USA TODAY’s coverage of the 2020 election and President-elect Joe Biden’s transition continues this week as he rolls out more of his picks for top jobs in his administration and prepares to take the oath of office Jan. 20. The Electoral College affirmed Biden’s win Monday, officially giving Biden enough electoral votes to defeat President Donald Trump. Congress will count and certify the results in a joint session Jan. 6.
Trump has cleared the way for Biden’s team to use federal resources and get briefings during the transition, although Trump has yet to formally concede the race and continues to challenge the results.
Be sure to refresh this page often to get the latest information on the election and the transition.
President-elect Joe Biden met online Wednesday with 31 governors and urged them to join his goals in the first 100 days of his administration to have everyone wear masks and to reopen most schools.
Biden has pledged to distribute 100 million vaccinations against COVID-19 during that period after taking office on Jan. 20. That would mean protecting 50 million people because everyone needs two shots. Biden acknowledged that it will take time to vaccinate more than 300 million people nationwide.
“It’s going to take the federal government, and working with you guys to decide what the best way to do it,” Biden told the governors on a Zoom call. “It’s going to require us to be clear with the American people about what to expect through this massive public education campaign,” and taking steps to reach underserved communities.
Also participating in the call were Jeff Zients, Biden’s COVID-19 response coordinator, and Dr. Vivek Murthy, his choice for surgeon general. Zients said Biden’s transition officials have been meeting with leaders at the Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the vaccine-development team called Operation Warp Speed.
“It will be one of the greatest operational challenges our country has ever faced,” Zients said. “We’re meeting with the vaccine manufacturers, the testing companies, the pharmacies, the employers, unions and civil rights leaders and many more so we can incorporate their feedback and perspective.”
But Zients said governors are on the front lines in bringing the pandemic under control.
“You’re on the front lines and we need your expertise and experience to turn the tide,” Zients said.
Biden has said he’ll order people to wear masks in federal buildings and on interstate transportation such as planes, trains and buses.
If vaccinations and mask-wearing reduce the spread of the virus, Biden also urged governors to work toward reopening most schools during that period. He committed to pursue federal funding for equipment and training necessary.
“That’s going to take a lot of money, but we know how to do it,” Biden said. “We do everything from ventilation to more teachers, smaller class sizes, a whole range of things.”
Biden met online a month ago with members of both parties of the National Governors Association, saying he would work hand in glove with them.
“This road is going to be long and it’s going to be tough, but I want you to know this is not a one-off meeting,” Biden said.
Governors noted that it took eight months to distribute 100 million tests for the virus, but that vaccine will require reaching 330 million Americans.
Governors have sought financial aid during the economic downturn and for assistance in distributing vaccines for COVID-19. Governors were assembling lists of needs such as masks and testing equipment.
Biden has promised to provide federal funding for the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the National Guard, to assist states in their response.
— Bart Jansen
Good luck getting tickets if you’re hoping to attend President-elect Joe Biden’s swearing-in ceremony next month.
Planners for the Jan. 20 ceremony on the Capitol’s West Front said Wednesday a limited number of tickets will be distributed because of concerns over public health and safety amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Traditionally, the congressional committee planning the event distributes 200,000 tickets for the official ceremony and provides ticket bundles to members of Congress to distribute to their constituents. But for the 59th Inaugural Ceremonies, invitations to Congress members will be limited to themselves and one guest, similar to the audience for a State of the Union address.
“The election of President-elect Biden and Vice President-elect (Kamala) Harris was historic, and we know that many Americans would have wanted to attend the inauguration in person,” said Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., a member of the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies.
But, “safety must be our top priority,” Klobuchar said.
Organizers are planning more opportunities to watch the ceremony online in addition to the traditional televised broadcast, said the committee’s chairman, Republican Sen. Roy Blunt of Missouri.
Even if you can’t attend, you might be able to get your hands on an inaugural souvenir. Commemorative ticket bundles and program packets will be made available to congressional offices for distribution to constituents following the ceremonies.
