2020 United States presidential election
Background
The 2020 United States presidential election was the 59th quadrennial presidential election, held on Tuesday, November 3, 2020. The Democratic ticket of former vice president Joe Biden and incumbent U.S. senator from California Kamala Harris won against the incumbent president Donald Trump and vice president Mike Pence. Biden and Harris were officially elected as president and vice president, respectively, by the Electoral College on December 14, 2020.
Nomination process
The nomination process for the presidential election began in early 2019, with a record number of Democratic candidates entering the Democratic primary. The Republican Party, on the other hand, saw limited opposition to incumbent President Trump in the Republican primary.
General election campaigns
Both the Democratic and Republican nominees campaigned across the country, with the COVID-19 pandemic significantly impacting the nature of the campaigns. The pandemic led to an unprecedented number of mail-in and early votes, and it was a major issue in the campaigns.
Election results
The election saw a record number of voters with over 158 million Americans casting their ballots. Biden won 306 electoral votes to Trump's 232 and won the popular vote by over 7 million votes, or 4.5 percentage points.
Post-election events
Following the election, President Trump and his allies filed numerous lawsuits challenging the results in several states. All of these lawsuits were unsuccessful, and the election results were certified by all 50 states and the District of Columbia.
Impact
The 2020 election had significant impacts on American politics and society. It resulted in the election of the first female vice president and the highest voter turnout in over a century.