage to his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, seeking his blessing. “It isn’t like his Twitter account or his ability to control a news cycle will stop,” said Brad Parscale, the president’s first campaign manager in this election cycle. “President Trump also has the largest amount of data ever collected by a politician. This will impact races and policies for years to come.” Exit polls showed that regardless of prominent Republican defectors like Sen. Mitt Romney of Utah and the Never Trumpers of the Lincoln Project, Trump enjoyed strong support within his own party, winning 93% of Republican voters. He also did somewhat better with Black voters (12%) and Hispanic voters (32%) than he did four years ago despite his often racist rhetoric. And after his high-energy blitz across battleground states, late-deciding voters broke his way. Some of Trump’s arguments carried considerable weight with members of his party. Despite the coronavirus pandemic and the related economic toll, 41% of voters said they were doing better than when he took office, compared with only 20% who described themselves as worse off. Adopting his priorities, 35% of voters named the economy as the most important issue, twice as many who cited the pandemic. Fully 49% said the economy was good or excellent, and 48% approved of his government’s handling of the virus. “If he is defeated, the president will retain the undying loyalty of the party’s voters and the new voters he brought into the party,” said Sam Nunberg, who was a strategist on Trump’s 2016 campaign. “President Trump will remain a hero within the Republican electorate. The winner of the 2024 Republican presidential primary will either be President Trump or the candidate who most closely resembles him.” Not all Republicans share that view. While Trump will no doubt continue to speak out and assert himself on the public stage, they said the party would be happy to try to move beyond him if he loses and he would be remembered as an aberration. Also read: US election 2020: Can United States Supreme Court be the final arbiter? “There will never be another Trump,” said former Rep. Carlos Curbelo of Florida. “Copycats will fail. He will gradually fade, but the scars from this tumultuous period in American history will never disappear.” Indeed, Trump failed to reproduce his fluky 2016 success when he secured an Electoral College victory even while losing the popular vote to Hillary Clinton. For all of the tools of incumbency, he failed to pick up a single state that he did not win last time, and as of Wednesday, he had lost two or three, with a couple of others still on the edge. Other presidents evicted after a single term or less — like Gerald Ford in 1976, Carter in 1980 and Bush in 1992 — tended to fade back into the political shadows. Ford briefly contemplated a comeback, Carter occasionally criticized his successors, and Bush campaigned for his sons, but none of them remained major political forces within their party for long. Politically, at least, each of them was seen to various degrees as a spent force. The last defeated president to try to play a power-broker role after leaving office was Herbert Hoover, who positioned himself to run again after his loss in 1932 to Franklin D. Roosevelt and became an outspoken leader of the conservative wing of the Republican Party. While he wielded significant influence for years, it did not regain him the nomination nor change the verdict of history. For Trump, who cares about “winning, winning, winning” more than almost anything, being known as a loser would be intolerable. On Election Day, during a visit to his campaign headquarters, he mused aloud about that. “Winning is easy,” he told reporters and staff members. “Losing is never easy. Not for me it’s not.” To avoid such a fate, the president sought Wednesday to convince supporters that the election was being stolen simply because state and local authorities were counting legally cast ballots. The fact that it was not true evidently mattered little to him. He was setting up a narrative to justify legal challenges that even Republican lawyers called groundless and, should those fail, to set himself up as a martyr who was not repudiated by the voters but somehow robbed by unseen nefarious forces. Trump himself has a long history on the other end of fraud allegations. His sister asserted that he got someone else to take his college-entrance exam. The daughters of a Queens, New York, foot doctor claimed that their late father gave Trump a diagnosis of bone spurs to protect him from the draft for the Vietnam War as a favor to Fred Trump, his father. And his business dealings have often ensnared him in allegations and law suits. The younger Trump paid $25 million to students of his Trump University to settle fraud accusations. His charitable foundation was shut down after authorities found a “shocking pattern of illegality.” He participated in dubious tax schemes during the 1990s, including instances of outright fraud, according to a New York Times investigation. And Michael Cohen, his estranged lawyer and fixer, wrote in a recent book that he rigged two online polls on Trump’s behalf. The president has survived all of that and a string of bankruptcies and other failures through a life of celebrity and populist appeals that gave him the aura of a winner that he nurtured. From his time in real estate and reality television, he has been part of the country’s pop culture firmament for 30 years, a recurring figure in movies, television shows and his own books. He has been, for millions, a symbol of gold-gilded aspiration and wealth. He was the star of a popular television series for 14 seasons, one that introduced him to the country long before he ran for office. And once he did, his boisterous rallies bonded his supporters to him in a way that underscored how much of a cultural phenomenon he is. For months, as his chances of being reelected dwindled, Trump told advisers — sometimes joking, sometimes not — that should he lose he would promptly announce that he was running again in 2024. Two advisers said they anticipate he will make good on that declaration if his legal challenges fail and is defeated, a move that if nothing else would allow him to raise money to finance the rallies that sustain him. When he appeared likely to lose his original campaign in 2016, he and some of his family members talked about starting a media property, loosely conceived of as “Trump TV.” Some of those discussions have continued into this year, according to people familiar with them. “There’s no question that he is one of the greatest polarizing political figures of modern history,” said Tony Fabrizio, one of Trump’s pollsters. “His supporters adore him, and his opponents revile him. There is no middle ground on Donald Trump.”

Win or lose, Trump will remain a powerful and disruptive force

Votes are still being counted in several crucial battleground states in the U.S. election, making it unclear whether it will be Trump or former Vice President Joe Biden leading the world’s most powerful nation until 2024.

US Election 2020: Ballot counting continues in several pivotal states

Indian origin faces in US Elections this year

The outcome of the U.S. presidential election hung in the balance on Wednesday as several states continued to count their ballots, including some of the most competitive battlegrounds where the tally could take days to complete.&nbsp;|&nbsp;Live election updates&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-election-2020-results-live-result-updates-donald-trump-joe-biden-votes-tally-how-to-follow-the-2020-us-election-results-from-india-donald-trump-joe-biden-president-white-house-340694">here</a>

Democratic nominee Joe Biden has a slight edge over Republican President Donald Trump with 227 to 213 electoral votes. That leaves 98 electoral votes to be allocated, and possible paths to victory for both candidates. The winner needs to secure 270 votes.

Here is the state of play in nine states. The vote counts are supplied by Edison Research.

Alaska

Trump has a wide lead and is broadly expected to carry the state. Still, just 56% of the expected vote has been counted, with Trump ahead by 62.9% to 33%.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/trump-voters-in-battleground-arizona-fear-their-votes-are-invalid-due-to-sharpie-pens-is-sharpiegate-real-340659" hreflang="en">Trump voters in battleground Arizona fear their votes are invalid due to Sharpie pens. Is 'Sharpiegate' real?</a>

Arizona

Biden has a significant lead, and the Associated Press and Fox News have already called the state for the Democrat. With 86% of the expected vote counted, Biden leads with 50.7% against 47.9% for Trump, according to Edison Research.

Arizona Secretary of State Katie Hobbs told ABC News that Maricopa County, which includes heavily populated Phoenix, had about 400,000 outstanding ballots to be counted and would release more results later on Wednesday.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/as-trump-demands-vote-count-to-stop-in-battleground-states-counteveryvote-trends-340625" hreflang="en">As Trump demands vote count to stop in battleground states, #CountEveryVote trends</a>

Georgia

Trump is holding onto a narrow lead, but several of the large counties around Atlanta that lean Democratic have substantial numbers of ballots still to count. With 95% of the expected vote counted, Trump is ahead with 49.7% versus 49% for Biden.

Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger said he hoped to have a result by the end of Wednesday.

Under Georgia law, if the margin between the candidates is less than or equal to 0.5 percentage point, a candidate may request a recount within two business days following the certification of results.

Trump's campaign filed a lawsuit to require that Chatham County, which includes Savannah, separate and secure late-arriving ballots to ensure they are not counted. The campaign said it had received information that late-arriving ballots in the county were improperly mingled with valid ballots.

Maine

Maine is one of two states that divide their Electoral College votes between the winner of the statewide popular vote and the winner in each of its congressional districts.

Edison Research has allocated Biden two votes for the statewide outcome, which he leads by 53.8% to 43.2% with 87% of the state's expected votes counted. It also called the state's 1st Congressional District for Biden, giving him a third electoral vote from the state.

Trump has a lead of 51.4% to 45.1% in the state's 2nd Congressional District. The Associated Press projected Trump the winner of the state's fourth vote on Wednesday, with only 53.7% of the expected vote in.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-election-2020-can-united-states-supreme-court-be-the-final-arbiter-340619" hreflang="en">US election 2020: Can United States Supreme Court be the final arbiter?</a>

Michigan

Biden has a growing margin, with CNN and NBC projecting Biden the winner there just before 4.30 p.m. EST (2130 GMT) on Wednesday. Biden leads Trump by 50.3% to 48.1% with 99% of the state's expected votes counted.

Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson said on Wednesday night that all valid ballots in the state had been counted, and that a lawsuit by Trump seeking to halt counting of votes there was "frivolous."

