Unpacking the race for the White House.
| | | | | |  | | By POLITICO Staff | | 
| Joe Biden has won the presidency, toppling Donald Trump after four years of upheaval in the White House. The story of the 2020 presidential campaign — based on conversations with more than 75 insiders — is the story of two candidates with completely divergent views on how the nation should respond to a deadly virus outbreak, setting up a stark choice for voters. Ultimately, America rejected the tumult of the Trump presidency after more than 235,000 people died in a pandemic he proved unable or unwilling to contain. Instead, the country chose the model student, Biden, who spent months without leaving his home and whose campaign skipped door-knocking, swore off campaign rallies, and didn't even hold an in-person convention. Trump is the first president since 1992 to fail to win a second term. The call for Biden by The Associated Press and TV networks Saturday morning came as Trump and his campaign vowed Saturday to dispute the results and continue a legal battle to challenge them. Biden garnered over 74 million votes, more than any presidential candidate in U.S. history. He reclaimed every "Blue Wall" state that Trump had won four years earlier and is on track to flip Georgia and Arizona. And he won on the strength of mail-in ballots. Biden's win represents a return of sorts to the Obama era and makes history again with the election of Kamala Harris as the first female, first Asian American and first Black vice president. The Democrat said in a prepared statement that he is "honored and humbled by the trust the American people have placed in me and in Vice President-elect Harris." Still, the election fell short of the sweeping mandate many Democrats expected. The close results in many key states — coupled with a lackluster performance by down-ballot Democrats — will leave both major political parties facing an identity crisis unlike any in recent history. | | | Here are the key states that led to Biden's victory. Pennsylvania: Widely seen as the state most likely to decide the winner of the Electoral College, Pennsylvania was one of the most heavily contested battlegrounds — Biden visited it more than any other swing state. The former vice president pulled ahead in the vote count there on Friday morning as counties processed ballots cast by mail and secured its 20 electoral votes Saturday morning. | 
Election results as of 5 p.m. EST | Nevada: Biden won Nevada, securing its six electoral votes after his victory in Pennsylvania already made him the president-elect. Nevada has been a key piece of Democrats' electoral map in four straight presidential elections, and it was one of their top retention targets after the state voted for Hillary Clinton by a 2-point margin in 2016. | 
Election results as of 5 p.m. EST | Michigan: Biden recaptured Michigan's 16 electoral votes, four years after Trump turned the state red in a shocking victory. The state was a top destination for both campaigns, but Biden also poured in tens of millions of dollars in advertising, heavily outspending Trump. On Wednesday , the Trump campaign filed a lawsuit in the Michigan Court of Claims to halt ballot counting. | 
Election results as of 5 p.m. EST | Wisconsin: Biden also flipped the crucial battleground state of Wisconsin. His winning margin was less than 1 percentage point, but it was enough to bring the state's 10 electoral votes back into the Democratic column. Trump's victory here in 2016 years ago was perhaps the most surprising outcome — no Republican had carried Wisconsin since 1984. On Wednesday, the Trump campaign announced that it will seek a recount in the state. | 
Election results as of 5 p.m. EST | There's a lot of news to unpack. Here's what else to read:
• Donald Trump confronts a new label: Loser
• Here are the top contenders for Biden's cabinet
• What's on Biden's first 100 days checklist
• What the Trump lame duck might look like | | | | Follow us | | | | |
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