thehuffingtonpost--2020-11-08--GOP Sen. Lindsey Graham Pushes Voter Fraud Claims, Urges Trump Not To Concede

There were “ a lot of shenanigans ” that took place during the election that need to be litigated , Graham claimed in an interview with Fox News ’ Maria Bartiromo , one of the network ’ s loudest Trump cheerleaders .
In almost every presidential election , including the 2016 one , news outlets project the results of the race before all of the votes are counted and certified ― a process that can take weeks .
( Read how The Associated Press calls races here . )
Republicans ’ call for the media to wait until every vote @ @ @ @ @ @ @ winner is a stark contrast to Trump ’ s position leading up to Election Day , in which he repeatedly demanded a winner be declared on election night .
Graham on Sunday added fuel to the conspiracy theory fire , claiming the Trump campaign found more than 100 people “ they think were dead ” who voted and that a computer glitch in Michigan may have caused Trump votes to be tallied as Biden votes .
( The New York Times debunked the latter claim Wednesday . )
“ If Republicans don ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ system , there ’ ll never be a Republican president elected again , ” Graham told Fox News .
“ President Trump should not concede .
...
These computers in Michigan do not pass the smell test .
Keep fighting for every legal and live vote.
” He added : “ If I were President Trump , I ’ d take all of this to court .
I ’ d fight back .
...
If we don ’ t fight back in 2020 , we ’ re never going to win again presidentially @ @ @ @ @ @ @ here.
” “ I think that is way premature at this point , ” Cruz said .
“ We do not know who has prevailed in the election .
The media is desperately trying to get everyone to coronate Joe Biden as the next president , but that ’ s not how it works.
” Trump campaign lawyers have filed multiple lawsuits against several states , alleging voter fraud and irregularities in ballot counting but offering very little if any specific evidence .
Judges in Georgia and Michigan have already tossed some of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the allegations should be heard in court and predicted it could take several weeks before there ’ s an official winner .
Cruz , who worked on President George W. Bush ’ s team during the Florida recount of the 2000 presidential election , said he believed Trump “ still has a path to victory.
” He said the election could “ very easily end up ” at the Supreme Court .
“ We should allow the rule of law to operate , ” Cruz said .
“ We should allow the legal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that process is concluded , which it will be in a matter of weeks , we will know who prevailed in the elections.
” Romney said Sunday that he did not see any evidence of a “ widespread conspiracy ” of voter fraud or of Democrats ’ trying to steal the election , as Trump has repeatedly ― and baselessly ― claimed .
“ You know , 70 million Americans voted for Donald Trump , and they and the president deserve to have this process play out , ” Toomey told CBS ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ Now I understand yesterday the media projected how this is going to end , and the media projection is probably correct .
But there ’ s a reason that we actually do the count .
”

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Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) on Sunday fueled unsubstantiated conspiracy theories about voter fraud and urged President Donald Trump not to concede the election, despite virtually all major media networks projecting Joe Biden as the winner.
There were “a lot of shenanigans” that took place during the election that need to be litigated, Graham claimed in an interview with Fox News’ Maria Bartiromo, one of the network’s loudest Trump cheerleaders.
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“This is a contested election,” said Graham, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee. “The media doesn’t decide who becomes president. If they did, you would never have a Republican president forever. So we’re discounting them.”
Scroll down or click here for the latest updates from HuffPost’s election live blog.
In almost every presidential election, including the 2016 one, news outlets project the results of the race before all of the votes are counted and certified ― a process that can take weeks. (Read how The Associated Press calls races here.)
All the major networks projected Biden as the winner this year, including Fox News, which was the first to call the Arizona race in his favor.
Republicans’ call for the media to wait until every vote is counted and certified before projecting a winner is a stark contrast to Trump’s position leading up to Election Day, in which he repeatedly demanded a winner be declared on election night.
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Now, as results continue to trickle in from some battleground states, Trump and his allies are pushing unsubstantiated voter fraud claims and baselessly accusing Democrats of trying to steal the election.
Trump has refused to concede, even as President-elect Biden delivered a victory speech Saturday and U.S. lawmakers and world leaders have acknowledged his win.
Graham on Sunday added fuel to the conspiracy theory fire, claiming the Trump campaign found more than 100 people “they think were dead” who voted and that a computer glitch in Michigan may have caused Trump votes to be tallied as Biden votes. (The New York Times debunked the latter claim Wednesday.)
“If Republicans don’t challenge and change the U.S. election system, there’ll never be a Republican president elected again,” Graham told Fox News. “President Trump should not concede. ... These computers in Michigan do not pass the smell test. Keep fighting for every legal and live vote.”
He added: “If I were President Trump, I’d take all of this to court. I’d fight back. ... If we don’t fight back in 2020, we’re never going to win again presidentially. A lot’s at stake here.”
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Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) — in a subsequent interview with Bartiromo Sunday — also questioned Biden’s projected win and said it was too early for Trump to concede.
“I think that is way premature at this point,” Cruz said. “We do not know who has prevailed in the election. The media is desperately trying to get everyone to coronate Joe Biden as the next president, but that’s not how it works.”
Trump campaign lawyers have filed multiple lawsuits against several states, alleging voter fraud and irregularities in ballot counting but offering very little if any specific evidence. Judges in Georgia and Michigan have already tossed some of the cases.
Cruz said all of the allegations should be heard in court and predicted it could take several weeks before there’s an official winner.
The media does not get to select our President.
The American people get to elect our President.
At this point, we should allow the rule of law and legal process to operate. pic.twitter.com/W3SaDLquPY — Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) November 8, 2020
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Cruz, who worked on President George W. Bush’s team during the Florida recount of the 2000 presidential election, said he believed Trump “still has a path to victory.” He said the election could “very easily end up” at the Supreme Court.
“We should allow the rule of law to operate,” Cruz said. “We should allow the legal process to move forward, and when that process is concluded, which it will be in a matter of weeks, we will know who prevailed in the elections.”
So far, only two GOP senators ― Mitt Romney of Utah and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska ― have publicly congratulated Biden and Harris on their historic victory.
Romney said Sunday that he did not see any evidence of a “widespread conspiracy” of voter fraud or of Democrats’ trying to steal the election, as Trump has repeatedly ― and baselessly ― claimed.
“Those things just don’t happen the way people anticipate they might,” Romney told CNN’s “State of the Union.”
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Several other Republican senators — including Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania and Roy Blunt of Missouri — have called for the legal process to play out but suggested it won’t change the outcome.
“You know, 70 million Americans voted for Donald Trump, and they and the president deserve to have this process play out,” Toomey told CBS’ “Face the Nation” Sunday. “Now I understand yesterday the media projected how this is going to end, and the media projection is probably correct. But there’s a reason that we actually do the count.”
Meanwhile, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) hasn’t issued a statement on the election since Friday, when he called for every “legal vote” to be counted.
Read live updates on the election below. (Note: An ad blocker may prevent you from seeing the blog, so if you’re using one, please pause or turn it off.)


thehuffingtonpost--2020-11-08--Disability Advocates Express Joy After Biden Name-Checks Them With Important Word

Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images President-elect Joe Biden greets the crowd Saturday after his address to the nation from the Chase Center in Wilmington , Delaware .
In his speech , he said : We must make the promise of the country real for everybody — no matter their race , their ethnicity , their faith , their identity or their disability . ''
On Saturday night and through Sunday morning , President-elect Joe Biden was praised by members and advocates of the disabled community who celebrated the reference to “ disability ” in his victory speech .
“ We must make @ @ @ @ @ @ @ everybody — no matter their race , their ethnicity , their faith , their identity or their disability , ” the president-elect said Saturday night in Wilmington , Delaware .
Here 's the clip from Joe Biden 's victory speech where he mentions disability .
( The captions come on a few seconds into the video .
Do n't worry , they do n't miss the beginning ) # CripTheVote # DisabilityTwitter # DisabilityJustice # Disability # DisabilityVisibility # DisabilityCoalition pic.twitter.com/2aXmR03xdn — Sarah Colero🥄 ( @ Sarah_Colero ) November 8 , 2020 To @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a stark contrast to President Donald Trump , a vocal opponent of health science whose list of ableist behaviors includes mocking a disabled reporter in 2016 and instituting policies that made it difficult for disabled immigrants to receive vital health benefits .
On social media , disabled activists and allies to the movement instantly took note of Biden ’ s call for them to be afforded equal opportunity , and many used the hashtag # CripTheVote in reference to the years-long campaign to realize the disabled community as a critical voting bloc .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ time hearing a president reference the disabled community so specifically , and many credited Biden ’ s national disability engagement director , Molly Doris-Pierce , for emphasizing the community ’ s needs to the campaign .
On Saturday , Doris-Pierce was among thousands who celebrated both Biden ’ s acknowledgment and the ensuing momentum that came when CNN host Jake Tapper referenced # CripTheVote in news coverage following Biden ’ s speech .
People with disabilities make up “ the nation ’ s largest minority , ” accounting for roughly 50 million Americans @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
While many activists urged cautious optimism and encouraged others to apply continuous pressure to the Biden administration , the overwhelming response from advocacy groups and people with disabilities toward his remarks suggest many see far greater opportunity for progress under Biden than would have been possible with the outgoing president .

