Democratic nominee Joe Biden spent part of his Election Day making a final pitch to voters in his hometown before the polls close Tuesday night.
Biden hit Scranton, Pennsylvania, on Tuesday morning, telling supporters the reasons why he decided to run for president. Among his motivations, Biden listed “restoring the soul” of the nation, rebuilding the middle class, and uniting the country, which has been mired in political division in recent years.
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“Welcome home,” @JoeBiden said as he stepped off his plane in Scranton with his granddaughters Finnegan and Natalie.
“These are the only two of my grandchildren who have never been to Scranton. So we’re going home!” pic.twitter.com/eEnMT3aXBC
— Marianna Sotomayor (@MariannaNBCNews) November 3, 2020
Biden was accompanied by two of his granddaughters, Natalie and Finnegan, who he says helped inspire his White House bid. “Their whole life, they either had a father who was the attorney general of the state of Delaware or a grandfather who was a senator or vice president,” Biden said. “That’s why we ran.”
The former vice president played up his campaign message of “Scranton vs. Park Avenue,” making a play to reach middle-class voters in Pennsylvania.
“We have to restore the backbone of the country,” Biden said. “You all know it. The middle class built this country. Wall Street didn’t build it. The middle class built it. You are the middle class.”
Joe Biden walks with his granddaughter to visit his son Beau’s grave on the morning of Election Day. https://t.co/un64aeUXIb
? Carolyn Kaster / AP pic.twitter.com/JYqf6HvYaL
— NBC News (@NBCNews) November 3, 2020
Before his stop in Scranton, Biden visited the grave of his late son and former Delaware attorney general, Beau Biden, in Wilmington, Delaware, along with his wife, Dr. Jill Biden. Biden will head to Philadelphia later in the day.
Pennsylvania is considered a critical swing state, with 20 electoral votes. Biden and President Trump have campaigned heavily in the state, which was won by Trump narrowly in 2016, breaking years of Democratic dominance.
It’s unlikely all of the votes will be finalized on Tuesday night, though results could give an overview of who may be on his way to the White House. Some states, including Pennsylvania, will be counting absentee ballots throughout the week.
Prior to Election Day, over 100 million people cast an early ballot, with registered Democrats largely outnumbering Republicans. Political strategists expect Republicans to turn out to vote largely in person on Tuesday.
Dixville Notch, a tiny New Hampshire township near the United States-Canada border, already finalized its total votes, composed of five ballots, all of which went to Biden for his first victory.
While in Scranton, Biden jokingly said of the results that if he were Trump, he would declare victory now.
