- Joe Biden won the 2020 presidential race with a victory in Pennsylvania, Insider and Decision Desk HQ projected on November 6.
- Biden needed 270 Electoral College votes necessary to secure the White House. He is now projected to have won 306 electoral votes.
- Trump was projected winner in North Carolina on November 10 and Alaska on November 11. But their combined 18 electoral votes still leave him far short of Biden's total.
- Biden restored Democratic dominance to the "blue wall" states of Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin that helped President Donald Trump beat former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in 2016.
- On November 14, Insider and Decision Desk HQ projected that Biden won Georgia, following a hand recount of ballots.
President-elect Joe Biden won Pennsylvania's 20 electoral votes and the United States presidency, Insider and Decision Desk HQ projected early November 6.
One day later, Decision Desk HQ projected that Biden would win Nevada's six electoral votes, and projected on November 11 that Biden will win Arizona's 11 Electoral College votes.
On November 10, the service projected President Donald Trump would win North Carolina's 15 electoral votes, and on November 11 projected that he would pick up three more votes from Alaska.
On November 14, Biden became the projected winner of Georgia's 16 electoral votes, according to Decision Desk HQ.
Biden is projected to have picked up a total of 306 electoral votes, which puts him far past the 270-vote threshold necessary to unseat Trump, who is projected to have 232 votes.
The former vice president also won in the battleground states of Michigan and Wisconsin, restoring Democratic dominance to the "blue wall" states that helped deliver President Barack Obama's victories in 2008 and 2012.
Biden, who spent the early part of his childhood in Scranton, Pennsylvania, achieved a major priority for Democrats in 2020 by winning back the crucial state. In 2016, Trump carried the state by about 44,000 votes, a margin of less than 1 percentage point, to beat former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
This year, Democrats focused on running up the score in the suburban counties around Philadelphia, Harrisburg, and Pittsburgh. They also went toe-to-toe with Trump among the rural and non-college-educated voters they struggled to win in 2016.
Before Trump, a Republican presidential nominee had not won Pennsylvania since George H.W. Bush narrowly secured the state in 1988.
While Trump led the vote count on election night, his lead significantly narrowed throughout last week as mail ballots pushed Biden over the top.
Read more: Why DDHQ and Insider called the election for Joe Biden
The shift in the vote count as mail-in ballots were processed was particularly dramatic for two main reasons. First, Trump spent much of the pandemic denigrating voting by mail and falsely claiming that it is fraudulent and corrupt. This helped to create a sharp partisan division in how Americans cast their ballots.
Second, Pennsylvania's legislature for the first time this year allowed all residents to vote by mail without an excuse. However, unlike in other swing states, it did not authorize election officials to begin processing or counting mail ballots before the polls opened on Election Day. That meant that while Trump led in the votes reported from in-person Election Day voting, Biden caught up to and then overtook the president as Democratic-leaning mail ballots were processed.
While Trump is projected to lose the presidency, Decision Desk HQ projected that he would win the battleground states of Florida, Iowa, Ohio, and Texas, as well as Maine's 2nd Congressional District.
Biden was projected to win Minnesota, Michigan, Wisconsin, and Nebraska's 2nd Congressional District.
Meanwhile, Trump has repeatedly demanded that vote counting be stopped.
On November 7, the Trump campaign said it would demand a recount in Wisconsin — decrying, without evidence, "irregularities" in counting for the "razor thin race" there. It can file for the recount, however, only after the race is certified later on.
The Trump campaign also lost several last-minute court challenges in Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Georgia, which were aimed at slowing down or temporarily halting ballot counts.
In addition to the presidential race, hundreds of critical Senate and House races on the ballot this fall will determine the balance of power in Washington, DC, for years to come.
Before the election, some analysts said that based on polling and fundraising data before the election, Democrats were favored to win back the Senate and grow their majority in the House. But so far, the Democrats are having a disappointing week.
With losses in Maine, Iowa, Montana, and Kansas, Democrats have a narrow path to retaking control of the Senate. They flipped Senate seats in Colorado and Arizona but would need to win both runoff Senate elections in Georgia in January to get to a 50-50 tie with Republicans.
And in the House, Democrats are likely to see the size of their majority shrink rather than expand.
See Insider's full coverage of the race for the US Senate, the US House elections, 2020's gubernatorial elections, and some of the most critical ballot initiatives around the country.
The swing states we were watching
Here's what you need to know about the top 10 swing states and how analysts predicted they would turn out:
Six states — Florida, Iowa, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin — flipped from voting for President Barack Obama in 2012 to voting for Trump in 2016.
- Arizona, which Decision Desk HQ projects for Biden, accounts for 11 votes in the Electoral College.
- In 2016, Trump carried the state by a margin of 3.5 points over the Democratic nominee, Hillary Clinton. In FiveThirtyEight's final average of 2020 general-election polls in Arizona, Biden led Trump by 2.6 points.
- Florida, which Decision Desk HQ projects for Trump, accounts for 29 votes in the Electoral College.
- In 2016, Trump carried the state by a margin of 1.2 points over Clinton. In FiveThirtyEight's final average of 2020 polls in Florida, Biden led Trump by 2.5 points.
- Georgia accounts for 16 votes in the Electoral College.
- In 2016, Trump won Georgia by a margin of 5.1 points over Clinton. In FiveThirtyEight's average of 2020 polls in Georgia, Biden led Trump by 1.2 points.
- Iowa, which Decision Desk HQ projects for Trump, accounts for six votes in the Electoral College.
- In 2016, Trump won Iowa by a margin of 9.4 points over Clinton. In FiveThirtyEight's average of 2020 polls in Iowa, Trump led Biden by 1.3 points.
- Michigan, which Decision Desk HQ projects for Biden, accounts for 16 votes in the Electoral College.
- In 2016, Trump carried Michigan by a margin of 0.3 points over Clinton. In FiveThirtyEight's average of 2020 general-election polls in Michigan, Biden led Trump by 7.9 points.
- North Carolina, which Decision Desk HQ projects for Trump, accounts for 15 votes in the Electoral College.
- In 2016, Trump carried North Carolina by a margin of 3.6 points over Clinton. In FiveThirtyEight's average of 2020 general-election polls in North Carolina, Biden led Trump by 1.8 points.
- Ohio, which Decision Desk HQ projects for Trump, accounts for 18 Electoral College votes.
- In 2016, Trump carried Ohio by a margin of 8.1 points over Clinton. In FiveThirtyEight's average of 2020 general-election polls in Ohio, Trump led Biden by 0.8 points.
- Pennsylvania, which Decision Desk HQ projects for Biden, accounts for 20 electoral votes.
- In 2016, Trump carried Pennsylvania by a margin of 0.7 points over Clinton. In FiveThirtyEight's average of 2020 general-election polls in Pennsylvania, Biden led Trump by 4.7 points.
- Texas, which Decision Desk HQ projects for Trump, accounts for 38 electoral votes.
- In 2016, Trump carried Texas by a margin of 9 points over Clinton. In FiveThirtyEight's average of 2020 general-election polls in Texas, Trump led Biden by 1.1 points.
- Wisconsin, which Decision Desk HQ projects for Biden, accounts for 10 electoral votes.
- In 2016, Trump carried Wisconsin by a margin of 0.7 points over Clinton. In FiveThirtyEight's average of 2020 general-election polls, Biden led Trump by 8.4 points.