Nevada

Long seen as a solid Biden-leaning state, Nevada now appears in play. Edison Research data shows 86% of the expected vote is in and Biden's lead is just 49.3% to 48.7% for Trump.

State officials expect the remaining votes - largely mail-in ballots - to be counted by 9 a.m. PST (1700 GMT) on Thursday. Clark County, the state's largest and home to Las Vegas, has tallied 84% of expected votes so far and Biden is ahead there 52.9% versus 45.4% for Trump.

North Carolina

The margin between Trump and Biden is less than 2 percentage points as the president clings to a lead of 50.1% to 48.7% for the Democrat, with 95% of the expected vote counted.

The state allows mail-in ballots postmarked by Tuesday to be counted if they are received by Nov. 12. On Wednesday morning, the Biden campaign said it expected a final result to take several days, and state officials said later on Wednesday that a full result would not be known until next week.

Pennsylvania

Of the battleground states, Pennsylvania has the furthest to go in counting votes, and Trump so far maintains a lead. With 88% of the expected vote counted, Trump is up 50.8% to 47.9% for Biden.

Officials there can accept mailed-in ballots up to three days after the election if they are postmarked by Tuesday. About 1 million votes remain to be counted, Governor Tom Wolf, a Democrat, said on Wednesday.

If the margin of victory is within half of 1%, state law requires a recount.

The Trump campaign said on Wednesday it was suing to temporarily halt vote counting in Pennsylvania and also asked to intervene in a U.S. Supreme Court case over mail-in ballots in the state, which could determine the winner of the election.

Wisconsin

The Trump campaign said on Wednesday it would request a recount of votes in Wisconsin, where the margin between the candidates is less than 1 percentage point.

Biden is up 49.4% to 48.8% for Trump with 99% of the expected vote tallied, according to Edison Research. Edison said that it would not call a race in Wisconsin or any state where the margin is narrow enough to allow a candidate to demand a recount under state law. Some media outlets, including NBC and the Associated Press, projected Biden the winner.

Note: Vote counts supplied by Edison Research, which provides exit polls and voting data to the National Election Pool media consortium. Reuters has not independently tabulated the ballots.

The outcome of the U.S. presidential election hung in the balance on Wednesday as several states continued to count their ballots, including some of the most competitive battlegrounds where the tally could take days to complete.

The outcome of the U.S. presidential election hung in the balance on Wednesday as several states continued to count their ballots, including some of the most competitive battlegrounds where the tally could take days to complete. | Live election updates here Democratic nominee Joe Biden has a slight edge over Republican President Donald Trump with 227 to 213 electoral votes. That leaves 98 electoral votes to be allocated, and possible paths to victory for both candidates. The winner needs to secure 270 votes. Here is the state of play in nine states. The vote counts are supplied by Edison Research. Alaska Trump has a wide lead and is broadly expected to carry the state. Still, just 56% of the expected vote has been counted, with Trump ahead by 62.9% to 33%. Also read: Trump voters in battleground Arizona fear their votes are invalid due to Sharpie pens. Is 'Sharpiegate' real? Arizona Biden has a significant lead, and the Associated Press and Fox News have already called the state for the Democrat. With 86% of the expected vote counted, Biden leads with 50.7% against 47.9% for Trump, according to Edison Research. Arizona Secretary of State Katie Hobbs told ABC News that Maricopa County, which includes heavily populated Phoenix, had about 400,000 outstanding ballots to be counted and would release more results later on Wednesday. Also read: As Trump demands vote count to stop in battleground states, #CountEveryVote trends Georgia Trump is holding onto a narrow lead, but several of the large counties around Atlanta that lean Democratic have substantial numbers of ballots still to count. With 95% of the expected vote counted, Trump is ahead with 49.7% versus 49% for Biden. Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger said he hoped to have a result by the end of Wednesday. Under Georgia law, if the margin between the candidates is less than or equal to 0.5 percentage point, a candidate may request a recount within two business days following the certification of results. Trump's campaign filed a lawsuit to require that Chatham County, which includes Savannah, separate and secure late-arriving ballots to ensure they are not counted. The campaign said it had received information that late-arriving ballots in the county were improperly mingled with valid ballots. Maine Maine is one of two states that divide their Electoral College votes between the winner of the statewide popular vote and the winner in each of its congressional districts. Edison Research has allocated Biden two votes for the statewide outcome, which he leads by 53.8% to 43.2% with 87% of the state's expected votes counted. It also called the state's 1st Congressional District for Biden, giving him a third electoral vote from the state. Trump has a lead of 51.4% to 45.1% in the state's 2nd Congressional District. The Associated Press projected Trump the winner of the state's fourth vote on Wednesday, with only 53.7% of the expected vote in. Also read: US election 2020: Can United States Supreme Court be the final arbiter? Michigan Biden has a growing margin, with CNN and NBC projecting Biden the winner there just before 4.30 p.m. EST (2130 GMT) on Wednesday. Biden leads Trump by 50.3% to 48.1% with 99% of the state's expected votes counted. Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson said on Wednesday night that all valid ballots in the state had been counted, and that a lawsuit by Trump seeking to halt counting of votes there was "frivolous." Nevada Long seen as a solid Biden-leaning state, Nevada now appears in play. Edison Research data shows 86% of the expected vote is in and Biden's lead is just 49.3% to 48.7% for Trump. State officials expect the remaining votes - largely mail-in ballots - to be counted by 9 a.m. PST (1700 GMT) on Thursday. Clark County, the state's largest and home to Las Vegas, has tallied 84% of expected votes so far and Biden is ahead there 52.9% versus 45.4% for Trump. North Carolina The margin between Trump and Biden is less than 2 percentage points as the president clings to a lead of 50.1% to 48.7% for the Democrat, with 95% of the expected vote counted. The state allows mail-in ballots postmarked by Tuesday to be counted if they are received by Nov. 12. On Wednesday morning, the Biden campaign said it expected a final result to take several days, and state officials said later on Wednesday that a full result would not be known until next week. Pennsylvania Of the battleground states, Pennsylvania has the furthest to go in counting votes, and Trump so far maintains a lead. With 88% of the expected vote counted, Trump is up 50.8% to 47.9% for Biden. Officials there can accept mailed-in ballots up to three days after the election if they are postmarked by Tuesday. About 1 million votes remain to be counted, Governor Tom Wolf, a Democrat, said on Wednesday. If the margin of victory is within half of 1%, state law requires a recount. The Trump campaign said on Wednesday it was suing to temporarily halt vote counting in Pennsylvania and also asked to intervene in a U.S. Supreme Court case over mail-in ballots in the state, which could determine the winner of the election. Wisconsin The Trump campaign said on Wednesday it would request a recount of votes in Wisconsin, where the margin between the candidates is less than 1 percentage point. Biden is up 49.4% to 48.8% for Trump with 99% of the expected vote tallied, according to Edison Research. Edison said that it would not call a race in Wisconsin or any state where the margin is narrow enough to allow a candidate to demand a recount under state law. Some media outlets, including NBC and the Associated Press, projected Biden the winner. Note: Vote counts supplied by Edison Research, which provides exit polls and voting data to the National Election Pool media consortium. Reuters has not independently tabulated the ballots.

US election 2020: Which US states are still counting votes and when will they be done?

US election 2020: US election 2020: Donald Trump and Joe Biden continue to fight it out as votes are counted across the United States, including in many key states including Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Arizona. | Live election updates <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-election-2020-results-live-result-updates-donald-trump-joe-biden-votes-tally-how-to-follow-the-2020-us-election-results-from-india-donald-trump-joe-biden-president-white-house-340694">here</a>

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/trump-voters-in-battleground-arizona-fear-their-votes-are-invalid-due-to-sharpie-pens-is-sharpiegate-real-340659" hreflang="en">Trump voters in battleground Arizona fear their votes are invalid due to Sharpie pens. Is 'Sharpiegate' real?</a>

On Wednesday, former American Vice President and Democrat Presidential candidate Joe Biden broke the record for receiving the highest votes ever for a presidential candidate in the history of US politics.

US election 2020: Biden gets over 70 million votes

By 2.30 PM ET, Biden had clocked in over 70.8 million votes, as per results put together by Decision Desk HQ. Biden broke Obama’s record, who had received 69,456,897 votes in 2008.

Currently, the ballots are being counted across the country, especially in battleground states. As of now, no candidate has secured 270 electoral votes, which are necessary to win the elections.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/as-trump-demands-vote-count-to-stop-in-battleground-states-counteveryvote-trends-340625" hreflang="en">As Trump demands vote count to stop in battleground states, #CountEveryVote trends</a>

Most polls claimed that Biden would win the elections, but with both the candidates fighting neck-and-neck, the results remain hard to predict.

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As of now, Biden is leading the incumbent president Donald Trump by 3 million votes, and is expected to win the popular vote.

In 2016 too, Trump had lost popular votes to Hillary Clinton by 3 million. However, he did beat his 2016 numbers, whereby he had secured 62,980,160 votes. This time, he has clocked in 68 million votes.

