[[JIM OC]]
Hello and welcome to a special USA Votes 2020 edition of Plugged In.
I'm Jim Malone.
Every four years, the American people get a chance to determine the leader of the United States.
And the voters have spoken in record numbers.
And it is the volume of voters that is causing the suspense about the outcome of the election.
[[FS]]
Eight states are still counting a record number of votes that were mailed in or dropped off ---
Preventing either President Donald Trump or former Vice President Joe Biden from achieving the necessary 270 electoral votes to win the presidency so far.
We start our coverage with VOA Senior White House Correspondent Patsy Widakuswara (WEE-dak-cue-swara)
[[ROLL PKG]]
((NARRATOR))
Street parties in Washington, DC…
((Upsound DC))
and in Miami, Florida on Tuesday night, as an anxious nation awaits the result of the presidential election between incumbent Donald Trump and Democratic nominee Joe Biden.
((Upsound Miami))
((Trump and Biden Tuesday am file))
((NARRATOR))
Neither Trump nor Biden has yet secured the minimum 270 out of 538 electoral votes for victory. U.S. elections are not determined by the popular vote.
((https://app.frame.io/player/544987e4-c93e-4542-95ed-34040c419f5cTC 0:15))
((Radio track: Jeremy Myer teaches American politics at George Mason University))
((Jeremy Myer, George Mason University))
((cg. Mandatory ‘Skype’ logo))
“It looks like it's about 50/50 for either of these candidates. And what is extraordinary is it's turning out to be a rerun of the 2016 election, it's going to come down to almost exactly the same three states, Wisconsin, Michigan, and Pennsylvania.”
((GFX, campaign files))
((NARRATOR))
Wisconsin, Michigan, and Pennsylvania are traditionally Democratic states that Trump won in 2016. Both candidates campaigned heavily there in the final days leading to the vote.
((Biden election night remarks))
((NARRATOR))
In the early hours Wednesday from his hometown in Wilmington, Delaware, Biden urged his supporters to be patient.
((Joe Biden, Democratic Nominee))
“Keep the faith guys, we're gonna win this! Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!”
((https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1323864823680126977 ))
((NARRATOR))
Minutes later Trump responded, saying Democrats are trying to steal the election in a tweet that Twitter labeled misleading. He later spoke from the White House.
((President Donald Trump))
“It’s a very sad moment, to me this is a very sad moment. And we will win this and, as far as I'm concerned, we already have won. ((applause))
((Biden and Trump Tuesday am file))
((NARRATOR))
Despite the president’s claim of victory, ballots will continue to be counted and it could be days before the winner can be determined.
((https://app.frame.io/player/7173ab90-20cc-4f67-a8de-921194f514f2TC 4:30))
((LaTrice Washington, Otterbein University))
((cg. Mandatory ‘Skype’ logo))
“Because of the pandemic as well we have seen so many more individuals voting absentee paper ballots. So the demand for that has increased, so that's going to slow it ((the counting)) down quite a bit as well.
((Various voters in polling station, police presence AFP V000_8UH6U3))
((NARRATOR))
Americans cast their ballot in relative calm despite heavier than usual police presence in some polling stations, as law enforcement brace for election violence following a bitter, divisive campaign.
With a close vote in several key states, and dozens of lawsuits over voting rules that could impact which ballots are counted, the months-long presidential campaign must wait longer for a conclusion.
((RUNS= 2:15 ))
((OUTCUE: for a conclusion.))
####
Jim Malone: Patsy Widakuswara is with us from the White Houe for more on what's next for President Donald Trump. Patsy Good to see you. What's the latest from the Trump White House and the campaign? What are they saying because we're seeing Joe Biden making progress in some of these vote counts today?
Patsy Widakuswara: Well, Jim, I woke up this morning, not knowing what's going to happen and at this point I really still don't know what's going to happen. But what we have seen is a number of things from the Trump campaign as well as the President himself. His latest tweet we have seen about half an hour ago, where he basically just said that he's claiming North Carolina, Michigan, Georgia and Pennsylvania based on the fact that he feels that he's leaving there by large numbers. And the Trump campaign as well we're starting to see some sort of a legal strategy coming up from them, and it consists of basically three elements: number one is trying to get the Supreme Court to intervene in the Pennsylvania Supreme Court's decision to allow ballot counting past the Election day as long as it's postmarked by Election Day. The second one is asking to halt vote counting in Michigan, as well as Pennsylvania, and the third one is a recount in Wisconsin. Now we don't know whether there's going to be any more legal lawsuits, or legal suits coming from the Trump campaign, and we don't know how far these legal lawsuits are going to go maybe as far as the Supreme Court. And we really have no idea how this is going to turn out from now. But what one thing's for sure is that definitely the counting process is going to be slowed down somewhat through this protest and lawsuits coming out from the Trump campaign.
Jim Malone: Well, as we saw during the vote counts here on Wednesday, Joe Biden is making some progress and we still don't have a clear winner. But I wonder what kind of sense of mood you're getting from the White House? Is there any sense of resignation or sense that maybe things are not going the way that they would like?
Patsy Widakuswara: Definitely not a sense of resignation. The Trump campaign today held at least two briefings over the phone with press and the sense that they're projecting is definitely confidence. Confidence and saying that you know there's there's a lot of questions about all these vote countings, all these processes, it's basically the same narrative that President Trump has been conveying or signaling from his supporters from the start, which is that there's a lot of questions about the credibility of the process, and that, you know, essentially telling supporters not to accept the results of the election unless he is declared the winner, because the process is rigged. That kind of narrative is --we're still seeing that from the Trump campaign. And as a result, some of the lawsuits that's coming out today that I just mentioned earlier.
