Joe Biden widens electoral vote lead against Donald Trump in decisive presidential race

President-elect Joe Biden widened his electoral vote lead against incumbent President Donald Trump on Friday after multiple decision desks called the state of Georgia in his favor. NBC News, CNN, and The New York Times made the call with projections that would add the state’s 16 electoral votes to the former vice president’s tally, giving him a total of 306 compared to Trump’s 232.

Although Biden has been the projected winner of the presidential race for almost a week, his victory in Georgia holds special significance for Democrats who have been working feverishly over the last several election cycles to flip the longtime Republican stronghold. Georgia has been a solidly red state for decades and has not gone to a Democratic presidential candidate since Bill Clinton won it in 1992. However, with shifting demographics and energetic get-out-the-vote efforts, Democrats have grown more confident that the state was within their grasp this year.

Despite falling further behind, Trump has yet to concede the race, and his team continues to pursue legal challenges. According to The New York Times, the Trump campaign could still request a recount in Georgia, where officials are already counting ballots by hand in what is described as an audit. Biden led by more than 14,000 votes as of (November 19, 2020), and the audit is not expected to change the outcome.