November 29, 2020

Wisconsin Recount Confirms Biden’s Victory Over Trump, Again

So what is the election loser really up to with his further baseless claims of fraud?

The completion of a partial recount on Sunday in the second of Wisconsin’s two largest counties reconfirmed President-elect Joe Biden’s victory in the key swing state against Donald Trump. The recounts over the holiday weekend in Milwaukee and Dane counties of more than 800,000 ballots in fact widened Biden’s victory by 87 votes, after he took the state by more than 20,000 votes. As the Washington Post reported, the effort cost Trump more than just any remaining shred of dignity he might have concerning the election: “Under Wisconsin law, Trump was required to foot the bill for the partial recount—meaning his campaign paid $3 million only to see Biden’s lead expand.”

Trying still to win somehow by reversing the election results may no longer be the point, of course. Trump threatened to sue in Wisconsin in the days ahead for “fraud,” despite no evidence to support such a claim. The move will likely meet with swift failure, as it just did in Pennsylvania. Instead, Trump’s goal may be to further damage Americans’ confidence and trust in the electoral system and undermine Joe Biden’s incoming presidential administration as illegitimate. That’s an effort that Trump and his GOP allies have so far been quite successful with.

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This is how change happens.

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This investigative reporting takes time too. Months of research. Weeks of writing, editing, and fact checking—and putting together the photography, art, video, and audio that tell the stories in a new way, illuminating new perspectives and voices.

We can afford to take our time because we don’t report to oligarchs or corporations. We report to you, and for you.

And the stakes are high. Democracy is on the defense. We’ve been exposing corruption and scandal for five decades, and this is a pivotal moment in our country’s history. Will democracy prevail? We won’t wait for time to tell—independent journalism is essential for democracy, and we’ll keep doing our part to amplify the free press.

So, we’re asking: Will you join the fight? Mother Jones has been here for 50 years, and we need your support to fuel the future of investigative journalism. Mark our 50th anniversary with a gift of any amount.

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