Biden's victory confirmation in Arizona, Wisconsin a blow to Trump
Joe Biden's victory confirmation in Arizona and Wisconsin has made it even more difficult for the Trump campaign to overturn his re-election defeat.
The two battleground states of Arizona and Wisconsin have declared the victory of President-elect Joe Biden, which is a new blow to President Donald Trump's bid to overturn his defeat.
As per the official results certified by Secretary of State Katie Hobbs in Arizona, Biden defeated Trump by 10,457 votes. This certification means that Biden won the state and it would lead to the appointment of electors who will cast the state's 11 Electoral College votes. The electors are supposed to meet on December 14.
In a vote recount in Wisconsin requested and paid by the Trump campaign, Biden increased his over 20,000 votes margin of victory over Trump. Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers signed the document that would appoint Biden electors for the state's 10 electoral votes. Trump has five days to appeal the result declared after the recount.
Wisconsin and Arizona are the last battleground states that made their bitterly fought Presidential elections results final. It is an impediment to Trump's campaign to challenge the election results in court and halt the certification in some of these states. It has already led to a few court defeats for Trump.
Biden's victory in Arizona would not automatically qualify for a recount, but Arizona Republican Party Chairwoman Kelli Ward said that the party intended to challenge the results.
It is to be noted that President Trump had not conceded to Biden. Though he recently acknowledged in a television interview that his campaign to overturn his defeat would not reach the Supreme Court.
In an unethical move, Trump and his lawyers are putting pressure on Republican-controlled legislatures in certain swing states to name competing list of Trump electors and ignore Biden's popular vote win. Many legislative leaders denied that it would happen.
The confirmation of Biden's apparent win by the US General Services Administration has led to a formal transition process that gives the president-elect access to agency officials as well as funding of about $6 million.