– Michael Collins
President-elect Joe Biden introduced Pete Buttigieg as his choice to lead the Transportation Department because of his vision and leadership to foster economic development.
Biden said Buttigieg, a former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, would lead the economic recovery by restoring crumbling roads and bridges, convert vehicles to clean energy and lead “the second great railroad revolution.”
“Pete’s got a great perspective of a mayor that solves problems and brings people together,” Biden said at The Queen theater in Wilmington, Delaware. “He’s got a vision of a next-generation leader with the experience and the temperament to lead change today, to dig us out of this economic crisis.”
Buttigieg continued Biden’s priority for a diverse cabinet. He would be the first openly gay cabinet nominee to be sent to the Senate for confirmation.
Buttigieg recalled at 17 watching on television how one of former President Bill Clinton’s nominees for an ambassadorship to Luxembourg, James Hormel, was attacked in the Senate before he served as a recess appointment.
“I learned something about some of the limits that exist in this country when it comes to who is allowed to belong. But just as important, I saw how those limits could be challenged,” Buttigieg said. “Two decades later, I can’t help but think of a 17-year-old somewhere who might be watching us right now, somebody who wonders whether and where they belong in the world or even in their own family. I’m thinking about the message that today’s announcement is sending to them.”
Buttigieg said he always thought of travel as synonymous with growth, adventure and even love. He proposed to his husband Chasten at O’Hare International Airport in Chicago.
“Don’t let anyone tell you that O’Hare isn’t romantic,” Buttigieg said.
Buttigieg served eight years as mayor before campaigning for president. He talked about rebuilding crumbling roads and bridges, and revived regional rail service. He said he also worked to increase bicycle mobility and to create infrastructure for electric vehicles.
“At its best, transportation makes the American dream possible, getting people and goods to where they need to be,” Buttigieg said. “At its worst, misguided policies and missed opportunities can reinforce racial, economic and environmental injustice.”
Buttigieg previously served as an intelligence officer in the Navy Reserve. He deployed to Afghanistan in 2014. He graduated from Harvard University and was a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford University.
– Bart Jansen
President-elect Joe Biden still plans to get the coronavirus vaccine in public, but doesn’t want to cut ahead of higher-priority recipients such as health care workers.
“We’re working on that right now. I don’t want to get to the head of the line,” Biden told reporters Wednesday at The Queen theater in Wilmington, Delaware. “But I want to make sure that we want to demonstrate to the American people that it’s safe to take. They’re working on that right now. When I do it, I’ll do it publicly so you all can actually witness my getting it done.”
Biden on Wednesday also reaffirmed his confidence that his son Hunter Biden has done nothing wrong. Hunter Biden announced last week that the U.S. attorney in Delaware was under investigating his taxes and Republicans have called for a special counsel to be appointed.
“I am confident,” Biden said.
Biden praised congressional progress on a stimulus package, but only as a down payment toward greater spending in 2021.
“The stimulus package is encouraging. It looks like they’re very, very close. It looks like there’s going to be direct cash payments,” Biden said. “It’s a down payment, an important down payment on what’s going to have to be done at the end of January into February. It’s very important to get done. I compliment the bipartisan group on working together to get it done.”
– Bart Jansen
President-elect Joe Biden has chosen Gina McCarthy, former Environmental Protection Agency chief under the Obama administration, to fill the newly created post of White House climate adviser, according to several media reports.
In McCarthy, 66, who has spent the past year as president and chief executive officer of the Natural Resources Defense Council, Biden has tapped a fierce advocate for policies to combat climate change.
At EPA, she was an architect of the sweeping Clean Power Plan that President Barack Obama proposed to limit carbon emissions from aging coal-fired power plants that contribute to the warming of the planet. The regulations were blocked by the U.S. Supreme Court in 2016 on a 5-4 vote before they could be enacted.
