November 12, 2020

Biden Now Leads the Popular Vote by More Than 5 Million

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President-elect Joe Biden’s popular vote lead over President Trump has grown to 5.29 million, according to the Cook Political Report.

Vote counting is still underway, but Biden thus far leads the popular vote contest by 3.4 percentage points. The former vice president currently has at least 279 electoral votes—more than the 270 needed for victory. With North Carolina likely to go to Trump and Biden leading in Georgia and Arizona (some outlets have already called Arizona for Biden), Biden could see his total grow to 306 electoral votes.

Biden’s wide margins of victory in both methods of counting renders Trump’s claims of having been reelected particularly ridiculous. And while Biden ultimately won a majority of electoral votes, the close contests in key swing states have further emphasized the advantage that Republicans have in the Electoral College—and have fueled calls for getting rid of that system altogether.

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