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On Saturday night and through Sunday morning, President-elect Joe Biden was praised by members and advocates of the disabled community who celebrated the reference to “disability” in his victory speech.
“We must make the promise of the country real for everybody — no matter their race, their ethnicity, their faith, their identity or their disability,” the president-elect said Saturday night in Wilmington, Delaware.
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To some, Biden’s reference marked a stark contrast to President Donald Trump, a vocal opponent of health science whose list of ableist behaviors includes mocking a disabled reporter in 2016 and instituting policies that made it difficult for disabled immigrants to receive vital health benefits.
On social media, disabled activists and allies to the movement instantly took note of Biden’s call for them to be afforded equal opportunity, and many used the hashtag #CripTheVote in reference to the years-long campaign to realize the disabled community as a critical voting bloc. Many observers noted it was their first time hearing a president reference the disabled community so specifically, and many credited Biden’s national disability engagement director, Molly Doris-Pierce, for emphasizing the community’s needs to the campaign.
On Saturday, Doris-Pierce was among thousands who celebrated both Biden’s acknowledgment and the ensuing momentum that came when CNN host Jake Tapper referenced #CripTheVote in news coverage following Biden’s speech.
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“But the disabled community heard it. And they’re there & they vote.”
Let’s fucking go. https://t.co/B8Hwy6eLi5 — Molly Doris-Pierce (@mollytwonames) November 8, 2020


thehuffingtonpost--2020-11-08--Conservative Washington Times Shuts Down Trump Campaign Aide's Literal Fake News

A top aide for President Donald Trump ’ s campaign on Sunday attempted to mock media outlets for projecting Democrat Joe Biden as the winner of the election by tweeting a photo of a Washington Times headline from 2000 that read , “ President Gore.
” Former Vice President Al Gore famously lost the 2000 presidential election after an incredibly tight race in Florida and , ultimately , a Supreme Court decision that shut down a recount .
On election night , news outlets first called Florida for Gore , then Bush , then said the race was too close @ @ @ @ @ @ @ W. Bush that night to concede but then retracted his concession an hour later .
The recount and legal battles would take weeks to unfold , with Gore eventually conceding to Bush that December .
But despite all the chaos surrounding the 2000 election , The Washington Times , a conservative daily newspaper , never published a headline that declared Gore to be president .
Trump campaign communications director Tim Murtaugh on Sunday tweeted two photos : one of the purported Washington Times “ President Gore ” front page and the other of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ front page .
“ Greeting staff at @ TeamTrump HQ this morning , a reminder that the media doesn ’ t select the President , ” Murtaugh wrote in his tweet .
The Washington Times responded : “ Those photos have been doctored .
The Washington Times never ran a ‘ President Gore ’ headline.
” Murtaugh ’ s tweet was deleted later Sunday .
He did not immediately respond to HuffPost ’ s request for comment .
Trump has refused to concede the election to Biden , despite virtually all major media @ @ @ @ @ @ @ morning .
In almost every election cycle , including the 2016 one , media networks have projected the winner of the presidential race before all of the votes are counted and certified ― a process that can take weeks .
Trump ’ s allies on Sunday , including Republican Sens .
Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and Ted Cruz of Texas , have falsely accused the media of essentially undermining the vote-counting process .
It 's hilarious that you 're using literal `` fake news '' to try to fool the people working @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they 're working for you , they might be dumb enough to fall for it.https : //t.co/DrovDSqb0y — Kevin M. Kruse ( @ KevinMKruse ) November 8 , 2020 In addition to what appears to be a fake front page from the Washington Times , it seems the Trump campaign has wallpapered their office kitchen with tweets from the President https : //t.co/XB1Z15DPgP pic.twitter.com/OFo8Of3uVT — DJ Judd ( @ DJJudd ) November 8 , 2020

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A top aide for President Donald Trump’s campaign on Sunday attempted to mock media outlets for projecting Democrat Joe Biden as the winner of the election by tweeting a photo of a Washington Times headline from 2000 that read, “President Gore.”
Former Vice President Al Gore famously lost the 2000 presidential election after an incredibly tight race in Florida and, ultimately, a Supreme Court decision that shut down a recount. On election night, news outlets first called Florida for Gore, then Bush, then said the race was too close to call. Gore had called George W. Bush that night to concede but then retracted his concession an hour later.
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The recount and legal battles would take weeks to unfold, with Gore eventually conceding to Bush that December.
But despite all the chaos surrounding the 2000 election, The Washington Times, a conservative daily newspaper, never published a headline that declared Gore to be president.
Trump campaign communications director Tim Murtaugh on Sunday tweeted two photos: one of the purported Washington Times “President Gore” front page and the other of a room plastered with photos of the front page.
“Greeting staff at @TeamTrump HQ this morning, a reminder that the media doesn’t select the President,” Murtaugh wrote in his tweet.
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Twitter
The Washington Times responded: “Those photos have been doctored. The Washington Times never ran a ‘President Gore’ headline.”
Murtaugh’s tweet was deleted later Sunday. He did not immediately respond to HuffPost’s request for comment.
Trump has refused to concede the election to Biden, despite virtually all major media networks projecting Biden as the winner Saturday morning.
In almost every election cycle, including the 2016 one, media networks have projected the winner of the presidential race before all of the votes are counted and certified ― a process that can take weeks.
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Trump’s allies on Sunday, including Republican Sens. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and Ted Cruz of Texas, have falsely accused the media of essentially undermining the vote-counting process.
Twitter users roasted Murtaugh’s attempt to call out the media:
How it started How it’s going pic.twitter.com/XLJ8CSmJpC — Dave Itzkoff (@ditzkoff) November 8, 2020
team trump powering their election result misinformation campaign on quite literal fake news is *chef's kiss* https://t.co/UeCKNNV6IV — David Mack (@davidmackau) November 8, 2020
It's hilarious that you're using literal "fake news" to try to fool the people working for you, but I suppose if they're working for you, they might be dumb enough to fall for it.https://t.co/DrovDSqb0y — Kevin M. Kruse (@KevinMKruse) November 8, 2020
In addition to what appears to be a fake front page from the Washington Times, it seems the Trump campaign has wallpapered their office kitchen with tweets from the President https://t.co/XB1Z15DPgP pic.twitter.com/OFo8Of3uVT — DJ Judd (@DJJudd) November 8, 2020
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Imagine losing this badly AND getting owned by the ~Washington Times~ pic.twitter.com/UxYGvxPw0s — Adam Smith (@asmith83) November 8, 2020


thehuffingtonpost--2020-11-08--GOP Senator Says It's Time For Trump's Lawyers To 'Present The Facts'

Sen. Roy Blunt ( R-Mo . )
on Sunday said he doesn ’ t expect any election-altering changes in the days ahead but the country should still refrain from celebrating a presidential win by former Vice President Joe Biden until President Donald Trump submits his alleged proof that he won .
Trump , who remains 56 electoral votes short of the 270 needed to win the presidency based on media projections , has repeatedly claimed he won the election and has accused the Democratic Party of “ wrongdoing.
” He has insisted that there are “ valid and legitimate legal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” Blunt , the chair of Congress ’ inauguration committee , said he wants to wait until after the election ’ s results are officially certified before making any declaration .
He reasoned that it will be “ much easier ” for everyone to come together on the election ’ s results if “ everybody feels like we went through a process and everybody was heard .
Every legal vote was counted , every illegal vote was challenged and not counted .
I think that happens pretty quickly.
” Elections are certified after @ @ @ @ @ @ @ issues are resolved .
Each state has its own deadline for certifying its results , with most having to be done by the end of November .
Blunt acknowledged that this process likely won ’ t make any meaningful difference , but stressed that it should still be done before a winner is announced .
“ Seems unlikely that any changes could be big enough to make a difference but this is a close election and we need to acknowledge that , ” he said .
The election was called on Saturday by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ after they determined Biden had won Pennsylvania , giving him the 270 electoral votes needed to win the presidency .
The AP has explained this call is only done when the trailing candidate does not have any possible path to victory .
Pennsylvania Sen. Pat Toomey ( R ) , speaking on CBS News on Sunday , also said the media ’ s projection of Biden as the winner “ is probably correct ” but that Trump and his supporters have a right to request a recount in his state and sort out @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with Biden being ahead of Trump in Pennsylvania by more than 40,000 votes , which prompted “ Face the Nation ” anchor Margaret Brennan to point out “ that a recount really wouldn ’ t just change the math.
” “ Pennsylvania law has an automatic recount , we should follow the law , ” Toomey responded .
“ Now if it comes to a lead that ’ s outside of the automatic recount margin , then Pennsylvania law gives the losing candidate the opportunity to petition for a recount .
The loser @ @ @ @ @ @ @ you ’ re right that recounts very seldom change the outcomes .
I understand that .
But there ’ s nothing wrong with following the process in the law.
” Trump ’ s personal attorney , Rudy Giuliani , said Sunday that his team plans to file four or five lawsuits alleging voter fraud by the end of this week .
One such lawsuit will claim that Trump secured enough votes to claim Pennsylvania ― which gave Biden 20 electoral votes ― alleging that hundreds of thousands of votes cast there were fraudulent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 450,000 definite mail-in ballots that they separated from the envelope , threw the envelope away .
We can never tell if they ’ re valid or not , ” he said on Fox News , appearing to suggest that without the envelope it ’ d be impossible to tell whether the ballots were postmarked by Election Day , as required by law .