Fred Krupp, president of the Environmental Defense Fund, commended Biden not only for creating the position of what’s being dubbed the “climate czar,” but also for picking McCarthy to fill it.
“She understands how government works,” Krupp said in a statement. “She spearheaded scientifically and legally solid actions to protect Americans from unhealthy air, dirty water, and the clear and present danger of climate change – all while navigating past climate denialism. She has all the tools and talents needed to be a great domestic climate advisor in an administration that’s poised for progress.”
Biden has made combatting climate change a top priority, including rejoining the Paris climate accord, reversing Trump administration rollbacks that have benefitted the fossil fuel industry, and spending billions in developing clean energy.
He already has named former Secretary of State John Kerry a “special envoy” to work on climate change abroad. McCarthy’s role will be to promote such policies and strategies domestically.
Biden also is expected to name former Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm, who promoted green energy development during her eight years in office, as his new Energy secretary.
– Ledyard King
Joe Biden declares ‘clear victory,’ Sen. Mitch McConnell congratulates him
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell congratulated president-elect Joe Biden on winning the presidency.
Staff video, USA TODAY
Trump to McConnell: ‘Too soon to give up’ on the election
Less than a day after Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., acknowledged President-elect Joe Biden won the election, President Donald Trump — who has refused to recognize the legitimate electoral results — told the longtime senator in a tweet that it’s “too soon to give up.”
The Electoral College met nationwide Monday and formally awarded Biden 306 electoral votes to Trump’s 232 based on the certified Nov. 3 election results, which affirmed Biden’s victory.
McConnell — who previously refused to publicly admit Trump lost — said Tuesday: “The Electoral College has spoken, so today I want to congratulate President-elect Joe Biden.”
Early Wednesday, Trump directly addressed the Kentuckian in a tweet.
“Mitch, 75,000,000 VOTES, a record for a sitting President (by a lot). Too soon to give up,” Trump said on Twitter. “Republican Party must finally learn to fight. People are angry!”
Biden said in a statement Tuesday that the Transportation Department is at the nexus of the interlocking challenges of jobs, infrastructure, equity and climate change that he has promised to address.
“I trust Mayor Pete to lead this work with focus, decency, and a bold vision,” Biden said. “He will bring people together to get big things done.”
Buttigieg is scheduled to appear with Biden Wednesday for a formal announcement. On Twitter, he called the nomination a “tremendous opportunity – to create jobs, meet the climate challenge, and enhance equity for all.”
Granholm, 61, was attorney general of Michigan from 1999 to 2003 and the 47th Governor of Michigan from 2003 to 2011. She was the first woman to serve as Michigan’s governor, where she made clean energy development a hallmark of her administration.
President-elect Joe Biden urged Georgia voters Tuesday to support Democrats in two Senate runoff campaigns challenging incumbent Republicans who represent “road-blocks” against his agenda in the chamber.
“I need two senators from this state who want to get something done, not two senators who are just going to get in the way,” Biden told a drive-in rally where supporters cheered and honked their horns. “Are you ready to vote for two senators who are doers and not road-blocks?”
Supporters lined the street with signs that said, “Hope Restored,” and “keep Georgia blue.”
Republican Sens. David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler are each in separate runoff races to hold onto their seats, with voting ending Jan. 5. They are being challenged by Jon Ossoff and the Rev. Raphael Warnock, respectively.
The New Brunswick Liberal Party has won a majority government, and Susan Holt will become the first woman to lead the province.
Here’s the latest from election night. All times are ADT.
10:15 p.m.
The results of the New Brunswick election are in, and with virtually all of the ballots counted, the Liberals won 31 seats out of 49.
The Progressive Conservatives won 16 seats.
The Green Party won two.
Voter turnout was about 66 per cent.
—
10 p.m.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has congratulated New Brunswick Liberal Leader Susan Holt for her party’s victory in the provincial election.
Trudeau says on the X platform he’s looking forward to working with Holt to build more homes, protect the country’s two official languages, and improve health care.
