President Donald Trump of the Republican Party, who was elected in 2016, was seeking reelection to a second term, against former vice president Joe Biden of the Democratic Party. The general election was held on November 3, with voters directly selecting their state's members to the U.S. Electoral College. On November 7, most national media organizations projected that Biden had clinched enough electoral votes to be named the U.S. president-elect. The formal voting by the Electoral College took place on December 14. The U.S. Congress then certified the electoral result on January 7, 2021, and Joe Biden was inaugurated on January 20, 2021.