Biden Lead In Arizona Drops Below 20K: Latest Election Results

ARIZONA — Former Vice President Joe Biden — now the president-elect— has been projected to win Arizona's Electoral College votes by two news outlets, but vote counting is still underway in the state. With every new batch of results, Biden's lead against President Donald Trump narrows.

Large batches of ballots from counties across the state, including Pinal and Maricopa Counties, released Saturday put Biden's lead at approximately 16,985. He was leading by just over 43,000 votes as of Friday morning.

The Arizona Republic estimates that the state still has approximately 70,000 ballots left to count, the bulk of which are in Maricopa County. In a news release, the county said its remaining ballots will require more time to tabulate, including ballots from overseas, braille ballots and damaged ballots.

The Associated Press and Fox News both projected that Democrat Mark Kelly will defeat Sen. Martha McSally in the race for Arizona's open seat in the U.S. Senate. McSally has not yet made a public comment about the race since Election Night.

Here are the most recent election results for the presidency, as of Monday at 8 a.m.:

Joe Biden: 1,643,664

Donald Trump: 1,626,679

Here are the most recent election results for the U.S. Senate race between Mark Kelly and Martha McSally, as of Monday at 8 a.m.:

Mark Kelly: 1,686,882

Martha McSally: 1,603,716

Mark Kelly and Biden are the projected winners for their races for the U.S. Senate and the presidency respectively, potentially turning Arizona blue in 2020. Biden's projected win in Arizona was called by The Associated Press and Fox News on Election Night.

If the projection holds for Biden, it's the first time the state has voted for a Democratic president since Bill Clinton in 1996.

In explaining why they called the race for Biden, the AP said that "after an analysis of ballots cast statewide concluded there were not enough outstanding to allow Trump to catch up."

With Kelly's election, Arizona will send two Democratic senators to the Capitol for the first time since Barry Goldwater won his long-held seat in 1953.

Neither Trump nor McSally have conceded the Arizona races. The vote count will continue until all votes are counted. Arizona law dictates that voters have five business days to fix any ballot signature issues, so a final vote tally likely won't be available until Nov. 10.

Arizona's senate race has gained national attention this year, as it was one that was seen as key to tipping power in the U.S. Senate currently held by Republican lawmakers towards the Democratic Party. Kelly and former Democratic Governor John Hickenlooper of Colorado are projected to have defeated their Republican opponents while Democratic Sen. Doug Jones lost his seat to Republican challenger Tommy Tuberville in Alabama. Democrats needed to gain four seats in the Senate with the expected loss of Jones to gain control.

The battle between Kelly and McSally has become the state's most expensive political race ever, with the two candidates pulling in over $133.7 million as of Sept. 30.

Republican McSally had raised $50.9 million, while Kelly reported raising $82.8 million by that point, according to FEC reports.

McSally has held the senate seat since she was appointed in 2019 by Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey following the death of longtime Republican Sen. John McCain. McSally previously lost in the 2018 election to Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, D-Arizona. She previously served two terms in the U.S. House of Representatives following an illustrious military career; McSally was the first American woman to fly in combat and the first to command a fighter plane.

Kelly is a veteran himself, serving in the U.S. Navy before becoming an astronaut for NASA. He retired in 2011, shortly after his wife, former Arizona Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, was shot in the head while meeting with constituents in Tucson. The assassination attempt left Giffords with lifelong injuries and killed six people. In response, Giffords and Kelly, a former registered Independent, became gun control advocates and formed the Giffords foundation.

Long a Republican stronghold, Arizona has turned blue in 2020, according to the projections. Trump won the state by nearly 4 points in 2016. According to the most recent poll average compiled by FiveThirtyEight, Biden led him by 2.6 percent going into Election Day.
Both campaigns made Arizona a focal point in the weeks before the election. Trump and Vice President Mike Pence both made several stops throughout the Grand Canyon State. Biden and his running mate, Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA), made one official visit to Phoenix on Oct. 8, with Harris returning on her own Oct. 28.

Even major Arizona Republican names, including former Sen. Jeff Flake and Cindy McCain, endorsed Biden for the presidency.

Arizona's changing demographics have made it a key state in 2020. The home of late Republican Sens. John McCain and Barry Goldwater has seen a slight shift to the left in recent years, due to an increase in population and an uptick in its registered Latino voters.

But Republicans are still a mainstay in the state, especially in the populous Maricopa County. The county's new registered voters counted more Republicans than any other party.

But even with projected winners, Arizona ballots are still being counted.

Arizona Secretary of State Katie Hobbs had previously warned that results might not be ready Nov. 3. That is largely due to the historically high number of mail-in ballots expected this year, and high voter turnout. Arizona has counted over three million ballots for the first time ever.

"The election doesn't end on Election Day," Hobbs said at a news conference Oct. 14.