Politics

Trump campaign says it will request a recount in Wisconsin

Key Points
  • A top election official in Wisconsin confirmed that nearly all the votes in the state have been counted, and NBC News has Joe Biden leading more than 20,000 votes.
  • President Trump's campaign manager said Trump plans to request a formal recount in Wisconsin.
  • The state, which Trump carried in 2016, is considered a must-win,
Wisconsin canvassing starts today, recount can be requested after final votes reported
VIDEO3:2003:20
Wisconsin canvassing starts today, recount can be requested after final votes reported

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump's campaign manager said Wednesday that Trump plans to request a formal recount in Wisconsin, where Joe Biden holds a slim lead after nearly all the votes have been counted.

"Wisconsin has been a razor-thin race as we always knew that it would be," Bill Stepien said in a statement.

"There have been reports of irregularities in several Wisconsin counties which raise serious doubts about the validity of the results," Stepien said without citing evidence. "The president is well within the threshold to request a recount and we will immediately do so."

A top election official in the crucial swing state confirmed Wednesday that nearly all the votes in the state have been counted in the presidential election.

While NBC News has not independently called the race, the network's vote tally has Biden leading Trump by more than 20,000 votes, with an estimated 99% of the vote in.

"All of the ballots have indeed been counted," Meagan Wolfe, the administrator of the Wisconsin Elections Commission, told NBC's "TODAY" show. "We're not seeing that there's any counties that haven't posted their results on their websites."

Wolfe later clarified that one town was still outstanding, with around 300 votes. An estimated total of 3.3 million votes were cast in Wisconsin, according to NBC News.

Biden is leading with 49.4% of the votes, while Trump has 48.9%, according to NBC News' latest tally.

The state is considered a must-win in the quest for the necessary 270 Electoral College votes for victory. Trump clinched his 2016 win over Hillary Clinton by taking Wisconsin.

The two campaigns are now locked in a post-election day battle to win key battleground states that have yet to count all their ballots.

This story has been updated to include statements from the Trump campaign and updated information from the Wisconsin Elections Commission.