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CNN Live Event/Special

U.S. Election Day. Aired 4-4:30p ET

Aired November 03, 2020 - 16:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[16:00:00]

ERIN BURNETT, CNN HOST: And this is going to be the crucial thing, as we are now just a couple hours away from those first polls closing, Kentucky among them.

All right, thank you very much, David Chalian.

And thank you for joining us.

Our special coverage of election night in America continues right now.

WOLF BLITZER, CNN HOST: It's election night in America, and a nation in crisis is at a crossroads.

JAKE TAPPER, CNN HOST: We're counting down to the first exit polls and the first results, as our coverage begins now.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NARRATOR (voice-over): Across the nation in red states and blue states and swing states, voters are delivering their verdict on a norm- shattering president and two starkly different visions of America's future.

JOE BIDEN (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: The president of the United States lied to the American people, and he is unfit for this job.

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: But if Bidens win, your country is gone.

NARRATOR: Tonight:

AUDIENCE: Four more years!

NARRATOR: President Donald Trump fighting for a second term, as a deadly pandemic gets worse on his watch.

TRUMP: All they want to talk about is COVID, COVID, COVID, COVID.

But, look, I got it, and I'm here, right?

CROWD: Let's go, Joe!

NARRATOR: Former Vice President Joe Biden battling to lead the country, after four years of political turmoil and division. BIDEN: There's no place for hate in America, period, none.

NARRATOR: It's a historic clash for the candidates and their running mates, Senator Kamala Harris aiming to be the first woman and person of color as vice president.

SEN. KAMALA HARRIS (D-CA), VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: When we vote, things change. When we vote, we win.

NARRATOR: Vice President Mike Pence hoping to remain as President Trump's loyal lieutenant.

MIKE PENCE, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We will make America great again, again.

NARRATOR: With voters now flocking to the polls, after record-breaking early turnout, how and when will this election be decided?

TRUMP: This is the most important election in the history of our country.

BIDEN: The power to change the country is in your hands.

NARRATOR: This is CNN's coverage of election night in America.

TRUMP: We are going to keep on winning, winning, winning.

NARRATOR: The race for the White House, the balance of power, and the challenges facing the nation.

BIDEN: There's not a damn thing America can't do when we decide to do it together.

NARRATOR: The people are choosing. The world is watching, and anything is possible until the last vote.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: This is a live view from high above Washington, as Americans are deciding who will serve in the White House for the next four years.

Welcome to our viewers here in the United States and around the world. I'm Wolf Blitzer in the CNN Election Center.

Right now, voters are in the final hours of making a monumental decision for this country about who will lead us through the next four years, former Vice President Joe Biden or President Donald Trump.

We're counting down to the first results from our exit polls. In about an hour, we will get an early read on what voters are thinking as they cast their ballots.

Then, buckle up for a suspenseful night. Voters in all 50 states are having their say in the heated fight for 270 electoral votes, the number needed to win the White House. Fourteen of those states are competitive battlegrounds that will ultimately decide the election.

Georgia is the first key race of the night at 7:00 Eastern, when we get the first big round of results, Democrats taking a shot at turning that traditionally red state blue. A half-hour later, North Carolina and Ohio are in the spotlight, with President Trump on defense in those states that he won four years ago.

At 8:00 Eastern, the last polls close in Florida, the ultimate swing state and a must-win for the president, with New Hampshire and crucial Pennsylvania also in play. At 9:00 Eastern, we will be watching key races in six states, Arizona, Colorado, Michigan, Minnesota, Texas, and Wisconsin. Michigan and Wisconsin are especially critical states that sealed President Trump's win in 2016.

At 10:00 Eastern, Iowa, Nevada are the races to watch, as we get deeper and deeper into the night and the fight for electoral votes goes into overdrive.

We're covering it all, along with Jake Tapper and our entire political team -- Jake.

TAPPER: Wolf, we're keeping an eye on voting under way across the country, especially in those key battleground states.

Remember, even before today, more than 102 million Americans had already voted in person or by mail. That's adding to the unpredictability of this election. We don't know if we will learn the winner tonight or tomorrow or possibly after that.

We're going to let the voters lead the way. And we are going to be patient.

Let's check in with our campaign correspondents.

