Four giant question marks as US presidency dangles on knife's edge

Donald Trump and Joe Biden

The morning after, the double whammy rebuke of Donald Trump and Trumpism that Democrats hoped for hasn't happened.

Instead, what we know from the red and blue patterns across the US map tells us that the power of incumbency in the age of technology is real and strong even if it stands boldly on the wrong side of science during a pandemic.

In the electoral vote count, it's Biden 224 against Trump's 213. Biden leads in the popular vote. This is the tightest presidential contest in decades.

Hundreds of thousands of votes are still outstanding in Michigan and Pennsylvania. Although Trump said that he'll take the presidential elections to the Supreme Court and that he wants the "voting to stop", it's only the counting that's left to be done. No state will count mail-in votes postmarked after Election Day.

So, just in terms of the electoral math, here are the four big question marks that loom as the fate of the presidency hangs on familiar battleground states -- Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania -- which could prove decisive in determining who reaches 270 electoral votes first.

First, Pennsylvania. Trump leads by about 11 points, with a ton of early votes still to be counted. At 6 am EST, more than 1.5 million votes are left to be counted. That's about one quarter of total votes cast. When that happens, even if there's a Democratic shift, will it be big enough for Biden to inch past Trump's early lead? Remember the kicker from 2016: Trump won this state by less than one point.

Second, Michigan. More than 5.26 million votes cast, more than a million yet to be counted here. Much of the uncounted vote is from heavily Democratic Detroit. As things stand, Trump is leading by 226,000 votes. Election officials are expected to wrap up counting by Wednesday night.

Third, Wisconsin. More than 3.2 million votes cast and it's a dead heat. Trump broke into an early lead and Biden caught up by leaning on cities that broke heavily for Biden. Biden is now slightly ahead, by over 11,000 votes statewide.

Finally, Arizona. This state has been called for Biden by The Associated Press while some networks are still holding back. Biden leads 52-47 per cent. If Biden wins, this will be a flip. The state had voted solidly for Republicans in recent elections.

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