Democratic presidential challenger Joe Biden’s campaign said a victory over President Donald Trump is expected as votes continue to be counted in several key states like Nevada, Arizona, Pennsylvania, and Georgia.
Campaign manager Jen O’Malley Dillon told reporters on Thursday that the vote-counting efforts suggest Biden will win enough votes in Georgia, Pennsylvania, Arizona, and Nevada.
“Our data shows Joe Biden will be the next president of the United States,” O’Malley Dillon said.
“Rural, in-person votes might be next to show up in Nevada, tilting in Trump’s favor,” she added, saying that despite those ballots, the campaign “still expect[s] to win Nevada.”
“Any additional state called in our favor will allow us to win,” she said. “It may take time to see full result in Arizona, the margin may tighten.”
Neither Biden nor his campaign have declared victory.
No news organizations have called the race in favor of Biden in Pennsylvania, Georgia, Nevada, or North Carolina. Fox News and The Associated Press called the race for Arizona on Tuesday night, although some Republicans and pollsters called on the two organizations to rescind the call as ballots are counted.
President Trump’s 2020 campaign has filed lawsuits in several of the states to stop vote-counting or allow for observers to come in. They have also asked for a recount of votes in Wisconsin, which many news organizations have declared for Biden.
Trump’s campaign also asserted that after votes are counted in Arizona, they will come out on top. Trump himself also declared victory in Pennsylvania, Georgia, and North Carolina.
“The story of today will be a very positive story for the vice president but one where folks need to stay patient and calm,” O’Malley Dillon said, describing Trump’s lawsuits as “desperate.” “The count is happening and will take time … we’re confident we’ll come out ahead and are absolutely confident Joe Biden will be the next president of the United States.”
Biden campaign lawyer Bob Bauer claimed that the lawsuits were an effort to ramp up uncertainty around the election results.
“They’re doomed to fail, it’s background noise about fraud and irregularities and the like and it’s all for the purpose to confuse the public about what’s taking place,” Bauer said, according to The Hill.
Biden appeared to cut into Trump’s leads in Pennsylvania and Georgia while holding on to margins in Nevada and Arizona.
In Georgia, officials expressed hope that they would have a resolution in their vote count by the end of Thursday. Trump’s eroding lead stood at around 14,000, with about 2 percent of the ballots remaining to be tallied. Trump’s lead was about 115,000 votes in Pennsylvania, with about 8 percent of the ballots left to be counted.
Reuters contributed to this report.
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