Jim Malone: Are we getting much of the sense that Republican allies say in Congress are supporting some of the President's claims? is the President and his campaign advisors are they kind of out on their own on this? are you can you gauge any sort of sense of where the rest of the party is at this moment?
Patsy Widakuswara: Well, right now we're not hearing a lot from Republican senators as well as lawmakers right. i mean this is, this is the big question what are the republicans in the senate what's mitch mcconnell's going to do? what is the vice president will do in fact you know these are all still questions that are unanswered. Mostly which is we've just been hearing from the president as well as well as the Trump campaign, including the campaign manager Bill Stepien. But as far as how far Republican senators are willing to go along with whatever the President wants to do, that as of today is still up in the air.
Jim Malone: And so, no sense of any sort of concession speech in the works. I mean we don't have a clear winner. But Joe Biden is indicating that he thinks he's moving closer to a victory but you're sensing more defiance and more battle lines being drawn at the White House.
Patsy Widakuswara: Well yes absolutely and I think you're gonna go to our correspondent in Wilmington, Delaware and she could go more in depth about Joe Biden's speech about an hour or so ago. It's not a victory speech at least he's not saying that it's a victory speech he's just saying, ‘I'm not declaring victory, but if the votes were all counted, I'm pretty confident that we will win.’ That's essentially what Joe Biden is saying. Now the president has been saying that he's going to have some sort of press briefing some sort of a media announcement since, perhaps like three o'clock this afternoon about two hours ago but we still haven't heard from him, at least not until I stepped on this podium.
Jim Malone: Alright VOA’s Patsy Widakuswara thank you very much for your reporting and we'll be keeping in touch with you as we move along.
[[JIM OC]]
Throughout the pandemic, Joe Biden stuck to a strategy of setting an example by wearing a mask, holding live events with fewer people and maintaining social distance.
It was a strategy that has put him in position to win the presidency.
He told supporters to keep the faith and count every vote.
[[SOT/BIDEN]]
“It’s their will that determines who will be the president of the United States and their will alone. And now after a long night of counting, it’s clear that we’re winning enough states to reach 270 electoral votes needed to win the presidency. I’m not here to declare that we’ve won. But I am here to report when the count is finished, we believe we will be the winners. Of all the votes counted, we have won Wisconsin by 20,000 votes, virtually the same margin that President Trump won that state four years ago.
Jim Malone: VOA's Carolyn Presutti is with the former vice president in Wilmington, Delaware. She joins us now. Carolyn, it sounds like Vice President Biden is getting awfully close to thinking he's within striking distance of this goal.
Carolyn Presutti: Absolutely. What a different tone we heard from him in that latest speech that he gave, unlike the one election night. Election night he was positive he was upbeat, but in this more recent speech, he was more confident if you will and one pundit said that he was more very presidential. He even invoked the preamble to the Constitution when he said, “We the People will not be silenced We the People will not be bullied. We the People will not surrender.” And of course those are the first few words in our Constitution. He truly spoke to those that hadn't voted for him too, when he said, I will support all Americans whether you voted for me or not, we don't have red states, we don't have blue states we are the United States of America. So all those words, very patriotic very presidential sounding from former Vice President Joe Biden,
Jim Malone: We saw today that more states have been called in Vice President Biden's favor, Michigan, Wisconsin. He seems to be carving out a path to get to that 270 electoral vote margin that he needs. What are you picking up from the campaign generally there as to how confident they are? How long a process we might still be looking at before all of this is resolved?
Carolyn Presutti: The campaign at first was unsure as were all Americans right? We weren't sure who was going to end up as the next President of United States. Today they are acting more positive; it certainly seems that the electoral votes are going Joe Biden's way and let me show you too what's behind me in this parking lot. This was the setup for election night for Joe Biden to give what he had hoped was going to be his acceptance speech. Well, it's still structured behind us, it is still a stage, every single flag is still there this is still a secure area. So that tells you how how confident, the campaign is because they haven't removed any of this stage, they are still hoping that he can deliver his acceptance speech from here in Wilmington.
Jim Malone: Finally just briefly just a few seconds left but I was struck by his tone, the Vice President's tone, talking about healing and unity. He seems to be mindful that even if he does emerge victorious, it's a very narrow victory.
Carolyn Presutti: Absolutely. He knows that he has to appeal to those that who voted for him and those who didn't vote for him. And certainly we need that type of unity in this country so that we don't see any protests, no matter which man wins.
Jim Malone: VOA’s Carolyn Presutti in Wilmington, Delaware covering former Vice President Joe Biden thanks very much Carolyn.
[[JIM OC]]
Democrats not only hoped to win the White House back ... but also the United States Senate, which has a major role in approving judges and Supreme Court justices as we recently saw.
Jim Malone: VOA Congressional Correspondent Katherine Gypson joins us from Capitol Hill with a look at the congressional races.Katherine we know that every two years a new Congress is elected, all 435 members of the House, one third of the Senate. Democrats had really had high hopes to retake a majority in the Senate, but it doesn't look like that's going to happen right now.
Katherine Gypson: That's right. Jim and we always knew going into election day that control of the US Senate was going to come down to a handful of key races across the country. Democrats needed to net gain three seats in the US Senate, if Joe Biden is elected president and four seats net gain if Donald Trump is reelected as President. So you're not talking about big numbers here, but as we stand right now, we have a couple of incredibly close races across the country that are still too close to call. But even as those come in, we know that Democrats were not able to maintain some of the hold on some key states, they lost Montana, they did manage to flip Colorado which has really more and more become a blue state in the past few presidential election cycles, but they had a big loss up in Maine with Susan Collins, who was able to keep that independent reputation as she voted against President Trump's Supreme Court nominee, Amy Coney Barrett recently, and that was a big win for Republicans, they're going in feeling pretty good about some of the seats they've managed to maintain.