US election 2020: Trump claims victory

Trump&nbsp;declared his victory before the official count ended, while Joe Biden announced that he will emerge victorious after all the votes are accounted for.&nbsp;

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-election-2020-can-united-states-supreme-court-be-the-final-arbiter-340619" hreflang="en">US election 2020: Can United States Supreme Court be the final arbiter?</a>

US president Trump had recently called on the counting to stop, while earlier claiming that the results should be declared on the same day as the election - November 3. He also claimed that due to ongoing counting, chances of voting fraud in the elections are high.

In key states like Pennsylvania and Michigan, vote counting is underway. And a ruling by a top court in Pennsylvania had recently allowed counting mail-in ballots that arrive upto 3 days after the election date, something Trump has vowed to challenge.

US election 2020: US election 2020: Donald Trump and Joe Biden continue to fight it out as votes are counted across the United States, including in many key states including Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Arizona.

US election 2020: US election 2020: Donald Trump and Joe Biden continue to fight it out as votes are counted across the United States, including in many key states including Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Arizona. | Live election updates here Also read: Trump voters in battleground Arizona fear their votes are invalid due to Sharpie pens. Is 'Sharpiegate' real? On Wednesday, former American Vice President and Democrat Presidential candidate Joe Biden broke the record for receiving the highest votes ever for a presidential candidate in the history of US politics. US election 2020: Biden gets over 70 million votes By 2.30 PM ET, Biden had clocked in over 70.8 million votes, as per results put together by Decision Desk HQ. Biden broke Obama’s record, who had received 69,456,897 votes in 2008. Currently, the ballots are being counted across the country, especially in battleground states. As of now, no candidate has secured 270 electoral votes, which are necessary to win the elections. Also read: As Trump demands vote count to stop in battleground states, #CountEveryVote trends Most polls claimed that Biden would win the elections, but with both the candidates fighting neck-and-neck, the results remain hard to predict. As of now, Biden is leading the incumbent president Donald Trump by 3 million votes, and is expected to win the popular vote. In 2016 too, Trump had lost popular votes to Hillary Clinton by 3 million. However, he did beat his 2016 numbers, whereby he had secured 62,980,160 votes. This time, he has clocked in 68 million votes. US election 2020: Trump claims victory Trump declared his victory before the official count ended, while Joe Biden announced that he will emerge victorious after all the votes are accounted for. Also read: US election 2020: Can United States Supreme Court be the final arbiter? US president Trump had recently called on the counting to stop, while earlier claiming that the results should be declared on the same day as the election - November 3. He also claimed that due to ongoing counting, chances of voting fraud in the elections are high. In key states like Pennsylvania and Michigan, vote counting is underway. And a ruling by a top court in Pennsylvania had recently allowed counting mail-in ballots that arrive upto 3 days after the election date, something Trump has vowed to challenge.

Joe Biden breaks Obama's record, amasses most votes in US election history

As the lawsuits by Team Trump piles up, there's a high possibility of election battle turning up in courtrooms. But what is the role of courts in #USElection2020? What are the grounds for courts to intervene in a democratic election? Molly Gambhir explains.

Will US Election results be decided in courtrooms?

With the #USElectionResults still unsettled, anxiety & unrest runs deep on the streets of America. Hundreds of Trump voters echoed his allegations of electoral tampering, while Biden supporters call out for all ballots to be counted. Molly Gambhir gets you more.

Protests, clashes and arrests continue

The #USElection2020 is at the centre of world's attention with NO CLEAR WINNER yet. As Donald Trump lays groundwork for contesting swing states, the confusion about calling Arizona for Joe Biden & anxiety over results persists. Simon Marks & Susan Tehrani bring us more.

Deciphering US Election confusion

Democratic presidential challenger Joe Biden, making his third run at the White House, was tantalizingly close to victory on Thursday as President Donald Trump sought to stave off defeat with scattershot legal challenges.

President Donald Trump said that his campaign will legally challenge all the States recently claimed by Biden for voter fraud and State Election Fraud.&nbsp;

In his tweet, President said, "All of the recent Biden claimed States will be legally challenged by us for Voter Fraud and State Election Fraud. Plenty of proof - just check out the Media. WE WILL WIN! America First!"&nbsp;

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All of the recent Biden claimed States will be legally challenged by us for Voter Fraud and State Election Fraud. Plenty of proof - just check out the Media. WE WILL WIN! America First!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1324386685858287616?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 5, 2020</a></blockquote>
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The development comes as Biden is leading with 264 electoral votes and need a win in just any of one out of 4 key battleground states to meet 270-mark and claim the presidency.

(With inputs from agencies)

Democratic presidential challenger Joe Biden, making his third run at the White House, was tantalizingly close to victory on Thursday as President Donald Trump sought to stave off defeat with scattershot legal challenges.

Democratic presidential challenger Joe Biden, making his third run at the White House, was tantalizingly close to victory on Thursday as President Donald Trump sought to stave off defeat with scattershot legal challenges. President Donald Trump said that his campaign will legally challenge all the States recently claimed by Biden for voter fraud and State Election Fraud. In his tweet, President said, "All of the recent Biden claimed States will be legally challenged by us for Voter Fraud and State Election Fraud. Plenty of proof - just check out the Media. WE WILL WIN! America First!" All of the recent Biden claimed States will be legally challenged by us for Voter Fraud and State Election Fraud. Plenty of proof - just check out the Media. WE WILL WIN! America First! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 5, 2020 × The development comes as Biden is leading with 264 electoral votes and need a win in just any of one out of 4 key battleground states to meet 270-mark and claim the presidency. (With inputs from agencies)

Trump says all states recently claimed by Biden will be legally challenged

Uncanny sights from the US election 2020

With only a few hours for the much-anticipated result of the US election 2020 to be declared, US President Donald Trump's campaign has won a&nbsp;court ruling to gain access to Philadelphia vote counting.

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Big legal win in Pennsylvania!
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After Trump declared he was ready to go to the US Supreme Court to dispute the vote counting, his campaign announced a recount demand in Wisconsin and lawsuits in Michigan and Pennsylvania, three states critical to winning the presidency.

US media networks have called Michigan and Wisconsin for Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden, while Pennsylvania remains a tossup.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/biden-set-to-win-michigan-battleground-state-exit-poll-340656" hreflang="en">Biden set to win Michigan battleground state: Exit poll</a>

Trump's campaign&nbsp;sued over changes to voter identification, made to adjust to the pandemic, saying it violated the election code.

However,&nbsp;the counting was live-streamed.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/as-trump-demands-vote-count-to-stop-in-battleground-states-counteveryvote-trends-340625" hreflang="en">As Trump demands vote count to stop in battleground states, #CountEveryVote trends</a>

Trump's campaign said it&nbsp;expected to launch additional legal action in Pennsylvania and Nevada and predicted that the Republican incumbent would emerge victorious in the US&nbsp;election by as early as Friday evening.

Trump campaign manager Bill Stepien told reporters on a conference call that Trump was "alive and well" with regard to the presidential race.

Campaign adviser Jason Miller said he expected legal action in Pennsylvania to ensure visibility on previous ballots that have been counted in that state.

Also read|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-election-result-2020-trumps-campaign-files-lawsuit-in-georgia-asking-to-pause-vote-count-340622" hreflang="en">US Election result 2020: Trump's campaign files lawsuit in Georgia asking to pause vote count</a>

Late Wednesday the Trump campaign filed suit in a fourth battleground, Georgia, as the president's lead there shrank to less than a percentage point.

Trump's behavior raised the specter of the election ultimately being decided, as in 2000, by a Supreme Court ruling on how states can tally votes.

&nbsp;

With only a few hours for the much-anticipated result of the US election 2020 to be declared, US President Donald Trump's campaign has won a court ruling to gain access to Philadelphia vote counting.

With only a few hours for the much-anticipated result of the US election 2020 to be declared, US President Donald Trump's campaign has won a court ruling to gain access to Philadelphia vote counting. Big legal win in Pennsylvania! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 5, 2020 × After Trump declared he was ready to go to the US Supreme Court to dispute the vote counting, his campaign announced a recount demand in Wisconsin and lawsuits in Michigan and Pennsylvania, three states critical to winning the presidency. US media networks have called Michigan and Wisconsin for Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden, while Pennsylvania remains a tossup. Also read: Biden set to win Michigan battleground state: Exit poll Trump's campaign sued over changes to voter identification, made to adjust to the pandemic, saying it violated the election code. However, the counting was live-streamed. Also read: As Trump demands vote count to stop in battleground states, #CountEveryVote trends Trump's campaign said it expected to launch additional legal action in Pennsylvania and Nevada and predicted that the Republican incumbent would emerge victorious in the US election by as early as Friday evening. Trump campaign manager Bill Stepien told reporters on a conference call that Trump was "alive and well" with regard to the presidential race. Campaign adviser Jason Miller said he expected legal action in Pennsylvania to ensure visibility on previous ballots that have been counted in that state. Also read| US Election result 2020: Trump's campaign files lawsuit in Georgia asking to pause vote count Late Wednesday the Trump campaign filed suit in a fourth battleground, Georgia, as the president's lead there shrank to less than a percentage point. Trump's behavior raised the specter of the election ultimately being decided, as in 2000, by a Supreme Court ruling on how states can tally votes.