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Sen. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) on Sunday said he doesn’t expect any election-altering changes in the days ahead but the country should still refrain from celebrating a presidential win by former Vice President Joe Biden until President Donald Trump submits his alleged proof that he won.
“It’s time for the president’s lawyers to present the facts and then it’s time for those facts to speak for themselves,” he told ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos.
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Trump, who remains 56 electoral votes short of the 270 needed to win the presidency based on media projections, has repeatedly claimed he won the election and has accused the Democratic Party of “wrongdoing.” He has insisted that there are “valid and legitimate legal challenges that could determine the ultimate victor.”
.@GStephanopoulos: “Joe Biden has won this election. Why can’t you acknowledge it?”
“It’s time for the president’s lawyers to present the facts and it’s time for those facts to speak for themselves,” GOP Sen. Roy Blunt as Trump pushes unfounded claims. https://t.co/aN8iz2wqRa pic.twitter.com/0M2GjD3Ak0 — This Week (@ThisWeekABC) November 8, 2020
Blunt, the chair of Congress’ inauguration committee, said he wants to wait until after the election’s results are officially certified before making any declaration. He reasoned that it will be “much easier” for everyone to come together on the election’s results if “everybody feels like we went through a process and everybody was heard. Every legal vote was counted, every illegal vote was challenged and not counted. I think that happens pretty quickly.”
Elections are certified after every vote is counted and outstanding legal issues are resolved. Each state has its own deadline for certifying its results, with most having to be done by the end of November.
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Blunt acknowledged that this process likely won’t make any meaningful difference, but stressed that it should still be done before a winner is announced.
“Seems unlikely that any changes could be big enough to make a difference but this is a close election and we need to acknowledge that,” he said.
The election was called on Saturday by The Associated Press and other media outlets after they determined Biden had won Pennsylvania, giving him the 270 electoral votes needed to win the presidency. The AP has explained this call is only done when the trailing candidate does not have any possible path to victory.
Pennsylvania Sen. Pat Toomey (R), speaking on CBS News on Sunday, also said the media’s projection of Biden as the winner “is probably correct” but that Trump and his supporters have a right to request a recount in his state and sort out any lawsuits. That’s even with Biden being ahead of Trump in Pennsylvania by more than 40,000 votes, which prompted “Face the Nation” anchor Margaret Brennan to point out “that a recount really wouldn’t just change the math.”
“Pennsylvania law has an automatic recount, we should follow the law,” Toomey responded. “Now if it comes to a lead that’s outside of the automatic recount margin, then Pennsylvania law gives the losing candidate the opportunity to petition for a recount. The loser has to pay for it. And you’re right that recounts very seldom change the outcomes. I understand that. But there’s nothing wrong with following the process in the law.”
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Trump’s personal attorney, Rudy Giuliani, said Sunday that his team plans to file four or five lawsuits alleging voter fraud by the end of this week. One such lawsuit will claim that Trump secured enough votes to claim Pennsylvania ― which gave Biden 20 electoral votes ― alleging that hundreds of thousands of votes cast there were fraudulent.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-11-08--George W. Bush Congratulates Biden And Harris, Calls Election 'Fundamentally Fair'

Former President George W. Bush on Sunday congratulated President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris on their victory and said Americans can have confidence that the election was “ fundamentally fair.
” “ I just talked to the President-elect of the United States , Joe Biden , ” Bush said in a statement .
“ I extended my warm congratulations and thanked him for the patriotic message he delivered last night .
I also called Kamala Harris to congratulate her on her historic election to the vice presidency.
” He continued : “ The President-elect reiterated that while he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ govern for all Americans .
I offered him the same thing I offered Presidents Trump and Obama : my prayers for his success , and my pledge to help in any way I can.
” Bush , who did not endorse Trump in 2016 or this year , congratulated Trump and his supporters on a “ hard-fought campaign.
” “ They have spoken , and their voices will continue to be heard through elected Republicans at every level of government , ” Bush said .
Since Election Day , Trump and his allies @ @ @ @ @ @ @ filed lawsuits in several states alleging irregularities in the ballot counting process .
These lawsuits have offered little if any evidence and some of them have already been dismissed by judges .
Trump has refused to concede the election , even after Biden delivered a victory speech and U.S. lawmakers and world leaders congratulated him .
“ The fact that so many of our fellow citizens participated in this election is a positive sign of the health of our democracy and a reminder to the world of its strength , ” Bush said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ how you voted , your vote counted.
” “ President Trump has the right to request recounts and pursue legal challenges , and any unresolved issues will be properly adjudicated , ” he added .
“ The American people can have confidence that this election was fundamentally fair , its integrity will be upheld , and its outcome is clear.
” NEW : George W. Bush today spoke President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris .
`` Though we have political differences , I know Joe Biden to be a good man @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lead and unify our country , ” the former Republican president says .
pic.twitter.com/V5M8VUabqW — Matt Viser ( @ mviser ) November 8 , 2020

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Former President George W. Bush on Sunday congratulated President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris on their victory and said Americans can have confidence that the election was “fundamentally fair.”
Bush, a two-term Republican president, called Biden a “good man” despite their “political differences.”
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“I just talked to the President-elect of the United States, Joe Biden,” Bush said in a statement. “I extended my warm congratulations and thanked him for the patriotic message he delivered last night. I also called Kamala Harris to congratulate her on her historic election to the vice presidency.”
He continued: “The President-elect reiterated that while he ran as a Democrat, he will govern for all Americans. I offered him the same thing I offered Presidents Trump and Obama: my prayers for his success, and my pledge to help in any way I can.”
Bush, who did not endorse Trump in 2016 or this year, congratulated Trump and his supporters on a “hard-fought campaign.”
“They have spoken, and their voices will continue to be heard through elected Republicans at every level of government,” Bush said.
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Since Election Day, Trump and his allies have peddled baseless voter fraud claims and filed lawsuits in several states alleging irregularities in the ballot counting process. These lawsuits have offered little if any evidence and some of them have already been dismissed by judges.
Trump has refused to concede the election, even after Biden delivered a victory speech and U.S. lawmakers and world leaders congratulated him.
Bush on Sunday declared the election “fundamentally fair” and ensured Americans their votes counted.
“The fact that so many of our fellow citizens participated in this election is a positive sign of the health of our democracy and a reminder to the world of its strength,” Bush said in his statement. “No matter how you voted, your vote counted.”
“President Trump has the right to request recounts and pursue legal challenges, and any unresolved issues will be properly adjudicated,” he added. “The American people can have confidence that this election was fundamentally fair, its integrity will be upheld, and its outcome is clear.”
NEW: George W. Bush today spoke President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris.
"Though we have political differences, I know Joe Biden to be a good man, who has won his opportunity to lead and unify our country,” the former Republican president says. pic.twitter.com/V5M8VUabqW — Matt Viser (@mviser) November 8, 2020


thehuffingtonpost--2020-11-08--Why Trump Voters Used The Economy As An Excuse To Vote For Him

Economic output is lower than it was last year .
One in 10 Americans said they aren ’ t getting enough to eat , up substantially from last year .
An eviction crisis is on the horizon .
With coronavirus infection rates continuing to rise , there are signs that the improvements we ’ ve seen in economy could slow or even reverse .
Last week , 1.1 million Americans filed for unemployment .
The Black unemployment rate is still in the double digits In fact , 82 % of Trump voters said the economy was the issue that mattered @ @ @ @ @ @ @ exit poll data from The New York Times .
And 8 in 10 Trump supporters cited the economy and jobs as their top motivator in deciding who to vote for , based on a large AP VoteCast survey of more than 100,000 voters conducted in the days before and on Election Day .
More than 4 in 10 survey respondents told the Associated Press that they believed the economy was in good shape , and they overwhelmingly voted for Trump .
The Black unemployment rate in October was 10.8 % .
For Black @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not that far off from the sky-high overall unemployment rate of 14.7 % in April .
( Meanwhile , the unemployment rate for white men now , 5.8 % , is just about half what it is for Black men . )
Black and Hispanic women are also facing high unemployment numbers .
It ’ s not just jobs .
By almost every measure — food insecurity , housing worries , economic pain — people of color are doing worse right now and haven ’ t recovered as quickly as white Americans , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of women have had to drop out of the workforce , in part because of child care issues that have cropped up during the pandemic and because women-dominated industries have been hit hard in the downturn .
Coronavirus mortality rates among Black Americans are two to three times as high as they are for white Americans .
Darity is a pioneer in the study of stratification economics , which looks at the way racial anxiety and economic anxiety are intertwined .
His research and the work of other economists and social scientists have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ re doing financially by not only comparing themselves to their peers , but to other groups .
Studies on well-being have turned up similar results .
Trump Voters Simply Don ’ t Blame Him For The COVID-19 Economy The three Trump voters who spoke with HuffPost for this story did not want to talk about race .
One accused this reporter of race-baiting when she asked what he made of the relatively high Black unemployment rate .
He said he believed in colorblindness .
Another said he did not see Trump as racist @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are doing very poorly across the board , [ Republicans have ] been able to sell the idea that tax cuts and deregulation are going to be good for the economy , when if you look at what ’ s going on in the world , that hasn ’ t done a whole lot for regular people , ” Hanks said .

