President Donald Trump’s campaign will request a recount in Wisconsin as the 2020 election began to turn against the incumbent. The cost? A measly $3 million. 

With 99% of the votes counted, CNN, Fox News and others called the race in favor of former Vice President Joe Biden on Wednesday.

“Despite ridiculous public polling used as a voter suppression tactic, Wisconsin has been a razor thin race as we always knew that it would be,” Bill Stepien, Trump campaign manager, said in a statement.

“There have been reports of irregularities in several Wisconsin counties which raise serious doubts about the validity of the results. The president is well within the threshold to request a recount and we will immediately do so.”

The campaign’s claims were made without any proof of voting irregularities.

Biden’s slim lead of 49.6% to 48.9% figures to stay within the 1% margin that triggers an opening to request a recount in Wisconsin. The Wisconsin Election Commission still must complete the canvass from county election boards.

“We are going to win Wisconsin, recount or no recount,” Biden campaign manager Jen O’Malley Dillon said.

Meagan Wolfe, the director of the state elections commission, told NBC News all votes were counted except the community of Willow, in Richland County, which has fewer than 300 voters.

“All of our unofficial results have come in from the local election offices,” she said. “Now we’re in the important process of triple-checking the results.”

Trump won Wisconsin by fewer than 30,000 votes in 2016, the first Republican presidential victory there in 30 years.

He will have to pay the $3 million for the recount unless the margin is less than one quarter of a percent, according to the New York Times.

Biden shot into the lead early Wednesday when Milwaukee reported its roughly 170,000 absentee votes, which were overwhelmingly Democratic.

 

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