First to Jeff Zeleny with former Vice President Biden in Wilmington, Delaware.

Jeff, what are you hearing from inside the Biden campaign?

[16:05:02]

JEFF ZELENY, CNN SENIOR WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: Well, Jake, Joe Biden had an air of confidence in his step today, as he was out on the campaign trail.

And that was the significant part. He was out on the campaign trail. That is something that he has missed throughout this pandemic, when he has decided to campaign in an entirely different way. He wanted, I'm told, to hear the chants. He wanted to see the people. That is something that he loves to do. He loves campaigning, as we know.

Of course, this is his third bid for the presidency, but this was entirely different. So, he went to his hometown of Scranton, Pennsylvania. He went to Philadelphia. He's even going to hold an event right here in Wilmington, Delaware, before retreating with his family. But, Jake, that speaks to a larger point here. Democrats are confident

heading into this election evening. The Biden campaign is confident. But there is a question. Was enough done? Because how they handled coronavirus essentially changed how they campaigned.

They transitioned this to a virtual campaign some eight months ago and largely stuck with that until the very end here. That meant that Democrats were organizing in a very different way. The backbone of most winning Democratic campaigns have been door-to-door, on the ground.

That's what won the White House for Barack Obama and the vice presidency for Joe Biden. So, talking to campaign officials, said, we have no regrets how we ran this campaign, but they do have wonders if they did the right thing and if the pandemic will impact their turnout tonight -- Jake.

TAPPER: All right, Jeff Zeleny, thanks so much.

Now to Kaitlan Collins. She's covering President Trump. He's at the White House right now.

Kaitlan, what are you learning about the president's thinking?

KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, so far, Jake, he is not weighing considering giving a concession speech or an acceptance speech tonight, because the president is deeply superstitious.

So he is approaching this almost exactly the way he did four years ago in 2016, when there was no victory speech written for the president until much later into the evening. And, even then, Jake, the president refused to look at that speech that aides had prepared for him because he was so worried that it would jinx the outcome of the election.

So, earlier today, he went to his campaign headquarters. He was not on the campaign trail, like Joe Biden was. And he huddled with senior staff and then came out, said he is not considering either way.

He is waiting to see what happens as he is being updated by officials who are at the campaign headquarters here at the White House on what's going on in those critical states and what they're seeing on the ground in places like Pennsylvania, somewhere the president has tried to sow doubt about how those votes are going to be counted in the days to come if it's not in his favor.

So we do know they're planning a celebration, some kind of event here, at least, at the White House tonight, Jake, where they have invited hundreds of people who are going to be tested for coronavirus at the Trump Hotel beforehand.

But the question is, when are they going to see the president and what is he going to say?

TAPPER: All right, Kaitlan Collins at the White House, thank you so much. I'm here with Abby Phillip and Dana Bash.

And, Dana, it's nerve-racking. The whole country is on the edge of their seats. What is the main thing right now that you're looking for? What are you looking to?

DANA BASH, CNN CHIEF POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, maybe the obvious, which is turnout. And this is one of the most fascinating things that I have been watching, and as I have been in touch with sources in both campaigns, as I'm sure you both have as well, that so much of this is new, because there was such record early voting because we're in a pandemic election, I mean, 100 million people voting early.

And so what each side is trying to do, obviously, is to maximize their day-of vote, because they feel like they have a pretty good sense of the chunk of the vote that has come in, not a real sense, because they don't know exactly how each party -- each voter, if they're affiliated with a party, actually voted, because this is kind of a scrambled election.

But that is what is going on right now. The Trump campaign, in particular, they have turned their get-out-the-vote operation in a big way. They have volunteers who are coordinating other volunteers who are each assigned like 10 to 12 people, and to hammer them every single hour if they haven't voted, get out and vote.

And we will see if it ultimately is successful.

ABBY PHILLIP, CNN POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: And, of course, they have a lot of people that they have to do that for, because so many of their voters are going to show up on Election Day.

They have got to follow up with a lot of these people to make sure that they get out there. And that's what makes the task for the Trump campaign today difficult. But what we're seeing across the country, the high turnout, I think it really is pointing to a really important factor.

People will vote if you give them the opportunity to.

BASH: So true.