US election 2020: Trump campaign wins court ruling to gain access to Philadelphia vote counting

The election hung in the balance on Wednesday, with a handful of close-fought states set to decide the outcome in the coming hours or days.

U.S. services industry data point to slowing economic recovery

US election 2020: In US elections 2020, both Donald Trump and Joe Biden are running neck-and-neck. Trump even declared his victory before the official count ended, while Joe Biden announced that he will emerge victorious after all the votes are counted, especially in battleground states that are still counting votes.&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-election-2020-result-live-update-donald-trump-joe-biden-votes-tally-president-predictions-begins-vote-count-how-to-follow-the-2020-us-election-results-from-india-Trump-wins-Kentucky-joe-Biden-Vermont-340293">Live updates on US election</a>

US election 2020: Trump wants Supreme Court to intervene

Trump recently claimed that his administration would involve the US Supreme Court in a bid to halt counting of votes, which according to the incumbent Republican president is causing election fraud in the country.

But many analysts have posited that the US SC may not be the final arbiter in this election.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-election-2020-donald-trump-criticises-surprise-ballot-dumps-for-lagging-behind-joe-biden-340569" hreflang="en">Trump criticises 'surprise ballot dumps' for lagging behind Joe Biden</a>

With a fierce battle in key states of Michigan and Pennsylvania, Trump had claimed that the delay in counting increases the chances of fraud voting.&nbsp;This was the first time in history that so many Americans exercised&nbsp;their franchise, with many voting early, and others voting through mail-in ballots, which the Republicans have tried to invalidate multiple times.

Fraud is rare in US elections, and there is no evidence of any cheating happening due to mail-in voting. "This is a major fraud on our nation. We want the law to be used in a proper manner. So we'll be going to the US&nbsp;Supreme Court. We want all voting to stop”, Trump had announced.

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Without divulging any details of what Trump administration intends to do in terms of litigation, Trump’s team is attempting to throw open a pending case which seeks to block mail-in ballots that are showing up late in the battleground state of Pennsylvania. In Michigan too, the Trump admin wants counting to stop.

US election 2020: Can the court do much?

Many analysts told Reuters that such objections to voting may not have a role to play in the final outcome.

An election law expert at the Ohio State University - Ned Foley believe that as opposed to the 2000 presidential race, a SC intervention will most probably will not end in the favour of Trump. In 2000, the Supreme Court announced George W Bush victorious after a recount of votes.

"It’s extremely early on but at the moment it doesn’t seem apparent how this would end up where the US Supreme Court would be decisive," Foley told Reuters.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-election-2020-world-leaders-react-on-the-presidential-election-340509" hreflang="en">US election 2020: World leaders react on the presidential election</a>

Given how close the race is, and with Trump’s ongoing threats, both Biden and Trump’s legal teams are ready to step up if the situation demands it.

"If we have to go through these legal challenges, that's not unprecedented," Trump’s attorney Jenna Ellis told Fox Business Network in an interview on Wednesday. “He wants to make sure that the election is not stolen”, Ellis added.

A Pennsylvania top court recently allowed votes arriving upto 3 days after Election Day to be counted in the final tally, much to Trump’s dismay, who wanted the results to be declared on the same day. Earlier, the SC had refused to fast-track a Republican appeal.

US election 2020: What if Pennsylvania case is opened?

Even if the court reopened the case, it may not play a major role in deciding the final vote in Pennsylvania.

David Boies, who represented Al Gore in 2000, told Reuters it is unlikely that the Trump campaign would succeed in a possible effort to halt the counting of votes coming in after November 3. "I think that it’s more posturing and hope than anything else," Boies said.

Boies also claimed that Pennsylvania’s outcome could be rendered irrelevant based on the outcome in Michigan and Wisconsin.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-election-2020-ritchie-torres-first-openly-gay-afro-latino-member-of-congress-340525" hreflang="en">Ritchie Torres — First openly gay, Afro-Latino member of Congress</a>

Legal experts also added how if Biden wins 270 electoral votes, he wouldn’t need to pursue a legal case in the state anyway.

"I think the Court would summarily turn away any effort by the President or his campaign to short-circuit the ordinary legal process," Steve Vladeck, a professor at the University of Texas at Austin School of Law, told Reuters.

"Even Bush v. Gore went through the Florida state courts first”, he added.

US election 2020: In US elections 2020, both Donald Trump and Joe Biden are running neck-and-neck. Trump even declared his victory before the official count ended, while Joe Biden announced that he will emerge victorious after all the votes are counted, especially in battleground states that are still counting votes.

US election 2020: In US elections 2020, both Donald Trump and Joe Biden are running neck-and-neck. Trump even declared his victory before the official count ended, while Joe Biden announced that he will emerge victorious after all the votes are counted, especially in battleground states that are still counting votes. | Live updates on US election US election 2020: Trump wants Supreme Court to intervene Trump recently claimed that his administration would involve the US Supreme Court in a bid to halt counting of votes, which according to the incumbent Republican president is causing election fraud in the country. But many analysts have posited that the US SC may not be the final arbiter in this election. Also read: Trump criticises 'surprise ballot dumps' for lagging behind Joe Biden With a fierce battle in key states of Michigan and Pennsylvania, Trump had claimed that the delay in counting increases the chances of fraud voting. This was the first time in history that so many Americans exercised their franchise, with many voting early, and others voting through mail-in ballots, which the Republicans have tried to invalidate multiple times. Fraud is rare in US elections, and there is no evidence of any cheating happening due to mail-in voting. "This is a major fraud on our nation. We want the law to be used in a proper manner. So we'll be going to the US Supreme Court. We want all voting to stop”, Trump had announced. Without divulging any details of what Trump administration intends to do in terms of litigation, Trump’s team is attempting to throw open a pending case which seeks to block mail-in ballots that are showing up late in the battleground state of Pennsylvania. In Michigan too, the Trump admin wants counting to stop. US election 2020: Can the court do much? Many analysts told Reuters that such objections to voting may not have a role to play in the final outcome. An election law expert at the Ohio State University - Ned Foley believe that as opposed to the 2000 presidential race, a SC intervention will most probably will not end in the favour of Trump. In 2000, the Supreme Court announced George W Bush victorious after a recount of votes. "It’s extremely early on but at the moment it doesn’t seem apparent how this would end up where the US Supreme Court would be decisive," Foley told Reuters. Also read: US election 2020: World leaders react on the presidential election Given how close the race is, and with Trump’s ongoing threats, both Biden and Trump’s legal teams are ready to step up if the situation demands it. "If we have to go through these legal challenges, that's not unprecedented," Trump’s attorney Jenna Ellis told Fox Business Network in an interview on Wednesday. “He wants to make sure that the election is not stolen”, Ellis added. A Pennsylvania top court recently allowed votes arriving upto 3 days after Election Day to be counted in the final tally, much to Trump’s dismay, who wanted the results to be declared on the same day. Earlier, the SC had refused to fast-track a Republican appeal. US election 2020: What if Pennsylvania case is opened? Even if the court reopened the case, it may not play a major role in deciding the final vote in Pennsylvania. David Boies, who represented Al Gore in 2000, told Reuters it is unlikely that the Trump campaign would succeed in a possible effort to halt the counting of votes coming in after November 3. "I think that it’s more posturing and hope than anything else," Boies said. Boies also claimed that Pennsylvania’s outcome could be rendered irrelevant based on the outcome in Michigan and Wisconsin. Also read: Ritchie Torres — First openly gay, Afro-Latino member of Congress Legal experts also added how if Biden wins 270 electoral votes, he wouldn’t need to pursue a legal case in the state anyway. "I think the Court would summarily turn away any effort by the President or his campaign to short-circuit the ordinary legal process," Steve Vladeck, a professor at the University of Texas at Austin School of Law, told Reuters. "Even Bush v. Gore went through the Florida state courts first”, he added.

US election 2020: Can United States Supreme Court be the final arbiter?

US election 2020:&nbsp;In US elections 2020, both Donald Trump and Joe Biden are currently running neck-and-neck, with the counting of votes still underway in key states of Michigan and Pennsylvania. |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-election-2020-result-live-update-donald-trump-joe-biden-votes-tally-president-predictions-begins-vote-count-how-to-follow-the-2020-us-election-results-from-india-Trump-wins-Kentucky-joe-Biden-Vermont-340293">Live updates on US election</a>

Trump even declared his victory before the official count ended, while Joe Biden announced that he will emerge victorious after all the votes are accounted for.

