DeWine: We need to consider Biden as president-elect

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Gov. Mike DeWine said that it appears Joe Biden will be the country’s next president and that Americans should view him as president-elect.

The Associated Press, who this newspaper follows for election calls, declared Biden the winner Saturday after calling the race in Pennsylvania. President Donald Trump has not conceded.

“I think that we need to consider the former vice president as the president-elect," DeWine told CNN Thursday morning. "Joe Biden is the president-elect.”

DeWine, who is a Republican, previously endorsed Trump, saying he approved of the president’s judicial selections and that he didn’t think Trump got enough credit for his support of finding a COVID-19 vaccine.

The governor also told CNN that Trump every right to legally challenge the election results and that the courts “are the best place, frankly, to adjudicate facts.”

DeWine added that he didn’t know the details of the president’s case and that his main concern is the coronavirus pandemic.

“Look, I’m worried about this virus, I’m not looking at what the merits of the case are," he said to CNN. “It would appear that Joe Biden is going to be the next president of the United States.”

Ahead of Election Day, the governor addressed Ohioans in an open letter, calling them to unite to battle the pandemic regardless of who won the election.

“Today, and for some time to come, we also share a common enemy–one that cares not whether we voted for Donald Trump or Joe Biden; an enemy that is relentless and clearly on the march," he said. “This enemy has invaded our nation, stealing nearly 230,000 American lives and at least 5,300 Ohio lives — all on our own soil.”

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