BY
PHOENIX—With the counting of ballots nearing completion in Arizona, U.S. officials and voters on the ground are feeling optimistic the state will eventually turn red this election.
It’s been more than a week since election night. President Donald Trump is now within 1 percent of Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden, according to the latest unofficial results. Trump has 1,633,896 (49.02 percent) votes, while Biden has 1,648,642 votes (49.47 percent), according to data from Decision Desk HQ. As of Nov. 10, more than 60,000 votes remain to be counted.
“We have a 55 percent chance of winning Arizona—based on the data,” an administration official involved with campaign operations told The Epoch Times.
“From a purely mathematical standpoint, there is a clear path to victory for Trump [overall],” said the official, who requested anonymity because he isn’t authorized to speak to the media.
In Arizona, an automatic recount will take place if the final margin is one-tenth of 1 percent, according to state law. As more ballots were counted, Biden’s initial lead shrunk significantly. Trump’s campaign early on predicted that the president would win the state and its 11 Electoral College votes.
In the past week, thousands of Arizonians have converged at different hotspots across downtown Phoenix. Rallies have taken place outside the Maricopa County Elections Department, and there was a peaceful gathering outside the state’s capitol building this weekend.
Voters are concerned about a lack of transparency and what they see as a fraudulent and corrupt election process. Some in the government have similar sentiments.
“We will continue this election fight until we believe this is legal,” the official said on Nov. 9. “Trump will never concede.”
“If the electors vote for Joe Biden, that’s one thing—but why … would we listen to MSNBC, CNN calling it?”
According to the administration official, around 80 percent of Republicans in Washington are supportive of the ongoing election battles, but 20 percent privately feel it’s time to throw in the towel. He noted that the same voices telling Trump to concede never told George W. Bush to concede during the disputed election against Al Gore in 2000.
Biden declared victory in the presidential race on Nov. 7—a declaration disputed by Trump. The Epoch Times will not declare a winner of the election until all results are certified and any legal challenges are resolved.
The long wait for the ballot counts—which Arizona’s governor said occurred in part due to state officials’ efforts to make it harder to cheat—have pushed many Arizonians to lose faith in the integrity of the election process and how ballots are counted.
The Associated Press, Fox News, and others called Arizona for Biden in the early stages of the counting process, further causing frustration among some voters. In the 17 presidential elections between 1952 and 2016, only one Democratic candidate has won Arizona—Bill Clinton in 1996.
The Trump campaign has filed a lawsuit in the state over alleged rejected votes in Maricopa County, the largest county in Arizona. The campaign stated that some in-person votes were disregarded because of improper guidance from poll workers.
Arizonians like Steven Carroll, who attended a rally outside the state’s capitol on Nov. 7, are hopeful any legal battles make it to the Supreme Court.
“There’s things going on all across the United States where we see there’s problems going on, and the mainstream media doesn’t want to look at it,” Carroll told The Epoch Times. “We will see how it plays out.”
Meanwhile, Attorney General William Barr has authorized federal prosecutors across the country to “pursue substantial allegations” of voting irregularities, according to a leaked memo.
“I think the left doesn’t understand that this will go all the way to SCOTUS. The Supreme Court is more powerful than them,” the official said. “It is going to be a rude awakening.”
The Epoch Times spoke to dozens of voters over the past week, many of whom felt disheartened and frustrated by this year’s drawn-out election process.
Some questioned why Arizona couldn’t get its results out on election night as Florida had.
“When a system seems to be as flawed as it is across the country, you can’t question that every state has been flawed or tainted in some respects,” Brian Curtis said outside the Maricopa County Election Department on Nov. 6.
Stacy Gentile, who was also outside the election department, said the energy and enthusiasm on the ground doesn’t match up with the vote tally of Biden being in the lead.
One voter from Phoenix, Jeremy Fryar, said he remains optimistic that “all this cheating will come to the light.”
“My mom always told me good always triumphs over evil,” he said.
Republished with Permission The Epoch Times SUBSCRIBE
Get Citizensjournal.us Headlines free SUBSCRIPTION. Keep us publishing – DONATE
Well, this article didn’t age well.
I realized there are errors in my prior comment. Costumes instead of customs, I should have re-read it before I sent it. I guess I was too eager to comment. Be safe, be healthy, be thankful.
Going back 25 years when I visited the U.S. for the second time, I felt compelled to stay and live here…The home of the free….I could speak my mind without fear of retaliation or worse. I never saw myself more or less than anyone. I worked hard, followed the rules, respected its costumes and even assimilated to some degree without forgetting my own culture but enhancing it… so I thought I was living the “American Dream”.
It was during the prior administration (Obama-B) that things began looking award. I almost gave up but decided to give it another try. Thankfully things began to improve the following three years. Not perfect but with some degree of sense of belonging. Then, back in March of this year when were sent to work from home (the lucky ones), someone ‘jokingly’ said to me wait to see what happens in November, we might chased people out…(??) and let others in…(??). I didn’t know the meaning of it, until now.
