Joe Biden Wins Arizona in Historic Democratic Flip Over Donald Trump, According to AP

Arizona has not seen a win for a Democratic presidential candidate since Bill Clinton's re-election in 1996

The outcome of the 2020 presidential election remained unclear as votes were still being counted Wednesday, but Joe Biden did make history by winning Arizona, according to The Associated Press.

The victory, projected by the AP as Tuesday night tipped into Wednesday, will earn the former vice president 11 electoral votes and marks the first time in 24 years that the battleground state has voted in favor of the Democratic candidate for president.

The win is also validation of the Biden campaign's push into some longtime Republican-leaning states that had been lightening to blue. And while President Donald Trump easily fended off such a challenge in Texas, disappointing Democrats, he was stymied in nearby Arizona.

(Nevada, meanwhile, was still counting votes and a winner had not been projected though Biden retained a lead. The Trump campaign reportedly disputed the AP and Fox News' projection that Arizona had gone blue and said they were hopeful about Nevada.)

Four years ago Trump, 74, won Arizona over then-Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton by a margin of 48.08 percent to 44.58 percent (1,252,401 votes versus 1,161,167).

Pending tallies in Arizona in this week's election showed Biden leading Trump some 1.4 million votes to 1.31 million, with 16 percent of the vote left — largely in Biden-friendly Phoenix.

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris. Maya Harris/Twitter

President Donald Trump (center) addresses supporters at the White House. MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images

While Trump beat out Hillary, 73, four years ago, the Republican party lost Arizona to her husband, former President Bill Clinton, back in 1996.

Clinton, 74, nabbed his re-election in part from his help from Arizona, where he won 46.52 percent of votes (653,288) compared to Bob Dole's 44.29 percent (622,073).

Biden and running mate Sen. Kamala Harris, 56, visited Phoenix early last month in their first appearance together during their campaign. According to the AP, the presidential hopeful told those gathered that Trump "looks down on" them.

"You're facing real challenges right now and the last thing you need is a president who exacerbates them, who ignores you," he said. "We've paid too high a price already for Donald Trump's chaotic, divisive leadership."

President-elect Joe Biden. Patrick Semansky/AP/Shutterstock

RELATED VIDEO: Bernie Sanders Drops Out of 2020 Presidential Race as Biden Gets Ready to Face Trump in November

As Harris introduced Biden, she slammed the president's "reckless disregard for human life and for the well-being of the American people" in regards to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

She also urged Arizona residents to cast their ballots "like your life depends on it," because "it really does," the AP reported.

And then there was the McCain of it all: As results emerged that Biden had flipped the state, some pointed back to Biden's friendship with the family of late Arizona Sen. John McCain, who was a bitter rival of President Trump and whom Trump mocked even after McCain's 2018 death.

His wife, Cindy McCain, was a vocal supporter of Biden in the election.