US Election 2020: Joe Biden closes in on presidency as he leads over Trump in Georgia

While the battleground states are still tallying ballots, US Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden took a narrow lead over President Donald Trump in the state of Georgia. According to Associated Press, Biden has a 264 to 214 lead in the state-by-state Electoral College vote that determines the winner. Winning Georgia’s 16 electoral votes would put him on the cusp of the 170 he needs to secure the presidency. 

The 77-year-old would become the 47th president by winning Pennsylvania, or by winning two out of the trio of Georgia, Nevada and Arizona. Trump’s win, on the other hand, appears narrower as he needs to hang onto both Pennsylvania and Georgia and also overtake Biden in either Nevada or Arizona. According to reports, Biden is ahead by 917 votes in Georgia, where counting continued early on Friday. 

The Democratic nominee has been steadily chipping away at the Republican leader’s lead in Pennsylvania as well. Biden also maintained slim advantages in Arizona and Nevada. On Friday, Biden’s lead narrowed to 47,000 in Arizona and in Nevada, he was ahead by about 11,500 votes. While the country is waiting for the results, Georgia and Pennsylvania officials expressed optimism they would finish counting on Friday, while Arizona and Nevada were still expected to take days to complete their vote totals. 

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Trump says election is being 'stolen' from him 

Meanwhile, the shift in Georgia came hours after Trump appeared at the White House to falsely claim the election was being “stolen” from him. Trump claimed that if “legal votes” are counted he would win the election. He also complained that the ballots are still being counted suggest to him that election are being rigged. The Republican leader indicated that the election result would finally end up on the doors of the Supreme Court as he plans to file a large number of litigations against alleged electoral malpractices. 

With his re-election chances fading, Trump launched the extraordinary assault on the country’s democratic process. He lambasted election workers and alleged fraud in the states where results from a dwindling set of uncounted votes are pushing Biden nearer to victory. He said, “This is a case where they’re trying to steal an election”. 

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