Biden projected to win Michigan, putting him a step closer to an Electoral College victory. It's Wednesday's news.
Let's get right to answering the question everyone is asking: No, we don't know who the next president of the United States will be. Are things close? You better believe it.
It's Ashley, and I'm running on leftover candy corn and Starbucks. Everything is fine. Let's dive right into election news.
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Here's where the race stands
The presidential election remained too close to call Wednesday as both Democratic nominee Joe Biden and President Donald Trump were left with viable paths to victory after key races were called and battleground states counted outstanding votes.
Biden wins Michigan
Biden edged ahead Wednesday afternoon after clinching the Rust Belt states of Michigan and Wisconsin, according to The Associated Press. Those are the states once considered to be part of the "blue wall" that crumbled for Democrats in 2016.
Biden holds 264 electoral votes and Trump has 214. The winner needs 270, which leaves the former vice president six votes short.
But the race sure isn't over: Biden needs to maintain his slim lead over Trump in Nevada to reach the 270-majority Electoral College threshold. We'll need to be patient: State officials said they did not expect a result before 9 a.m. PST Thursday.
And say the race is called for Biden? It's still not over. Trump's campaign filed a lawsuit in Michigan to "halt counting" ballots in the state until Republicans could gain access to the tallying process. The lawsuit, which the campaign did not immediately make available for review, is one of the first filed in the wake of tight contests in several battleground states.
After Joe Biden won Wisconsin and Michigan on Wednesday, he has 264 electoral votes.
USA TODAY
You asked, we answered
As the races close in, many of you have diligently texted our election group with questions you'd like answered. Nobody knows the race better than our brilliant national political correspondent, Joey Garrison. I tapped him to answer a few questions texted to us, for the group:
USA TODAY's national political correspondent Joey Garrison answers reader questions on the election.
USA TODAY
Is it worth doing "path to victory" right now or are there still too many variables? – Steve
Joey Garrison:With Biden winning Wisconsin and Michigan on Wednesday, he unofficially has 264 delegates. That means he needs just one more state to secure the nomination with 270. Nevada, which has six electoral votes, would do the trick. So would Georgia or Pennsylvania. Trump's path is down to winning Pennsylvania, Georgia and Nevada.
What happens if Trump refuses to accept the results? What happens if he refuses to leave the White House? – Derek
JG:Trump doesn't get to choose if he's president. If electors on Dec. 14, following the will of the people, vote for Joe Biden, and Congress accepts those results on Jan. 6, then Biden is the next president. If Trump still refused to leave the White House on Jan. 20, he would be escorted out by Secret Service or military, I would think.
Why didn't they start counting early ballots as they came in? Why did they wait? – Janice
JG:Despite requests from election officials, Republican-controlled state legislatures in Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin refused to change their state laws to allow extended preprocessing of ballots before Election Day.
Can we agree that polls are no longer meaningful?
JG: The polls in this race were pretty bad, particularly the state-level polls throughout battleground states. Clearly, pollsters need to revisit their methodologies.
Have all non mail-in votes been counted?
JG: In most states, it is mainly down to mail-in ballots.
In other election news
House Democrats didn't see a "blue wave" to expand their majority: Though Democrats will probably hold their control of the House of Representatives, Republicans had big wins in Tuesday's election that could narrow Democrats' majority. Republicans flipped back several seats that Democrats won in the 2018 midterms.
Biden has made history with total votes received: While votes are still being counted, Biden has broken the record for most votes received by a presidential candidate, amassing more than 70 million. The record was held by Barack Obama.
Mississippi will soon have a new state flag after voters signed off Tuesday on a proposed blue, red and gold design featuring a magnolia flower. The state's old design, which had been in use since 1894, featured the Confederate battle symbol.
New Mexico has become the first state in history to elect all women of color to the U.S. House of Representatives. On Wednesday, the state confirmed victories for incumbent Rep. Deb Haaland, Yvette Herrell and Teresa Leger Fernandez in New Mexico's three congressional districts.
Real quick: Here's more news you need to know Wednesday
Baron Wolman, Rolling Stone's first chief photographer, died from complications related to ALS. He was 83.
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Who takes over when a college football coach tests positive for COVID-19? Contingency plans are tricky but may become more common as the season enters winter.
Georgia named a new amphitheater after soul music singer Sharon Jones. Her album "Give the People What They Want" was nominated for the best R&B album Grammy in 2014.
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