Election Rundown: The Latest On The Election

11/8 (7 p.m.)

• Joe Biden is maintaining his lead in Arizona as votes continue to be counted. More votes were tallied in Maricopa County, which is home to the Phoenix areas and is the state's largest county. Biden leads by about 17-thousand votes. Arizona is one of several states that haven't been called yet. 

11/8 (3 p.m)

• Senator Roy Blunt thinks it's unlikely that any changes could be big enough to make a difference in the election. On ABC's This Week, the Missouri Republican didn't acknowledge that Joe Biden is the winner of the election, adding he expects to see both Biden and President Trump on the stage on inauguration day. Blunt believes Biden and Trump benefit from the process working its way totally through the process of declaring a winner. According to Blunt, it's time for the President's lawyers to present their facts in court and let those facts speak for themselves. He adds it's going to be much easier to work toward the kind of transition we want and bringing the country together.
• President-elect Joe Biden's transition team will begin working in earnest on Monday. The first order of business will be naming a team of scientists and experts to work on a plan to control the COVID-19 pandemic. The goal of that team will be to have a plan to put into action on Inauguration Day. This week the transition team will also start laying the groundwork for reviewing various federal agencies. The transition team has already launched its full website and social media accounts.

11/8 (1 p.m.)

• Supporters of President Trump are not ready to give up after Joe Biden was projected as the winner of the 2020 election. A group held an event in Las Vegas claiming the election was being stolen from him. They claim there are hundreds of accounts of voting irregularities in Nevada. That includes claims of Republicans being denied the chance to vote and allegations of ballots being cast on behalf of dead people. The Trump team is plotting a spree of lawsuits over allegations of voter fraud or ballot counting issues. 

11/8 (11 a.m.)

• One of the senior members of the Senate is saying he believes the election could land before the United States Supreme Court before all is said-and-done. Speaking to Fox News on Sunday, Texas Republican Ted Cruz outlined part of the legal strategy of the president's campaign. Cruz argues there were faulty machines in Michigan that switched votes between candidates and local and federal courts should hear arguments and evidence before a winner is declared.

11/7 (8 p.m.)

• President-elect Joe Biden says it is time to end the harsh rhetoric, lower the temperature and move forward as a nation. Biden formally declared victory in the hotly-contested presidential election during a drive-in rally near his home in Delaware. Biden called it a convincing victory and the honor of a lifetime. He said the U.S. is poised to enter a "better day." Biden pledged to be a president who aims to unify, not divide the country. 
• Vice President-elect Kamala Harris introduced Biden and said democracy was on the ballot in the election. Harris thanked voters and said they chose hope, unity, decency, science and truth. The California Senator is poised to make history as the first woman and the first person of color to be elected vice president. Harris predicted she "will not be the last" woman to hold the office. President-elect Biden called it "long overdue!" Harris said Biden will unite the country and heal the soul of the U.S. Harris stressed that Biden will represent the "best in us." The 77-year old Biden jogged to the podium when he was introduced and gave Harris a double fist bump. 

11/7 (7 p.m.)

• People are starting to celebrate at the scene of the Delaware rally where President-elect Joe Biden is getting set to address the nation. Revelers holding American flags while chanting the lying to Steam's "Na Na Hey Hey (Kiss Him Goodbye)" song in the Chase Center parking lot in Wilmington. Others are yelling how much they love Biden. The Democrat is the projected winner of the presidential race. He's set to give a speech at 8 p.m. Eastern.
• New York Governor Andrew Cuomo is calling the Joe Biden and Kamala Harris' victory in the Presidential election an historic day. Cuomo said in a statement "after the darkness, division and hate of the past four years, America has spoken and rejected more of the same." He congratulated his good friend President-Elect Joe Biden and and Vice President-Elect Kamala Harris, as they go forward in hope and progress.
• Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger says ballots from Fulton County are being rescanned due to reporting issues from Friday. Observers from both political parties are on site, along with investigators and the Deputy Secretary of State to ensure all legal votes are secured and protected. Fulton is the state's largest county and Georgia is one of a few states that has not projected a winner in the presidential election. Raffensperger declared this week there would be a recount as the state carries 16 electoral votes.
• Protesters are gathering outside the White House in celebration of Joe Biden's presumed presidential election win. The large crowd is standing by a temporary fence erected this week around the White House. One person has a large sign reading "You're Fired" which was President Trump's catchphrase during his time on NBC's "The Apprentice." The group has also chanted songs telling the Republican "goodbye." Biden passed the threshold for enough Electoral College votes today to become president based on preliminary ballot totals.
• The Empire State Building in New York City is shining its lights in red, white, and blue tonight in honor of Joe Biden and Kamala. The World Trade Center in Lower Manhattan is also lit up in America's colors. 

11/7 (6 p.m.)

