The 270 votes needed to secure the presidency were finally obtained.
After keeping the faith, Joe Biden was named the 46th president-elect and Kamala Harris named vice president-elect on Nov. 7.
After a five-day election period, which depended on Pennsylvania, Nevada, Arizona, Michigan, Georgia and North Carolina, Biden earned the edge he needed to secure the 270 electoral votes. Biden brought in a total of 279 electoral votes, surpassing Trump’s 214 electoral votes by 65.
Biden did not only secure the electoral votes needed for presidency but also received a record-breaking national popular vote with a total of 74 million votes. This surpasses former President Barack Obama’s record of 69,498,516 votes in the 2008 election.
Biden took to Instagram to share his gratitude for the American people and his hope for the future.
“America, I’m honored that you have chosen me to lead our great country,” said Biden. “The work ahead of us will be hard, but I promise you this: I will be a President for all Americans — whether you voted for me or not. I will keep the faith that you have placed in me.”
With this win, Harris has now become the first woman and first Black and South Asian individual to take the vice presidency seat. Yet, she redirected the conversation to the American people.
“This election is about so much more than @JoeBiden or me,” said Harris in her first post-election post. “It’s about the soul of America and our willingness to fight for it. We have a lot of work ahead of us. Let’s get started.” She followed her first post with a video of her calling Biden and saying, “We did it.”
The president for all Americans, as named by Biden himself, is expected to speak tonight at 8 p.m. eastern time.