With 20 Electoral College votes, Pennsylvania is one of the most coveted prizes of election night — particularly for Democrat Joe Biden, whose hope appears to be flagging in swing states like Florida, Georgia, and North Carolina if The New York Times' Election Needles are to be believed. Polls closed in Pennsylvania at 8 p.m. ET, and while results aren't expected Tuesday night, a few early signs might get Democrats encouraged.
Democrats, for example, mailed in nearly three times as many ballots as Republicans, Politico notes, with 1,658,804 cast by registered Democrats compared to 599,494 cast by registered Republicans. Meanwhile, in Montgomery County, the state's third most-populous county, which Clinton won by 58 percent, early numbers had Biden up an eye-popping 89.4 percent with 16 percent of estimated votes reported. "Those are Philadelphia-level numbers," tweeted Ben Forstate, an expert on the state's political landscape, but he added that "I don't expect that margin to hold." Republicans are expected to tighten things dramatically when ballots cast on Election Day are counted.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
4 ways to give back this holiday seasonThe Explainer If your budget is feeling squeezed, remember that money is not the only way you can be generous around the holidays
-
4 tips for hosting an ecofriendly ThanksgivingThe Week Recommends Coming together for the holidays typically produces a ton of waste, but with proper preparation, you can have an environmentally friendly gathering.
-
Jussie Smollet conviction overturned on appealSpeed Read The Illinois Supreme Court overturned the actor's conviction on charges of staging a racist and homophobic attack against himself in 2019
-
Has the Taliban banned women from speaking?Today's Big Question 'Rambling' message about 'bizarre' restriction joins series of recent decrees that amount to silencing of Afghanistan's women
-
Cuba's energy crisisThe Explainer Already beset by a host of issues, the island nation is struggling with nationwide blackouts
-
Putin's fixation with shamansUnder the Radar Secretive Russian leader, said to be fascinated with occult and pagan rituals, allegedly asked for blessing over nuclear weapons
-
Chimpanzees are dying of human diseasesUnder the radar Great apes are vulnerable to human pathogens thanks to genetic similarity, increased contact and no immunity
-
Deaths of Jesse Baird and Luke Davies hang over Sydney's Mardi GrasThe Explainer Police officer, the former partner of TV presenter victim, charged with two counts of murder after turning himself in
-
Quiz of The Week: 24 February - 1 MarchPuzzles and Quizzes Have you been paying attention to The Week's news?
-
Will mounting discontent affect Iran election?Today's Big Question Low turnout is expected in poll seen as crucial test for Tehran's leadership
-
Sweden clears final NATO hurdle with Hungary voteSpeed Read Hungary's parliament overwhelmingly approved Sweden's accession to NATO