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Donald Trump will leave office with the economy considerably worse off compared to where it was when he was elected four years ago.
The unemployment rate hit 6.9% in October, down from record double-digits in April, the Labor Department announced Friday. This is an improvement, but when Trump was inaugurated in 2017, it was 4.8%. The jobless rate is now basically what it was right before Barack Obama took office in the middle of a financial crisis.
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Economic output is lower than it was last year. One in 10 Americans said they aren’t getting enough to eat, up substantially from last year. An eviction crisis is on the horizon. With coronavirus infection rates continuing to rise, there are signs that the improvements we’ve seen in economy could slow or even reverse. Last week, 1.1 million Americans filed for unemployment. The Black unemployment rate is still in the double digits
President Donald Trump speaks at an election event in the East Room at the White House on Wednesday, Nov. 4, in Washington, D.C. Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post via Getty Images
And yet, despite all of that, a lot of Trump voters believe the economy is OK, maybe even better than OK.
In fact, 82% of Trump voters said the economy was the issue that mattered most to them, according to preliminary exit poll data from The New York Times. And 8 in 10 Trump supporters cited the economy and jobs as their top motivator in deciding who to vote for, based on a large AP VoteCast survey of more than 100,000 voters conducted in the days before and on Election Day. More than 4 in 10 survey respondents told the Associated Press that they believed the economy was in good shape, and they overwhelmingly voted for Trump.
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What gives?
It turns out explaining this apparent contradiction involves untangling a web that doesn’t have much to do with the objective state of something called “the economy,” but is more likely intertwined with racial resentment, partisan bias and a tendency to believe that the economic crisis sparked by COVID-19 isn’t the president’s fault.
Let’s Start With Race
The economic picture for white people in this downturn, particularly white men, is a lot better than it is for any other group, said Olugbenga Ajilore, an economist at the Center for American Progress.
This relative superiority of status is likely key to understanding how Trump voters, a majority of whom are white, can think the economy is in decent shape.
The Black unemployment rate in October was 10.8%. For Black men, it was 11.5%, not that far off from the sky-high overall unemployment rate of 14.7% in April. (Meanwhile, the unemployment rate for white men now, 5.8%, is just about half what it is for Black men.) Black and Hispanic women are also facing high unemployment numbers.
This recovery for white men is one reason Congress hasn’t enacted another stimulus package, Ajilore said. High rates of Black unemployment simply are not viewed as a crisis in the United States.
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“It’s a mentality that permeates,” he told HuffPost. “We have double-digit unemployment for white people, we need stimulus. Then it drops below 10% and they say, ‘Our job is done. The market works.’”
It’s not just jobs. By almost every measure — food insecurity, housing worries, economic pain — people of color are doing worse right now and haven’t recovered as quickly as white Americans, particularly white men. Hundreds of thousands of women have had to drop out of the workforce, in part because of child care issues that have cropped up during the pandemic and because women-dominated industries have been hit hard in the downturn. Coronavirus mortality rates among Black Americans are two to three times as high as they are for white Americans.
The relative well-being of white men compared to all other groups was likely a factor in support for Trump, said William Darity Jr., a professor of economics, public policy and African American studies at Duke University.
“It may be that the coronavirus crisis suggests to [Trump voters] that things are returning to the proper order in terms of Black people’s relative position,” he said.
A man wearing a Confederate flag-themed sweatshirt walks with his children while queuing before President Donald Trump holds a rally on Oct. 26 in Lititz, Pennsylvania. Mark Makela via Getty Images
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Darity is a pioneer in the study of stratification economics, which looks at the way racial anxiety and economic anxiety are intertwined. His research and the work of other economists and social scientists have shown that people judge how they’re doing financially by not only comparing themselves to their peers, but to other groups. Studies on well-being have turned up similar results.
It’s not just a phenomenon between Black and white people in the United States. This plays out across the globe, Darity said. For example, it’s present in the anti-immigrant rhetoric adopted by many Trump voters, who believe newcomers to the country are taking away their jobs.
Throughout history, economic and racial anxiety among white Americans has been centered on the comparison with Black Americans. Over the last several years, that anxiety has only gotten worse.
Large numbers of white Americans believe they’ve lost status relative to Black Americans, Darity said, pointing to research he published last year alongside economists and epidemiologists in the journal Population Health.
(In reality, white people haven’t actually lost relative status. If you look at the white-Black wealth gap and other measures, Black Americans are still facing far worse financial and health conditions than white Americans — and this was true even before the pandemic.)
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“Whites see Trump as an agent of restoring their status,” Darity said. “That’s what ‘Make America Great Again’ is all about.”
“I was convinced that you could’ve explained the 2016 election using stratification economics quite easily,” he added. “But it’s only [recently] that people are starting to take this frame seriously.”
Trump Voters Simply Don’t Blame Him For The COVID-19 Economy
The three Trump voters who spoke with HuffPost for this story did not want to talk about race. One accused this reporter of race-baiting when she asked what he made of the relatively high Black unemployment rate. He said he believed in colorblindness. Another said he did not see Trump as racist at all.
All of them emphasized that prior to the pandemic, the economy was doing great and the Black unemployment rate was at a record low (something Trump himself has boasted about). While it’s true that the Black unemployment rate reached an all-time low during Trump’s administration, it was still much higher than the white unemployment rate.
“His economic policies have produced tremendous benefit for all of us,” said Michael Mulhall, a 56-year-old financial consultant who voted for Trump. Mulhall, who describes himself as upper-middle class and white, just moved from New York to Richmond, Virginia, area to be near family. He cited Trump’s tax cuts as one such policy.
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Mulhall said he’s been lucky during the COVID-19 crisis. Though a lot of his clients pulled back, he was able to find alternative work. And he argued that the downturn wasn’t the president’s fault.
“There was the economy before COVID-19 and after,” he said. “I think most people were pleased with the economy. They weren’t concerned about it.”
“Generally speaking, I liked the tax cuts,” said Anthony Constantini, a white 26-year-old from the Philadelphia suburbs who is now studying in Vienna. “I liked the executive order where for every new regulation, two had to be cut.”
Constantini has been a Republican for several years. He worked for the National Republican Senatorial Committee in 2016, though he’s no longer affiliated with it, he said.
When asked, Constantini didn’t mention a specific regulation that Trump cut, but emphasized that the principle of cutting regulations was important.
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“No one is going to tell a pollster they voted for racism or that they would characterize it that way.” - Angela Hanks, deputy executive director at Groundwork Collaborative
He acknowledged that Trump could be racist and sexist, but it didn’t change his vote in the end.
“Those individual things he did were not good, but on a wider scale the policies he put into place would help more people,” he said.
Most economists have said that the economy cannot recover fully until the pandemic is contained — that the issues are intertwined.
But Mulhall and other Trump voters said they think the president has done a decent job handling the public health crisis. They all cited Trump’s decision to halt travel from China, and Constantini pointed out that other countries, including those in Europe, where he is now, are having similar problems with a third wave.
Trump Voters Just Needed A Reason
Finally, partisanship cannot be overlooked here. Trump voters want to support their candidate.
“If you supported him before and you want to support him again, the economy might be a reason because partisanship plays such a deep role, it’s hard to escape that,” said Angela Hanks, the deputy executive director at Groundwork Collaborative, a progressive economic group. “I think Trump support may be shaped by economic reasons, but there are other things people are less likely to say.”
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For instance, they’re certainly not going to talk about race.
“No one is going to tell a pollster they voted for racism or that they would characterize it that way,” she said.
The GOP also tends to be seen as the party of economic competence, despite the fact that Republican presidents have presided over the last two economic crashes.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-11-08--How Joe Biden Navigated Pandemic Politics To Win The White House

