Will we know projected winner of the presidential race Thursday? Here’s the latest
The projected results of the presidential election remain unclear Thursday morning as the country waits for ballots to be counted in several states.
The Associated Press hasn’t yet called the election in five states: Alaska, Georgia, Nevada, North Carolina and Pennsylvania.
Democratic candidate Joe Biden has 264 electoral votes as of Thursday morning after picking up key wins in Michigan and Wisconsin on Wednesday. The AP also called Arizona for Biden on Wednesday, but some news networks say the race there is too close to call.
President Donald Trump has 214 electoral votes as of Thursday morning. The winner needs at least 270.
So could we know the projected winner on Thursday? Here’s when results are expected in the states still counting votes.
Alaska
Electoral votes: 3
When results are expected: Not for a while, but it likely won’t matter in terms of the outcome of the election. The state’s three electoral votes won’t be enough to push either candidate to 270 on Thursday.
Mail-in an absentee ballots won’t be counted until a week after Election Day, The New York Times reports. It will likely take “a week or two” to declare a winner in Alaska, according to poll analysis site FiveThirtyEight.
About half of the state’s expected vote is in, according to the AP, and Trump is leading by 29 points.
Alaska is a Republican stronghold, last picking a Democrat for president in 1964 when President Lyndon B. Johnson defeated Republican Barry Goldwater, according to Ballotpedia. Trump won 51.3% of the vote in the state in 2016.
Georgia
Electoral votes: 16
When results are expected: Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger said Wednesday that officials could be counting votes into Thursday morning.
Raffensperger said in a statement at 10:15 p.m. Wednesday that about 90,735 ballots remain to be counted.
If Georgia is the first state to be called Thursday, it would put Biden at 280 electoral votes or Trump at 230, depending which way it goes.
As of Thursday morning, Trump was leading in the state by 0.4 percentage points with 98% of the expected vote in, according to the AP.
If Biden wins Georgia, it would be the first time a Democrat has carried the state since 1992. Trump won the state in 2016 with 50.8% of the vote compared to Democrat Hillary Clinton’s 45.6%.
Nevada
Electoral votes: 6
When results are expected: By noon Thursday, officials say, according to The New York Times.
If Nevada is called first Thursday, it would put Biden at 270 or Trump at 220 electoral votes, depending who the state goes for.
As of Thursday morning, Biden is leading the state by 1 point with about 75% of the votes counted, according to the AP.
Nevada last picked a Republican for president in 2004, when President George W. Bush defeated Democrat John Kerry. In 2016, Clinton carried the state with 47.9% of the vote compared to Trump’s 45.5%.
North Carolina
Electoral votes: 15
When results are expected: Probably not until Nov. 13. The results won’t be in until elections boards finish processing mail-in and provisional ballots next week, The News & Observer reports.
About 94% of the expected vote is in, according to the AP, and Trump is leading by 1 point.
North Carolina went for Trump by 3.6 percentage points in 2016.
The state picked Obama in 2008 but his Republican challenger Mitt Romney in 2012. The 2008 election was the first time North Carolina went for a Democrat since Jimmy Carter in 1976, according to The Charlotte Observer.
Pennsylvania
Electoral votes: 20
When results are expected: Most votes should be counted by Friday, according to The New York Times.
Results have favored Trump so far, but the remaining votes are expected to favor Biden. The president is leading by 3 points with 89% of the expected vote in as of Thursday morning, according to the AP.
FiveThirtyEight said Pennsylvania, which is where Biden spent part of his childhood, was most likely to tip the election, with a 36.5% chance.
Trump won the state in 2016 with 48.2% of the vote, according to Ballotpedia. It was the first election in which Pennsylvania was won by a Republican since 1988, when President George H.W. Bush beat Democrat Michael Dukakis.
This story was originally published November 5, 2020 at 4:46 AM with the headline "Will we know projected winner of the presidential race Thursday? Here’s the latest."