US election 2020: Trump wants to stop counting

US president Trump had recently called on the counting to stop, while earlier claiming that the results should be declared on the same day as the election - November 3. He also claimed that due to ongoing counting, chances of voting fraud in the elections are high.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-election-2020-can-united-states-supreme-court-be-the-final-arbiter-340619" hreflang="en">US election 2020: Can United States Supreme Court be the final arbiter?</a>

But while Republican leaders and Trump administration called on the urgency of vote counting, #CountEveryVote began trending on social media.

In key states like Pennsylvania and Michigan, vote counting is underway. And a ruling by a top court in Pennsylvania had recently allowed counting mail-in ballots that arrive upto 3 days after the election date, something Trump has vowed to challenge.

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/gravitas-why-the-world-is-waiting-for-the-us-election-result-340613/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

Finding support among many Democrats #CountEveryVote supporters want all votes - physical, and mail-in to be counted for the final tally.&nbsp;

Many Democrat supporters fear that Trump would simply refuse to accept the results if he loses. In the meanwhile, Trump supporters expressed worry over potential cheating.

US election 2020: #CountEveryVote

Besides asking for all votes to be counted on social media with the hashtag #CountEveryVote, many also hit the streets across major American cities, urging authorities to discard Trump’s claims that the ongoing voting could open the scope of electoral fraud.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-election-2020-world-leaders-react-on-the-presidential-election-340509" hreflang="en">US election 2020: World leaders react on the presidential election</a>

Fraud in US elections is rare, and Trump has provided no proof of how it may be undertaken.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many voters, mostly Democrats opted for mail-in voting, which could become a state-by-state in this election.

In several cities, including Oakland, California; Harrisburg, Pennsylvania; Atlanta; Detroit and New York City, voters demanded the counting of each vote.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-election-2020-donald-trump-criticises-surprise-ballot-dumps-for-lagging-behind-joe-biden-340569" hreflang="en">Trump criticises 'surprise ballot dumps' for lagging behind Joe Biden</a>

"Count every vote, every vote counts," demonstrators urged in New York City.

A coalition called “Protect the Results” claimed to have been organising protests in 500 cities across the country. But as voting intensifies, many such rallies had to be halted.

Take a look at some of the tweets:

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We will be counting votes for a while - <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/EveryVoteCounts?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#EveryVoteCounts</a>. Try to stay calm and even-keeled while the officials do their work. 👍🙏🇺🇸
— Andrew Yang🧢🇺🇸 (@AndrewYang) <a href="https://twitter.com/AndrewYang/status/1323955946121502722?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 4, 2020</a></blockquote>
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Remember, this was always the way this was going to go... 
 
Be patient. Keep the faith.<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Election2020?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Election2020</a><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/EveryVoteCounts?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#EveryVoteCounts</a> <a href="https://t.co/4BBOn0kD9A">https://t.co/4BBOn0kD9A</a>
— Dylan O'Brien (@dylanobrien) <a href="https://twitter.com/dylanobrien/status/1323908750651101184?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 4, 2020</a></blockquote>
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We are winning. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CountEveryVote?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#CountEveryVote</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/EveryVoteCounts?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#EveryVoteCounts</a> <a href="https://t.co/OBtsKNtglJ">pic.twitter.com/OBtsKNtglJ</a>
— Alyssa Milano (@Alyssa_Milano) <a href="https://twitter.com/Alyssa_Milano/status/1324189492199084032?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 5, 2020</a></blockquote>
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&nbsp;

US election 2020: In US elections 2020, both Donald Trump and Joe Biden are currently running neck-and-neck, with the counting of votes still underway in key states of Michigan and Pennsylvania.

US election 2020: In US elections 2020, both Donald Trump and Joe Biden are currently running neck-and-neck, with the counting of votes still underway in key states of Michigan and Pennsylvania. | Live updates on US election Trump even declared his victory before the official count ended, while Joe Biden announced that he will emerge victorious after all the votes are accounted for. US election 2020: Trump wants to stop counting US president Trump had recently called on the counting to stop, while earlier claiming that the results should be declared on the same day as the election - November 3. He also claimed that due to ongoing counting, chances of voting fraud in the elections are high. Also read: US election 2020: Can United States Supreme Court be the final arbiter? But while Republican leaders and Trump administration called on the urgency of vote counting, #CountEveryVote began trending on social media. In key states like Pennsylvania and Michigan, vote counting is underway. And a ruling by a top court in Pennsylvania had recently allowed counting mail-in ballots that arrive upto 3 days after the election date, something Trump has vowed to challenge. Finding support among many Democrats #CountEveryVote supporters want all votes - physical, and mail-in to be counted for the final tally. Many Democrat supporters fear that Trump would simply refuse to accept the results if he loses. In the meanwhile, Trump supporters expressed worry over potential cheating. US election 2020: #CountEveryVote Besides asking for all votes to be counted on social media with the hashtag #CountEveryVote, many also hit the streets across major American cities, urging authorities to discard Trump’s claims that the ongoing voting could open the scope of electoral fraud. Also read: US election 2020: World leaders react on the presidential election Fraud in US elections is rare, and Trump has provided no proof of how it may be undertaken. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many voters, mostly Democrats opted for mail-in voting, which could become a state-by-state in this election. In several cities, including Oakland, California; Harrisburg, Pennsylvania; Atlanta; Detroit and New York City, voters demanded the counting of each vote. Also read: Trump criticises 'surprise ballot dumps' for lagging behind Joe Biden "Count every vote, every vote counts," demonstrators urged in New York City. A coalition called “Protect the Results” claimed to have been organising protests in 500 cities across the country. But as voting intensifies, many such rallies had to be halted. Take a look at some of the tweets: We will be counting votes for a while - #EveryVoteCounts. Try to stay calm and even-keeled while the officials do their work. 👍🙏🇺🇸 — Andrew Yang🧢🇺🇸 (@AndrewYang) November 4, 2020 × Remember, this was always the way this was going to go... Be patient. Keep the faith.#Election2020#EveryVoteCounts https://t.co/4BBOn0kD9A — Dylan O'Brien (@dylanobrien) November 4, 2020 × We are winning. #CountEveryVote #EveryVoteCounts pic.twitter.com/OBtsKNtglJ — Alyssa Milano (@Alyssa_Milano) November 5, 2020 ×

As Trump demands vote count to stop in battleground states, #CountEveryVote trends

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-registers-highest-covid-19-cases-in-24-hours-amid-elections-340645">US registers highest COVID-19 cases in 24 hours amid elections</a>

<img src="https://cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/styles/story_page/public/2020/11/05/168426-covidt.jpg?itok=-sgrpXfU" />

The United States has the highest number of coronavirus cases in the world with over 9.4 million along with more than 233, 650 deaths.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-election-result-2020-trumps-campaign-files-lawsuit-in-georgia-asking-to-pause-vote-count-340622">US Election result 2020: Trump's campaign files lawsuit in Georgia asking to pause vote count</a>

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The President wants the justice system to intervene in a pending US Supreme Court case that has yet to decide whether or not the mail-in votes received after the election day should be counted or not.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/as-trump-demands-vote-count-to-stop-in-battleground-states-counteveryvote-trends-340625">As Trump demands vote count to stop in battleground states, #CountEveryVote trends</a>

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While Republican leaders and Trump administration called on the urgency of vote counting, #CountEveryVote began trending on social media.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/videos/us-breaking-news1-woman-3-men-injured-in-stabbing-incident-in-washington-dc-340635">US: 1 woman, 3 men injured in stabbing incident in Washington D.C</a>

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<a href="https://www.wionews.com/videos/gravitas-us-elections-the-takeaways-so-far-340612">U.S. Elections: The Takeaways so far</a>

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US registers highest COVID-19 cases in 24 hours amid elections The United States has the highest number of coronavirus cases in the world with over 9.4 million along with more than 233, 650 deaths.

US registers highest COVID-19 cases in 24 hours amid elections The United States has the highest number of coronavirus cases in the world with over 9.4 million along with more than 233, 650 deaths. US Election result 2020: Trump's campaign files lawsuit in Georgia asking to pause vote count The President wants the justice system to intervene in a pending US Supreme Court case that has yet to decide whether or not the mail-in votes received after the election day should be counted or not. As Trump demands vote count to stop in battleground states, #CountEveryVote trends While Republican leaders and Trump administration called on the urgency of vote counting, #CountEveryVote began trending on social media. US: 1 woman, 3 men injured in stabbing incident in Washington D.C × U.S. Elections: The Takeaways so far ×

Morning news brief: Donald Trump alleges fraud in US elections results, coronavirus and more

Hundreds of people participated in a “Count Every Vote” protest in Philadelphia on Wednesday night as Pennsylvania was still tallying mail-in ballots that could decide the outcome of the election.

'Count Every Vote' protest erupts in U.S. as poll results remains undecided

Social media companies put warning labels on multiple posts by President Donald Trump that falsely claimed victory in the US&nbsp;election and pushed unfounded allegations about the counting of legitimate ballots.