Jim Malone: Now in the House of Representatives the Democrats have the majority. They were hoping to actually expand that majority but what has happened so far?
Katherine Gypson: Yeah that's right House Speaker Nancy Pelosi came out, the day before election day and was incredibly effusive about Democrats chances. There was talk that they could have a net gain of anywhere from five to 10 seats, they would have this blue wave that would really cement their majority in the US House of Representatives, and that really wasn't playing out in their favor on Election Day. There were some key bellwether races that House Democratic leadership told reporters to keep an eye on in Virginia in Florida, and they actually ended up losing those races. So they're feeling as though they didn't make those gains, they didn't get out the message that they needed to get out in this election, when they were really going hard against President Donald Trump. I think that's going to cause a lot of soul searching among Democrats as they look to see where they didn't calibrate that message correctly for American voters,
Jim Malone: Alright VOA’s Katherine Gypson, a lot of soul searching to come on Capitol Hill and for the rest of the country as well, I think, thank you very much.
[[JIM OC]]
The second biggest headline out of the 2020 US election is voter turnout.
Not only will the US set a record with a projected 160-million votes cast ... but 67 percent of eligible voters cast a ballot --- the highest percentage since 1900.
From Los Angeles, VOA's Mike O'Sullivan explains the forces driving voters to the polls.
[[ROLL PKG]]
((SHOW AFP SHOTS OF TRUMP AT RALLY, BIDEN SPEAKING THROUGH BULLHORN ))
Four more years of Donald Trump? Or a Joe Biden administration?
((SHOW VOA SHOT OF LINE AT NEW YORK POLLING PLACE, VOTERS, BUSINESSES BOARDED UP, PEOPLE VOTING))
More than 100 million Americans had already made their choice before Election Day, in early voting and voting by mail. Amid a pandemic, and ready for possible protests, tens of millions cast their ballots on Election Day.
((Arthur Cohen, Washington DC Voter))
“I’m very optimistic that things will go smoothly given that we have strong, solid, well-organized democratic institutions in America.”
((SHOW B ROLL OF MOSQUE POLLING PLACE))
In community centers, churches, and at this Los Angeles mosque, people voted.
((California Voter))
“It’s important that we exercise our right to vote because that’s our way of putting in our voice to change what going on, if we don’t like what’s going on, or just to have some type of impact.”
((SHOW B ROLL OF VOTER))
A Biden supporter, she says she voted for change. So did this man, motivated by Black Lives Matter protests.
((Phillip Martin Jr.))
“Here in the last year, there’s been [an] awakening in our country to really pay attention to the nuances of social injustice and prejudice.”
((SHOW B ROLL OF VOTERS))
This is a critical election, says another voter who thinks the country is already on course.
((Kevin, California Voter))
“I’m here to vote to make America great again. I’m here to choose who’s going to be leading our country and what can I do for my country.”
((SHOW VOA SHOT OF VOTERS))
Others agree the United States is doing well under Trump.
((Tracy Hinson, Trump Supporter))
“I love that the President wants America to be first. And I just believe that the Republicans on the right side.”
((SHOW VOA B ROLL OF VOTERS))
This immigrant, however, says the nation has become xenophobic under Trump.
((Nasser Bayram, Biden Supporter))
“We are all immigrants, and that’s what made this country great, all of us. And if this (Trump) policy continues, this country will end up being inside a wall, and that we cannot afford.”
There are worries that the candidates and voters may not accept results of a close election.
((Megan Thomas, Washington DC Voter))
“I think that ultimately the country needs to own the outcome and come together and unite, and accept the results either way.”
((SHOW FAIRFAX COUNTY ELECTION OFFICIAL))
Final results could be days or weeks away. Election rules vary around the country, notes a Virginia election official.
((Gary Scott, Fairfax County Director of Elections))
“We will have some partial results today. We won’t have final results because people still have until Friday to get their ballots back to us by mail.”
In Pennsylvania, Biden voter Beth Jobson says the important thing is for every vote to count.
((Beth Jobson, Biden voter in Bucks County, PA))
“I just pray that they let every vote be counted. We don't have to go to craziness. Let it be counted. And then let's have a conversation. Because I have family members that feel differently, and I still love them.”
((SHOW VOTERS, POLL WORKERS, VOTING PLACE))
Will the tally go smoothly and will both parties accept the results? Americans, and the world, are waiting and watching.
((Mike O’Sullivan, VOA News, Los Angeles.))
####
[[JIM OC]]
With a record number of votes cast this year, there are numerous trends that shaped the outcome of the election.
Larry Sabato is a professor of politics and founder of the Center for Politics at the University of Virginia.
His newsletter, Sabato's Crystal Ball, is a must-read for followers of American politics.
Larry Sabato joins us by Skype from Charlottesville, Virginia. Larry Great to see you. Thanks for coming on the show, and give me your take of where we stand in terms of the vote count and where we are in this process of choosing our president?
Larry Sabato: After 2016, we all said that we would be cautious and patient. And by and large, we have been. And so I'm not going to tell you that x will win or y will win, I would just say right now, you would rather be Joe Biden, than Donald Trump. If you look at what has not been called but who's ahead: Biden has a pretty good chance in Arizona, a pretty good chance in Nevada, and at least 50-50 in Pennsylvania. Probably 45% or so chance in Georgia. So you start putting all these together and you realize it isn't that difficult for him to get to 270. He's reasonably close already. He's above 250. Although if President Trump swept most of the remaining states and districts that are still open he could also get there, but you'd have to put a little bit more money on Biden at the moment.
