国际英语新闻:Biden projected to win Georgia while Trump picks North Carolina

WASHINGTON, Nov. 13 (Xinhua) -- Democrat Joe Biden was projected to have won southern U.S. state Georgia while President Donald Trump picked North Carolina, according to multiple U.S. media outlets on Friday.

The former vice president gained 16 Electoral College votes in winning Georgia, which hadn't voted for a Democrat in a presidential election in almost 30 years.

Trump picked 15 electoral votes from North Carolina, which he won four years ago, NBC News projected.

Biden is currently projected to win the Electoral College by a margin of 306 to 232. He was projected to have won Arizona, another traditional red state, on Thursday night.

As of Friday afternoon, Biden led Trump in Georgia by more than 14,000 votes with 99 percent of precincts reporting, according to the Associated Press.

A full hand recount has already been ordered in Georgia, with the audit expected to be done by Nov. 20, when the state must certify its election results.

The last Republican White House hopeful to lose Georgia was former President George H.W. Bush in 1992. Trump carried Georgia in 2016 by 5 points.

Biden declared victory for the U.S. presidential election on Saturday night, days after Nov. 3 Election Day. Trump hasn't conceded and is mounting challenges in court over allegations of voter fraud and counting misconduct.

A federal law sets what is called the "Safe Harbor" deadline, falling on Dec. 8 this year, the day by which states must submit the winner of the presidential election if they are to be insulated from legal disputes. Electoral College representatives will meet six days later, on Dec. 14, to formally select the next U.S. president.