• Several notable world leaders are congratulating Joe Biden and Kamala Harris on their victory in the 2020 presidential election. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson says he looks forward to working closely with the country's most important ally on shared priorities such as climate change, trade and security. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says the U.S. and Canada share a relationship that's unique on the world stage. Meantime, Ireland Prime Minister Micheal Martin says Biden and Harris will make a formidable team and called Biden a true friend of Ireland.
• Wisconsin Senator Ron Johnson is calling President Trump a winner and someone who made America better. The Republican says Trump produced remarkable results while in office while also claiming the media "shed all pretense of fairness." Johnson also praised Trump's reelection campaign in Wisconsin for getting 200-thousand more votes than in 2016. Trump ended up losing Wisconsin by 20-thousand or so votes to Joe Biden after winning it in 2016. Biden is believed to have captured enough electoral votes to become president in January.
• President Trump's re-election campaign is suing an Arizona county claiming votes were rejected. Trump Campaign General Counsel Matt Morgan says Maricopa County poll workers had problems with voting machines while claiming there were significant errors in the process. The suit claims poll workers told voters to press a green button on machines which ended up causing a so-called overvote. Trump's campaign claims poll workers did not manually review the overvotes and let them stand. They're asking for a review and recount of the ballots. Trump currently trails in Arizona by 21-thousand votes to former vice-president Joe Biden. Biden is presumed to have won enough electoral votes to win the presidency.

11/7 (4 p.m.)

• President Trump will apparently not be making any statements regarding the election today. The White House declared a "lid" just before 4 p.m. Eastern time, saying the president had no intentions of making any public appearances or making any statements today. 

11/7 (3 p.m.)

• President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris are already working on their transition team. The campaign has named Chris Liddell, the deputy chief of staff, as the head of the transition process. The transition web site, which went live Wednesday night, says the team is preparing "at full speed so that the Biden-Harris Administration can hit the ground running on Day One." The Biden transition team is being given 10-thousand square feet of office space at the Commerce Department.

11/7 (1 p.m.)

• Hillary Clinton is cheering Joe Biden's projected victory in the 2020 presidential election. Clinton was defeated by Donald Trump in the 2016 contest. The former secretary of state tweeted that Biden's victory is a "repudiation" of President Trump. She called the Democratic ticket "history-making." Clinton called the election results a "new page for America."
• Republican reactions to the news Joe Biden has secured enough Electoral College votes to be the nation's next president are mixed. Some are standing with President Trump in saying the election goes on. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell's aide directed reporters to a statement from Kentucky Republicans to count all votes. Congressman Steve Scalise of Louisiana said serious legal challenges remain and the election is not final. However, Utah Senator Mitt Romney congratulated the president-elect and said he would pray for him. So did former Florida Governor Jeb Bush.

11/7/ (12 p.m.)

• Joe Biden is just hours away from addressing the nation for the first time as president-elect. The former VP will be joined by his running mate Kamala Harris for an 8 pm Eastern time speech in Wilmington, Delaware.

11/7 (11:45 a.m.)

• Projected Vice President-elect Kamala Harris says it is time to get to work. Harris tweeted her appreciation after Joe Biden was projected as the winner of the hotly-contested presidential election. She said the election has been about restoring the soul of the nation.

11/7 (11:30 a.m.)

• Crowds are gathering around the White House and in New York's Times Square to celebrate Joe Biden's projected victory in the hotly-contested presidential election. 
• Democratic leaders are cheering Joe Biden's projected win in the presidential election. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi issued a statement, calling it the "dawning of a new day of hope for America." Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said Biden will be a "great President for all Americans."

11/7 (11:15 a.m.)

• President Trump is not ready to concede the election despite Fox News and a number of other news organizations projecting Joe Biden will win the presidential race. In a statement, Trump said the election is far from over. He claims Biden is falsely posing as the winner and his media allies are helping him. Pennsylvania's 20 electoral votes gave Biden the 270 needed to win the presidency but the Trump campaign claims legal observers in the state were not given meaningful access to watch the counting process.
• Before leaving the White House this morning, Trump tweeted -- "I WON THIS ELECTION, BY A LOT." A new statement from the Trump campaign says the election is "far from over."
• Joe Biden has made his first statement as projected President-Elect, saying “It is time for America to unite and to heal.” Biden added “"I am honored and humbled by the trust the American people have placed in me and in Vice President-elect Harris. In the face of unprecedented obstacles, a record number of Americans voted. Proving once again, that democracy beats deep in the heart of America."
• President Trump's personal attorney Rudy Giuliani is claiming voter fraud in Pennsylvania. Speaking in Philadelphia, Giuliani said the mail-in ballots were not inspected. He said Republicans never got the chance to inspect the ballots even after a court order to do so. Giuliani said Republicans were deprived of the right to inspect if the ballots were legitimate. He called it illegal and unconstitutional and said the city has a sad history of voter fraud.