—
9:48 p.m.
During her victory speech tonight in Fredericton, New Brunswick premier-designate Susan Holt thanked all the women who came before her.
Holt will become the first woman to lead the province after her party won a majority government in the New Brunswick election.
The Liberals are elected or leading in 31 of 49 ridings.
—
9:30 p.m.
Blaine Higgs says he will begin a transition to replace him as leader of the Progressive Conservatives.
After being in power for six years, the Tories lost the election to the Liberals.
Higgs, who lost his seat of Quispamsis, says, “My leadership days are over.”
—
9:17 p.m.
The Canadian Press is projecting that Blaine Higgs, leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of New Brunswick since 2016, has lost in the riding of Quispamsis.
Higgs, 70, has been premier of New Brunswick since 2018, and was first elected to the legislature in 2010.
—
8:45 p.m.
When asked about the election results, Progressive Conservative chief of staff Paul D’Astous says that over the last 18 months the party has had to contend with a number of caucus members who disagreed with its policy.
D’Astous says the Tories have also had to own what happened over the last six years, since they came to power in 2018, adding that the voters have spoken.
—
8:39 p.m.
The Canadian Press is projecting that David Coon, leader of the New Brunswick Green Party, has won the riding of Fredericton Lincoln.
Coon, 67, has been leader of the party since 2014, the year he was first elected to the legislature.
—
8:36 p.m.
The Canadian Press is projecting that the New Brunswick Liberal Party has won a majority government in the provincial election.
Party leader Susan Holt will become the first woman premier in the province’s history.
—
8:20 p.m.
Early returns show a number of close races across the province, with the Liberals off to an early lead.
Liberal campaign manager Katie Davey says the results will show whether party leader Susan Holt, a relative newcomer, was able to capture the attention and trust of the people of New Brunswick.
Davey says she believes voters have welcomed Holt and her message, which focused on pocketbook issues, especially health care.
—
8 p.m.
Polls have closed.
Eyes will be on a number of key ridings including Fredericton South-Silverwood, where Liberal Leader Susan Holt is vying for a seat; Saint John Harbour, which has been competitive between the Tories and Liberals in recent elections; and Moncton East, a redrawn Tory-held riding that the Liberals have targeted.
At dissolution, the Conservatives held 25 seats in the 49-seat legislature. The Liberals held 16 seats, the Greens had three, there was one Independent and there were four vacancies.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 21, 2024.
FREDERICTON – A look at Susan Holt, premier-designate and leader of the New Brunswick Liberal party.
Born: April 22, 1977.
Early years: Raised in Fredericton, she attended Queen’s University in Kingston, Ont., and then spent a year in Toronto before moving abroad for three years, spending time in Australia and India.
Education: Earned a bachelor of arts in economics and a bachelor of science in chemistry from Queen’s University.
Family: Lives in Fredericton with her husband, Jon Holt, and three young daughters.
Hobbies: Running, visiting the farmers market in Fredericton with her family every Saturday.
Before politics: CEO of the Fredericton Chamber of Commerce, CEO of the New Brunswick Business Council, civil servant, business lobbyist, advocate, consultant and executive with an IT service company that trains and employs Indigenous people.
Politics: Worked as an adviser to former Liberal premier Brian Gallant. Won the leadership of the provincial Liberal party in August 2022 and was elected to the legislature in an April 2023 byelection.
Quote: “We don’t take it lightly that you have put your trust in myself and my team, and you have hope for a brighter future. But that hope I know is short-lived and it will be on us to deliver authentically, on the ground, and openly and transparently.” — Susan Holt, in her speech to supporters in Fredericton after the Liberals won a majority government on Oct. 21, 2024.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 21, 2024.
FREDERICTON – New Brunswick voters have elected a Liberal majority government, tossing out the incumbent Progressive Conservatives after six years in power and handing the reins to the first woman ever to lead the province.
