Joe Biden has told the American public that he is going to win the US election, but did not declare victory as counting in the US election continues.
The Democratic candidate took the lead in the key battleground states of Pennsylvania and Georgia yesterday, with forecasters putting him just one state from victory as officials continue counting votes.
Despite the lead, no projection has been made on the final outcome.
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Speaking in Wilmington, Delaware, just before 11pm on Friday local time, the former vice-president said although he did not have a final declaration, “the numbers tell us a clear and convincing story”.
Mr Biden said: “We’re going to win this race, just look at what has happened since yesterday.
“24 hours (ago), we were behind in Georgia, now we’re ahead, and we’re going to win that state. 24 hours ago, we were behind in Pennsylvania and we are going to win Pennsylvania. Now we’re ahead, we’re winning in Arizona, winning in Nevada, in fact our lead just doubled in Nevada.
“We’re on track to 300 electoral college votes, and look at the national numbers. We’re going to win this race with a clear majority with a nation behind us.”
Mr Biden added: “We’ve gotten over 74 million votes, that’s more than any presidential ticket has ever gotten in the history of the United States of America.
“And our vote total is still growing. We’re beating Donald Trump by over four million votes and that’s a margin that’s still growing as well.”
“Daily cases are skyrocketing, and it is now believed that we could see spikes as high as 200,000 cases in a single day. The death toll is approaching 240,000 lives lost to this virus. That’s 240,000 empty chairs at the kitchen and dinner tables across America.
“We’ll never be able to measure all the pain, the loss, and the suffering so many families have experienced. I know how it feels to lose someone you love, and I want them to know they’re not alone. Our hearts break with you.
“And I want everyone to know that on day one, we are going to put our plan to control this virus into action.”
Mr Biden also called on his supporters to be patient as votes continue to be counted, urging them to “never forget the tallies aren’t just numbers, they represent votes and voters, men and women who exercised their fundamental right to have their voice heard”.
READ MORE: US election results: Trump repeats baseless fraud claims
He added: “I know tensions can be high after a tough election like the one we’ve had. But we need to remain calm. Patient. And let the process work out as we count all the votes.”
Counters could also be redeployed in Pennsylvania where a recount is expected under state law if there is less than half a percentage point between the two candidates.
Despite a healthy lead in many states, Donald Trump, who declared victory on election night, took to social media to state that he would not go quietly from the White House.
He tweeted: “Joe Biden should not wrongfully claim the office of the president. I could make that claim also. Legal proceedings are just now beginning!
“I had such a big lead in all of these states late into election night, only to see the leads miraculously disappear as the days went by. Perhaps these leads will return as our legal proceedings move forward!”
The Trump campaign requested a recount in Wisconsin and filed lawsuits in Pennsylvania, Michigan and Georgia.
But judges in Michigan and Georgia dismissed the actions launched by the Trump campaign. Additional legal action was also expected in Nevada, the campaign indicated.
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