Biden urges unity and an end to 'warfare' in politics

A confident Joe Biden declared late Friday night that it's "clear we're gonna win this race," thanks to "a record number of Americans" of all races and religions who "chose change over more of the same."

Speaking from Wilmington, Delaware, Biden touted the fact that the Democratic ticket has already received a record 74 million votes and is "on track to over 300 electoral college votes," but stopped short of declaring victory. Biden and his running mate, Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), are leading President Trump and Vice President Mike Pence in Pennsylvania, Georgia, and Arizona. "These tallies aren't just numbers," Biden said. "They represent votes and voters, men and women who exercised their fundamental right to have their voice heard."

Those voters have "given us a mandate for action on COVID, the economy, climate change, and systemic racism," Biden continued. He shared that yesterday, his team met with public health experts to discuss the pandemic and the country's economic crisis, and while "we can't save any of the lives that have been lost, we can save a lot of lives in the months ahead."

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Biden also said it's clear that people "want the country to come together, not continue to pull apart." People are entitled to their own political beliefs, he added, and "strong disagreements" are a healthy part of democracy, but "we're not enemies. We're Americans."

He called for an end to politics being more about "warfare" than actually getting things done for the country, and also dismissed Trump's calls to stop the counting of votes. "The way democracy works, your vote will be counted," Biden declared. "I don't care how hard people try to stop it. I will not let it happen. The people will be heard."