Former Vice President Joe Biden has won the presidency and will take the oath of office as the nation’s 46th commander-in-chief on Jan. 20.
Biden was awarded Pennsylvania’s 20 electoral votes this morning, pushing him past the 270 needed to claim victory.
Kamala Harris will become the first woman ”“ and first person of color ”“ to serve as the nation’s vice president.
Vote counting is continuing in Alaska, Arizona, Georgia, and North Carolina. Nevada and its 6 electoral votes were also called for Biden today; the Democrat’s current electoral tally stands at 279 to Donald Trump’s 214.
Biden and Harris are both expected to speak to the nation tonight at 8 p.m.
Trump, the first incumbent president to be voted out since Bill Clinton defeated Republican George H.W. Bush in 1992, is at his golf club in Virginia. His campaign has filed a number of lawsuits protesting the ongoing vote-counting.
“We all know why Joe Biden is rushing to falsely pose as the winner, and why his media allies are trying so hard to help him: they don”™t want the truth to be exposed,” Trump said in a statement. “The simple fact is this election is far from over. Joe Biden has not been certified as the winner of any states, let alone any of the highly contested states headed for mandatory recounts, or states where our campaign has valid and legitimate legal challenges that could determine the ultimate victor.”
But Democrats had a different take.
“Joe Biden is a friend to me, a friend to Connecticut, and our country will be in great hands with him as 46th president of the United States,” Gov. Ned Lamont tweeted.
“I know that his leadership as president of the United States will work to unify our nation,” Lamont continued. “When I endorsed him last year, I felt that he represented the best of our country, and it is clear that tens of millions felt the same way, selecting him to move us forward in January, and recapture the soul of our country. Vice President Biden has a record of working for the middle class, fighting for increased access to health care, and working across the aisle.”
In a statement following this morning’s announcement, U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Connecticut) called Biden “a man for this time, and I am thrilled the American people have spoken, and by decisive margin chosen him as our next President. This is good news for democracy, our country, and Connecticut.
“No doubt, Donald Trump will not go away quietly,” Murphy added, “and now President-Elect Biden begins the unenviable balancing act of beginning a transition while simultaneously having to bat down frivolous legal and political challenges from President Trump. But the people have spoken, and now the peaceful handover of power must begin.”
Congress
Democrats will retain their majority in the U.S. House of Representatives ”“ though not by the large margin they had hoped for after doing so well in the 2018 midterms ”“ and appear on track for a split in the Senate.
Democratic candidates won in Arizona, where Mark Kelly defeated incumbent Sen. Martha McSally, and in Colorado, where John Hickenlooper beat incumbent Cory Gardner.
Both of Georgia’s Senate races appear to be heading for runoffs in January, with Republican David Perdue facing Democratic challenger Jon Ossoff and GOP Sen. Kelly Loeffler running against Raphael Warnock. Should the Democrats win both runoffs, there would be a 50-50 tie in the Senate, which would be broken by Vice President Harris.
In Connecticut, U.S. Reps. Jim Himes (4th) and Jahana Hayes (5th), both Democrats, won reelection; New York results follow.
“This has been a campaign like no other,” Hayes observed in a statement this morning after Biden”™s victory was announced. “We have been through so much as a country ”“ an unprecedented pandemic, an economic collapse, and a political process that has only sharpened our divisions. I look forward to the steady leadership of President-elect Biden and Vice-President-elect Harris to get our country out of this crisis and help our nation heal.
“It is also important to recognize that this result leaves half the country jubilant and the other half frustrated and anxious,” she continued. “I want to assure my constituents that I am a representative for everyone. I hear all of your voices and I will continue to fight tirelessly for all of my constituents.”
New York
As expected, Democrats will maintain their majorities in both the Empire State”™s Senate and Assembly.
Within Westchester County, in the Senate Democrat Alessandra Biaggi (34th) bested Republican James Gisondi by a 70.6% to 25.6% majority; Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins (35th) ran unopposed; and Jamaal Bailey (36th) trounced Conservative Party candidate Robert Diamond, 95.4% to 4.6%.
Democrat incumbent Shelley Mayer defeated Republican Liviu Saimovici in the 37th, while in the 39th, Democrat incumbent James Skoufis beat Republican Steve Brescia.
In the race to replace Sen. David Carlucci (D) in the 38th, the favored Democrat Elijah Reichlin-Melnick was trailing Republican William Weber Jr. And in the closely watched 40th, former Westchester County Executive Rob Astorino (R) appeared to have defeated incumbent Democrat Peter Harckham, 53% to 47%.
In the State Assembly, Westchester race results were overwhelmingly pro-Democrat. Amy Paulin (88th), J. Gary Pretlow (89th), Nader Sayegh (90th), Steven Otis (91st), and Thomas Abinati (92nd) all ran unopposed. In the 93rd, Democrat Chris Burdick topped John Nuculovic; while the 95th saw Sandra Galef beat Lawrence Chiulli. Republican incumbent Kevin Byrne successfully defended the 94th against Stephanie Keegan.