President-elect Joe Biden speaks Saturday, Nov. 7, 2020, in Wilmington, Del. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik) ASSOCIATED PRESS
WILMINGTON, Del. (AP) — Joe Biden was fresh off winning the Michigan primary and effectively capturing the Democratic presidential nomination, a prize he’d sought for the better part of three decades. Instead of plotting a strategy to build momentum, he was contemplating an abrupt halt.
He gathered his senior team in a conference room on the 19th floor of his campaign’s Philadelphia headquarters, the type of in-person meeting that would soon be deemed a public health risk. A former surgeon general and Food and Drug Administration commissioner joined on speakerphone.
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As the coronavirus began to explode across the United States that March, Biden asked a question that would ultimately guide the campaign’s thinking for months: “What should I be modeling?”
The health experts recommended the 77-year-old Biden step away from campaigning as soon as possible, both for his safety and that of staff and supporters. Biden agreed. He decided that he and every staff member would work from home starting that weekend. All field offices would be closed.
He wouldn’t return to in-person campaigning for 174 days.
Scroll down or click here for updates from HuffPost’s election live blog.
It was a decision without precedent in modern American politics. Barack Obama and John McCain returned to Washington in the final weeks of the 2008 campaign to respond to that year’s financial collapse, but only briefly. In an era when voters are accustomed to seeing their presidential candidates constantly, the idea of a complete withdrawal was unthinkable.
That was especially true for Biden, whose tactile approach to politics is legendary.
“It was a hard call,” said Jake Sullivan, a senior Biden adviser. “If there’s no pandemic, he gets a chance to get out and do what he does, which is retail campaigning, meeting people where they are, having the opportunity to sit with folks and speak to crowds and walk down the street. That’s what he would have preferred, obviously.”
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President-elect Joe Biden, right, on stage with Vice President-elect Kamala Harris, left, Saturday, Nov. 7, 2020, in Wilmington, Del. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, Pool) ASSOCIATED PRESS
For Biden, who has been elected the 46th president of the United States, perhaps no decision was more consequential to his victory, making it possible to flip states such as Arizona and Wisconsin, where coronavirus infections and hospitalizations spiked the week of the election. Still, the cautious approach prompted ridicule from President Donald Trump, who constantly teased Biden for “hiding in his basement” and returned to large in-person events much sooner than his rival, and with far fewer precautions.
Some Democrats also worried. Several state party chairs and down-ballot candidates privately urged the campaign to resume in-person events and canvassing. Texas Democratic Chairman Gilberto Hinojosa warned that Latino turnout could suffer. The lack of personal outreach has been blamed for contributing to Biden’s poor showing with Latinos in Florida, a battleground that Trump carried.
But Biden refused to change course, defining himself early on as a responsible foil to Trump, someone who could make difficult choices and serve as something of a role model to a country facing a historic set of crises.
It was a theme Biden would return to repeatedly in the months ahead as millions of people lost their jobs, the largest protest movement since the civil rights era bloomed in response to police killings of Black people, and Trump threatened central elements of American democracy by refusing to commit to a peaceful transfer of power if he lost.
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This account of Biden’s rise to the presidency is based on interviews with more than a dozen people who hold senior positions in the Biden and Trump campaigns along with strategists and donors in each party. Many spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the turbulent campaign with candor.
They all agree on one thing: The coronavirus fundamentally reshaped the race.
Democratic presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden holds his face mask after speaking at a rally at the Minnesota State Fairgrounds in St. Paul, Minn., Friday, Oct. 30, 2020. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik) ASSOCIATED PRESS
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In the early hours of Friday, Oct. 2, a senior official at the Republican National Committee texted a colleague with a dire message about the fate of Trump’s campaign: It was hopeless.
The president had just announced that he and his wife, Melania, had tested positive for the coronavirus, joining the 7 million Americans already infected. By the end of the day, Trump would be taken to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on Marine One, the short helicopter ride over the Washington skyline captured on live television.
Trump’s illness presented serious medical concerns and raised alarm about the stability of the U.S. government. At 74, Trump was at a higher risk of serious complications from the virus. He refused to temporarily cede power to Vice President Mike Pence as he recovered.
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“I talked to him that night. I talked to him the whole hospitalization,” said GOP Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, one of Trump’s closest allies in Washington. “Friday night, he wasn’t feeling good.”
Trump’s infection was both a stunning twist and entirely predictable. He’d been cavalier about the virus for months, painting Democrats as reactionaries using the pandemic to take away individual rights. He mocked mask-wearing recommendations from scientists and returned to his trademark rallies, packing thousands of mostly unmasked supporters together, sometimes over the objection of local health officials.
He held large-scale events on the South Lawn of the White House, including the introduction of Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett less than a week before his diagnosis.
In this Nov. 2, 2020, file photo President Donald Trump speaks during a campaign rally at Kenosha Regional Airport, Monday, Nov. 2, 2020, in Kenosha, Wis. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File) ASSOCIATED PRESS
Perhaps the biggest surprise was that Trump hadn’t contracted the virus sooner.
After three nights in the hospital, Trump, who was still infectious, staged a dramatic return to the White House. Just in time for the evening newscasts on the major networks, the former reality television star climbed the South Portico steps, turned to the cameras and removed his mask to declare “I feel good.” He entered the White House, where aides were visible milling about the Blue Room, without wearing a face covering.
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The move, less than a month before Election Day, was designed to show a president in control. It also threatened his relationship with the official wing of his party. On Capitol Hill, Republicans maintained their public support of Trump, eager to avoid enraged tweets that could threaten their political futures.
But at the RNC, frustration was building that Trump was missing obvious opportunities.
Party officials believed Trump could have been on track to win as much as 60% of the vote had he taken a more empathetic approach to the pandemic. Instead, he adopted a combative and dismissive attitude toward the science that guided most of his decisions in the election’s final weeks.
The party questioned Trump’s spending and messaging. The campaign spent untold millions on aggressive ads resembling WWE commercials blanketing TV, but none of them moved the needle. The ads were in many instances approved by Trump personally and aired on stations in Washington, targeted to an audience of one — the president — in a heavily Democratic city.
By early October, the RNC had had enough of the Trump campaign’s scattered message and decided to produce its own advertisements offering a more sober message on health care. The message tested better than anything the Trump campaign had done previously.
Despite their public confidence, Trump’s own staff seemed increasingly aware of the impending loss. In the final weeks of the campaign, White House staff offices began rotating in aides who had not yet been on Air Force One or not as frequently as others, to give them that experience while they still had the chance.
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Trump himself was grappling with his fate in public.
“How the hell can we be tied?” he said at a rally in Carson City, Nevada.
In this Sept. 3, 2020, file photo Democratic presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden speaks during a community event at Grace Lutheran Church in Kenosha Wis. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster, File) ASSOCIATED PRESS
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Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders knew his White House ambitions were over. Biden assumed a commanding lead in the Democratic primary by late March and the pandemic dashed any hopes of a comeback — or even a spirited exchange of ideas that could last until the summer convention.
But before he exited the race, the progressive icon wanted significant policy concessions on health care and education.
Sanders knew that Biden wouldn’t agree to support “Medicare for All.” The former vice president had aggressively run against it during in the primary. But Sanders believed he could get Biden to agree to lower the age for Medicare eligibility.
Sanders wanted Biden to drop the age to 55 from the current 65. Senior staff from both sides hammered out a compromise, which was later sealed during a private conversation between Sanders and Biden. A few days after Sanders formally stepped aside, Biden announced that he supported lowering the Medicare age to 60.
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“Based on the calls that the senator had with the vice president, I think there was confidence they were serious about trying to have common ground — that progressives would not only be involved in the electoral process but also governing,” said Jeff Weaver, Sanders’ chief adviser.
For many Democrats, the scars of Sanders’ 2016 primary battle against Hillary Clinton had never really healed. Some argued Sanders didn’t do enough to support Clinton, damaging her in the general election against Trump. Progressives countered that the party didn’t take Sanders seriously and worked to thwart him.
Biden’s Medicare concession was an important step in building trust between the wings of the party. The relationship was further solidified after Biden agreed to form several policy committees that featured high-profile figures from opposing factions.
Among the participants on Biden’s climate committee: former Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts and New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, one of Sanders’ most vocal supporters. Biden didn’t issue the invitation to Ocasio-Cortez personally, but was fully on board with bringing her onto the panel.
She’d go on to become a consistent advocate for the 77-year-old establishment figure’s election, a stark contrast to the 2016 dynamics Clinton faced from the left flank.
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In this March 15, 2020, file photo, former Vice President Joe Biden, left, and Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., right, greet one another before they participate in a Democratic presidential primary debate at CNN Studios in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File) ASSOCIATED PRESS
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Trump suddenly had an opportunity to divert attention from the pandemic.
A round of sometimes violent unrest exploded in Kenosha, Wisconsin, following the police shooting of Jacob Blake, an unarmed Black man, in August.
Some large cities contended with isolated instances of unrest during the summer as part of a broader movement against racial injustice and police violence toward Black Americans. But the events in Kenosha seemed different: The unrest was spreading to smaller cities and in a premier swing state, no less.
Trump had been roundly criticized after mostly peaceful protesters were forcibly removed from a street near the White House in June. But Kenosha fueled his call for “law and order,” the mantra championed by presidential candidates Richard Nixon and George Wallace in 1968.
Biden’s team worried that his consistent lead in critical Upper Midwest states could deteriorate if Trump’s appeal to the fears of white voters resonated. The focus on Kenosha peaked just as Trump hosted the Republican National Convention, drawing fairly positive reviews for delivering a program aimed at expanding his political coalition.
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“It was a moment that could have gone sideways,” said Biden deputy campaign manager Kate Bedingfield. “We made a strategic decision to take it head-on.”
On the very day he returned to campaigning after nearly six months at home, Biden delivered a fiery speech in Pennsylvania asking voters if they really believed they were safer under Trump’s leadership.
Biden highlighted the pandemic’s mounting death toll — more than 180,000 Americans at that time — and blamed Trump for causing the divisions that ignited the unrest in the first place.
“He can’t stop the violence because for years he’s fomented it,” Biden charged.
The direct attack on Trump’s “law and order” messaging was amplified by Democrats across the country who followed Biden’s lead. Within a matter of weeks, any momentum that Trump seemed to have coming out of his convention was forgotten.
In this Sept. 1, 2020, file photo journalists sit in socially-distant circles as Democratic presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden speaks after participating in a coronavirus vaccine briefing with public health experts in Wilmington, Del. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky, File) ASSOCIATED PRESS
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“That was embarrassing for the country.”
Immediately after his first presidential debate against Trump, Biden shared his disgust about his opponent’s performance with family and senior staff in a hold room backstage where they dissected the most chaotic 90 minutes in modern presidential politics.
Biden long believed that the opening debate on Sept. 29 could be an opportunity for Trump to reshape the race, and Biden prepared accordingly. Biden and his team spent weeks getting ready.
No one was more meticulous than senior adviser Bob Bauer, a White House counsel under Obama who had played Sanders during Biden’s primary debate practice sessions and agreed to embrace the role of Trump.
Like a football coach preparing for a Super Bowl opponent, Bauer watched hundreds of hours of tape on Trump, studying every primary and debate performance from his 2016 campaign, and virtually every rally and news conference in the four years since.
By the time Bauer and Biden stood behind makeshift podiums for their first full 90-minute mock debate inside Biden’s home in Wilmington, Delaware, Bauer had mastered the president’s style, his intonations, gestures and, perhaps most important, the specific attacks Trump was most likely to use and how he would deliver them.
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Bauer was ruthless in the private sessions, leaning into deeply personal attacks about Biden’s family, his decision to step away from campaigning and the perception that he may not have the physical or mental strength to serve as president.
Yet no amount of preparation could truly prepare Biden for what he faced when the real moment came.
With more than 73 million people watching, a belligerent Trump badgered Biden and moderator Chris Wallace with a ceaseless flood of interruptions that rendered the high-profile debate almost unwatchable. Biden didn’t have any notable stumbles, but he lost his patience at times and slapped at Trump with unplanned insults.
“Will you shut up, man?” the Democrat said at one point.
The line would later inspire one of the campaign’s bestselling T-shirts.
In the hold room afterward, Biden gathered with his wife, his sister Valerie Biden Owens and a couple of senior aides. They believed Biden had clearly bested his opponent, but he was concerned that Trump had debased the debate process itself, something he considered a sacred institution in U.S. politics.
“It’s disappointing that the president of the United States would act like that on the debate stage,” Biden told them.
President Donald Trump and Democratic presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden during the first presidential debate Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2020, at Case Western University and Cleveland Clinic, in Cleveland, Ohio. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez) ASSOCIATED PRESS
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In the end, nothing Trump could say or do distracted voters from his fundamental inability to control the pandemic — or even take it seriously as the death toll surged past 232,000 Americans on the eve of the election.
As Biden stayed laser-focused on the health threat, Trump and his top lieutenants fought to convince Americans that the pandemic was almost over. Five days before Election Day, Donald Trump Jr. said on Fox News that coronavirus deaths had dropped to “almost nothing.”
That same day, the United States reported more than 90,000 new confirmed COVID-19 infections, another single-day record. The day after Election Day, more than 100,000 Americans tested positive for the first time.
Still, the president kept on mocking Biden’s cautiousness.
“When you’re president of the United States, you can’t lock yourself into a basement,” Trump told thousands of Pennsylvania supporters crammed into an outdoor venue, most without masks, the weekend before the election.
Despite the large crowds, people close to Trump were aware that his presidency was hanging by a thread.
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The president boarded Air Force One in Miami to start his final day of travel seemingly in a bad mood. Holding a red MAGA hat, he offered a soft wave to reporters but didn’t do a customary wave for cameras at the top of the steps.
At the first of five events that day, he wasn’t showing much confidence when asked about Wisconsin, where coronavirus spiked to a new record high on Election Day: “I could lose it, I could win it,” Trump said.
Biden, too, was on edge as he watched election returns at home in Wilmington that initially showed a much closer race than pre-election polls had suggested. But he became increasingly confident as the vote counting stretched into the weekend.
He was sitting in his backyard with his wife enjoying an unseasonably warm Saturday afternoon when the excited screams of his grandchildren from inside the house confirmed his victory.
In the end, the president-elect earned more than 74 million votes, setting a record and besting Trump by more than 4 million votes nationally. He won by flipping states Trump previously carried in the Midwest and the Southwest and he was even narrowly ahead in Georgia, a Deep South state no Democrat had claimed in nearly three decades.
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Trump pledged to fight the results, making wild and unsubstantiated claims of voter fraud. But his inner circle was in disarray as news emerged that his chief of staff had been infected with the coronavirus.
Biden was committed as ever to his health experts’ recommendations even in victory. He addressed the nation Saturday night from an outdoor stage in a Wilmington parking lot facing supporters gathered in their cars for a drive-in celebration.
Biden walked on stage for the first time as president-elect wearing a mask.
“Our work begins with getting COVID under control,” he said. He later added: “We will lead not only by the example of our power, but by the power of our example.”
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Peoples reported from New York, Miller reported from Washington and Kinnard from Columbia, South Carolina. Associated Press writers Jill Colvin, Brian Slodysko, Jonathan Lemire and Alexandra Jaffe in Washington contributed to this report.
Read live updates on the election below. (Note: An ad blocker may prevent you from seeing the blog, so if you’re using one, please pause or turn it off.)


