Who is winning the popular vote in the US 2020 election?

Matt Mathers and Danielle Zoellner
·2 min read
(REUTERS)
(REUTERS)

Joe Biden is closing in on the magic 270 electoral college votes needed to win the White House.

But when it comes to the popular vote, the Democratic candidate was storming ahead.

As of Thursday afternoon, Mr Biden has 50.4 per cent of the popular vote (72,471,257), compared to 47.9 per cent for the president (68,907,805). Expect those figures to change as the vote count progresses.

In 2016, Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton won the popular vote.  She secured 65,853,625 votes compared with Mr Trump’s 62,985,106. However,  Ms Clinton lost the electoral college vote (232-306 in favour of Mr Trump).

Follow live: Biden edges Trump in Nevada

Mr Biden made history on Wednesday by earning the most-ever votes cast in a US presidential election, a record previously held by President Barack Obama with 69,498,516 in 2008.

Michigan and Wisconsin turned blue for Mr Biden on Wednesday as the the rust belt states flipped back to the Democrats after going red for Mr Trump in 2016.

Razor-thin margins separate the two candidates in Nevada, Georgia and Arizona - three states yet to declare a result.

Mr Trump is leading in Pennsylvania but mail-in ballots being counted are chipping away at that advantage hour-by-hour. If the president loses Pennsylvania, he loses the election.

Fox News and the Associated Press have called Arizona for Mr Biden but there are outstanding ballots there yet to be counted. Other media outlets have yet to call the state.

Read more: US election results map

America remains on edge as it waits to find out who will enter the White House in January 2021, following one of the most unusual election campaigns in living memory.

The election, like everything else, has been overshadowed by the coronavirus pandemic, which has claimed some 230,000 American lives.

Both candidates offered drastically different visions for the country. Mr Biden espoused pandemic precaution while Mr Trump pedalled economic boosterism, telling Americans "not to be afraid" of a resurgent virus that continues to sweep across the country.