Joe Biden Overtakes Donald Trump in All-Important Pennsylvania. Poised for Presidency?

US Presidential candidate, Joe Biden, has overtaken current President Donald Trump during vote counting in Pennsylvania… and should he win the state (there’s still 2% of votes to count), he would have enough votes to win the US presidency. However, as Trump’s campaign has pointed out, the counting is not yet over.

Biden’s current overall tally is at 253 (with Trump lagging at 214). Winning Pennsylvania would shoot Biden’s votes up to 273, surpassing the 270 mark required to win the US presidency.

The BBC reported: “Biden has taken the lead over Trump by 5,587 votes, with 95% of the state’s precincts reporting. The state could hand him the 270 electoral college votes needed to win.”

Trump’s campaign attempted to stop vote counting there, but a federal judge blocked this.

Trump’s campaign lawyer Matt Morgan said in a statement a short while ago: “This election is not over. The false projection of Joe Biden as the winner is based on results in four states that are far from final.”

Pennsylvania had been a Democrat state for years before 2016 when it swapped to Trump. Today BBC reporter Nick Bryant said: “Joe Biden now looks like he is taking a joyride through the Rust Belt on his road to the White House. It looks increasingly like he has done precisely the job he was hired to do – win back Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin.”

This year’s poll has seen America more divided than ever between the Democrats and Republicans. However Biden tweeted yesterday: “Let me be clear: I campaigned as a proud Democrat, but I will govern as an American president.”

UPDATE 17H50 SA Time: The state of Georgia, where Biden was leading by the narrowest of margins, has announced it will do a recount. Should Biden win, he would be one electoral vote away from the 270 goal. “Right now Georgia remains too close to call… With a margin that small there will be a recount in Georgia,” said the Georgia Secretary of State. “Interest in our election obviously goes far beyond Georgia’s borders. The final tally in Georgia at this point has huge implications for the entire country.”

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Watch the impact the US election could have on South Africa – Last Sunday, Carte Blanche spoke to experts about possible implications for geopolitics in general and South Africa in particular – the US’ largest trade partner in Africa and the recipient of over $6 billion for the prevention and treatment of HIV/AIDS and TB. This episode of Carte Blanche is now streaming in most countries abroad on Showmax International here.