thehuffingtonpost--2020-11-08--Progressives Had Some Success In 2020, But They're Getting Blamed For House Losses

After dominating the national conversation for much of the Democratic presidential primary season and ousting entrenched Democratic incumbents Reps. Lacy Clay in Missouri and Eliot Engel in New York , progressives were hoping to prove to Democratic leadership that their message works politically — not only in blue strongholds , but also in swing districts .
In a call with the House Democratic caucus Thursday , Rep. Abigail Spanberger ( D-Va. ) , went off .
Spanberger unseated a conservative Republican in 2018 ; this time around , she came dangerously close to losing her race in the suburbs of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ colleagues for opening Democrats up to attacks about “ socialism ” and wanting to “ defund the police ” — a rallying cry of the Black Lives Matter movement .
“ We need to not ever use the word ‘ socialist ’ or ‘ socialism ’ ever again , ” Spanberger said on the call , audio of which was leaked to the press .
“ We lost good members because of that.
” The criticisms stem from a deeper fissure in the party that ’ s been magnified by the cohort of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2018 to deliver Democrats the House majority .
For two years , Democratic leadership has catered to the moderate wing of the party in order to preserve control of the chamber ; House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has repeatedly made it clear that she sees the progressive voices in her caucus as a minority in the party .
Several moderate and conservative Democratic incumbents like freshman Reps. Joe Cunningham ( S.C. ) , Kendra Horn ( Okla. ) and Abby Finkenauer ( Iowa ) , and 30-year House veteran Collin Peterson ( Minn. ) @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have already picked up six seats that were held by centrist Democrats , mostly in districts Trump won in 2016 .
They also flipped two seats in South Florida , in parts of the state Hillary Clinton had won .
Kara Eastman , a fervent supporter of Medicare For All and a Green New Deal who was backed by groups like Justice Democrats and the Sunrise Movement , significantly underperformed Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden in Nebraska ’ s 2nd District .
Biden won the district and Eastman lost by a bigger margin @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in 2018 .
In upstate New York , Dana Balter , who had the support of local Sanders-aligned groups , is also projected to lose , though she has yet to concede , given the state ’ s slow process of counting mail-in ballots .
In Texas , Julie Oliver and Mike Siegel ran on unabashedly leftist agendas in the suburbs , and also came up short .
Progressives ’ explanation for what happened with these candidates is largely that it was a bad year for Democrats in House races , and campaigning @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Weber conceded that progressives should reevaluate how candidates are running , because their proposals are clearly popular : Floridians overwhelmingly voted to raise the minimum wage to $ 15 , despite voting out several House Democrats and again giving Trump the state .
Several states legalized recreational marijuana .
Coloradans voted for a statewide family leave program .
“ The whole ‘ progressivism is bad ’ argument just doesn ’ t have any compelling evidence that I ’ ve seen , ” Ocasio Cortez said .
“ When it comes to ‘ Defund @ @ @ @ @ @ @ people need to realize these are racial resentment attacks .
You ’ re not gon na make that go away .
You can make it less effective.
” We are going to keep mounting primary challenges against people who are spending more time on pointing fingers than what they are doing to actually make progress with their colleagues .
“ The fact that Trump had more coattails than Biden , the fact that we lost seats ... when we won the presidency , is not the fault of the left , ” Rebecca @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ Democrats and Republicans are both getting blamed for the economy .
Republicans killed any relief to the American people and the American people never got that message and that is the fault of Democratic leadership.
” All told , progressives will have expanded their leverage in what is shaping up to be a smaller House majority .
As moderate members lost their races to Republicans , progressive primary wins in safe Democratic districts will bring a new class of young left-leaning members to the House , like Cori Bush ( Mo @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ) , Marie Newman ( Ill. ) and Jamaal Bowman ( N.Y. ) .
And more progressive voters — young voters — influenced Biden ’ s wins in states like Arizona and Wisconsin .
“ What it is going to do is continue to incense progressive activists and progressive leaders , ” Weber said .
“ We are going to keep getting angry and we are going to keep mounting primary challenges against people who are spending more time on pointing fingers than what they are doing to actually make progress with their @ @ @

