After nearly four days of anxious waiting, Americans finally have their answer: former Vice President Joe Biden raced past the 270 electoral votes necessary to win the presidential election Saturday morning, according to the Associated Press.
On Saturday at approximately 10:30 a.m., the AP announced that Democratic nominee Biden had 284 electoral college votes after winning his home state of Pennsylvania and its 20 electoral votes. Biden won the state by some 34,000 vote.
Additional swing states Nevada, Georgia and North Carolina have yet to be called. As of 10:30 a.m Nevada and Georgia appeared to be leaning in Biden’s favor; North Carolina appears to be leaning toward President Donald Trump.
Despite his win, it was not the blue wave many Democrat strategists had hoped for, and gridlock — and unrest — may be the norm.
Early Wednesday morning, Trump falsely and prematurely declared an electoral victory and said he planned to challenge the election at the Supreme Court, though it’s unclear exactly what legal basis he would have to do so.
The Trump administration and other Republicans have also said they planned to mount litigation in several of the key battleground states.
Although the results of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives races have yet to be finalized, it appears that Republcians are poised to retain control of the Senate, and the House will keep its Democratic majority.
As it stands Saturday morning, Biden garnered more than 74.8 million votes — so far winning the popular vote, too — in the general election, making it the highest voter support for any candidate in electoral history. When he officially takes office, however, he will govern over a still deeply polarized country, as Trump has currently won 47.7% of the popular vote, according to the AP.
In Minnesota, key progressive figures like U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar, DFL-Minneapolis won reelection bids, as did University of Minnesota state representatives, Rep. Mohamud Noor, DFL-Minneapolis, and Sen. Kari Dziedzic, DFL-Minneapolis. Sen. Tina Smith also won her election, though by a slimmer margin.
Greater Minnesota — and the state legislature — is likely to remain divided, however. According to MinnPost, although not all statewide races have been called yet, the GOP will likely hold a 34-33 or 35-32 majority, with a reduced 75-79 DFL House control.
On Wednesday night, more than 600 protesters were arrested after marching and being detained on I-94. Businesses around the Twin Cities prepped for unrest following the election, and additional demonstrations and civil unrest are anticipated across the country in the days following the election.