Wisconsin county vote recount demanded by Trump gives Biden a boost
Story highlights
President-elect Joe Biden’s lead increased by 132 votes after county election officials recounted over 450,000 votes.
Donald Trump's decision to have a recount in Wisconsin's largest county backfired on him as it ended Friday with Democratic President-elect Joe Biden gaining votes.
President-elect Joe Biden’s lead increased by 132 votes after county election officials recounted over 450,000 votes. Biden, a Democrat, won the state by nearly 20,600 votes, and his margin in Milwaukee and Dane counties was about 2-to-1.
Trump paid to have a recount in both those counties, which have large numbers of Democrat voters. As of Friday morning, Trump had gained 68 votes over Biden in Dane County.
Overall, Biden won the November 3 US presidential election with 306 Electoral College votes - many more than the 270 needed for victory - to Trump's 232. Biden also leads by more than six million in the popular vote tally.
After the recount ended, Milwaukee County Clerk George Christenson said: "The recount demonstrates what we already know: that elections in Milwaukee County are fair, transparent, accurate and secure."
The Trump campaign is still expected to mount a legal challenge to the overall result in Wisconsin, but time is running out. The state is due to certify its presidential result on Tuesday.
The Wisconsin Voters Alliance, a conservative group, has already filed a lawsuit against election officials, seeking to block certification of the results. It echoes many of the claims Trump is expected to make.
Trump’s campaign has already failed elsewhere in court without proof of widespread fraud, which experts widely agree doesn’t exist. Trump legal challenges have failed in Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada and Pennsylvania.