Jim Malone: Yeah, I was, I was going to ask you if there is still a path for President Trump and you sort of outlined how that could happen. At the White House, they're also talking about the legal action and perhaps a recount in some states. Do you see that extending things out a while, what, what could be the outcome of all of that?
Larry Sabato: Oh, we all knew, regardless of what the vote showed that we'd have a legal dimension to this election, that's unavoidable. But you know you have to have compelling reasons for a court to intervene. And people say well they didn't have it for Bush v. Gore. No, actually they did. There was a deadlock in Florida, the legislature was getting ready to send its own slate of electors through. And so one way or another, the next president was probably going to be appointed by the Florida Legislature or by the Supreme Court. This is a very different situation. I don't think based on what we know now, that there is enough justification for courts to intervene in a way that would change the outcome.
Jim Malone: No matter who's, ultimately, the winner, they're going to have a very difficult job trying to bring the country together, trying to sue the hurt feelings of the other side, we saw this 20 years ago with the 2000 election, even four years ago Democrats were very upset. A lot of challenges ahead, wouldn't you say?
Larry Sabato: Oh my god, yes, the democrats were hoping that they would get even a 50-50 split in the Senate, with the new vice president if it's senator Harris, breaking the tie so that they would have the house the senate and the presidency, could get a lot done for two years until probably one of the houses or maybe both went to the Republicans. Well that's gone. The Senate is clearly going to stay Republican one way or the other. The house is still going to be Democratic but incredibly, while a Democrat may have been elected president, you have the Democratic Party losing house seats. It really you have to analyze this district by district to make any sense of it.
Jim Malone: Alright, Larry Sabato University of Virginia always great to have you and thanks so much.
Larry Sabato: Thanks a lot.
[[JIM OC]]
Since the turn of the century, Democrats have lost two very close presidential elections in which their candidate won the popular vote, but lost the Electoral College.
To help put this election in perspective, we are turning to Haley Barbour.
He was chairman of the Republican National Committee from 1993-1997, during Democrat Bill Clinton's presidency.
And he was Governor for the southern state of Mississippi from 2004-2012.
Haley Barbour joins us by Skype from Washington. Governor Barbour, great to have you on the program thanks so much for joining us. Let me get your take on how close we are here to resolving this very very hotly contested 2020 election.
Haley Barbour: Well thank you Jim. It's probably gonna take a little time. First of all we did have a record turnout 160 million people. And about 100 million of those people didn't go to the polls today or yesterday. They mailed in their ballots or they voted absentee in some fashion. So that makes it much more complicated to deal with counting the votes. And President Trump has said he intends or is considering challenging some of those votes. We do have a lot of states that are very very close. It's interesting, for your listeners viewers, both of these two men will have received more votes for president united states than any body else ever to run for president of the United States. That's how large the turnout was. So a big, big turnout, but I think it's been mentioned by Larry Sabato, the Democrats were saying that they were going to have this great blue wave and it was going to be up super election. Well, the presidential race is extremely close. As Larry said, Republicans kept the majority in the Senate. Democrats in the House lost half of their majority or about half. We had 11 Governor's races in the United States, Republicans won eight of them. So, all the way up and down the ticket instead of it being a big blue wave, I think it was a big blip disappointment for them. But it does look like the person with the best chance to win right now is Joe Biden. And I would just simply like to say, I hope if Biden is elected, that we go back to the tradition I grew up in when the losing party called itself the loyal opposition and behaved that way. The anti Trump people. Democrats and others, actually some said he should have been impeached before he ever was inaugurated. And they followed everything that he did. And if the next President is Joe Biden, I hope my party will give him a chance to play by the rules, opposing when we believe he's wrong. And also be willing to try to work with him when we think he's wrong to get him to where it's something that we can support.
Jim Malone: Let me, let me ask you another question Governor if I could. And that is what kind of a test of our democracy or are we about to experience, very close election there is going to be hurt feelings on one side is the country up to this test?
Haley Barbour: Well the country survived for years of the out party calling themselves the resistance. Acting like they were the French freedom fighters fighting the Nazis when they opposed the Trump administration. I hope we don't go through that again. I hope we will go back to the traditions of American government, but there are going to be some hurt feelings. But we get, we've got things to do in our country and the people in Washington have to do their part.
Jim Malone: If President Trump is not able to pull out a victory here, what do you see as his future again briefly here, and the future of the Republican Party as we wrap up?
Haley Barbour: I think President Trump had a lot of successes as President, particularly in policy and in the results of policies economic regulatory judiciary. But I also understand, we've got to keep going forward, and Republicans have got to offer their positive ideas and when, and we need to make politics about policy, and not about personalities and that sort of stuff. I hope, I know Joe Biden, I hope he will be somebody who is a leader for that. And that's the best way for us to try to get our country going if that's the way it turns out, for Trump to keep following the policies that were very popular with the American people.
Jim Malone: And, again, very, very quickly, you do think the people are up to kind of coming together here after this very bitterly divided election?
Haley Barbour: Well, I think that that's where we need to get the people to be and I think the people are willing to do what's in their best interest.
[[JIM OC]]
That's all the time we have for now.
My thanks to Governor Haley Barbour
and Larry Sabato for their thoughts.
Follow our reporting on
the 2020 election at VOANews.com.
I'm Jim Malone.
Thanks for watching.
and thanks for being Plugged In.
