Far from being a done deal, it seems the election is still in flux and, with it, the electioneering. Despite numerous castigations from media outlets that the results of the 2020 battle would not be known for weeks, added to harsh warnings that those who propagate such mystical ephemera as a result would be purveyors of fakery, the legacy media got their collectivist pants hoisted on a moral petard.
The allegedly most trusted name in news, CNN, fell short of its own standard and touted not only a Joe Biden win but proceeded to refer to the Democrat candidate as "president-elect" at every available opportunity. However, just a few short days after the polls closed, the media giant was forced to reverse course with its election map, dropping Arizona as a Biden victory and docking the presidential hopeful the 11 Electoral College votes that come with it.
Fox Electoral Map as of Nov. 11.
According to CNN, Biden now has 279 compared with President Donald Trump's 214. Still a slam dunk, you might say, but other outlets are being a tad more wary.
RealClearPolitics erred on the side of caution and has kept its Electoral College map at 259 for Biden and has so far refused to "fill-in-the-blank" on Pennsylvania. Fox News, apparently fearing neither repercussions nor loss of viewership, cast caution to the wind and declared Biden to be the happy recipient of Pennsylvania and Arizona's combined 31 votes.
Clearly, something is rotten in the state of Denmark. Could it be that the races are not yet won, and, therefore, it is little more than idle speculation and political navel-gazing to call the contest over? The numbers themselves tell a far fuller story than the dozens of narrative articles our beloved media have deigned to offer.
The Real Picture
In Arizona -- with 98% of the expected vote reported in, Joe Biden currently leads Donald Trump by 12,813 votes.
There are roughly 65,000 votes left to count in Arizona, many from Yuma County and Mohave County where President Trump has a six-point and 51-point lead respectively. Although these both lean massively towards the president, it will depend upon the remaining 1.5% of votes in Maricopa County to determine who ultimately wins the state. CNN has pulled Arizona from its electoral map as a Biden win and is now regarded as a tossup. The gap continues to close and now just 0.3% separate the contenders.
In North Carolina -- with 99% of the vote reported in, Donald Trump currently leads Joe Biden by 73,294 votes.
Trump's lead is insurmountable in North Carolina assuming the reported vote is accurate. With 1% remaining, the president has a clear 2-point lead. Why this has not yet been called for President Trump is baffling.
In Georgia -- with 99% of the vote reported in, Joe Biden currently leads Donald Trump by 12,651 votes.
Biden has a lead 0f 0.26%, well within the margin of a recount. It's worth remembering that although 99% of the vote has been reported, that remaining 1% could be as much as 49,000 votes waiting to be tallied.
In Wisconsin -- with 99% of the expected vote reported in, Joe Biden currently leads Donald Trump by 20,540 votes.
There could be as many as 35,000 votes left to count (and perhaps more). This race, with a 0.6% difference could all come down to which counties have yet to finish tabulation. For President Trump, he will be hoping that Waukesha County and a number of other smaller counties deliver for him. However, these gains could be wiped out from a big Biden showing in Milwaukee.
In Nevada -- with 95% of the expected vote reported in, Joe Biden currently leads Donald Trump by 36,729 votes.
Nevada has coasted very much under the radar in this election, but with only 95% reporting, there are roughly 65,000 votes up for grabs. When you break down the counties, it is those that favor Trump that still have the largest percentage left to count. This could very easily come down to the wire despite Biden's lead.
In Pennsylvania -- with 99% of the expected vote reported in, Joe Biden currently leads Donald Trump by 47,566 votes.
All eyes are on Pennsylvania, not only for the closeness of the race but also for the legal action taking place. RealClearPolitics has yet to call it, but AP and NYT hand the win to Biden. This is yet another state with potentially over 65,000 outstanding votes remaining. A difference of less than 0.7% separates the candidates, but votes incoming from Allegheny County could be enough to increase Biden's lead.
Legal Talk
Trump's campaign team has launched a number of legal actions in various states, and it seems likely that more will follow. Regardless of what the final vote tallies say, ultimately decisions will be made by judges or justices reviewing evidence and determining whether or not it is proof.
For now, the game of Musical Maps will continue, and media outlets will continue to peddle their special brand of narrative for just as long as the consuming public keeps buying it.
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Read more from Mark Angelides.
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