PHILLIP: There is a lot of interest in this election on both sides of the aisle.

And I think that we're going to see tonight potentially something scrambling conventional wisdoms about what turnout really means for both parties.

TAPPER: And it's interesting, because I have seen a lot of Republican operatives not affiliated with the Trump campaign kind of wringing their hands at the fact that the Republican Party this election seems to be taking the position of making it less easy to vote, making it tougher to vote.

BASH: That's so true. TAPPER: And how is that a Republican position? How is that a democratic position, small-D democratic...

BASH: Right.

TAPPER: ... the idea of a major party trying to make it tougher for the American people to exercise that sacred right?

BASH: Totally wringing their hands. It doesn't make any sense. It's not American.

[16:10:01]

And, just like you said, I mean, let's just say, before we have any idea of what the votes are going to be, we do know that there is incredible enthusiasm. And how fabulous is that?

I mean, I know I probably sound super corny, but it's true.

PHILLIP: It's true.

BASH: It's really remarkable.

TAPPER: If we get up to 65, 70 percent participation, that's...

BASH: Can you imagine? That's the way it should be, even more.

(CROSSTALK)

BASH: But the fact that we would even get to that point is pretty historic.

PHILLIP: The idea that Americans don't want to vote is not the case. They do. They are. We could have 150, 160 million people going out and voting. The

problem, though, with what President Trump did in this election, in terms of trying to undermine the electoral system, is the question about, what happens tomorrow and the day after tomorrow?

Do Republicans double down on some of these positions that even Republicans, Republican lawyers believe are really indefensible, because they are really aimed at preventing people from having access to the ballot?

But we were just talking about turnout, President Trump wants his people to come out to the ballot box.

TAPPER: Right.

PHILLIP: It does not make sense to make it harder for those people to vote either. So how long can that kind of position continue?

TAPPER: What are you looking for from -- in terms of -- if you were at Biden headquarters right now, I would be looking at -- really, honestly, you can talk about Georgia and Arizona all you want. I would be looking at Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin, those three.

BASH: Yes.

TAPPER: If he wins those three and keeps the Clinton states, that's it.

PHILLIP: It's all about the blue wall. I mean, yes, sure, Arizona, Georgia, North Carolina, those would all be, for Biden, great if he could win them. But holding on to the blue wall is going to be the most important thing for him tonight, not just because of the path to 270, but also preserving that part of the country for the Democratic Party.

It really ends a narrative that President Trump wants, which is that he has changed the map permanently.

BASH: And I will go even deeper into those states and others, which is the urban areas to -- I would be looking and they are looking -- we know this -- at the turnout levels in Philadelphia, in Pittsburgh, in Detroit.

TAPPER: And the suburbs.

BASH: And the suburbs.

TAPPER: Yes.

BASH: The suburbs are so incredibly key, for a couple of reasons. One is, Hillary Clinton did well in the suburbs, not -- but not well enough, not enough to counterbalance the unprecedented turnout that Donald Trump had in Republican territories.

And, as we know, and as the Trump campaign will tell you in private moments, the suburbs, they're not the place for Donald Trump anymore. We saw that in 2018. And it hasn't changed in 2020.

TAPPER: All right, Wolf?

BLITZER: All right, Jake, thanks very much.

John King is with me over here at the Magic Wall.

We're going to be spending a lot of time at this Magic Wall in the course of the next many, many hours, John.

First of all, walk us through the road to 270, first for the former vice president.

JOHN KING, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: You ready?

BLITZER: Yes.

KING: You ready? It's going to be a fun night.

Caution is the watchword tonight, because results are going to come in differently, right? Early vote -- some states will count the early votes first. Some states will count the early votes last.

Take your time, be patient, hang with us all night long. We will get there.

Here's where we start, the solid red states, solid Trump. That adds up to 125 electoral votes, the solid blue states, 203. Those are Joe Biden states. We don't expect anything on this map to change. So that's the foundation from where they start.

Let's go back to 2016 and the stunning Trump map there to walk through sort of the stakes tonight. You just heard the conversation with Abby and Jake and Dana. If Joe Biden can get the blue wall back, one, two, three, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin, game over. You can do it right there.

The Democrats just get those three back -- Joe Biden was leading in the polls in all three of those states, in Michigan quite comfortably -- at the end. That could be it. That could be game over.