11/7 (10:30 a.m.)

• Fox News and other news organizations are projecting Joe Biden has won the White House. Fox projects the Democrat will be the nation's 46th president. Biden has Pennsylvania to thank for his victory, picking up his home state's 20 electoral votes. That puts Biden's final tally over the 270 electoral votes needed. President Trump has vowed to fight the results in court.

11/7 (9 a.m.)

• President Trump's lawyers will hold a news conference this morning. Trump wrote in a tweet "Big press conference today in Philadelphia" at 11:30 a.m. He didn't provide any other details. The news conference comes as ballot counting continues in Pennsylvania and four other battleground states in the presidential election.
• One of President Trump's staunchest allies says he's willing to work with Joe Biden to find common ground if he's elected president. He told reporters yesterday that having areas of agreement with Biden would be helpful when it comes to things like voting on Cabinet members. But first, as Senator Graham notes, there must be a clear winner.

11/7 (7 a.m.)

• The ballot count in Georgia favors Democrat Joe Biden. ABC News reports this morning that Biden's lead widened overnight by over seven thousand votes. As of early this morning Biden had 49-point-four percent compared with President Trump's 49-point-three-percent of Georgia's votes. The report says over 15-thousand more ballots could still be counted including ballots that are absentee, from military personnel and others.
• Joe Biden is calling for patience as vote counting continues in the presidential election. The Democratic nominee stopped short of declaring victory in last night's speech from his hometown in Delaware, but said he will win the presidency. Biden said he's beating President Trump by more than four-million votes nationwide, but advised patience as vote counting continues in a handful of battleground states. Biden is holding a lead in Pennsylvania, which would put him over the 270 electoral votes needed to secure the White House.
• The U.S. Supreme Court says Pennsylvania elections officials should be keeping late-arriving mail-in ballots separate from other ballots. The Commonwealth's secretary of state has already ordered officials to do that. Justice Samuel Alito says it's not known that all ballot counting centers are complying with that guidance. Those late-arriving ballots could number in the thousands.

11/6 (10 p.m.)

• Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden says he is going to win the presidency. Biden spoke from his hometown of Wilmington, Delaware and noted that he is beating President Trump by more than four-million votes nationwide. He said he will have a clear majority of the nation behind him when he enters the White House. Biden again advised patience as vote counting continues in a handful of battleground states. He said, "Democracy works." Biden also argued that the purpose of America's politics is not unending partisan warfare. Meantime, Biden said he will be ready to tackle the ongoing coronavirus outbreak on day one. 

11/6 (9 p.m.)

• Cindy McCain says her late husband John would view Joe Biden as what's best for America. Speaking to ABC News, McCain said Biden will bring ethics and empathy back to the White House and ensure Americans find common ground. She doubled down on her support of the Democratic Presidential nominee after she crossed party lines and endorsed him earlier this year. John McCain is a former Arizona Senator and ran for President as a Republican against Barack Obama in 2008.
• The U.S. Supreme Court says Pennsylvania elections officials should be keeping late-arriving mail-in ballots separate from other ballots. The Commonwealth's secretary of state has already ordered officials to do that. Justice Samuel Alito says it's not known that all ballot counting centers are complying with that guidance. Those late-arriving ballots could number in the thousands. 
• More votes are coming in from the Phoenix area in Arizona. About 70-thousand new votes were counted in Maricopa County. About 55-percent of those were for President Trump, but it's not known whether that will be enough to catch Joe Biden. The Democratic nominee has a lead of about 30-thousand in the Grand Canyon State.

11/6 (6 p.m.)

• Joe Biden is expected to speak tonight as he earns more votes in battleground states that could help him earn enough electoral votes to win the presidency. Meantime, President Trump says Joe Biden "should not wrongfully claim the office of the President." On Twitter, the President said legal proceedings are just beginning. Biden is closing in on earning the 270 electoral college votes needed to win the presidency as several key battleground states have yet to be called. The Democratic nominee is slated to speak later tonight.
• Officials in the Atlanta area say they are almost finished counting ballots. Fulton County Chairman Robb Pitts says "the fat lady has almost sung." He noted all early ballots, day of votes, and absentee ballots have been counted. Provisional ballots should be finished tonight as Biden leads in the key battleground state.
• Maine Senator Susan Collins is calling for respect of the election's outcome. She says states have the authority to determine specific rules of elections and every valid vote should be counted. Collins added accusations of irregularities can be managed by the courts. The Republican won reelection to her fifth term this week, the only Republican incumbent to be reelected in a state voting for Biden.
• On Twitter, President Trump said he had a strong election night lead in battleground states and those leads have "miraculously" disappeared in the days since the election. He suggested those leads may return as legal proceedings move forward. 

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