Former Vice President and Democratic candidate Joe Biden has been projected to defeat incumbent Republican President Donald Trump and become the next president of the United States of America, according to the Associated Press.

After four days of in-person and absentee ballots in states not yet called by the media, projections on Nov. 7 show that Biden, 77, defeated Trump, 74, in the battleground state of Pennsylvania — giving him the 20 electoral votes that puts him over the 270 threshold required to win the presidency.

“I sought this office to restore the soul of America, to rebuild the backbone of this nation — the middle class —  and to make America respected around the world again and to unite us here at home,” Biden said in his first speech as president-elect. “It is the honor of my lifetime that so many millions of Americans have voted for that vision. And now the work of making that vision is real, it’s the task of our time.”

Biden’s running mate, former California District Attorney and Sen. Kamala Harris, 56, will become the first woman and first-generation American elected to hold the office of vice president.

“No matter who you voted for, I will strive to be a vice president like Joe was to president Obama: loyal, honest and prepared, waking up every day thinking of you and your family,” Harris said in her first speech as vice president-elect. “Because now is when the real work begins, the hard work, the necessary work, the good work, the essential work, to save lives and beat this epidemic.”

According to a statement released by Trump after the media projected his loss, he has yet to concede and is waiting until the election is certified. He has also filed numerous lawsuits and asked for a recount in key states to challenge the election’s results. 

In the Suffolk County east end local elections, Republicans are projected to win the majority of legislative seats in Albany and remain in control of their seat in the U.S. Congress, according to the Suffolk County Board of Elections’ unofficial results. According to The New York Times, absentee ballots postmarked on or before election day can be received by Nov. 10 in New York State.

Republicans are currently projected to hold nine out of 12 seats in Suffolk’s state assembly districts and five out of six seats in Suffolk’s state senate districts. Although there are still absentee ballots being counted, the Republicans hold a substantial lead in all their winning districts but the 10th Assembly District, where the Republican candidate is only 85 votes ahead of his Democratic opponent. 

Republican Lee Zeldin, the three-term incumbent U.S. congressman for New York’s first congressional district, beat Stony Brook University Chemistry Professor Nancy Goroff by more than 65,000 votes. In a Facebook post on election night, he declared victory and expressed gratitude to voters for supporting his reelection.

“As America enters its next chapter, I am confident we will defeat the Coronavirus and continue growing our economy,” the post reads. “To achieve these goals, that means working across the political aisle. Having been ranked the 12th most bipartisan congressman in America by Georgetown University and The Lugar Center, I look forward to continuing to do my part to make those goals a reality.”

As of Nov. 7, Goroff has yet to concede the election and is waiting for absentee ballots to possibly narrow Zeldin’s lead. 

“I’m incredibly proud of the campaign we have built, and so thankful for the support from people in Suffolk County,” her campaign wrote in a Facebook post. “Now, with the historic number of absentee ballots cast, we have to be patient, and stay the course. Every vote matters.”

In the 4th Assembly District, which includes voters in the Stony Brook area, Democratic Assemblyman Steven Englebright is nearly 2,000 votes down against Republican challenger and former Suffolk County Assistant District Attorney Michael Ross. Englebright is the chair of the Committee for Environmental Conservation in the assembly and incumbent since being elected in 1992. He is also a faculty member of Stony Brook University’s Sustainability Studies program. Neither candidate has declared victory or conceded the race.

In the 2nd State Senate District, which includes voters in the Stony Brook area, Republican Mario Mattera, a business agent for the United Association of Plumbers, Fitters, Welders and Service Tech Local Union #200, received more than 35,000 more votes than his Democratic opponent Mike Siderakis, a former state trooper and legislative director of the NYS Troopers Police Benevolent Association.

“I would like to sincerely thank the residents of the 2nd Senate District for having the faith in me to elect me to represent them,” Mattera wrote in a Facebook post. “It is truly humbling to have their trust and I am honored to bring the voice of our community to Albany.”

Siderakis has yet to concede, according to a statement released by his campaign, citing the unprecedented number of mail-in ballots. 

“I’d like to thank all of my supporters and those that have helped the campaign over the past several months,” the statement reads. “Every vote counts but not every vote is counted on Election Day. Record-breaking absentee ballots are trickling in. We must be patient until all those votes are counted and the election results are certified.” 

Michael Ross’s campaign has not immediately responded to The Statesman’s request for comment.

Steven Englebright’s campaign has not immediately responded to The Statesman’s request for comment.

This article will be updated as more information comes in through Suffolk County’s Board of Elections.