Pennsylvania result may not come until FRIDAY as Trump leads Biden by 12 per cent

Pennsylvania is being watched especially closely as the fate of the presidency could come down to the state.

But Governor Tom Wolf said ‘we may not know the results today’, tweeting there are more than a million ballots still to be counted amid claims it could take until Friday.

Edison Research published by The New York Times has estimated 75 per cent of votes have been counted – with the figure at 5,392,682.

It shows Donald Trump and the Republicans on 55.1 per cent, or 2,969,504 votes, and Joe Biden and the Democrats on 43.6 per cent, or 2,350,664 votes.

Edison Research published by The New York Times has estimated 75 per cent of votes have been counted – with the figure at 5,392,682

Pennsylvania (pictured, Philadelphia) is being watched closely as the fate of the presidency could come down to the state bordering New York

Pennsylvania (pictured, Philadelphia) is being watched closely as the fate of the presidency could come down to the state bordering New York

In states such as Pennsylvania that do not count mail-in ballots until Election Day, initial results favour Trump because they were slower to count mailed ballots.

There is a pending Republican appeal at the Supreme Court over whether Pennsylvania can count votes that arrive in the mail from Wednesday to Friday.

Winning Pennsylvania and one other larger state would give Mr Biden the 32 votes needed to pass the 270 threshold needed in the Electoral College.

Wins in Georgia, Alaska, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Michigan, which all voted for him in 2016, would give Mr Trump an additional 70 votes, taking him to 283 votes.

A win in these states and Wisconsin but a loss in Pennsylvania would lead to a narrow victory for Mr Trump, with 273 votes.

Democrats hope women, black people and Latinos in Pennsylvania have backed Biden over the President at the polls – despite voting for Trump in 2016.

The rural areas are expected to back the incumbent – potentially by a lesser number than last time – but city voters are understood to want a change in leader.

Biden will hope for a large turn out by black and Latino people in built up areas such as Philadelphia and Pittsburgh.

Meanwhile the president is relying on the backing of mostly white people from more rural districts. Governor Wolf last night called for residents of the crucial swing state to remain calm and stay patient.

He was preparing for Election Night unrest in light of the state mail-in ballot policy, where final results there may not be known until next week.

Wolf released a brief one-and-a-half-minute video in Election Day where he urged Pennsylvanians to ‘take a breath.’

He said: ‘Across the state, dedicated county workers are ready to tirelessly make sure everyone’s vote counts.

‘But counting that tremendous number of ballots will take more time than we are used to.’

‘We may not know the results today,’ he acknowledged, ‘but I encourage all of us to take a deep breath and be patient.’

He added: ‘What is most important is that we have accurate results – even if that takes a little longer.’

The Democratic governor has come under immense fire from critics the last few months regarding his coronavirus restrictions and lockdowns.

'We may not know the results today, but I encourage all of us to take a deep breath and be patient,' Wolf said in his video as thousands of Pennsylvanias headed to the polls Tuesday to cast their ballots

‘We may not know the results today, but I encourage all of us to take a deep breath and be patient,’ Wolf said in his video as thousands of Pennsylvanias headed to the polls Tuesday to cast their ballots

Republicans in the state were handed a loss from the Supreme Court when they challenged the new state rule allowing election officials to accept and count mail-in ballots received up to three days after the election – as long as it is postmarked for Election Day, November 3.

This year – in light of the coronavirus pandemic – a record number of more than 100 million voters cast their ballots early whether in-person or by mail.

Democrats in Pennsylvania argue election officials need the extra few days to count up the mail-in ballots this year.

Republicans claim any ballots received after election day should be void. Trump claims the measure is an attempt by Democrats to ‘steal’ the election.

The Keystone State holds 20 Electoral College votes and is one of the states considered the most critical for Trump to win reelection – along with Florida.

Wolf said in his video message: ‘I believe the days ahead are our moment to shine, and we will do it as a state united as we count every vote.’

Trump lashed out against the Supreme Court ruling, claiming he will levy legal challenges against the Pennsylvania result if they change in the days after Election Day as mail-in ballots are counted.

He said the results should be known on Tuesday night.

He said on a visit to his campaign headquarters in Arlington, Virginia: ‘I think the ruling on Pennsylvania was an unfortunate one by the Supreme Court because I think we should know what happens on the night.

Trump railed against Pennsylvania's policy on Tuesday, claiming it's a way for Democrats to try and 'steal' the election: 'We should be entitled to know who won on November 3'

Trump railed against Pennsylvania’s policy on Tuesday, claiming it’s a way for Democrats to try and ‘steal’ the election: ‘We should be entitled to know who won on November 3’

‘Let people put their ballots in earlier,’ he suggested of mail-in and absentee voting.

‘But you have to have numbers, you can have these things delayed for many days and maybe weeks.

‘You can’t do that. The whole world is waiting, this country is waiting – but the whole world is waiting.’

‘You have to have a date, and the date happens to be November 3,’ the president reiterated. ‘And we should be entitled to know who won on November 3.’

‘They should put the ballot in earlier, there’s no reason why they can’t put the ballot in a few weeks earlier, one week earlier. I think it’s a very dangerous decision for a country in many ways dangerous, in many ways.’

Gov Wolf tweeted after the comments: ‘Let’s be clear. This is a partisan attack on Pennsylvania’s election, our votes and democracy.’

The Supreme Court also ruled last month North Carolina could continue accepting and counting mail-in ballots received eight days after Tuesday.

Although victors are not officially called on Election Day, projects by the media are usually accurate enough to predict the winner – and there is typically a concession and victory speech delivered the night of the election.

This year, however, everything is up-in-the-air.

Election results could take weeks as Trump has threatened to challenge the legal validity of the results in Pennsylvania, which, depending on how close the race is, could determine the winner. 

Read more at DailyMail.co.uk