[[STUDIO WIDE SHOT]]
##
Hello and welcome to a special USA Votes 2020 edition of Plugged In.
I'm Jim Malone.
Every four years, the American people get a chance to determine the leader of the United States.
And the voters have spoken in record numbers.
And it is the volume of voters that is causing the suspense about the outcome of the election.
[[FS]]
Eight states are still counting a record number of votes that were mailed in or dropped off ---
Preventing either President Donald Trump or former Vice President Joe Biden from achieving the necessary 270 electoral votes to win the presidency so far.
We start our coverage with VOA Senior White House Correspondent Patsy Widakuswara (WEE-dak-cue-swara)
[[ROLL PKG]]
((NARRATOR))
Street parties in Washington, DC…
((Upsound DC))
and in Miami, Florida on Tuesday night, as an anxious nation awaits the result of the presidential election between incumbent Donald Trump and Democratic nominee Joe Biden.
((Upsound Miami))
((Trump and Biden Tuesday am file))
((NARRATOR))
Neither Trump nor Biden has yet secured the minimum 270 out of 538 electoral votes for victory. U.S. elections are not determined by the popular vote.
((https://app.frame.io/player/544987e4-c93e-4542-95ed-34040c419f5cTC 0:15))
((Radio track: Jeremy Myer teaches American politics at George Mason University))
((Jeremy Myer, George Mason University))
((cg. Mandatory ‘Skype’ logo))
“It looks like it's about 50/50 for either of these candidates. And what is extraordinary is it's turning out to be a rerun of the 2016 election, it's going to come down to almost exactly the same three states, Wisconsin, Michigan, and Pennsylvania.”
((GFX, campaign files))
((NARRATOR))
Wisconsin, Michigan, and Pennsylvania are traditionally Democratic states that Trump won in 2016. Both candidates campaigned heavily there in the final days leading to the vote.
((Biden election night remarks))
((NARRATOR))
In the early hours Wednesday from his hometown in Wilmington, Delaware, Biden urged his supporters to be patient.
((Joe Biden, Democratic Nominee))
“Keep the faith guys, we're gonna win this! Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!”
((https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1323864823680126977 ))
((NARRATOR))
Minutes later Trump responded, saying Democrats are trying to steal the election in a tweet that Twitter labeled misleading. He later spoke from the White House.
((President Donald Trump))
“It’s a very sad moment, to me this is a very sad moment. And we will win this and, as far as I'm concerned, we already have won. ((applause))
((Biden and Trump Tuesday am file))
((NARRATOR))
Despite the president’s claim of victory, ballots will continue to be counted and it could be days before the winner can be determined.
((https://app.frame.io/player/7173ab90-20cc-4f67-a8de-921194f514f2TC 4:30))
((LaTrice Washington, Otterbein University))
((cg. Mandatory ‘Skype’ logo))
“Because of the pandemic as well we have seen so many more individuals voting absentee paper ballots. So the demand for that has increased, so that's going to slow it ((the counting)) down quite a bit as well.
((Various voters in polling station, police presence AFP V000_8UH6U3))
((NARRATOR))
Americans cast their ballot in relative calm despite heavier than usual police presence in some polling stations, as law enforcement brace for election violence following a bitter, divisive campaign.
With a close vote in several key states, and dozens of lawsuits over voting rules that could impact which ballots are counted, the months-long presidential campaign must wait longer for a conclusion.
((RUNS= 2:15 ))
((OUTCUE: for a conclusion.))
####
Jim Malone: Patsy Widakuswara is with us from the White Houe for more on what's next for President Donald Trump. Patsy Good to see you. What's the latest from the Trump White House and the campaign? What are they saying because we're seeing Joe Biden making progress in some of these vote counts today?
Patsy Widakuswara: Well, Jim, I woke up this morning, not knowing what's going to happen and at this point I really still don't know what's going to happen. But what we have seen is a number of things from the Trump campaign as well as the President himself. His latest tweet we have seen about half an hour ago, where he basically just said that he's claiming North Carolina, Michigan, Georgia and Pennsylvania based on the fact that he feels that he's leaving there by large numbers. And the Trump campaign as well we're starting to see some sort of a legal strategy coming up from them, and it consists of basically three elements: number one is trying to get the Supreme Court to intervene in the Pennsylvania Supreme Court's decision to allow ballot counting past the Election day as long as it's postmarked by Election Day. The second one is asking to halt vote counting in Michigan, as well as Pennsylvania, and the third one is a recount in Wisconsin. Now we don't know whether there's going to be any more legal lawsuits, or legal suits coming from the Trump campaign, and we don't know how far these legal lawsuits are going to go maybe as far as the Supreme Court. And we really have no idea how this is going to turn out from now. But what one thing's for sure is that definitely the counting process is going to be slowed down somewhat through this protest and lawsuits coming out from the Trump campaign.
Jim Malone: Well, as we saw during the vote counts here on Wednesday, Joe Biden is making some progress and we still don't have a clear winner. But I wonder what kind of sense of mood you're getting from the White House? Is there any sense of resignation or sense that maybe things are not going the way that they would like?
Patsy Widakuswara: Definitely not a sense of resignation. The Trump campaign today held at least two briefings over the phone with press and the sense that they're projecting is definitely confidence. Confidence and saying that you know there's there's a lot of questions about all these vote countings, all these processes, it's basically the same narrative that President Trump has been conveying or signaling from his supporters from the start, which is that there's a lot of questions about the credibility of the process, and that, you know, essentially telling supporters not to accept the results of the election unless he is declared the winner, because the process is rigged. That kind of narrative is --we're still seeing that from the Trump campaign. And as a result, some of the lawsuits that's coming out today that I just mentioned earlier.