But -- but let me go back to this. Let me go back to this. We're going to be waiting for these right? So let's stay with the Trump map. We know these ones are going to be slow tonight, could actually go into tomorrow and beyond.

Here's the potential tonight. The opportunity for Joe Biden and the Democrats is to change this map. Donald Trump changed it four years ago, Joe Biden can change it this year.

What if, as we wait for the blue wall states, Joe Biden can get North Carolina, Georgia, and Florida? Forget the blue wall. He's already president of the United States. If he holds the other Clinton states and does well down here, if these states are truly changing at the pace the Democrats think they might be, it is possible to do it here.

Joe Biden has aspirations to win out here. Again, a map-changing win that would be, if you could take Arizona. Not since Bill Clinton has Arizona gone. And that was with a lot of help from Ross Perot a long time ago.

So Joe Biden has aspirations to change the map down here, even as he tries to rebuild the Democratic strength up here. That's a possibility. We need to watch it play out. Democrats have dreams about Texas. They think, you know what, we're actually in play in Ohio, maybe in Iowa. We're going to watch this play out, right?

So we're going to start with a conservative perspective that we expect the Trump states to be tough for Biden to get, but North Carolina, Georgia and Florida, Arizona later in the night, these are states we do expect to count pretty quickly, when they do count. So we will get some clues early on.

This is Joe Biden's dream path down here, and he obviously hopes here, here and here. Look at that potential. That's -- the Democrats see this potential on the table tonight, capital-P potential, but underline it as a big if right now.

[16:15:05]

If Joe Biden can do anything close to this, they think he can bring the Senate with him, and the Democrats will take the Senate majority.

But, remember, Donald Trump surprised us four years ago. He is perfectly capable of a giant Election Day turnout that surprises us again. The challenge is, this is a different map. The hill is steeper. He was more behind at the end than he was four years ago.

So, how does Donald Trump do it? The critical part for Donald Trump is holding the states that do tend to be -- let me bring this here -- the states that do tend to be more Republican. He has to hold North Carolina. He absolutely has to hold Florida and its 29 -- let me do this. It should get quicker.

And he absolutely has to hold Georgia. That's -- the president has to start there, right? So that's -- that would keep the president OK.

Even if, so even if he holds those there, let's say Biden does take some of these away, right? If Biden were to take these back, now, what is -- how does Donald Trump make that up? That's the problem. That's the problem. There's nothing of the Clinton states that we think Donald Trump can change. Therefore, he's got to find something up here, something up here to do it. So...

BLITZER: So, what are Trump's best options right now? It seems like Biden has more possible paths to 270 than the president does.

KING: Yes, Biden is at a restaurant with a lot of options on the menu. Donald Trump has a very narrow path, because I just mentioned, even if he holds these, even if he holds Arizona, he's got to find something up here, right, something up here, because -- I should have done this at the beginning -- the expectation is -- we will see what happens at the end of the night.

The expectation is that Joe Biden wins the congressional district up in Maine. The expectation is among even Republicans that Joe Biden picks up a congressional district here in Nebraska. Maine and Nebraska, two states award their electoral votes by congressional district.

So, if you do something like this, then you have Joe Biden at 280, which is why the president of the United States spent so much time here in the end of the campaign. It's a possibility. This all comes down to Pennsylvania, if it plays out something like this.

Michigan had a healthy Biden lead at the end. Wisconsin had a decent Biden lead at the end. If he can hold those two, Trump can hold the other Trump states, if these are the only two he gives up, then it could come down to a long fight for Pennsylvania. I say long fight because Pennsylvania, we know there will be court challenges.

We also know a lot of the late -- the early votes, the absentee votes, won't be counted until late tonight, even some counties say not until tomorrow morning. So there is a scenario where it comes down to one state. That's the big question tonight. Do we have sort of a boxing match

state by state or is there a late break? Is there a wave to Biden? Or is this a massive Election Day turnout that surprises us and turns one of those -- keeps one of those red, not turn one of those red?

BLITZER: Florida, we should know relatively soon?

KING: Florida, we should.

Now, I'm going to move over here, Wolf, as we do. That is the key tonight. There are some states we're going to have to wait for. We're going to have to ask your patience. Our team is going to be patient and very, very cautious.

