Biden wins most votes of any presidential candidate in history

Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden has won the most votes out of any candidate in history, with the former vice president notching over 70 million votes nationwide as of Wednesday afternoon.

Former President Obama previously held the record for most votes cast for a presidential candidate in 2008, garnering over 69.4 million votes at the time. 

Biden currently has registered 70,170,626 votes nationwide and counting, according a tally from The Associated Press. 

President Trump, by comparison, has garnered 67.3 million votes nationwide and counting, according to tallies from the newswire. 

The 2020 election saw a record turnout of early and mail-in voting in what has shaped up to be a high-stakes presidential race. Over 100 million votes were cast this year before Election Day. 

The news comes as both Biden and President Trump remain locked in a tight race for the White House. On election night, the president made early gains in Florida, Texas, Ohio and Iowa — states that he needed to win in order to contend for the presidency. 

Biden and Trump are currently competing in close races to clinch the Electoral College victory in Nevada, Arizona, Wisconsin, Georgia, North Carolina, Michigan and Pennsylvania. Biden has moved to the lead in Arizona, Michigan and Wisconsin, though the races in those states are still too close to call. 

As of Wednesday morning, The New York Times projected 227 total electoral votes for Biden and 213 for President Trump.