The companies differ in how directly they challenge false statements. Twitter Inc labeled tweets as "misleading" and limited how they could be shared and seen. Facebook Inc acted on more posts but did not describe the information as misleading or limit how they could be shared or seen.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/as-trump-demands-vote-count-to-stop-in-battleground-states-counteveryvote-trends-340625" hreflang="en">As Trump demands vote count to stop in battleground states, #CountEveryVote trends</a>

Here is a sampling of how the companies handled Trump's posts starting on election night:

WEDNESDAY 12:45 am&nbsp;ET - TRUMP: "I will be making a statement tonight. A big WIN!"

Facebook placed a label below the post: "Votes are being counted. The winner of the 2020 US Presidential Election has not been projected."

Twitter opted not to label the tweet. A spokeswoman said it was unclear what Trump was referencing by "a big WIN."

WEDNESDAY 12:49 am&nbsp;ET - TRUMP: "We are up BIG, but they are trying to STEAL the Election. We will never let them do it. Votes cannot be cast after the Polls are closed!"

Facebook placed a label below the post: "Final results may be different from initial vote counts as ballot counting will continue for days or weeks."

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-election-2020-can-united-states-supreme-court-be-the-final-arbiter-340619" hreflang="en">US election 2020: Can United States Supreme Court be the final arbiter?</a>

Twitter hid the tweet, requiring a user to click to view it and limiting replies. Its label stated: "Some or all of the content shared in this Tweet is disputed and might be misleading about an election or other civic process."

WEDNESDAY 1:21 am&nbsp;ET - TRUMP (in live video): "Frankly, we did win this election...This is a major fraud on our nation."

Facebook placed a label below the video: "Final results may be different from initial vote counts as ballot counting will continue for days or weeks."

Twitter opted not to label the tweet, saying clips of a press conference did not violate its policy and noting that numerous press organisations carried the video.

WEDNESDAY 10:04 ET am&nbsp;- TRUMP: "Last night I was leading, often solidly, in many key States, in almost all instances Democrat run &amp; controlled. Then, one by one, they started to magically disappear as surprise ballot dumps were counted. VERY STRANGE, and the 'pollsters' got it completely &amp; historically wrong!"

Facebook placed a label below the post: "Final results may be different from initial vote counts as ballot counting will continue for days or weeks."

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-election-result-2020-trumps-campaign-files-lawsuit-in-georgia-asking-to-pause-vote-count-340622" hreflang="en">US Election result 2020: Trump's campaign files lawsuit in Georgia asking to pause vote count</a>

Twitter hid the tweet, requiring a user to click to view it and limiting replies. Its label stated: "Some or all of the content shared in this Tweet is disputed and might be misleading about an election or other civic process."

WEDNESDAY 10:17 am&nbsp;ET - TRUMP: "How come every time they count Mail-In ballot dumps they are so devastating in their percentage and power of destruction?"

Facebook placed a label below the post: "As expected, election results will take longer this year. Millions of people across the US&nbsp;voted by mail, and mail ballots take longer to count."

Twitter did not label the tweet.

WEDNESDAY 10:35 am&nbsp;ET - TRUMP: "WHAT IS THIS ALL ABOUT" (quote-tweet of claim questioning the legitimacy of ballot returns in Michigan)

Twitter hid the quoted tweet, requiring a user to click to view it and limiting replies, but did not label Trump's post.

The comment did not appear on Facebook.

WEDNESDAY 11:55 am&nbsp;ET - TRUMP: "They are finding Biden votes all over the place — in Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, and Michigan. So bad for our Country!"

Twitter did not label the tweet.

The comment did not appear on Facebook.

WEDNESDAY 12:01 pm&nbsp;ET - TRUMP: "They are working hard to make up 500,000 vote advantage in Pennsylvania disappear — ASAP. Likewise, Michigan and others!"

Facebook placed a label below the post: "Election officials follow strict rules when it comes to ballot counting, handling and reporting."

Twitter hid the tweet, requiring a user to click to view it and limiting replies. Its label stated: "Some or all of the content shared in this Tweet is disputed and might be misleading about an election or other civic process."

Social media companies put warning labels on multiple posts by President Donald Trump that falsely claimed victory in the US election and pushed unfounded allegations about the counting of legitimate ballots.

Social media companies put warning labels on multiple posts by President Donald Trump that falsely claimed victory in the US election and pushed unfounded allegations about the counting of legitimate ballots. The companies differ in how directly they challenge false statements. Twitter Inc labeled tweets as "misleading" and limited how they could be shared and seen. Facebook Inc acted on more posts but did not describe the information as misleading or limit how they could be shared or seen. Also read: As Trump demands vote count to stop in battleground states, #CountEveryVote trends Here is a sampling of how the companies handled Trump's posts starting on election night: WEDNESDAY 12:45 am ET - TRUMP: "I will be making a statement tonight. A big WIN!" Facebook placed a label below the post: "Votes are being counted. The winner of the 2020 US Presidential Election has not been projected." Twitter opted not to label the tweet. A spokeswoman said it was unclear what Trump was referencing by "a big WIN." WEDNESDAY 12:49 am ET - TRUMP: "We are up BIG, but they are trying to STEAL the Election. We will never let them do it. Votes cannot be cast after the Polls are closed!" Facebook placed a label below the post: "Final results may be different from initial vote counts as ballot counting will continue for days or weeks." Also read: US election 2020: Can United States Supreme Court be the final arbiter? Twitter hid the tweet, requiring a user to click to view it and limiting replies. Its label stated: "Some or all of the content shared in this Tweet is disputed and might be misleading about an election or other civic process." WEDNESDAY 1:21 am ET - TRUMP (in live video): "Frankly, we did win this election...This is a major fraud on our nation." Facebook placed a label below the video: "Final results may be different from initial vote counts as ballot counting will continue for days or weeks." Twitter opted not to label the tweet, saying clips of a press conference did not violate its policy and noting that numerous press organisations carried the video. WEDNESDAY 10:04 ET am - TRUMP: "Last night I was leading, often solidly, in many key States, in almost all instances Democrat run & controlled. Then, one by one, they started to magically disappear as surprise ballot dumps were counted. VERY STRANGE, and the 'pollsters' got it completely & historically wrong!" Facebook placed a label below the post: "Final results may be different from initial vote counts as ballot counting will continue for days or weeks." Also read: US Election result 2020: Trump's campaign files lawsuit in Georgia asking to pause vote count Twitter hid the tweet, requiring a user to click to view it and limiting replies. Its label stated: "Some or all of the content shared in this Tweet is disputed and might be misleading about an election or other civic process." WEDNESDAY 10:17 am ET - TRUMP: "How come every time they count Mail-In ballot dumps they are so devastating in their percentage and power of destruction?" Facebook placed a label below the post: "As expected, election results will take longer this year. Millions of people across the US voted by mail, and mail ballots take longer to count." Twitter did not label the tweet. WEDNESDAY 10:35 am ET - TRUMP: "WHAT IS THIS ALL ABOUT" (quote-tweet of claim questioning the legitimacy of ballot returns in Michigan) Twitter hid the quoted tweet, requiring a user to click to view it and limiting replies, but did not label Trump's post. The comment did not appear on Facebook. WEDNESDAY 11:55 am ET - TRUMP: "They are finding Biden votes all over the place — in Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, and Michigan. So bad for our Country!" Twitter did not label the tweet. The comment did not appear on Facebook. WEDNESDAY 12:01 pm ET - TRUMP: "They are working hard to make up 500,000 vote advantage in Pennsylvania disappear — ASAP. Likewise, Michigan and others!" Facebook placed a label below the post: "Election officials follow strict rules when it comes to ballot counting, handling and reporting." Twitter hid the tweet, requiring a user to click to view it and limiting replies. Its label stated: "Some or all of the content shared in this Tweet is disputed and might be misleading about an election or other civic process."

US election 2020: How Facebook, Twitter differ on labelling Trump's election posts

Republicans, buoyed by an unexpectedly strong performance by President Donald Trump in key battlegrounds, grew increasingly confident Wednesday that they could maintain narrow control of the Senate and make a considerable dent in the size of the Democrats’ House majority.

Their chances in the Senate were vastly improved by the come-from-behind victory of Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, a New England centrist largely written off as a loss before Election Day. Collins’ resounding performance in a state also carried by former Vice President Joe Biden defied national trends and she avoided a protracted fight involving the state’s ranked-choice voting system by clearing a 50% threshold of support.

Democrats, who had entered the night bullish about their chances, had flipped just two seats, in Colorado and Arizona. And with the loss of Sen. Doug Jones, D-Ala., they were still two or three seats short of the gains they would need to take control of the chamber.

Their hopes increasingly rested on Georgia, where at least one race was headed for a January runoff with a Democrat as frontrunner. Votes in the state’s other contest were still being counted, but Democrats were hopeful that Sen. David Perdue, a Republican, would have to contend with a runoff as well.

If they prove successful, it would provide Democrats with a shot at fighting Republicans to a draw for control of the Senate in a bloody and expensive rematch just two weeks before Inauguration Day. Two Democratic victories there would split the Senate, 50-50, and if Biden prevailed, his vice president, Kamala Harris, could cast tie-breaking votes to give Democrats de facto control.

