Today on Sojourner Truth, our weekly roundtable discussion on the 2020 elections. Our guests are Laura Carlsen, Jackie Goldberg and Dr. Gerald Horne.
It has been over three days since Election Day, and the race to decide the next President of the United States still remains too close to call. Democrat Joe Biden moved ahead of Donald Trump in Georgia overnight into Friday as vote counting continued there. Georgia's Clayton County reports that Biden added 1,602 votes compared to Trumps 223, leaving the Democrats with a thin statewide lead of 917 votes. Vote counting is also taking place in other crucial swing states like Pennsylvania, Arizona, Nevada and North Carolina. Biden overtook Trump in the count in Pennsylvania just before 9 a.m. local time on Friday as the states Democratic-leaning counties reported additional vote count totals. The count is ongoing. Election observers still consider North Carolina to be a toss-up.
Nevada and Arizona, where young Latino voters have been crucial to supporting the Democrats, are considered likely to move in favor of Biden. According to CBS News, Biden has received 253 Electoral College votes so far, meaning he is 17 Electoral College votes short of the 270 needed to win. Trump, who has falsely claimed victory, has only won 213 Electoral College votes. Trump has been projected to win Ohio, Florida, Iowa and Texas, while Biden is slated to win Michigan and Wisconsin, two crucial Midwestern states which Trump won in 2016. Many are saying it may take several more days until we know who will be the next President of the United States, as full results for six states are yet to be projected.
Meanwhile, the battle for control of the U.S. Senate could last until January, as Georgia may need to hold run-off elections for both its seats. No candidate in either race has polled 50 percent, as required by Georgia's election law. January 5 has been set as the date run-off elections would take place, which is two days after the new Senate is scheduled to convene. The GOP currently has a 53 to 47 majority in the Senate, with a loss so far of one seat. The Democrats have been working to win the four elections needed to take control of the congressional body, but several GOP incumbents have remained in power. However, if the Democrats can win both positions in Georgia, this would lead to a 50-50 split in the Senate.
