US Election 2020: Both sides claiming path to victory but results too close to call

Early and postal ballots appear to be delaying the count in several key states, meaning the national results might not be clear for some time

US President Donald Trump speaks during election night in the East Room of the White House in Washington, DC. AFP

Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden speaks at a drive-in election night event as Dr. Jill Biden looks on at the Chase Center in Wilmington, Delaware. AFP

Supporters of Democratic presidential nominee and former Vice President Joe Biden watch election results outside the Chase Center in Wilmington, Delaware. AFP

US Vice President Mike Pence speaks flanked by US President Donald Trump during election night in the East Room of the White House in Washington, DC. AFP

Supporters pose with U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, center, following his victory speech after winning another term in office, in Columbia, S.C. AP Photo

Biden supporter Lala Walker reacts to early election results in Houston, Texas. REUTERS

President Donald Trump supporter Loretta Oakes reacts while watching returns in favor of Democratic presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden, at a Republican election-night watch party, in Las Vegas. AP Photo

People gather to watch results in the presidential election on a screen in Times Square in New York, New York. EPA

Claire Woodall-Vogg, executive director of the Milwaukee election commission is escorted by police from the central count location where absentee ballots were being counted carrying the final count in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. AFP

Election officials count absentee ballots in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. AFP

Los Angeles Police Department officers form a line in front of demonstrators during the 2020 Presidential election in Los Angeles, California. Bloomberg

U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a Democrat from California, speaks during a news conference at the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee headquarters in Washington, D.C. Bloomberg

A woman poses for a photo during an election night watch party organized by a group called "Villagers for Trump" in The Villages, Florida. AFP

People celebrate a win for incumbent candidate Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) at Graham's election night watch party in Columbia, South Carolina. AFP

Supporters of Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden worry as they watch the election results unfold on a giant screen in a square near the White House in Washington, DC. AFP

People react as they watch early results on T.V as they gather at Black Lives Matter Plaza near the White House during Election Day in Washington. Reuters

Martina Brown celebrates after being the last voter to cast her ballot at a polling station inside Knapp Elementary School on Election Day in Racine, Racine County, Wisconsin. Reuters

A Code Enforcement officer asks to a supporter to stop placing US President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence campaign signs in the limits of a polling station during the 2020 US presidential election in Palm Beach, Florida. Reuters

Democratic congressional candidate Ilhan Omar speaks at the DFL election night watch party in St. Paul, Minnesota. Reuters

Republican US Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky is joined by his wife Elaine Chao as he speaks at a press conference following his projected senate race victory at the Omni Hotel in Louisville, Kentucky, USA. EPA

Cairo Messenger newspaper publisher and editor Randy Fine, center, calls out election results as Steve Reagan writes them on the board on the front wall of the newspaper for the voters gathered in the street in Cairo, Georgia. AFP

Electoral workers at curbside voting in St. Charles County for voters who have coronavirus disease during Election Day in Missouri. Reuters

A election worker collects mail-in ballots at the Clark County election office in Las Vegas, Nevada. EPA

A woman wears a mask depicting US President Donald Trump at Black Lives Matter Plaza in Washington, DC. EPA

Biden supporters face off a Trump supporter outside of a polling site, on Election Day in Houston, Texas. Reuters

Florida election results are displayed on a screen in Black Lives Matter Plaza during the 2020 Presidential election in Washington, DC. Bloomberg

First timer voter Jessica Henderson shows her "I Voted!" sticker after casting her ballot in-person on Election Day outside the Ruben F. Salazar Park recreation center, an official vote centre in East Los Angeles. AP Photo

Carolyn Fieles, left, Suzy Meredith-Orr, Frieda Wallison, and Judy Dunn open ballots in the Pitkin County Administration Building on Election Day in Aspen, Colorado. AP

Election workers organise ballots at the Multnomah County Elections Division Tuesday in Portland, Oregon. AP Photo

A supporter for Sen. Kelly Loeffler (R-GA) looks on during an Election Night party at the Grand Hyatt Atlanta In Buckhead in Atlanta, Georgia. AFP

Volunteers gather at Detroit Branch NAACP Tuesday evening before polls closed in Detroit, Michigan. EPA

People gather in Times Square as they await election results in New York City. AFP

A woman helps an elderly voter put on headphone to follow directions as she casts her ballot at the Salazar Park polling location in Los Angeles, California. EPA

With dozens of states already calling, US President Donald Trump and Democratic nominee Joe Biden are running neck and neck in key battlegrounds but the final results may not be announced for days.

The race to the White House is a nail-biter and numbers are too close to call in the deciding states to reach the 270 Electoral College votes. According to Fox News projections, Mr Trump scored a critical win in the battleground state of Florida, while Mr Biden was set to be the first Democrat to win Arizona since 1996.

The results are flowing in, with US media projecting wins for the Republican incumbent so far in 22 states including big prize Florida, Indiana, Kentucky, Missouri, Ohio, Tennessee and Texas – all states Mr Trump won in 2016.

Mr Biden has captured 18 states including his home state Delaware and big prizes California and New York, as well as the US capital. As with Mr Trump, so far, Democrat Hillary Clinton won all states claimed by Mr Biden in 2016.

Mr Trump’s win in Florida highlights gains he has made in the Latino community and Cuban immigrants.

But in the key states of Georgia, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin and Nevada, the results were too close to call. Four of these states are facing delays in counting the early votes submitted in record numbers in this election that could tilt the result in Mr Biden’s favour late in the day.

Short of outright declaring victory, Mr Trump tweeted to say, “we are up big” and declared it “a big win”.

But the Republican also reiterated comments he’s made in the days before the vote that Democrats are trying to steal the election.

“We are up BIG, but they are trying to STEAL the Election. We will never let them do it. Votes cannot be cast after the Polls are closed,” Mr Trump tweeted. Mr Trump’s comment was swiftly hidden by Twitter, which displayed a message saying “Some or all of the content shared in this Tweet is disputed and may be misleading about an election or other civic process,” as part of its measures to prevent fake information about the results being shared.

Joe Biden addressed the public from Wilmington, Delaware, in the early hours of Wednesday morning. “Keep the faith, guys – we’re gonna win this,” he said in a short address.

Mr Biden said he believes he will win the key states of Pennsylvania, Arizona, Wisconsin and Michigan.

He added that, unexpectedly, he was “still in the game” in Georgia.

“We feel good about where we are,” said Mr Biden. “I’m optimistic.”

Mr Trump won Ohio and Iowa according to US media projections and Mr Biden won Virginia, New Hampshire and Minnesota. The current electoral vote count by Fox News has Mr Biden at 237 and Mr Trump at 210.

With Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania still counting and the results may take until Friday, according to the state officials, the race is unlikely to be settled in the next few hours. Pennsylvania will not start counting early votes until Wednesday morning local time.

Protests erupted in Portland and Washington, DC but have been for the most part peaceful.