LOADING ERROR LOADING
Once again, progressives are having to defend themselves in their own party.
After dominating the national conversation for much of the Democratic presidential primary season and ousting entrenched Democratic incumbents Reps. Lacy Clay in Missouri and Eliot Engel in New York, progressives were hoping to prove to Democratic leadership that their message works politically — not only in blue strongholds, but also in swing districts.
But when Democrats saw losses in close House races across the country, some in the party’s moderate faction erupted in anger against their progressive colleagues.
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In a call with the House Democratic caucus Thursday, Rep. Abigail Spanberger (D-Va.), went off. Spanberger unseated a conservative Republican in 2018; this time around, she came dangerously close to losing her race in the suburbs of Richmond, Virginia. She chided progressive colleagues for opening Democrats up to attacks about “socialism” and wanting to “defund the police” — a rallying cry of the Black Lives Matter movement.
“We need to not ever use the word ‘socialist’ or ‘socialism’ ever again,” Spanberger said on the call, audio of which was leaked to the press. “We lost good members because of that.”
The criticisms stem from a deeper fissure in the party that’s been magnified by the cohort of centrist Democrats who won conservative-leaning districts in 2018 to deliver Democrats the House majority. For two years, Democratic leadership has catered to the moderate wing of the party in order to preserve control of the chamber; House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has repeatedly made it clear that she sees the progressive voices in her caucus as a minority in the party.
Republicans seized on figures like Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (N.Y.) and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) to paint Democrats as extreme radicals — which is a version of GOP attacks that have been used against liberals, including Pelosi, for decades.
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Several moderate and conservative Democratic incumbents like freshman Reps. Joe Cunningham (S.C.), Kendra Horn (Okla.) and Abby Finkenauer (Iowa), and 30-year House veteran Collin Peterson (Minn.) lost their races this year. Republicans have already picked up six seats that were held by centrist Democrats, mostly in districts Trump won in 2016. They also flipped two seats in South Florida, in parts of the state Hillary Clinton had won.
Sitting progressive members — Reps. Jared Golden (Maine), Ann Kirkpatrick (Ariz.), Mike Levin (Calif.) and Katie Porter (Calif.) — won reelection in Republican-leaning districts.
Democratic House candidate for Nebraska's 2nd District Kara Eastman, a progressive, lost her race against incumbent Republican Rep. Don Bacon, underperforming Joe Biden. ASSOCIATED PRESS
But this election was a mixed bag for progressive candidates. Many of the new faces on the left who were up against incumbent Republicans lost.
Kara Eastman, a fervent supporter of Medicare For All and a Green New Deal who was backed by groups like Justice Democrats and the Sunrise Movement, significantly underperformed Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden in Nebraska’s 2nd District. Biden won the district and Eastman lost by a bigger margin than her first run for the seat in 2018.
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In upstate New York, Dana Balter, who had the support of local Sanders-aligned groups, is also projected to lose, though she has yet to concede, given the state’s slow process of counting mail-in ballots. In Texas, Julie Oliver and Mike Siegel ran on unabashedly leftist agendas in the suburbs, and also came up short.
“This is definitely not the result we hoped for,” said Evan Weber, the political director for Sunrise Movement, the youth-led climate action organization that had a significant presence in this election cycle with its mass digital organizing operations.
The Democratic Party ultimately backed all these candidates, although in some races, like Siegel’s, the support came later.
Progressives’ explanation for what happened with these candidates is largely that it was a bad year for Democrats in House races, and campaigning was limited with the ongoing pandemic. Weber conceded that progressives should reevaluate how candidates are running, because their proposals are clearly popular: Floridians overwhelmingly voted to raise the minimum wage to $15, despite voting out several House Democrats and again giving Trump the state. Several states legalized recreational marijuana. Coloradans voted for a statewide family leave program.
“Our issues are winning; our candidates and campaigns are not,” Weber said.
California’s Prop 22, which gave companies like Uber and Lyft exemptions from labor laws, was an exception. After a $185 million campaign funded by gig-economy giants, Californians voted to weaken labor protections for contract workers.
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Progressives balked at the notion that they are to blame for moderate candidates’ losses.
On Friday, Ocasio-Cortez, a self-proclaimed democratic socialist, tweeted that some of the losing candidates failed to do the necessary digital and in-person organizing to win.
“The whole ‘progressivism is bad’ argument just doesn’t have any compelling evidence that I’ve seen,” Ocasio Cortez said. “When it comes to ‘Defund’ & ‘Socialism’ attacks, people need to realize these are racial resentment attacks. You’re not gonna make that go away. You can make it less effective.”
And several progressive leaders pointed out that Democrats’ message wasn’t specific enough.
“We are going to keep mounting primary challenges against people who are spending more time on pointing fingers than what they are doing to actually make progress with their colleagues.” - Evan Weber, Sunrise Movement political director
“The fact that Trump had more coattails than Biden, the fact that we lost seats...when we won the presidency, is not the fault of the left,” Rebecca Katz, a progressive strategist, said. “Democrats and Republicans are both getting blamed for the economy. Republicans killed any relief to the American people and the American people never got that message and that is the fault of Democratic leadership.”
All told, progressives will have expanded their leverage in what is shaping up to be a smaller House majority. As moderate members lost their races to Republicans, progressive primary wins in safe Democratic districts will bring a new class of young left-leaning members to the House, like Cori Bush (Mo.), Mondaire Jones (N.Y.), Marie Newman (Ill.) and Jamaal Bowman (N.Y.). And more progressive voters — young voters — influenced Biden’s wins in states like Arizona and Wisconsin.
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thehuffingtonpost--2020-11-08--Hamburglar Stars In Prank Calls To Trump's Voter Fraud Hotline

A hotline set up by President Donald Trump ’ s campaign to gather any dirt on baseless charges of voter fraud has been flooded with prank calls by people making up tall tales or laughing uproariously , ABC News reported Saturday .
Alex Hirsch , creator of the “ Gravity Falls ” cartoon , called Friday to report a suspicious character sounding very much like McDonald ’ s Hamburglar stealing votes .
Or maybe it was “ antifa , ” Hirsch suggested .
He asked to speak to Trump ’ s personal attorney , Rudy Giuliani , before the staffer @ @ @ @ @ @ @ him .
The voter fraud hotline was intended to unearth a mountain of cases Trump hoped to take to court to reverse President-elect Joe Biden ’ s win .
Instead , the hotline has become a “ nightmare ” for many staffers , including several whose contracts are up in a few days with the election over , sources told ABC .
Prank-calling the hotline has become a trend on TikTok .
Hirsch also called in the voice of one of his own characters , Grunkle Stan Pines , boasting that he stole @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that “ Rudy ” give him a medal .
Hirsch passed on the hotline number for anyone else who wanted to get in on the action .
I ’ m don ’ t want to tell anyone what to do , but if you felt like calling this number and , say , reporting the Hamburglar , I can confirm from personal experience that it would be very funny https : //t.co/GIRoHn6jAa — Alex Hirsch ( @ _AlexHirsch ) November 7 , 2020

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A hotline set up by President Donald Trump’s campaign to gather any dirt on baseless charges of voter fraud has been flooded with prank calls by people making up tall tales or laughing uproariously, ABC News reported Saturday.
Alex Hirsch, creator of the “Gravity Falls” cartoon, called Friday to report a suspicious character sounding very much like McDonald’s Hamburglar stealing votes. Or maybe it was “antifa,” Hirsch suggested. He asked to speak to Trump’s personal attorney, Rudy Giuliani, before the staffer who took the call hung up on him.
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I...may just do this all night pic.twitter.com/OFtKDeMBqE — Alex Hirsch (@_AlexHirsch) November 7, 2020
The voter fraud hotline was intended to unearth a mountain of cases Trump hoped to take to court to reverse President-elect Joe Biden’s win. Instead, the hotline has become a “nightmare” for many staffers, including several whose contracts are up in a few days with the election over, sources told ABC.
Prank-calling the hotline has become a trend on TikTok.
Hirsch also called in the voice of one of his own characters, Grunkle Stan Pines, boasting that he stole a sack of votes. He demanded that “Rudy” give him a medal.
Hirsch passed on the hotline number for anyone else who wanted to get in on the action.
Hahaha can hear how exhausted they are already pic.twitter.com/zoa4HiLaEj — Alex Hirsch (@_AlexHirsch) November 7, 2020
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thehuffingtonpost--2020-11-08--St. Louis Couple Sues Journalist For Photo Of Them Brandishing Guns At BLM Protesters

Mark and Patricia McCloskey have been charged with felony unlawful use of a firearm and tampering with evidence after waving an AR-15-style assault rifle and semiautomatic pistol at Black Lives Matter protesters from the front patio of their St. Louis home in June .
A photo of the incident went viral , and the McCloskeys have been widely defended by gun lovers who claim the couple were protecting their home .
President Donald Trump , who has characterized BLM protesters as “ terrorists , ” has called the prosecution of the McCloskeys a “ disgrace.
” They were featured in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the headline speakers during the first night of the Republican National Convention .
The McCloskeys have pleaded not guilty to the charges against them , and claim they were defending themselves against trespassers .
The McCloskeys , who work together as personal injury lawyers , filed suit Friday in St. Louis Circuit Court against United Press International photographer Bill Greenblatt , who took a widely circulated photo of them waving firearms at passing BLM protesters .
The suit accuses Greenblatt of trespassing to take the photo , which has contributed to their “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the St. Louis Post Dispatch first reported .
The suit also accuses Greenblatt and UPI of profiting from “ t-shirts , masks , and other items , and licensing use of photographs bearing Plaintiffs ’ likenesses , without obtaining Plaintiffs ’ consent.
” The McCloskeys are seeking damages and asking the court to bar the use of the photo and to transfer ownership of the photo to them .
Our little problem is insignificant in light of the attempted election theft , but we have brought suit against the UPI photog who stole @ @ @ @ @ @ @ raking in the bucks selling our pictures on T shirts , etc.
, without permission !
— Mark T. McCloskey ( @ Mark__McCloskey ) November 8 , 2020 The suit comes as UPI was considering a copyright infringement cease and desist order against the couple to stop them from using the photo on a series of bizarre holiday greeting cards they had printed , News Radio 1120 reported last week .
Greenblatt told the news station that the McCloskeys never obtained permission to use the photo , and he sent an invoice to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I am in the business of selling images .
I do not give them away for free , ” Greenblatt noted in the bill .
Mark McCloskey posted a copy of the invoice on his Facebook page , saying it “ made my day ” and claiming Greenblatt “ stole ” the image by taking the photograph .
“ The photographer that trespassed into my neighborhood and stole a photo of us has sent us a bill !
!
!
!
!
” he wrote .
“ Now be nice and don ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported earlier this year that the McCloskeys have a reputation as obnoxious neighbors who have “ nearly constantly sued other people and ordered people off their property.
” They have sued neighbors for altering their gravel road , a former employer for wrongful termination , and others for defamation , and have asserted “ squatters ’ rights ” on common neighborhood property , according to the newspaper .
That common property was apparently part of the land they claimed to be guarding from an “ angry mob ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an affidavit last year that he had once challenged a neighbor cutting through that property “ at gunpoint.
” The chairman of the Texas Republican Party , Allen West , last month pointed to the McCloskeys as victims when pressed to respond to a pickup truck “ Trump train ” that swarmed Joe Biden ’ s campaign bus on a highway outside Austin .
Instead of commenting on the Trump train , West claimed the media was ignoring the St. Louis attack by a “ leftist mob ” that attempted to “ storm @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as well as “ burn the house down and rape Mrs. McCloskey .
”

