Biden won. What's next?
| EDITOR'S NOTE
Hello,
Joe Biden has been elected the 46th president of the United States, according to projections from NBC News and other outlets.
The call came after four white-knuckle days of slow, meticulous counts in several closely fought battleground states. In the end, it was a narrow win in Pennsylvania, Biden's birth state, that put him over the 270 electoral vote threshold. The president-elect plans to address the nation at 8 p.m. ET tonight.
President Trump isn't ready to concede. His campaign continues to raise money as he vows to fight in court over vote counts in Pennsylvania and elsewhere. So far, though, the president's legal challenges have fallen flat. One of the leading lawyers on the George W. Bush recount team in 2000 said the Trump team's suits are without merit.
Biden's team, nonetheless, has begun work on assembling a government. It's not yet clear what kind of Congress he'll have to deal with, though. Democrats are projected to lose seats in the House but hold onto their majority. Control of the Senate is still up in the air. Republicans are favored to hold onto a slight majority, which would extend Mitch McConnell's tenure as the leader of the chamber.
But, it's not over for Democrats just yet. One Senate race in Georgia is already heading for a runoff, and the other is shaping up to go the same way. If things hold as they are in North Carolina and Alaska, the GOP will control at least 50 seats in the Senate. So, control of the Senate could come down to another Georgia vote in early January.
Some things to keep in mind for the Georgia scenario: Even though Biden himself holds a narrow lead in the state with almost all votes counted, Georgia tends to elect Republican candidates in statewide races. But, led by Stacey Abrams, Democrats have boosted their registration and turnout numbers. That growing influence will be put to the test in potentially two runoffs – and it could help determine just how much a Biden administration can accomplish.
Thoughts? Email Mike Calia at CNBCPolitics@nbcuni.com.
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