Amy Walter, the editor-in-chief of the non-partisan election forecaster, explained the changes to their electoral map, noting that \u201cAs of July 9, the Democratic Party is living in a state of suspended animation. Despite growing calls from many in his party to leave the contest, President Joe Biden has made clear he has no intention of dropping out.\u201d<\/p>\n
Walter continued her article by acknowledging that although many of the insiders she has spoken to are still optimistic that Biden will notice his abysmal polling numbers and decide to withdraw, the likelihood now seems \u201cremote.\u201d<\/p>\n
According to its most recent Electoral Map prediction, Arizona, Georgia, and Nevada have all moved from being classified as \u201ctoss-up\u201d to \u201clean Republican,\u201d giving Trump 268 electoral votes in his column.<\/p>\n
Additionally, Cook Political changed the status of Minnesota, New Hampshire, and Nebraska\u2019s 2nd District from \u201clikely Democrat\u201d to \u201clean Democrat,\u201d suggesting that Trump may now be able to win these blue states.<\/p>\n
Only 226 of the 270 electoral votes that are required are in Biden\u2019s column; the other 44 are must-win contests for Biden, including Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin.<\/p>\n
Cook Senior Editor Dave Wasserman commented on the shift, stating, \u201cThe notion that the presidential is a Toss Up was a stretch even before the debate. Today, Trump has a clear advantage over Biden and a much more plausible path to 270 Electoral votes.\u201d In the Cook forecast, Trump only needs to win of the three toss-up states to win the election.<\/p>\n