President Trump’s campaign has said that it would request a recount in the state of Wisconsin, where Democratic nominee Joe Biden currently has a razor-thin lead.
“There have been reports of irregularities in several Wisconsin counties which raise serious doubts about the validity of the results. The President is well within the threshold to request a recount and we will immediately do so,” Trump campaign manager Bill Stepien said in a statement.
Biden was up by a little more than 20,000 votes in Wisconsin on Wednesday morning. No networks have called the state for Biden yet.
Wisconsin offers 10 electoral votes, which could prove crucial to either candidate. Trump won the state by less than 1 percentage point in 2016 and Biden has pushed to return the state to the blue category this year.
There are not automatic recounts in Wisconsin, but a candidate who is within 1 percent of the winner can request one.
Biden’s campaign expressed confidence earlier Wednesday that the former vice president would ultimately be declared the winner in the Badger State, as well as Michigan and Pennsylvania by a wider margin than Trump won those same states in 2016.
“We are going to win Wisconsin, recount or no recount,” Biden campaign manager Jen O’Malley Dillon said on a zoom call with reporters when asked about a potential recount in Wisconsin.
Trump carried Wisconsin by less than 23,000 votes in the 2016 election. A recount was conducted in the state that year, with no change to the result.
Former Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R) expressed doubts on Wednesday about a potential recount changing the outcome if the winner has a lead of 20,000 votes.
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