U.S. Democratic presidential candidate, Joe Biden oozed with confidence and eloquence Wednesday as he declared that he is reaching the 270 electoral votes necessary to win the election.
He did not declare victory like his rival Donald Trump did earlier Wednesday, as he said vote counting was not over yet.
“Yesterday once again proved democracy is the heartbeat of this nation,” Biden said in Wilmington, Delaware, his home state, as his running mate, Sen. Kamala Harris, stood near the edge of the stage.
“If we had any doubts, we shouldn’t have any longer about a government of, by and for the people is very much alive in America,” Biden said.
“Here, the people rule. Power can’t be taken or asserted, it flows from the people and it’s their will that determines who will be the president of the United States and their will alone.”
“And now, after a long night of counting, it’s clear we’re winning enough states to reach 270 electoral votes needed to win the presidency.
“I’m not here to declare that we’ve won, but I am here to report that when the count is finished, we believe we will be the winners,” Biden said.
He said that in several key battleground states, such as Wisconsin and Michigan, he led the vote counts by larger margins that Trump had won them in the 2016 race.
“With all of the votes counted, we have won Wisconsin by 20,000 votes, virtually the same margin of President Trump won as state, four years ago.
“In Michigan. We lead by over 35,000 votes, and it is growing, a substantially bigger margin than President Trump won Michigan in 2016.
“I feel very good about Pennsylvania. Virtually all of the remaining ballots to be counted were cast by mail, and we’ve been winning 78 percent of votes cast by mail.”
He added: “We’ve flipped Arizona and the 2nd district of Nebraska.”
“Only three presidential campaigns in the past have defeated an incumbent president. When it’s finished, God willing, we will be the fourth,” Biden said.
Wisconsin was called for Biden earlier on Wednesday and soon after Biden spoke, CNN also projected Biden has won Michigan as well.
“We’ve won with a majority of the American people,” Biden said, noting he leads the popular vote by more than 3 million votes.
“I will work as hard for those who didn’t vote for me as those who did vote for me,” Biden said, urging that under a Biden presidency, he would not differentiate between Republican-dominated and Democrat-dominated states, something Trump has done.
“We are not enemies … I will govern as an American president.”
“We the people will not be silenced. We the people will not be bullied. We the people will not surrender, my friends, I’m confident we’ll emerge victorious. But this will not be my victory alone or our victory alone. It’ll be a victory for democracy, for America,” Biden said.
