Stay tuned. It’s Election Day in Black Pittsburgh… “The Day After.”
by Rob Taylor Jr., Courier Staff Writer — 6:00 a.m., Nov. 4, 2020
It’s like waiting all week for that incredible TV show’s season-ending episode to come on, and then, when it does, you’re hooked. You watch intently as the character, who is hated by everyone in the town, steps into the outer office for a drink. He then hears someone outside. As he goes to investigate, “Bam! Bam!” He’s shot twice, and collapses.
Then the credits roll.
Similar to “Who Shot J.R.?”, as far as presidential elections go, Trump vs. Biden gave us the greatest cliffhanger of all-time.
We waited months for Nov. 3. to get here, and finally remove Donald J. Trump from office…or keep him in the White House for four more years.
And as of 6 a.m., Wednesday, Nov. 4, there is still nothing. No winner.
Too early to call. Too close to call. Too crazy to call. Too legit to quit.
The New Pittsburgh Courier, the voice of Black Pittsburgh for 110 years, endorsed Joe Biden for president in its Oct. 28 edition. The Courier said that it was time for Trump to be “fired” for his endless racial epithets.
And his mishandling of the coronavirus pandemic.
And for saying that Barack Obama wasn’t born in the U.S.
And for saying that Black Lives Matter was a terrorist organization.
And on and on and on…
But, unbeknownst to us, somehow, some way, Donald J. Trump has amassed more than 65 million votes from real, living, breathing human beings in this election. As of 6 a.m., Nov. 4, the New Pittsburgh Courier has the election similar to the CNN count, at 224 electoral votes for Biden, 213 for Trump. Whomever gets to 270 electoral votes first will win. Yep, it’s like a 40-yard dash, first one to the finish line, except the finish is a photo finish that could take days.
Here in Pittsburgh, the Courier received notice from the Allegheny County Elections Division at 2:45 a.m., Nov. 4, that it was suspending mail-in and absentee ballot scanning for the night. Time to get some sleepy sleep, and who could blame them. Staff was being asked to return at 10 a.m. on Nov. 4 and then, scanning would continue.
Allegheny County had 348,485 of said ballots in its possession as of 2:45 a.m., Nov. 4. Of those, 173,068 had been scanned and uploaded, according to county spokesperson Amie Downs. Another 29,000 ballots would be manually reviewed through the “Return Board process.” The remaining 146,537 ballots would be scanned beginning around 10 a.m., Nov. 4.
No one knows for sure how this 2020 Presidential Election will play out, but we know it’s going to come down to the following states: Arizona, Nevada, Georgia, North Carolina, Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania.
The Courier is projecting that Trump will win Alaska’s 3 electoral votes. That gives the electoral vote count at 224 for Biden, and up to 216 for Trump.
Could Arizona, a Republican-leaning state, go to Biden??? There’s a good chance it will, but the Courier, as of 6 a.m., Nov. 4, can’t call it for Mr. Joe.
Could Georgia, a Republican-leaning state, go to Biden as well? The Courier predicted in its Oct. 28 preview that Georgia would finally flip to the Democrats for the first time in a presidential election since 1992. But data shows that Trump has the slight edge, with not too much of the vote left to be counted. We’ll see what happens in the Peach State.
North Carolina was a state that Barack Obama won in 2008, but lost in 2012, and it stayed Red for Trump in 2016. Biden’s camp thought they could turn the state back to Blue, but as of 6 a.m., Nov. 4, it’s leaning towards Trump.
Now, let’s chat about the “Blue Wall,” which includes the states of Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania. Usually, these states fall to the Democrats rather easily. But in 2016, Trump surprised even himself when he won those states, basically giving him the presidency. Joe Biden, the Courier believes, needs at least two of these states to give him a chance at winning the election.
Which leads us to our state, the Keystone State, the home of the Steelers, plenty of Democrats, and plenty of Trump-lovin’ Republicans.
As of 6 a.m., Nov. 4, Trump leads Biden in Pa. by more than 600,000 votes, with 74 percent of the precincts reporting. For Biden fans, there is still much of Philadelphia County’s votes to be counted, which should overwhelmingly favor the former vice president. And in Allegheny County, data shows that as of 6 a.m., Nov. 4, Biden leads 54 to 45 percent. The exact vote totals are Biden (283,368) to Trump’s 237,435. Remember, Allegheny County still has more than 100,000 votes left to be counted, beginning at 10 a.m., Nov. 4.
As we head into “The Day After” Election Day, here’s what the Courier can say is clear: Biden’s supporters came out in large numbers, but so did Trump’s supporters.
The Courier chatted with some African Americans who exited the polling locations in the Hill District, East Liberty, etc. An excited and determined Robyn Brown told the Courier that it was very important for her to cast her vote, as she did at Miller School in the Hill, Tuesday afternoon, Nov. 3.
Pennsylvania can still be won by Biden as Philadelphia and Allegheny counties continue their vote counts. How did Biden do with suburban White voters in the counties surrounding Philadelphia? Did Biden make any inroads with on-the-fence voters in counties surrounding Allegheny, like Beaver, Butler, Westmoreland and Washington?
Stay tuned. It’s Election Day in Black Pittsburgh… “The Day After.”
(About the photo: ROBYN BROWN voted on Election Day at Miller Elementary School in the Hill District. Photo by Rob Taylor Jr.)
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