However, there are some states. This is 2000 -- we will start -- 2020. We will start filling this in a couple of hours. But let's go back to the 2016 map. There are some states. I mentioned North Carolina. That's one.

There's a bit of a delay there in the reporting the results because they have left some polling places open past normal hours just to make up for some glitches this morning. Nothing wrong with that at all. It's a good thing. You're giving people more time to vote.

But when we get North Carolina's results, we think they will come in quickly. Then you mentioned Florida. Wolf, Donald Trump's path to the presidency to reelection has to include Florida, has to include Florida.

BLITZER: By the way, let me interrupt for a minute.

We're getting some live pictures of Biden in Wilmington, Delaware, right now, his hometown. There, you can see -- John, if you turn around, you can see him there. I don't know if he's going to speak to reporters or not speak to reporters, but maybe we should listen in and see what he has to say, if anything.

BIDEN: Well, because we're getting overwhelming support from women voters.

QUESTION: Why do you think that is?

BIDEN: Well, I think it's because two reasons.

One, all that I have done, from Violence Against Women and my activities relating to access for women opportunities to Donald Trump.

(LAUGHTER)

QUESTION: Mr. Vice President, this has clearly been an unprecedented (OFF-MIKE) including the pandemic.

Just looking back and reflecting on it, are there any lessons learned, any regrets, anything you would change (OFF-MIKE)

BIDEN: No, there is not. As you guys know who have had to cover me for a long time, I haven't

changed what I have been saying since the day I announced.

And the day I announced, everybody thought that I was way off-base. And, by the way, I don't mean that as a -- I'm not being critical of anybody else. I'm just saying that I believe very, very strongly -- I really mean it -- that we have to restore decency and honor in our system, or it's just -- it's going to fall apart.

Secondly, I believe extremely strongly -- and I know you have all watched it from the very beginning -- that we have to rebuild the middle class. We have to give ordinary people a fighting chance.

They can do anything when you give them a chance. And, thirdly, we have to unite the country. All three of those things were viewed as either too much of a reach or not a reach enough.

And I haven't changed my view. And so, you know, this is -- for example, I didn't realize this was here. The Reverend Herring, who was one of the five major leaders in the black community when I got started in Wilmington, back when I was a kid, when I started off as a lifeguard.

My good luck charm is that I always go back to where I started. Every election, I go by.

[16:20:10]

So, we're going to go back by Prices Run swimming pool. And it was -- you know, I -- the leadership in the community from here, from Riverside, all the way up to Prices Run on the East Side, was overwhelmingly African-American, but it all was in a black church.

A black church that was the heart and soul of the entire movement for people here. And so it's -- when I started off as a kid getting involved, I had a job with a nice country club kind of pool as a lifeguard. I wanted to work on the East Side, because I knew I played ball with a lot of great black athletes.

But I knew I didn't know them. We knew each other. We were friends, but I didn't know them. And it was a great education. It was like "The Green Mile." You know, you see the movie? Well, it's like that.

You began to realize that the people I have known for a long time, that they lived in the middle of a city and a county that was white, but they didn't know anybody. They knew, but they didn't know anybody. And it was a real education for me. I'm not being melodramatic. It really was.

And I think I have told a couple of you the guys who -- and they were men. They were all the lifeguards at that time. The guys who got the jobs were usually the relatively well-known athletes who they hired.

And there were people, they all -- the 13 lifeguards I worked with, all of them became really successful in their lives. But it was interesting that we would sit and talk, and they would ask me questions that stunned me that were asked, like, I think I have told you before, Jamie (ph) asked me, do you have a jerrican, meaning a five-gallon can for gasoline?

I said, no, what the hell do you need a jerrican for? I'm going to see my grandmother. And I said, what does she need it for, her (INAUDIBLE) or something? No, she lives in North Carolina. I can't stop at any gas stations. We can't stop. Got to have my -- things like that that were sort of eye-opening for me.

QUESTION: Do you think things are better now or worse?

BIDEN: Well, I think they're better now. I know they're better now.

And you see things happening here that are -- that are changing the way in which people interact. There is a lot more -- I got involved running for the county council, because we -- I thought it was unfair that there was redlining in the county. People weren't able to move. That has changed a lot.