Jim Malone: Are we getting much of the sense that Republican allies say in Congress are supporting some of the President's claims? is the President and his campaign advisors are they kind of out on their own on this? are you can you gauge any sort of sense of where the rest of the party is at this moment?
Patsy Widakuswara: Well, right now we're not hearing a lot from Republican senators as well as lawmakers right. i mean this is, this is the big question what are the republicans in the senate what's mitch mcconnell's going to do? what is the vice president will do in fact you know these are all still questions that are unanswered. Mostly which is we've just been hearing from the president as well as well as the Trump campaign, including the campaign manager Bill Stepien. But as far as how far Republican senators are willing to go along with whatever the President wants to do, that as of today is still up in the air.
Jim Malone: And so, no sense of any sort of concession speech in the works. I mean we don't have a clear winner. But Joe Biden is indicating that he thinks he's moving closer to a victory but you're sensing more defiance and more battle lines being drawn at the White House.
Patsy Widakuswara: Well yes absolutely and I think you're gonna go to our correspondent in Wilmington, Delaware and she could go more in depth about Joe Biden's speech about an hour or so ago. It's not a victory speech at least he's not saying that it's a victory speech he's just saying, ‘I'm not declaring victory, but if the votes were all counted, I'm pretty confident that we will win.’ That's essentially what Joe Biden is saying. Now the president has been saying that he's going to have some sort of press briefing some sort of a media announcement since, perhaps like three o'clock this afternoon about two hours ago but we still haven't heard from him, at least not until I stepped on this podium.
Jim Malone: Alright VOA’s Patsy Widakuswara thank you very much for your reporting and we'll be keeping in touch with you as we move along.
[[JIM OC]]
Throughout the pandemic, Joe Biden stuck to a strategy of setting an example by wearing a mask, holding live events with fewer people and maintaining social distance.
It was a strategy that has put him in position to win the presidency.
He told supporters to keep the faith and count every vote.
[[SOT/BIDEN]]
“It’s their will that determines who will be the president of the United States and their will alone. And now after a long night of counting, it’s clear that we’re winning enough states to reach 270 electoral votes needed to win the presidency. I’m not here to declare that we’ve won. But I am here to report when the count is finished, we believe we will be the winners. Of all the votes counted, we have won Wisconsin by 20,000 votes, virtually the same margin that President Trump won that state four years ago.
Jim Malone: VOA's Carolyn Presutti is with the former vice president in Wilmington, Delaware. She joins us now. Carolyn, it sounds like Vice President Biden is getting awfully close to thinking he's within striking distance of this goal.
Carolyn Presutti: Absolutely. What a different tone we heard from him in that latest speech that he gave, unlike the one election night. Election night he was positive he was upbeat, but in this more recent speech, he was more confident if you will and one pundit said that he was more very presidential. He even invoked the preamble to the Constitution when he said, “We the People will not be silenced We the People will not be bullied. We the People will not surrender.” And of course those are the first few words in our Constitution. He truly spoke to those that hadn't voted for him too, when he said, I will support all Americans whether you voted for me or not, we don't have red states, we don't have blue states we are the United States of America. So all those words, very patriotic very presidential sounding from former Vice President Joe Biden,
Jim Malone: We saw today that more states have been called in Vice President Biden's favor, Michigan, Wisconsin. He seems to be carving out a path to get to that 270 electoral vote margin that he needs. What are you picking up from the campaign generally there as to how confident they are? How long a process we might still be looking at before all of this is resolved?
Carolyn Presutti: The campaign at first was unsure as were all Americans right? We weren't sure who was going to end up as the next President of United States. Today they are acting more positive; it certainly seems that the electoral votes are going Joe Biden's way and let me show you too what's behind me in this parking lot. This was the setup for election night for Joe Biden to give what he had hoped was going to be his acceptance speech. Well, it's still structured behind us, it is still a stage, every single flag is still there this is still a secure area. So that tells you how how confident, the campaign is because they haven't removed any of this stage, they are still hoping that he can deliver his acceptance speech from here in Wilmington.
Jim Malone: Finally just briefly just a few seconds left but I was struck by his tone, the Vice President's tone, talking about healing and unity. He seems to be mindful that even if he does emerge victorious, it's a very narrow victory.
Carolyn Presutti: Absolutely. He knows that he has to appeal to those that who voted for him and those who didn't vote for him. And certainly we need that type of unity in this country so that we don't see any protests, no matter which man wins.
Jim Malone: VOA’s Carolyn Presutti in Wilmington, Delaware covering former Vice President Joe Biden thanks very much Carolyn.
[[JIM OC]]
Democrats not only hoped to win the White House back ... but also the United States Senate, which has a major role in approving judges and Supreme Court justices as we recently saw.
Jim Malone: VOA Congressional Correspondent Katherine Gypson joins us from Capitol Hill with a look at the congressional races.Katherine we know that every two years a new Congress is elected, all 435 members of the House, one third of the Senate. Democrats had really had high hopes to retake a majority in the Senate, but it doesn't look like that's going to happen right now.
Katherine Gypson: That's right. Jim and we always knew going into election day that control of the US Senate was going to come down to a handful of key races across the country. Democrats needed to net gain three seats in the US Senate, if Joe Biden is elected president and four seats net gain if Donald Trump is reelected as President. So you're not talking about big numbers here, but as we stand right now, we have a couple of incredibly close races across the country that are still too close to call. But even as those come in, we know that Democrats were not able to maintain some of the hold on some key states, they lost Montana, they did manage to flip Colorado which has really more and more become a blue state in the past few presidential election cycles, but they had a big loss up in Maine with Susan Collins, who was able to keep that independent reputation as she voted against President Trump's Supreme Court nominee, Amy Coney Barrett recently, and that was a big win for Republicans, they're going in feeling pretty good about some of the seats they've managed to maintain.