Liberal Leader Susan Holt is a relative newcomer to the province’s political scene, having won a byelection last year, eight months after she became the first woman to win the leadership of the party.
The Liberals appeared poised to take 31 of 49 seats to the Conservatives’ 16 and the Greens two.
Holt, 47, led the Liberals to victory after a 33-day campaign, thwarting Blaine Higgs’s bid to secure a third term as Tory premier.
The Liberal win marks a strong repudiation of Higgs’s pronounced shift to more socially conservative policies.
Higgs, meanwhile, lost in his riding of Quispamsis. In a speech to supporters in the riding, he confirmed that he would begin a leadership transition process.
As the Liberals secured their majority, Green Party Leader David Coon thanked his supporters and pledged to continue building the party, but he then turned his sights on the premier. “One thing is for sure,” he told a crowd gathered at Dolan’s Pub in Fredericton, “we know that Blaine Higgs is no longer the premier of this province.”
The election race was largely focused on health care and affordability but was notable for the remarkably dissimilar campaign styles of Holt and Higgs. Holt repeatedly promised to bring a balanced approach to governing, pledging a sharp contrast to Higgs’s “one-man show taking New Brunswick to the far right.”
“We need a government that acts as a partner and not as a dictator from one office in Fredericton,” she said in a recent interview with The Canadian Press.
Higgs focused on the high cost of living, promising to lower the provincial harmonized sales tax by two percentage points to 13 per cent — a pledge that will cost the province about $450 million annually.
Holt spent much of the campaign rolling out proposed fixes for a health-care system racked by a doctor shortage, overcrowded emergency rooms and long wait-times. A former business advocate and public servant, she promised to open 30 community health clinics across the province by 2028; remove the provincial sales tax from electricity bills; overhaul mental health services; and impose a three per cent cap on rent increases by 2025.
The 70-year-old Tory leader, a mechanical engineer and former Irving Oil executive, led a low-key campaign, during which he didn’t have any scheduled public events on at least 10 days — and was absent from the second leaders debate on Oct. 9.
Holt missed only two days of campaigning and submitted a 30-page platform with 100 promises, a far heftier document than the Tories’ two-page platform that includes 11 pledges.
When the election was called on Sept. 19, the Conservatives held 25 seats in the 49-seat legislature. The Liberals held 16 seats, the Green Party had three, there was one Independent and four vacancies. At least 25 seats are needed for a majority.
Higgs was hoping to become the first New Brunswick premier to win three consecutive elections since Liberal Frank McKenna won his third straight majority in 1995. But it was clear from the start that Higgs would have to overcome some big obstacles.
On the first day of the campaign, a national survey showed he had the lowest approval rating of any premier in the country. That same morning, Higgs openly mused about how he was perceived by the public, suggesting people had the wrong idea about who he really is.
“I really wish that people could know me outside of politics,” he said, adding that a sunnier disposition might increase his popularity. “I don’t know whether I’ve got to do comedy hour or I’ve got to smile more.”
Still, Higgs had plenty to boast about, including six consecutive balanced budgets, a significant reduction in the province’s debt, income tax cuts and a booming population.
Higgs’s party was elected to govern in 2018, when the Tories formed the province’s first minority government in almost 100 years. In 2020, he called a snap election — marking the first province to go to the polls during the COVID-19 pandemic — and won a slim majority.
Since then, 14 Tory caucus members have stepped down after clashing with the premier, some of them citing what they described as an authoritarian leadership style and a focus on conservative policies that represented a hard shift to the right.
A caucus revolt erupted last year after Higgs announced changes to the gender identity policy in schools. When several Tory lawmakers voted for an external review of the change, Higgs dropped dissenters from cabinet. A bid by some party members to trigger a leadership review went nowhere.
Higgs has also said a Tory government would reject all new applications for supervised drug-consumption sites, renew a legal challenge against the federal carbon pricing scheme and force people into drug treatment if authorities deem they “pose a threat to themselves or others.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 21, 2024.