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Republicans had scored crucial Senate victories in Iowa, Montana, South Carolina and Texas, where Democratic challengers fell well short of expectations despite spending record-breaking sums. They likewise believed they were strongly positioned to hold on in North Carolina as well, where Sen. Thom Tillis was considered one of the party’s most endangered senators this year, although the race was still too close to call with mail-in ballots streaming in.

“If my math is correct, if we win in North Carolina and Maine, I am still the offensive coordinator,” Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., told reporters Wednesday, referring to his position as majority leader.

The fight carried heavy consequences for whoever wins the White House, given that the Senate holds sway over judicial nominations and the legislative agenda, with the power to advance or frustrate a president’s plans. Even as they continued to game out possibilities, Democrats emerged Wednesday decidedly downcast.

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“I was hoping we would sweep to victory with a number of Senate wins,” John Hickenlooper, Colorado’s former Democratic governor who defeated Sen. Cory Gardner, said on MSNBC. “You know we were cautiously optimistic, but it’s not the level of excitement I was hoping to wake up to.”

In the House, Democrats were on track to secure the 218 seats needed to maintain the majority they established in 2018. But their predictions of a second consecutive wave powered by antipathy for Trump had been dashed by Wednesday morning. Instead, Democrats had lost a handful of historically more conservative rural and suburban seats in Oklahoma, South Carolina, New Mexico and Florida and were praying that a late deluge of mail-in votes would minimize further loses in places they once thought safe.

Republicans’ run of victories also promised to replenish somewhat the number of women in their conference, which was decimated in Democrats’ 2018 sweep.

“I’ve heard for months from the pollsters and the media about how Republicans were going to lose more seats and cling to shrinking coalitions,” Rep. Kevin McCarthy of California, said at an upbeat news briefing in Washington promoting the new women in his conference. “We expanded this party that reflects America and looks like America.”

Also Read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/opinions-blogs/us-presidential-elections-what-matters-for-india-340748">US Presidential elections: What matters for India?</a>

The accumulating results suggested that McCarthy could wield considerably more leverage in the House next term, particularly if Republicans hold the Senate. He quickly announced a run for minority leader and was expected to consolidate support. A smaller Democratic majority thinned of some moderates could also empower the party’s progressive wing to exercise more force.

In a letter to Democrats, Speaker Nancy Pelosi conceded it had been “a challenging election” but tried to put a positive spin on a clearly disappointing outcome. She predicted victory for Biden and said House Democrats were positioned to work with him “to deliver” health care changes, anti-corruption legislation and “green infrastructure” — although a Republican-controlled Senate would have very little interest in making that possible.

Privately, House Democrats who survived were licking their wounds and contemplating whether leadership changes needed to be made at the party’s campaign committee. The losses stung.

In South Carolina, first-term Rep. Joe Cunningham, a Democrat, was defeated by Nancy Mace, the first woman to graduate from the Citadel, in his Charleston-based district. With Trump making significant inroads among Cuban Americans in Miami, two other Democratic freshmen were ousted by Republicans: Reps. Debbie Mucarsel-Powell lost to Mayor Carlos Gimenez of Miami, and Rep. Donna Shalala was defeated by Maria Elvira Salazar, a former television anchor.

In the increasingly conservative rural Midwest, Rep. Collin Peterson of Minnesota, the Democrat who oversees the Agriculture Committee and has served in the House for three decades, was also toppled.

Also Read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/opinions-blogs/the-hail-mary-keep-counting-us-presidential-election-340871">The Hail-Mary Keep-Counting US Presidential Election</a>

The battle for the Senate was being waged on even friendlier turf for Republicans. Although they were defending 23 states, compared with just 12 for Democrats, almost all of them were places that Trump carried in 2016.

Democrats still managed to win in Colorado, a rare liberal-leaning state occupied by a Republican, and Arizona, where Mark Kelly, a former astronaut, beat Sen. Martha McSally, handing her a second Senate defeat in two years. They also narrowly hung on in Michigan, where Sen. Gary Peters beat John James, a Black Iraq war veteran and a Republican.

But Tommy Tuberville, the former Auburn football coach, easily won back deeply conservative Alabama from Sen. Doug Jones. In Iowa, Sen. Joni Ernst’s win over Theresa Greenfield, a Democrat with roots in the state’s farming community, scuttled Democrats’ hopes for a key pickup. And in Montana, Steve Daines beat back a challenge from the state’s popular Democratic governor, Steve Bullock.

In North Carolina, Sen. Thom Tillis, had opened a lead of nearly 100,000 votes early Wednesday against Cal Cunningham, a Democrat and Iraq War veteran who had led in polls for much of the year. But the state accepts mail-in ballots postmarked by Election Day until Nov. 12, making a final call premature.

Among all the victories for Senate Republicans, Collins’ stood out as the most remarkable. Facing an onslaught of liberal outrage over her 2018 vote to confirm Justice Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court amid accusations of sexual assault, she trailed the Democrat, Sara Gideon, the speaker of the Maine House of Representatives, in the race’s closing weeks.

In the end, she proved she was one of the only senators in the country still able to significantly outrun the top of the ticket, winning her fifth term even as Trump lost badly in Maine to Biden.

Still, already eying a 2022 Senate election on more difficult turf for Republicans, McConnell suggested there were reasons for the party to worry as well.

Speaking to reporters after his own commanding victory in Kentucky, he said Republicans had pressing work to do to win back the support of women and college-educated voters, as well as to bolster their fundraising apparatus, which has trailed Democrats’ juggernaut, ActBlue.

“I am disturbed by the loss of support in the suburbs nationwide,” McConnell said.

Democrats still remained hopeful about the races in Georgia. Raphael Warnock, a Democrat, was headed for a January runoff against Sen. Kelly Loeffler, the appointed Republican, in a special election to replace Sen. Johnny Isakson, who retired in late 2019, citing health problems. Jon Ossoff, a 33-year-old documentary filmmaker, was in a tight race to unseat Perdue, which could also end up in a runoff if neither cleared the 50% threshold required under Georgia law to win outright.

Democrats had one other outstanding target, Sen. Dan Sullivan of Alaska, but it was considered a stretch.

Republicans, buoyed by an unexpectedly strong performance by President Donald Trump in key battlegrounds, grew increasingly confident Wednesday that they could maintain narrow control of the Senate and make a considerable dent in the size of the Democrats’ House majority.