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A controversial couple indicted on weapons charges for brandishing guns at anti-racism protesters over the summer have sued the news photographer who captured the incident.
Mark and Patricia McCloskey have been charged with felony unlawful use of a firearm and tampering with evidence after waving an AR-15-style assault rifle and semiautomatic pistol at Black Lives Matter protesters from the front patio of their St. Louis home in June.
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A photo of the incident went viral, and the McCloskeys have been widely defended by gun lovers who claim the couple were protecting their home. President Donald Trump, who has characterized BLM protesters as “terrorists,” has called the prosecution of the McCloskeys a “disgrace.” They were featured in a virtual Trump campaign event and were the headline speakers during the first night of the Republican National Convention.
The McCloskeys have pleaded not guilty to the charges against them, and claim they were defending themselves against trespassers.
The McCloskeys, who work together as personal injury lawyers, filed suit Friday in St. Louis Circuit Court against United Press International photographer Bill Greenblatt, who took a widely circulated photo of them waving firearms at passing BLM protesters. The suit accuses Greenblatt of trespassing to take the photo, which has contributed to their “significant national recognition and infamy,” the St. Louis Post Dispatch first reported.
The suit also accuses Greenblatt and UPI of profiting from “t-shirts, masks, and other items, and licensing use of photographs bearing Plaintiffs’ likenesses, without obtaining Plaintiffs’ consent.”
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The McCloskeys are seeking damages and asking the court to bar the use of the photo and to transfer ownership of the photo to them.
Our little problem is insignificant in light of the attempted election theft, but we have brought suit against the UPI photog who stole our pictures, and Redbubble which is raking in the bucks selling our pictures on T shirts, etc., without permission! — Mark T. McCloskey (@Mark__McCloskey) November 8, 2020
The suit comes as UPI was considering a copyright infringement cease and desist order against the couple to stop them from using the photo on a series of bizarre holiday greeting cards they had printed, News Radio 1120 reported last week.
They got 1,000 of these printed and have even been signing them pic.twitter.com/LPAhR8IRAl — k h a l e a (@314khalea) September 21, 2020
Greenblatt told the news station that the McCloskeys never obtained permission to use the photo, and he sent an invoice to the couple for $1,500. “I am in the business of selling images. I do not give them away for free,” Greenblatt noted in the bill.
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Mark McCloskey posted a copy of the invoice on his Facebook page, saying it “made my day” and claiming Greenblatt “stole” the image by taking the photograph.
“The photographer that trespassed into my neighborhood and stole a photo of us has sent us a bill!!!!!” he wrote. “Now be nice and don’t bother him, but what chutzpah.”
Mark McCloskey — with snarky comment — posted UPI photographer Bill Greenblatt's invoice for use of his photo on the couple's creepy greeting cards. Screen Shot/Facebook/Mark McCloskey
Neither Greenblatt nor the McCloskeys could immediately be reached for comment.
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported earlier this year that the McCloskeys have a reputation as obnoxious neighbors who have “nearly constantly sued other people and ordered people off their property.”
They have sued neighbors for altering their gravel road, a former employer for wrongful termination, and others for defamation, and have asserted “squatters’ rights” on common neighborhood property, according to the newspaper. That common property was apparently part of the land they claimed to be guarding from an “angry mob” in June. Mark McCloskey said in an affidavit last year that he had once challenged a neighbor cutting through that property “at gunpoint.”
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The chairman of the Texas Republican Party, Allen West, last month pointed to the McCloskeys as victims when pressed to respond to a pickup truck “Trump train” that swarmed Joe Biden’s campaign bus on a highway outside Austin. Instead of commenting on the Trump train, West claimed the media was ignoring the St. Louis attack by a “leftist mob” that attempted to “storm the house” of the McCloskeys, as well as “burn the house down and rape Mrs. McCloskey.”


thehuffingtonpost--2020-11-08--Jake Tapper Tells GOP Governor His Party Leaders Are 'Acting Like Babies'

CNN anchor Jake Tapper did not mince words Sunday in his assessment of how the Republican party is handling President Donald Trump ’ s election loss .
The “ State of the Union ” host discussed the result with Maryland Gov .
Larry Hogan , one of the few Republican officials to congratulate President-elect Joe Biden .
“ As an American citizen , it ’ s really disappointing .
Not you , but your party ’ s leaders are acting like babies , ” Tapper told his guest .
“ You lost the election .
Congratulate the president-elect.
” Hogan @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s democracy was more important than any one person or election .
“ While I understand the disappointment and frustration from a lot of people that didn ’ t get the outcome they were hoping for , the most important thing is that we respect our democratic process , ” he said .
“ And we always have had for 200 years a peaceful transition of power , and hopefully we ’ re going to get there , Jake.
” Sen. Mitt Romney ( R-Utah ) , Sen. Lisa Murkowski ( R-Alaska @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and Vermont Gov .
Phil Scott are among the sitting Republican officials who have publicly extended congratulations to Biden .
Trump himself has refused to concede the election , even after all major networks projected Biden as the winner and U.S. lawmakers and world leaders acknowledged Biden ’ s win .
He has instead assaulted the integrity of the election , spewed baseless conspiracy theories about electoral fraud and initiated a series of legal challenges to contest the results .
Hogan , who often spoke out against the president in the past , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Republicans to criticize Trump ’ s behavior .
He was asked if he was disappointed in his colleagues ― such as Sens .
Lindsey Graham ( R-S.C. ) and Ted Cruz ( R-Texas ) ― who have not only refused to congratulate the winner , but also stand behind Trump ’ s actions .
“ I think history will judge who ’ s on the right side of that argument , ” Hogan said .
“ I wasn ’ t a supporter of Joe Biden ’ s , but I am a supporter @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we have always conducted our elections.
” “ I think some of them are making a mistake .
Hopefully that will change in the next couple of days as we get the last three states in , ” he said , adding the he believes Biden ’ s lead may further increase in that time .

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CNN anchor Jake Tapper did not mince words Sunday in his assessment of how the Republican party is handling President Donald Trump’s election loss.
The “State of the Union” host discussed the result with Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, one of the few Republican officials to congratulate President-elect Joe Biden.
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“As an American citizen, it’s really disappointing. Not you, but your party’s leaders are acting like babies,” Tapper told his guest. “You lost the election. Congratulate the president-elect.”
Hogan said he had always felt that America’s democracy was more important than any one person or election.
“While I understand the disappointment and frustration from a lot of people that didn’t get the outcome they were hoping for, the most important thing is that we respect our democratic process,” he said. “And we always have had for 200 years a peaceful transition of power, and hopefully we’re going to get there, Jake.”
Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah), Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker and Vermont Gov. Phil Scott are among the sitting Republican officials who have publicly extended congratulations to Biden.
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Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, a Republican, said he hopes that President Trump will “do the right thing in the end” and concede the election to President-elect Joe Biden. https://t.co/X8huDffAHh #CNNSOTU pic.twitter.com/i1AxNHPg9P — State of the Union (@CNNSotu) November 8, 2020
Trump himself has refused to concede the election, even after all major networks projected Biden as the winner and U.S. lawmakers and world leaders acknowledged Biden’s win. He has instead assaulted the integrity of the election, spewed baseless conspiracy theories about electoral fraud and initiated a series of legal challenges to contest the results.
Hogan, who often spoke out against the president in the past, is one of only a handful of Republicans to criticize Trump’s behavior.
He was asked if he was disappointed in his colleagues ― such as Sens. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and Ted Cruz (R-Texas) ― who have not only refused to congratulate the winner, but also stand behind Trump’s actions.
“I think history will judge who’s on the right side of that argument,” Hogan said. “I wasn’t a supporter of Joe Biden’s, but I am a supporter of the democratic process and the way we have always conducted our elections.”
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thehuffingtonpost--2020-11-08--Dispute Over A Dog Leads To 8 People Shot In Nashville, Police Say

Jaime Durkin via Getty Images A dispute in downtown Nashville , Tennessee , ( pictured ) early Sunday morning led to several people being shot , police said .
A dispute over a dog reportedly led to a shooting in Nashville , Tennessee , early Sunday morning that left eight people wounded and two suspected gunmen at large , authorities said .
Eight adults were either struck or grazed by bullets , resulting in non-life-threatening injuries , police said .
The shooting occurred after a small group of people gathered in downtown around 1 a.m. and two men reportedly began @ @ @ @ @ @ @ one of them , the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department told WKRN .
The man with the dog allegedly pulled out a gun during the dispute , prompting a second man to leave and return a few minutes later with a gun , accompanied by several other men .
The men exchanged gunfire , police said .
The dog was also shot in its hip , and a bystander took it to an emergency veterinarian ; the dog ’ s condition was unknown , Joseph Pleasant , a spokesman for the Nashville Fire Department @ @ @ @ @ @ @ transported to a local hospital ’ s emergency room for treatment .
All were alert and able to speak with authorities during their transportation , Pleasant added .
Police are still investigating the incident and are working to identify the two gunmen , according to multiple reports .
Nashville police did not immediately respond to HuffPost ’ s requests for comment Sunday .

A dispute in downtown Nashville, Tennessee, (pictured) early Sunday morning led to several people being shot, police said. Jaime Durkin via Getty Images
A dispute over a dog reportedly led to a shooting in Nashville, Tennessee, early Sunday morning that left eight people wounded and two suspected gunmen at large, authorities said.
Eight adults were either struck or grazed by bullets, resulting in non-life-threatening injuries, police said.
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The shooting occurred after a small group of people gathered in downtown around 1 a.m. and two men reportedly began arguing over a dog that was with one of them, the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department told WKRN.
The man with the dog allegedly pulled out a gun during the dispute, prompting a second man to leave and return a few minutes later with a gun, accompanied by several other men. The men exchanged gunfire, police said.
The dog was also shot in its hip, and a bystander took it to an emergency veterinarian; the dog’s condition was unknown, Joseph Pleasant, a spokesman for the Nashville Fire Department, told HuffPost.
Five people were transported to a local hospital’s emergency room for treatment. All were alert and able to speak with authorities during their transportation, Pleasant added.
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Police are still investigating the incident and are working to identify the two gunmen, according to multiple reports.