Jim Malone: Now in the House of Representatives the Democrats have the majority. They were hoping to actually expand that majority but what has happened so far?
Katherine Gypson: Yeah that's right House Speaker Nancy Pelosi came out, the day before election day and was incredibly effusive about Democrats chances. There was talk that they could have a net gain of anywhere from five to 10 seats, they would have this blue wave that would really cement their majority in the US House of Representatives, and that really wasn't playing out in their favor on Election Day. There were some key bellwether races that House Democratic leadership told reporters to keep an eye on in Virginia in Florida, and they actually ended up losing those races. So they're feeling as though they didn't make those gains, they didn't get out the message that they needed to get out in this election, when they were really going hard against President Donald Trump. I think that's going to cause a lot of soul searching among Democrats as they look to see where they didn't calibrate that message correctly for American voters,
Jim Malone: Alright VOA’s Katherine Gypson, a lot of soul searching to come on Capitol Hill and for the rest of the country as well, I think, thank you very much.
[[JIM OC]]
The second biggest headline out of the 2020 US election is voter turnout.
Not only will the US set a record with a projected 160-million votes cast ... but 67 percent of eligible voters cast a ballot --- the highest percentage since 1900.
From Los Angeles, VOA's Mike O'Sullivan explains the forces driving voters to the polls.
[[ROLL PKG]]
((SHOW AFP SHOTS OF TRUMP AT RALLY, BIDEN SPEAKING THROUGH BULLHORN ))
Four more years of Donald Trump? Or a Joe Biden administration?
((SHOW VOA SHOT OF LINE AT NEW YORK POLLING PLACE, VOTERS, BUSINESSES BOARDED UP, PEOPLE VOTING))
More than 100 million Americans had already made their choice before Election Day, in early voting and voting by mail. Amid a pandemic, and ready for possible protests, tens of millions cast their ballots on Election Day.
((Arthur Cohen, Washington DC Voter))
“I’m very optimistic that things will go smoothly given that we have strong, solid, well-organized democratic institutions in America.”
((SHOW B ROLL OF MOSQUE POLLING PLACE))
In community centers, churches, and at this Los Angeles mosque, people voted.
((California Voter))
“It’s important that we exercise our right to vote because that’s our way of putting in our voice to change what going on, if we don’t like what’s going on, or just to have some type of impact.”
((SHOW B ROLL OF VOTER))
A Biden supporter, she says she voted for change. So did this man, motivated by Black Lives Matter protests.
((Phillip Martin Jr.))
“Here in the last year, there’s been [an] awakening in our country to really pay attention to the nuances of social injustice and prejudice.”
((SHOW B ROLL OF VOTERS))
This is a critical election, says another voter who thinks the country is already on course.
((Kevin, California Voter))
“I’m here to vote to make America great again. I’m here to choose who’s going to be leading our country and what can I do for my country.”
((SHOW VOA SHOT OF VOTERS))
Others agree the United States is doing well under Trump.
((Tracy Hinson, Trump Supporter))
“I love that the President wants America to be first. And I just believe that the Republicans on the right side.”
((SHOW VOA B ROLL OF VOTERS))
This immigrant, however, says the nation has become xenophobic under Trump.
((Nasser Bayram, Biden Supporter))
“We are all immigrants, and that’s what made this country great, all of us. And if this (Trump) policy continues, this country will end up being inside a wall, and that we cannot afford.”
There are worries that the candidates and voters may not accept results of a close election.
((Megan Thomas, Washington DC Voter))
“I think that ultimately the country needs to own the outcome and come together and unite, and accept the results either way.”
((SHOW FAIRFAX COUNTY ELECTION OFFICIAL))
Final results could be days or weeks away. Election rules vary around the country, notes a Virginia election official.
((Gary Scott, Fairfax County Director of Elections))
“We will have some partial results today. We won’t have final results because people still have until Friday to get their ballots back to us by mail.”
In Pennsylvania, Biden voter Beth Jobson says the important thing is for every vote to count.
((Beth Jobson, Biden voter in Bucks County, PA))
“I just pray that they let every vote be counted. We don't have to go to craziness. Let it be counted. And then let's have a conversation. Because I have family members that feel differently, and I still love them.”
((SHOW VOTERS, POLL WORKERS, VOTING PLACE))
Will the tally go smoothly and will both parties accept the results? Americans, and the world, are waiting and watching.
((Mike O’Sullivan, VOA News, Los Angeles.))
####
[[JIM OC]]
With a record number of votes cast this year, there are numerous trends that shaped the outcome of the election.
Larry Sabato is a professor of politics and founder of the Center for Politics at the University of Virginia.
His newsletter, Sabato's Crystal Ball, is a must-read for followers of American politics.
Larry Sabato joins us by Skype from Charlottesville, Virginia. Larry Great to see you. Thanks for coming on the show, and give me your take of where we stand in terms of the vote count and where we are in this process of choosing our president?
Larry Sabato: After 2016, we all said that we would be cautious and patient. And by and large, we have been. And so I'm not going to tell you that x will win or y will win, I would just say right now, you would rather be Joe Biden, than Donald Trump. If you look at what has not been called but who's ahead: Biden has a pretty good chance in Arizona, a pretty good chance in Nevada, and at least 50-50 in Pennsylvania. Probably 45% or so chance in Georgia. So you start putting all these together and you realize it isn't that difficult for him to get to 270. He's reasonably close already. He's above 250. Although if President Trump swept most of the remaining states and districts that are still open he could also get there, but you'd have to put a little bit more money on Biden at the moment.
