Wisconsin formally declares Biden won election following recount

Wisconsin on Monday formally declared President-elect Joe Biden the winner of the state’s presidential contest following a partial recount. 

Biden won the Badger State by roughly 20,700 votes, according to Elections Commission Chairwoman Ann Jacobs (D), with Gov. Tony Evers (D) releasing a statement saying he had certified the results.

“Today I carried out my duty to certify the November 3rd election, and as required by state and federal law, I’ve signed the Certificate of Ascertainment for the slate of electors for President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris,” Evers said. “I want to thank our clerks, election administrators, and poll workers across our state for working tirelessly to ensure we had a safe, fair, and efficient election.”

The development comes hours after Arizona officials affirmed Biden as the victor in that state as well.

Trump won both states in 2016 and has launched a number of legal efforts to challenge this year’s results. The president has claimed, without evidence, that the election was marred with widespread voter fraud. 

Trump has said he will file a lawsuit in Wisconsin by Tuesday. Monday’s certification will not block Trump from filing a lawsuit, but the development narrows Trump’s path to successfully challenging the results. Michigan, Pennsylvania and Georgia have all certified Biden as the winner while Trump’s legal challenges have fallen flat. 

The president’s legal team has also filed lawsuits in Michigan, Georgia, Pennsylvania and Arizona, but many of those cases have been dismissed due to a lack of standing or do not apply to enough votes to change the outcome of the election. 

However, Trump has shown no signs of conceding, telling Fox News’s Maria Bartiromo on Sunday that he was hopeful his case would go to the Supreme Court days after a judge in Pennsylvania dismissed one challenge for lack of standing. 

“I’m going to use 125 percent of my energy to do it,” Trump said when asked how he planned to prove his claims. “You need a judge that’s willing to hear a case. You need a Supreme Court that’s willing to make a real big decision.”

—Updated at 6:31 p.m.