Republicans, buoyed by an unexpectedly strong performance by President Donald Trump in key battlegrounds, grew increasingly confident Wednesday that they could maintain narrow control of the Senate and make a considerable dent in the size of the Democrats’ House majority. Their chances in the Senate were vastly improved by the come-from-behind victory of Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, a New England centrist largely written off as a loss before Election Day. Collins’ resounding performance in a state also carried by former Vice President Joe Biden defied national trends and she avoided a protracted fight involving the state’s ranked-choice voting system by clearing a 50% threshold of support. Democrats, who had entered the night bullish about their chances, had flipped just two seats, in Colorado and Arizona. And with the loss of Sen. Doug Jones, D-Ala., they were still two or three seats short of the gains they would need to take control of the chamber. Their hopes increasingly rested on Georgia, where at least one race was headed for a January runoff with a Democrat as frontrunner. Votes in the state’s other contest were still being counted, but Democrats were hopeful that Sen. David Perdue, a Republican, would have to contend with a runoff as well. If they prove successful, it would provide Democrats with a shot at fighting Republicans to a draw for control of the Senate in a bloody and expensive rematch just two weeks before Inauguration Day. Two Democratic victories there would split the Senate, 50-50, and if Biden prevailed, his vice president, Kamala Harris, could cast tie-breaking votes to give Democrats de facto control. Also Read | Australian bookies shell out $23 milion early on Joe Biden win over Donald Trump Republicans had scored crucial Senate victories in Iowa, Montana, South Carolina and Texas, where Democratic challengers fell well short of expectations despite spending record-breaking sums. They likewise believed they were strongly positioned to hold on in North Carolina as well, where Sen. Thom Tillis was considered one of the party’s most endangered senators this year, although the race was still too close to call with mail-in ballots streaming in. “If my math is correct, if we win in North Carolina and Maine, I am still the offensive coordinator,” Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., told reporters Wednesday, referring to his position as majority leader. The fight carried heavy consequences for whoever wins the White House, given that the Senate holds sway over judicial nominations and the legislative agenda, with the power to advance or frustrate a president’s plans. Even as they continued to game out possibilities, Democrats emerged Wednesday decidedly downcast. × “I was hoping we would sweep to victory with a number of Senate wins,” John Hickenlooper, Colorado’s former Democratic governor who defeated Sen. Cory Gardner, said on MSNBC. “You know we were cautiously optimistic, but it’s not the level of excitement I was hoping to wake up to.” In the House, Democrats were on track to secure the 218 seats needed to maintain the majority they established in 2018. But their predictions of a second consecutive wave powered by antipathy for Trump had been dashed by Wednesday morning. Instead, Democrats had lost a handful of historically more conservative rural and suburban seats in Oklahoma, South Carolina, New Mexico and Florida and were praying that a late deluge of mail-in votes would minimize further loses in places they once thought safe. Republicans’ run of victories also promised to replenish somewhat the number of women in their conference, which was decimated in Democrats’ 2018 sweep. “I’ve heard for months from the pollsters and the media about how Republicans were going to lose more seats and cling to shrinking coalitions,” Rep. Kevin McCarthy of California, said at an upbeat news briefing in Washington promoting the new women in his conference. “We expanded this party that reflects America and looks like America.” Also Read | US Presidential elections: What matters for India? The accumulating results suggested that McCarthy could wield considerably more leverage in the House next term, particularly if Republicans hold the Senate. He quickly announced a run for minority leader and was expected to consolidate support. A smaller Democratic majority thinned of some moderates could also empower the party’s progressive wing to exercise more force. In a letter to Democrats, Speaker Nancy Pelosi conceded it had been “a challenging election” but tried to put a positive spin on a clearly disappointing outcome. She predicted victory for Biden and said House Democrats were positioned to work with him “to deliver” health care changes, anti-corruption legislation and “green infrastructure” — although a Republican-controlled Senate would have very little interest in making that possible. Privately, House Democrats who survived were licking their wounds and contemplating whether leadership changes needed to be made at the party’s campaign committee. The losses stung. In South Carolina, first-term Rep. Joe Cunningham, a Democrat, was defeated by Nancy Mace, the first woman to graduate from the Citadel, in his Charleston-based district. With Trump making significant inroads among Cuban Americans in Miami, two other Democratic freshmen were ousted by Republicans: Reps. Debbie Mucarsel-Powell lost to Mayor Carlos Gimenez of Miami, and Rep. Donna Shalala was defeated by Maria Elvira Salazar, a former television anchor. In the increasingly conservative rural Midwest, Rep. Collin Peterson of Minnesota, the Democrat who oversees the Agriculture Committee and has served in the House for three decades, was also toppled. Also Read | The Hail-Mary Keep-Counting US Presidential Election The battle for the Senate was being waged on even friendlier turf for Republicans. Although they were defending 23 states, compared with just 12 for Democrats, almost all of them were places that Trump carried in 2016. Democrats still managed to win in Colorado, a rare liberal-leaning state occupied by a Republican, and Arizona, where Mark Kelly, a former astronaut, beat Sen. Martha McSally, handing her a second Senate defeat in two years. They also narrowly hung on in Michigan, where Sen. Gary Peters beat John James, a Black Iraq war veteran and a Republican. But Tommy Tuberville, the former Auburn football coach, easily won back deeply conservative Alabama from Sen. Doug Jones. In Iowa, Sen. Joni Ernst’s win over Theresa Greenfield, a Democrat with roots in the state’s farming community, scuttled Democrats’ hopes for a key pickup. And in Montana, Steve Daines beat back a challenge from the state’s popular Democratic governor, Steve Bullock. In North Carolina, Sen. Thom Tillis, had opened a lead of nearly 100,000 votes early Wednesday against Cal Cunningham, a Democrat and Iraq War veteran who had led in polls for much of the year. But the state accepts mail-in ballots postmarked by Election Day until Nov. 12, making a final call premature. Among all the victories for Senate Republicans, Collins’ stood out as the most remarkable. Facing an onslaught of liberal outrage over her 2018 vote to confirm Justice Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court amid accusations of sexual assault, she trailed the Democrat, Sara Gideon, the speaker of the Maine House of Representatives, in the race’s closing weeks. In the end, she proved she was one of the only senators in the country still able to significantly outrun the top of the ticket, winning her fifth term even as Trump lost badly in Maine to Biden. Still, already eying a 2022 Senate election on more difficult turf for Republicans, McConnell suggested there were reasons for the party to worry as well. Speaking to reporters after his own commanding victory in Kentucky, he said Republicans had pressing work to do to win back the support of women and college-educated voters, as well as to bolster their fundraising apparatus, which has trailed Democrats’ juggernaut, ActBlue. “I am disturbed by the loss of support in the suburbs nationwide,” McConnell said. Democrats still remained hopeful about the races in Georgia. Raphael Warnock, a Democrat, was headed for a January runoff against Sen. Kelly Loeffler, the appointed Republican, in a special election to replace Sen. Johnny Isakson, who retired in late 2019, citing health problems. Jon Ossoff, a 33-year-old documentary filmmaker, was in a tight race to unseat Perdue, which could also end up in a runoff if neither cleared the 50% threshold required under Georgia law to win outright. Democrats had one other outstanding target, Sen. Dan Sullivan of Alaska, but it was considered a stretch.

Republicans tighten hold on Senate, but control could be decided in runoffs

U.S. Election cliffhanger captivates world; America's allies, rivals watch for what's next

In this episode of U.S. Election Dialogues we talk about Who will be the next US President?

U.S. Election Dialogues: The latest from the election race | Joe Biden Vs Donald Trump

Vote-counting has been slow in several states this year because of the coronavirus-related surge in the use of mail-in ballots.

US Election 2020: Joe Biden wins battleground states of Michigan, Wisconsin

Democrat Joe Biden moved closer to victory in the U.S. presidential race on Thursday as election officials tallied votes in the handful of states that will determine the outcome and protesters took to the streets.

US Election 2020: Joe Biden needs six electoral votes to win

US election 2020: Mayor Wilbur Beast the doggo in the house!
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While the United States counts ballots to decide its next president: Republican Donald Trump or Democrat Joe Biden, a town has done the unfathomable: Wilbur Beast, a dog has been elected as Mayor in the US!

Wilbur Beast is a French bulldog and the new Mayor of Rabbit Hash in Kentucky.

The “Beast” won by 13,143 voted, as reported by Fox News. This marks the biggest sweep for a candidate in the town.

US election 2020: Beast, the doggo wins big

<div class="fb-post" data-href="https://www.facebook.com/RabbitHashUSA/posts/4687146024690262" data-show-text="true" data-width="">
<blockquote cite="https://www.facebook.com/RabbitHashUSA/posts/4687146024690262" class="fb-xfbml-parse-ignore">Posted by <a href="https://www.facebook.com/RabbitHashUSA/">Rabbit Hash Historical Society</a> on&nbsp;<a href="https://www.facebook.com/RabbitHashUSA/posts/4687146024690262">Tuesday, 3 November 2020</a></blockquote>
</div>

"Mayoral election in Rabbit Hash has been called! Wilbur Beast is the new mayor with an amazing 13,143 votes (highest winning total ever) toward an election total of 22,985!" the Rabbit Hash Historical Society, within whose ambit the town falls, said in a Facebook post on Wednesday.&nbsp;

But the spirit of democracy lies in healthy competition. Wilbur Beast contested the election against Jack Rabbit, the beagle, and Poppy, the golden retriever.

The position of the town’s ambassador will be retained by Lady Stone, a 12-year-old border collie.

US election 2020: Beast will perform many duties

Rabbit Hash is an unincorporated community running along the Ohio River, and has elected a dog as mayor since the 1990s, according to Kentucky(dot)com.

As part of the voting process, community members donate $1 to the Historical Society during elections.

Once Wilbur takes charge as the town’s mayor, he is expected to help raise funds for the Rabbit Hash Historical Society.

US election 2020: Mayor Wilbur Beast the doggo in the house! While the United States counts ballots to decide its next president: Republican Donald Trump or Democrat Joe Biden, a town has done the unfathomable: Wilbur Beast, a dog has been elected as Mayor in the US!

US election 2020: Mayor Wilbur Beast the doggo in the house! While the United States counts ballots to decide its next president: Republican Donald Trump or Democrat Joe Biden, a town has done the unfathomable: Wilbur Beast, a dog has been elected as Mayor in the US! Wilbur Beast is a French bulldog and the new Mayor of Rabbit Hash in Kentucky. The “Beast” won by 13,143 voted, as reported by Fox News. This marks the biggest sweep for a candidate in the town. US election 2020: Beast, the doggo wins big Posted by Rabbit Hash Historical Society on Tuesday, 3 November 2020 "Mayoral election in Rabbit Hash has been called! Wilbur Beast is the new mayor with an amazing 13,143 votes (highest winning total ever) toward an election total of 22,985!" the Rabbit Hash Historical Society, within whose ambit the town falls, said in a Facebook post on Wednesday. But the spirit of democracy lies in healthy competition. Wilbur Beast contested the election against Jack Rabbit, the beagle, and Poppy, the golden retriever. The position of the town’s ambassador will be retained by Lady Stone, a 12-year-old border collie. US election 2020: Beast will perform many duties Rabbit Hash is an unincorporated community running along the Ohio River, and has elected a dog as mayor since the 1990s, according to Kentucky(dot)com. As part of the voting process, community members donate $1 to the Historical Society during elections. Once Wilbur takes charge as the town’s mayor, he is expected to help raise funds for the Rabbit Hash Historical Society.

Forget Biden and Trump, this American town just elected a dog as mayor

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