WILMINGTON, Del. — Joe Biden declared late Friday that he’d reclaimed the blue wall of Midwestern states, that he’d broken a record by garnering more than 74 million votes and that he was poised to flip two red states for the first time in more than two decades.
What he couldn’t do was declare victory in the presidential contest. As Biden overtook President Donald Trump in both Pennsylvania and Georgia early in the day, the campaign had planned for a prime-time victory speech. But even as new tranches of votes moved into the Democratic column, networks refused to call the race. It led Biden campaign aides to clash with network representatives behind the scenes, arguing that the math made it just about impossible for Trump to mount a comeback.
Failing to persuade a network to make a call, Biden left his home late in the evening for the Chase Center here in Wilmington, finally taking the stage with his running mate, Kamala Harris, close to 11 p.m. He delivered remarks that sought patience on vote counting, and called for calm and unity at a volatile moment in the country. Even as the counting went on, raucous demonstrations ensued outside of government offices in Philadelphia and Phoenix.
Biden urged confidence in the electoral system — a sharp contrast to unfounded claims of mass fraud from Trump.
“We have to remember the purpose of our politics isn’t total, unrelenting, unending warfare,” Biden said. “No. The purpose of our politics, the work of the nation, isn’t to fan the flames of conflict — but to solve problems. … We may be opponents, but we are not enemies. We are Americans.”
For the Biden campaign, the waiting was an exercise in frustration and patience. It had ridden emotional highs after watching vote tallies come in showing that Trump had, for the first time, fallen behind in both Pennsylvania and Georgia. But what followed was hours and hours of a standstill as cautious networks held off on declaring a winner, awaiting arduous counting efforts that fell short of bringing the race to its conclusion. Biden stood only one state away from the required 270 electoral votes for victory, and on Friday night he said he was all but certain to win, expecting to receive more than 300.
Outside the Chase Center, Biden’s victory stage was set, replete with a massive “Biden Harris” logo that beamed in red, white and blue onto the side of the Westin Hotel where some of his advisers are staying.
The large stage with individually lit American flags was aglow, but it would be at least another night until he and Harris would take that stage.
Instead, about 30 reporters were led indoors into a ballroom where a teleprompter sat across from the stage. Biden and Harris entered, making light conversation that solicited a laugh from the vice presidential nominee.
Biden said he was already getting to work on issues ranging from climate change to the coronavirus. It was his first public address since overtaking Trump’s lead in Georgia and Pennsylvania on Friday morning.
Pointing to his 4 million-vote lead, the former vice president said that the American people had given him and his running mate a “mandate for action” on the most pressing issues the country faces, and he ensured them that the Democratic ticket had already taken steps in the transition process even as the nominees wait for final results.
In a sign that his mind is already focused on a presidential transition, Biden emphasized the need to get the coronavirus pandemic under control and made an allusion to his economic recovery plan. He mentioned that he and Harris had already met with health policy and economic experts to find the best course to solve the myriad issues facing his would-be administration.
Biden also pushed back on the president’s efforts to cast doubt on the legitimacy of the election. As Biden appears to gain more ground in critical swing states, Trump has amplified unfounded claims of widespread voter fraud — even though election officials in numerous states have refuted such a phenomenon.
Fears of uncounted votes have swirled throughout the lead-up to the election as an unprecedented number of voters mailed in their ballots because of the pandemic. On Friday, Biden assured voters that their voices would be heard and urged them to have faith in the system.
“Let the process work out as we count all the votes,” he said. “Democracy works. Your vote will be counted. I don’t care how hard people try to stop it. I will not let it happen.”
As Biden spoke, Harris stood off to his right, nodding at times and watching the words scroll as he read them. The pandemic had forced the two to travel light, often with small entourages of aides. But on Friday, a long list of their senior advisers ringed the back of the room. When Biden finished, they clapped him off the stage.
“I hope to be talking to you tomorrow,” Biden concluded, before leaving the room with his running mate.
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