Pennsylvania certifies election results, confirming Biden victory
Washington — Pennsylvania certified the results of its election Tuesday, formalizing President-elect Joe Biden's victory over President Trump in the state despite efforts by the Trump campaign to block it from doing so.
Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf, a Democrat, confirmed in a pair of tweets that Secretary of State Kathy Boockvar certified the results for president and vice president. Wolf said he signed the certificate of ascertainment for the slate of electors for Mr. Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris.
"I want to thank the election officials who have administered a fair and free election during an incredibly challenging time in our commonwealth and country's history," Wolf tweeted. "Our election workers have been under constant attack and they have performed admirably and honorably."
Mr. Biden defeated Mr. Trump by a margin of 80,555 votes, securing the state's 20 electoral votes.
Pennsylvania's certification of results is the latest blow to the president as he continues to claim without evidence that he, not Mr. Biden, is the winner of the presidential election. Mr. Trump has made unsupported allegations that the election was rife with fraud and has spread unfounded theories on Twitter that the presidential contest was rigged against him.
The Trump campaign sought to block certification of Pennsylvania's election results by mounting a slew of long shot legal battles in state and federal court that alleged voter fraud. But their cases were in most instances tossed out by judges, with the campaign's most recent loss coming Saturday.
Bob Bauer, a senior adviser to the Biden campaign, ridiculed Mr. Trump and his legal team following Pennsylvania's certification, saying despite their legal challenges, state will continue certifying their results and Mr. Biden will be inaugurated.
"It's readily apparent to everyone besides Donald Trump, Rudy Giuliani, and Jenna Ellis that this election is over and that Joe Biden won resoundingly," he said in a statement. "Trump did everything he could to disenfranchise voters and stop the results from being certified in Pennsylvania, including filing over 15 unsuccessful lawsuits — most recently producing one of the more embarrassing courtroom performances of all time, with the judge in the case ruling that their arguments were 'without merit' and 'unsupported by evidence.' Trump did not succeed in Pennsylvania and he will not succeed anywhere else."
While Mr. Trump has said he will not concede, Mr. Biden has moved forward with his transition, announcing members of his White House staff and nominees and appointees to his national security and foreign policy teams.
On Monday, the General Services Administration ascertained Mr. Biden as the apparent winner of the election, allowing the formal transition process to begin and giving him access to $6.3 million, agencies and federal facilities.