And so the whole range of things have changed. But there is still a great need. But what is happening is that there's people who are -- there's people who are in a position that we are getting engaged now. And it's mainly -- like I said, you know, when you had guys like Reverend Herring, we used to go -- I would go to mass and then go down and sit in his church.

And we would talk about, plan about what we're going to do. We are going to desegregate a movie theater. We're going to march for something. I mean -- and, by the way, I'm not making myself out to be something special. It was just a lot of folks my age got engaged. And that is how I got engaged.

(CROSSTALK)

QUESTION: What do you know about America, what do you think about America that you didn't know in 1972 or 1988 or 2008, looking back over the course of your career and the moment you're at right now?

BIDEN: Well, I mean, there is a whole lot.

Hopefully, with age comes a little bit of wisdom. And what I know is that hasn't changed is my absolute belief in the American people. You give them an even shot, they can do anything. I mean, they really can.

QUESTION: What are you going to do if President Trump claims victory tonight, and it's not clear that he won? What is your plan for that, via tweet or otherwise? Because we know, based on our reporting at Axios, that that is what he plans to do.

BIDEN: Well, look, like I said -- you have heard me use the line several times. Presidents can't determine the -- what vote is counted or not counted.

And voters determine who is president. This isn't going to -- no matter what he does, no matter what he says, the votes are going to be counted. QUESTION: Do you feel a responsibility to respond, though, or...

(CROSSTALK)

BIDEN: No. No, I don't.

I mean, look, it depends on what is said and how he says it. But I don't feel the responsibility to respond.

And, by the way, as you have seen some of the articles written, I mean, this talk about there being disruptions and things like that, I mean, he's embarrassing Republicans.

[16:25:03]

Republicans are walking away from him. I mean, this is -- it's -- but, look, like I said, I'm superstitious about predicting what an outcome is going to be until it happens. That's sort of who I am, how I have always run.

And -- but I'm hopeful.

(CROSSTALK)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thanks, guys. We got to go. Thank you.

QUESTION: Early returns, what are you hearing?

BIDEN: Well, what I'm hearing is that there is overwhelming turnout, and overwhelming turnout, particularly of young people, of women, and there is an overwhelming turnout among African-Americans, for example, in Georgia and Florida over the age of 65.

So, I mean, the things that are happening bode well for the base that has been supporting me.

But we will see. We will see.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thank you, guys.

(CROSSTALK)

BIDEN: Thank you.

(CROSSTALK)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We have to go.

(CROSSTALK)

QUESTION: ... feel positive that you are on the path to winning?

BIDEN: Well, look, I don't know. We don't know how this is going to come in.

For example, if you had -- if Florida came in, and I won, it's over, done. If Florida doesn't come in, and what happens is the early votes occur in some other states -- I think we are going to do well in the -- we're going to reestablish that blue wall.

I feel good about that. We will see what -- but just -- it's just so uncertain.

Look, you can't think of an election in the recent past where so many states are up for grabs. The idea I'm in play in Texas, Georgia, North Carolina, Florida? I mean, come on. I mean, Texas? I don't...

QUESTION: Can you lose Ohio and still win, given the tradition of presidential nominees going on to win the presidency because of their win in Ohio?

BIDEN: So, but there's also been other traditions.

They haven't been able to win unless they won Pennsylvania, that kind of -- there's all kinds of traditions. The only thing you know is, traditions are made to be broken.

There's just so much in play right now, and there's such overwhelming vote out there. We will see. And I will see -- if there is something to talk about tonight, I will talk about it. If not, I will wait until the votes are counted the next day.

OK, thank you.

(CROSSTALK)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Great. Thank you, guys. Thank you so much.

(CROSSTALK)

BLITZER: Joe Biden answering reporters' questions. He's been doing that a few times in the course of today, saying he's superstitious, doesn't want to make any predictions about what's going to happen later tonight.

We're getting closer and closer to our first exit polls, including insights into how the coronavirus pandemic is influencing voters.

And, as we watch the Election Day turnout in Pennsylvania and other key battlegrounds, we're going to tell you how soon we expect to get results from states that will decide the election.

It's all ahead. We will be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)