Last updated on July 18th, 2023 at 12:23 pm
The state of Pennsylvania has certified President-elect Joe Biden as the winner of its election, driving a further wedge into President Donald Trump’s legal efforts to overturn the election results.
Governor Tom Wolf announced the news in a tweet, saying that Pennsylvania’s State Department “certified the results of the November 3 election in Pennsylvania for president and vice president of the United States.”
“As required by federal law, I’ve signed the Certificate of Ascertainment for the slate of electors for Joe Biden and Kamala Harris,” he said before thanking “election officials who have administered a fair and free election during an incredibly challenging time in our commonwealth and country’s history.”
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Again, I want to thank the election officials who have administered a fair and free election during an incredibly challenging time in our commonwealth and country's history.
Our election workers have been under constant attack and they have performed admirably and honorably.
— Governor Josh Shapiro (@GovernorShapiro) November 24, 2020
The news comes even as the Trump administration continues to push a federal court to invalidate votes for Biden. Trump’s legal team has failed to log a single legal victory that would successfully swing the election in his favor. Despite this, the president has refused to concede that he lost the election and ordered his administration not to cooperate with the transition, sparking concerns that he would not leave the White House peacefully.
Yesterday, the president announced that he’d directed the General Services Administration (GSA) to authorize the transition to proceed. The move allows President-elect Biden and Vice President-elect Harris to access millions of dollars in federal funding they will need to complete the transition and set their agenda in motion.
Both the states of Michigan and Georgia also recently certified their election results, dealing further blows to the president’s claim the election was fraudulent. Georgia counties have initiated another recount after the Trump administration filed a request. State law allows candidates to request a recount when the margin is less than 0.5 percent. The recount began as of 9 a.m. this morning and must be completed by December 2.
Alan is a writer, editor, and news junkie based in New York.