Penn State Students React to 2020 Election Results
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Former Vice President Joseph R. Biden has been elected President of the United States after winning Pennsylvania’s 20 Electoral College votes early Saturday morning.
The news came after the Biden campaign garnered enough support to win the battleground states of Arizona, Michigan and Wisconsin, solidifying a large enough lead over incumbent President Donald J. Trump to reach 270 electoral votes.
On the campaign trail, Biden focused his attention on President Donald Trump’s widely criticized handling of the coronavirus pandemic.
Maliha Reza is a sophomore at Penn State and believes the new administration will help save thousands of Americans from the virus.
“I feel that Joe Biden and Kamala Harris will do a much better job with COVID-19 in terms of rapid testing, more contact tracing, and actually understanding the science behind the coronavirus,” Reza said. “The Trump administration has dismissed the coronavirus numerous times and it has cost over 200,000 lives.”
Reza is part of the increasing number of citizens across the nation that have been affected by the loss of a family member due to complications from COVID-19 and has seen first hand the effects the virus can have on a loved one.
“Not only was I affected by it but so many people around the country are affected by the death of a loved one or a friend or a worker,” Reza said.
While the 2020 presidential election has come at a tumultuous time in the United States’ history, for students like senior Darniesha Pressley, the win also marks an important moment, as the nation elects its first woman of color as vice president, that being Kamala Harris.
“I have a lot of nieces who can finally see someone that looks like them in office,” Pressley said. “They can see a woman in a really big position right now who has a lot of say with what isgoing on and can think to themselves, ‘Maybe I can do the same thing.’”
President Trump has vowed to take legal action across several key battleground states in the weeks ahead, citing voter fraud. He has yet to concede.
To find out more information on the 2020 presidential election results, visit https://www.ap.org/media-center/understanding-the-election.
Anjelica Rubin is a freshman majoring in journalism. To contact her, email anjelicarubin@gmail.com.
