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The Editorial Board, USA TODAY Published 11:59 a.m. ET Nov. 7, 2020

Our View: Record high voter turnout fired Donald Trump amid a losing war on COVID-19, ousting an incumbent president for the first time since 1992.

All presidential elections are historic in their own way, but 2020 is truly one for the books. The turnout wasstupendous, the highest participation rate in more than a century.The result, a nail-bitingvictory for Joe Biden after days of vote counting, confounded pollsters who hadprojected a bigger Democratic wave.

Biden, who turns 78 on Nov.20, becomes the oldest person elected to the nation's highest office.His running mate, Sen. Kamala Harris of California, becomes the first woman and the first African Americanto be elected vice president.

Biden'swin, tighter in the Electoral College than in the national popular vote, showed that the majority of voters exhausted or enraged by the turmoil ofDonald Trump's first term were looking for a change. For the first time in 28 years, they ousted an incumbent.

They replaced the first president who had no prior public-service experience with a politicianwho has nearly a half-century of it. They replaced a narcissistic, indecent person with one who isknown for being unusually compassionate and caring. They replaced a dividerwith a uniter.

A decentpresident who respects the nation's democratic ideals is exactly what is needed at this point, with a nation split byTrump's reign of chaos and in the throes of a worseningpublic health emergency. "The purpose of our politics, the work of the nation, isnt to fan the flames of conflict but to solve problems," Biden said Friday night, striking an appropriate and healing tone.

Joe Biden speaks to supporters early Nov. 4, 2020, in Wilmington, Delaware.(Photo: Paul Sancya/AP)

As the election results showed, this remains a nation deeply dividedalong cultural and political lines. The fact that Trump almost pulled off a stunning upset shows that his brashness continues to resonatewith tens of millions of voters. It will not be easy for him, or them, to accept the loss.

And it will not be easy for Biden to govern. Depending on the results of two January runoff elections in Georgia, Republicans might wellretain a slim majority in the Senate. And even if Democrats reach50 seats there,some Democrats representing red stateswould likely balk at progressive ideas and nomineesvigorously opposed by Republicans.

Perhaps no other Democratic nominee besides Biden could have carried the crucial battleground state of Pennsylvania, where he was born. And perhaps more than anyone the Democrats could have fielded,Biden can bring his humanity to play in restoring some of the things that have been lost in this country in nearlyfour years.

Part of Biden's appeal is the things he won't do: attack doctors and scientists in the midst of a deadly pandemic;attack the integrity of our democratic institutions;profit off the presidency while withholding his tax returnsfrom the public; traffic in racist fearmongering; send unhinged tweets from the White House at all hours of the day and night.

But Biden perhaps can do more. There is a reason thatattempts to smear him fell flat. TheAmerican people know him well, and he has built up a reservoir of goodwill. He can use that goodwill to the national advantage.

The first order of business is to get America out of the hole it is in from the pandemic, which claimed 1,529 lives on Election Day alone, according to The COVID Tracking Project.Thismeans developing a coherent national strategy to contain the virus until a vaccine is ready, then building public confidence in a vaccination program. It also means another financialrelief bill,if not in a lame-duck congressional sessionthen early next year.

Another highpriorityis to restore America's tattered global reputation byrejoining the Paris climate accord, from which the United States officially withdrewWednesday.

Beyond that, thedetails of a legislative strategy can be worked out over time. For now, in many ways Americajust needs a return to the normality that previous presidents of both parties exhibited.

President-elect Joe Biden's victory representsthe political equivalent of Alka-Seltzer, a product introduced 11 years before hewas born. As the old commercial jingle put it: Oh, what a relief it is.

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Joe Biden, democracy and decency win a presidential election for the ages - USA TODAY