Jim Malone: Yeah, I was, I was going to ask you if there is still a path for President Trump and you sort of outlined how that could happen. At the White House, they're also talking about the legal action and perhaps a recount in some states. Do you see that extending things out a while, what, what could be the outcome of all of that?
Larry Sabato: Oh, we all knew, regardless of what the vote showed that we'd have a legal dimension to this election, that's unavoidable. But you know you have to have compelling reasons for a court to intervene. And people say well they didn't have it for Bush v. Gore. No, actually they did. There was a deadlock in Florida, the legislature was getting ready to send its own slate of electors through. And so one way or another, the next president was probably going to be appointed by the Florida Legislature or by the Supreme Court. This is a very different situation. I don't think based on what we know now, that there is enough justification for courts to intervene in a way that would change the outcome.
Jim Malone: No matter who's, ultimately, the winner, they're going to have a very difficult job trying to bring the country together, trying to sue the hurt feelings of the other side, we saw this 20 years ago with the 2000 election, even four years ago Democrats were very upset. A lot of challenges ahead, wouldn't you say?
Larry Sabato: Oh my god, yes, the democrats were hoping that they would get even a 50-50 split in the Senate, with the new vice president if it's senator Harris, breaking the tie so that they would have the house the senate and the presidency, could get a lot done for two years until probably one of the houses or maybe both went to the Republicans. Well that's gone. The Senate is clearly going to stay Republican one way or the other. The house is still going to be Democratic but incredibly, while a Democrat may have been elected president, you have the Democratic Party losing house seats. It really you have to analyze this district by district to make any sense of it.
Jim Malone: Alright, Larry Sabato University of Virginia always great to have you and thanks so much.
Larry Sabato: Thanks a lot.
[[JIM OC]]
Since the turn of the century, Democrats have lost two very close presidential elections in which their candidate won the popular vote, but lost the Electoral College.
To help put this election in perspective, we are turning to Haley Barbour.
He was chairman of the Republican National Committee from 1993-1997, during Democrat Bill Clinton's presidency.
And he was Governor for the southern state of Mississippi from 2004-2012.
Haley Barbour joins us by Skype from Washington. Governor Barbour, great to have you on the program thanks so much for joining us. Let me get your take on how close we are here to resolving this very very hotly contested 2020 election.
Haley Barbour: Well thank you Jim. It's probably gonna take a little time. First of all we did have a record turnout 160 million people. And about 100 million of those people didn't go to the polls today or yesterday. They mailed in their ballots or they voted absentee in some fashion. So that makes it much more complicated to deal with counting the votes. And President Trump has said he intends or is considering challenging some of those votes. We do have a lot of states that are very very close. It's interesting, for your listeners viewers, both of these two men will have received more votes for president united states than any body else ever to run for president of the United States. That's how large the turnout was. So a big, big turnout, but I think it's been mentioned by Larry Sabato, the Democrats were saying that they were going to have this great blue wave and it was going to be up super election. Well, the presidential race is extremely close. As Larry said, Republicans kept the majority in the Senate. Democrats in the House lost half of their majority or about half. We had 11 Governor's races in the United States, Republicans won eight of them. So, all the way up and down the ticket instead of it being a big blue wave, I think it was a big blip disappointment for them. But it does look like the person with the best chance to win right now is Joe Biden. And I would just simply like to say, I hope if Biden is elected, that we go back to the tradition I grew up in when the losing party called itself the loyal opposition and behaved that way. The anti Trump people. Democrats and others, actually some said he should have been impeached before he ever was inaugurated. And they followed everything that he did. And if the next President is Joe Biden, I hope my party will give him a chance to play by the rules, opposing when we believe he's wrong. And also be willing to try to work with him when we think he's wrong to get him to where it's something that we can support.
Jim Malone: Let me, let me ask you another question Governor if I could. And that is what kind of a test of our democracy or are we about to experience, very close election there is going to be hurt feelings on one side is the country up to this test?
Haley Barbour: Well the country survived for years of the out party calling themselves the resistance. Acting like they were the French freedom fighters fighting the Nazis when they opposed the Trump administration. I hope we don't go through that again. I hope we will go back to the traditions of American government, but there are going to be some hurt feelings. But we get, we've got things to do in our country and the people in Washington have to do their part.
Jim Malone: If President Trump is not able to pull out a victory here, what do you see as his future again briefly here, and the future of the Republican Party as we wrap up?
Haley Barbour: I think President Trump had a lot of successes as President, particularly in policy and in the results of policies economic regulatory judiciary. But I also understand, we've got to keep going forward, and Republicans have got to offer their positive ideas and when, and we need to make politics about policy, and not about personalities and that sort of stuff. I hope, I know Joe Biden, I hope he will be somebody who is a leader for that. And that's the best way for us to try to get our country going if that's the way it turns out, for Trump to keep following the policies that were very popular with the American people.
Jim Malone: And, again, very, very quickly, you do think the people are up to kind of coming together here after this very bitterly divided election?
Haley Barbour: Well, I think that that's where we need to get the people to be and I think the people are willing to do what's in their best interest.
[[JIM OC]]
That's all the time we have for now.
My thanks to Governor Haley Barbour
and Larry Sabato for their thoughts.
Follow our reporting on
the 2020 election at VOANews.com.
I'm Jim Malone.
Thanks for watching.
and thanks for being Plugged In.
[[STUDIO WIDE SHOT]]
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