Philadelphians are literally dancing in the streets as Biden’s lead grows in Pennsylvania vote count

In Philadelphia, supporters of former Vice President Joe Biden have literally been dancing in the streets as his lead in the Pennsylvania count continues to grow.

President Donald Trump had a substantial lead in the Keystone State on Election Night, November 3, in the United States' 2020 presidential race, but that lead mainly reflected in-person votes in some of Pennsylvania's more conservative, Republican-leaning rural counties — and by Thursday night, November 5, Trump's lead in Pennsylvania had dwindled considerably. Trump claimed that the more Biden-friendly Pennsylvania vote count lead was due to voter fraud, demanding that the vote-counting stop. And Biden supporters responded with a combined demonstration/dance party near Philly's Pennsylvania Convention Center — where vote counting was taking place.

North Philly resident Rowena Dabney, one of the Biden supporters at that Thursday dance party, told the Philadelphia Inquirer, "We're dancing in the streets like Lionel Richie. This energy is coming from hope."

The demonstration/dance party near the Pennsylvania Convention Center went on for hours, and West Philly-based Biden supporter Sheila Rhames — who was wearing a Black Lives Matter shirt — told the Inquirer, "Yo, this has to be the best block party in America right now" and said she was feeling good despite Trump's efforts to "suppress our vote."

By Friday morning, November 6, Biden had moved ahead in Pennsylvania's vote count — and pundits were predicting that the Pennsylvania vote count would become even more favorable to Biden as votes for heavily Democratic Philly continued to be counted. In West Philly, Biden supporters Brooke O'Hara and Sharon Hayes responded to Biden's lead in Pennsylvania with some more dancing in the streets.

Biden, according to CNN and MSNBC, had 253 electoral votes on Friday morning compared to 214 for Trump. Pennsylvania has 20 electoral votes, and winning Pennsylvania would give Biden the 270 electoral votes he needs to become the next president of the United States.