See, in other countries happens what it just happened here when it comes to elections. I guess someone gave lessons on how to manipulate people: dales pan y circo.
I just hope that next year around this time we could enjoy family and friends, and the following month we could say Merry Christmas again without being censored or being labelled, like we were prior to this administration.
Some might say “go back to your country”, and I see that coming..LOL! That wouldn’t be the first time someone had said it to me, in fact many times even from the least expected ones. I had always responded proudly, THIS IS MY COUNTRY and I have earned it by respecting its rules, learning the language (although not perfect). I have been working hard and diligently, and never asked for handouts or freebies.
Perhaps praying is not your thing, but it never hurts, right? At least, I will pray for life to be enjoyable as I know it can be, to be free as I had felt it, to express my opinion without being censored, to be me and not what someone wants me to be.
Incredible there was no russian interference this time. A miracle occurred!!!
This is as one sided an article as I’ve had the displeasure of reading in quite some time. I’m still left wondering why the remaining count is taking so long. There is something rotten in the state of Denmark.
Well, it is a Politics article, not a news article. If you want to see some biased news articles, you need to look at LA Times or Star.
I just look at Citizens Journal when I want to read biased articles. That’s what you do, isn’t it?? No reply from “Citizen Reporter” required, we’ve already figured out your immoral and Godless motives. Shame on you. We’re all praying for you.
That is as one sided an article as I’ve had the displeasure of reading in quite some time. I’m still left wondering why the remaining count is taking so long. There is something rotten in the state of Denmark.
Dream on.
Fair Elections Count the Legal Votes the mail in ballots were encouraged so much more time is needed to count an received all mail in ballots count them is they were stamped Non 3, as promised
Biden won a fair campaign, accept it and move on.
count needs to be completed all those encouraged mail in ballots before a winner can be announced
Biden won fair a campaign, accept it and move on.
I am praying that this will all turn out for the best. We need at least 4 more years of President Trump to get us all back to work and to have everyone prosperous.
Somehow you seem to forget that Trump’s four years got over 10 million Americans unemployed and almost a quarter of a million Americans dead. Let’s see, another 4 years of Trump gets us half a million Americans dead and 20 million Americans unemployed. His first 4 years was way more than enough to get him out of the white house. There is so much more that can be added to this man’s devasting effects he’s had on our country. I will never understand how 70 million people in this country supported such an untruthful, self-centered, narcissistic, name-calling President who is an admitted racist who chooses to make alliances with dictators and monarchs which was one of the reasons our Constitution was written referring to ‘We the people’ and how s democracy proved to be the best form of government to stand up against a Totalitarian government. Over 20 sexual misconduct lawsuits but I’m sure you believe he is innocent of each and everyone of them! These people are getting paid off to shut up and go away. I could go on and on and it won’t make a difference with you or 70 million other Americans. I just will never get it……..
You seem to forget that, prior to Demosocialist governors closing down their states, under President Trump we had the lowest unemployment rate across all demographics since 1969 when Nixon was president. You seem to forget that the economy was booming. You seem to forget that incomes increased more in the first three years of Trump’s presidency than all eight years of Obozo and Senile Joe being in office. These are actual facts that you can look up.
COVID deaths? Based on the majority of people who died with COVID, most of whom probably would have died anyway, and thousands of them can be attributed to the actions of Gov Eichmann, oops, I meant Cuomo. Remember that while President Trump was banning travel from Communist China, Pelosi and DeBlasio were urging people to go party in the streets, as it was “totally safe” to do so. So, how many of these deaths wouldn’t have happened otherwise. And, when you think about it, it’s a pretty small percentage of the population anyway. More of a statistical anomaly than anything thing else.
Admitted racist? I think you meant Senile Joe with that one. President Trump has repudiated White supremacy numerous times. Senile Joe opposed integration and delivered the touching, heartfelt eulogy at at Klansman’s funeral.
America can only decline under a Harris/Biden administration. Look at all of the incompetents they’re talking about for the administration: “yoga pants” Garcetti, Bozo Bacerra, people who have helped CA into the toilet.
Marlene, If you had a daughter and she said that she wanted to date a man that was Christian but that he had a few allegations of rape, tax fraud, and he is on record saying grab women by their private parts, would you let your daughter date him? If the answer is no, then you better wake up and realize that you are backing a man who could give less than a damn about you and the poor people in this Nation. Our country’s future is in danger and we have idiots like you who continue to back this child molester and rapist. If your answer is yes, then you along with the other misguided people in America continue to follow a child rapist. Wake up Marlene, even the devil doesn’t want Trump back.
Biden, a man who called the military stupid bastards, can’t remember he’s running for president, doesn’t have coherent sentences…
Ironically, nor do you.