Trump: Always a Loser

“[Trump] is crying so long and loudly about the unfairness of his loss that he is forcing officials at every level of government, across the country, to take sides—against him. His frenetic efforts to deny his defeat have simply underscored it. Trump really is leaving office on January 20th, and he really will go out as an impeached and defeated President, forevermore listed in the history books alongside Herbert Hoover and Jimmy Carter and all the other one-termers he disdains. He is now, and will always be, a loser.”

Susan Glasser

Republicans Just Missed Winning the House in 2020

31,751

Inside Elections: “Republicans needed a net gain of 17 seats. They won 10, and may net another two (Iowa’s 2nd and New York’s 22nd), where their candidates cling to slim leads but are fending off challenges from their Democratic opponents. … If those results stand, Republicans will be five seats shy of a majority. In the five closest races won by Democrats, the Republican candidates lost by a combined 31,751 votes.”

Dems’ Long-Term Structural Issue with Rural Voters

“I think there’s a long-term structural issue. And by the way, I’ve had this conversation with Chuck Schumer several times — that we have to do a better job developing a message so that rural Americans can say, ‘Yeah, those guys, they think like I do.’ Because that’s what Trump has right now.”

— Sen. Jon Tester (D-MT), quoted by the New York Times, on Democrats and rural voters.

Australian Pol: Trump’s Mishandling of Pandemic Lost the Election

“If Donald Trump had handled the pandemic half-decently he would have won the election. He was headed towards a victory until the pandemic hit. It was his mishandling of that because, in the end, the public, when threatened, want their leaders to defend them against the threat.”

— Former Australian prime minister John Howard said that Donald Trump penned a lengthy “political suicide note” with his “terrible” handling of the coronavirus pandemic, The Guardian reports.

McConnell Acknowledges Biden-Harris Win

“Our system of government has processes to determine who will be sworn in on Jan. 20. The Electoral College has spoken. … So today I want to congratulate President-Elect Joe Biden. The president-elect is no stranger to the Senate. He’s devoted himself to public service for many years. … I also want to congratulate the vice president-elect, our colleague from California — Sen. Harris. Beyond our differences, all Americans can take pride that our nation has a female vice president-elect for the very first time.”

— Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell on the Senate floor, per the New York Times.

Biden Wins Electoral College with 302 Votes

302

By casting their electoral votes, California’s electors pushed Joe Biden’s tally to 302 — well above the 270 needed to win.
The final four electoral votes will be cast for Biden later tonight by Hawaii’s electors. Congress will meet on January 6 in a joint session to formally accept the results. The interactive electoral map shows the final tally.