As for Congress, Democrat Jamaal Bowman defeated Conservative Party candidate Patrick McManus (no Republican filed) in the 16th District. In the 17th, Democrat Mondaire Jones won the seat held by Nita Lowey, who is retiring after 16 terms, by beating Maureen McArdle-Schulman (R). In the 18th, incumbent Democrat Sean Patrick Maloney led Chele Farley.
Other notable New York races found Democrats Jerrold Nadler (10th), Carolyn Maloney (12th), and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (14th) all being returned to the U.S. House. The bitter fight for the 11th between incumbent Max Rose and Republican Nicole Malliotakis appeared to favor the challenger, although Rose insisted he would triumph once all ballots are counted.
The county favored Biden over Trump, 63.3% to 35.6%.
Connecticut
Nutmeg State Democrats also will retain control of both chambers of the General Assembly. Senate President Pro Tempore Martin Looney (D-New Haven) easily defeated Jameson White in the 11th, while Sen. Bob Duff (D-Norwalk) won decisively over Ellie Kousidis in the 25th; both will retain their caucus leadership posts.
In Fairfield County, Democratic incumbents Marilyn Moore bested Republican Steven Choi in the 22nd; Dennis Bradley beat Josiah Israel in the 23rd;Â Julie Kushner won over Susan Chapman in the 24th; Will Haskell defeated challenger Kim Healy in the 26th; Carlo Leone turned back Eva Maldonado in the 27th; Alex Kasser declared victory over Ryan Fazio in the 36th; and Steve Meskers won reelection against Joseph Kelly in the 150th.
Republican Kevin Kelly (21st) ran unopposed; on Thursday he was named the new Senate Republican Leader, succeeding retiring Len Fasano. GOP incumbents Republican Tony Hwang won the 28th over Michelle McCabe, and Kevin Witkos took the 8th over Democratic challenger Melissa Osborne.
On the Connecticut House side, incumbent Democrat David Arconti bested Michael Henry in the 109th, while incumbent Bob Godfrey defeated Republican challenger Erin Domenech in the 110th.
Other Democratic incumbents winning reelection were Philip Young (120th), Joseph Gresko (121st); Charlie Stallworth 126th); Chris Perone (137th); Travis Simms (140th); Lucy Dathan (142nd); Caroline Simmons (unopposed, 144th); Patricia Miller (145th); David Michel (146th); and Daniel Fox (148th).
Jennifer Leeper declared a win over incumbent Republican Brian Farnen in the 132nd, while incumbent Democrats Andre Baker defeated Jasmin Sanchez (124th); Jack Hennessy topped Peter Perillo (127th);Â Christopher Rosario bested Ethan Book (128th); Steve Stafstrom beat Helene Kouassi (129th); Antonio Felipe defeated Terrence Sullivan (130th);Â Cristin McCarthy Vahey won over Joanne Romano-Csonka (133rd); Anne Hughes bested John Shaban (135th); Jonathan Sternberg defeated Chip Stephens (136th); and Matt Blumenthal beat Dan Maymin (147th).
As for Republican incumbents, Ben McGorty defeated Jose Goncalves in the 122nd, while David Rutigliano led Sujata Gadkar-Wilcox by fewer than 500 votes with nearly 100% reporting in the 123rd. Jason Perillo defeated Elaine Matto in the 113th, but Democrat Aimee Berger-Girvalo claimed victory in the 111th over Bob Hebert, flipping what had long been a Republican seat occupied by John Frey for 22 years.
A hotly contested rematch of 2018 between incumbent Mitch Bolinsky and Democratic challenger Rebekah Harriman-Stites for the 106th appeared to have gone in Bolinsky”™s favor.
Elsewhere in the county, Republican incumbent Stephen Harding beat Kerri Colombo in the 107th; incumbent Republican Laura Devlin led Carla Volpe in the 134th; incumbent Democrat Kevin was ahead of Caleb Espinosa in the 139th; and Democrat Stephanie Thomas won over Patrizia Zucaro in the 143rd.
Also, Republican Kimberly Fiorello led Kathleen Stowe in the 149th and Republican incumbent Harry Arora was ahead of Hector Arzeno in the 151st.
Republican incumbents J.P. Sredzinski, Thomas O”™Dea, David Labriola, and Terrie Wood ran unopposed in the 112th, 125th, 131st, and 141st, respectively, as did Democrat Caroline Simmons in the 144th.
Meanwhile, in the race to succeed retiring State House Republican Leader Themis Klarides in the 114th, Democrat Mary Welander was leading Dan DeBarba. Democrat Matt Ritter won reelection in the 1st and will succeed retiring Joe Aresimowicz as Speaker of the House.
The county favored Biden over Trump, 60.4% to 38.3%.
