US presidential election come in, Republican candidate Donald Trump holds a crucial lead
Washington DC: As projections for the US presidential election come in, Republican candidate Donald Trump holds a crucial lead over his Democratic rival Kamala Harris, with both securing several states in their party's traditional strongholds.
Trump is also projected to win the key battleground state of North Carolina, bringing him closer to the 270 electoral votes needed to win the presidency.
Though projections are emerging from several states, what everyone is eagerly waiting for is possible trends from the other six battleground or swing states that will effectively determine who will become the next American president. These are the states of Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Michigan, Georgia, Arizona, and Nevada.
The race between the Democratic leader and her Republican rival for the White House has been truly unprecedented, as it saw drama, tragedy, political comebacks, fierce rhetoric, and a historically razor-tight contest.
In addition to the presidential race, control of the US House of Representatives and Senate is also at stake, critical for advancing the legislative agenda of either candidate over the next two years.
10:29 am, 06 Nov 2024
Race Call: Kamala Harris wins Virginia
Vice President Kamala Harris won Virginia on Tuesday, adding 13 electoral votes to her tally. Harris' victory marks the third time Donald Trump has lost the Old Dominion state. The Democratic nominee for president has won Virginia in every election since 2008.
The Associated Press declared Harris the winner at 11:42 pm (EST).
10:08 am, 06 Nov 2024
Race Call: Kamala Harris wins New Mexico
Kamala Harris won New Mexico on Tuesday, adding five electoral votes to Democrats' tally. The Democratic Party's influence in New Mexico has only grown over the last two decades, with former President George W. Bush being the last Republican to win the state in 2004.
Harris never made any campaign stops in the state, but support in New Mexico's more populous areas outweighed voters in conservative pockets as second-term Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham and members of the state's congressional delegation campaigned on the vice president's behalf.
The Associated Press declared Harris the winner at 11:33 pm (EST).
10:03 am, 06 Nov 2024
Race Call: Kamala Harris wins Oregon
Kamala Harris won Oregon on Tuesday, adding eight electoral votes to her tally. Oregon has one more electoral vote this cycle than it did in the previous presidential election after gaining a congressional seat following the 2020 census.
The Democratic nominee for president has won Oregon since 1988.
The Associated Press declared Harris the winner at 11:23 pm (EST).
10:00 am, 06 Nov 2024
Race Call: Donald Trump wins battleground state North Carolina, opens path to 270
Former President Donald Trump won the battleground state of North Carolina on Tuesday. Trump receives the state's 16 electoral votes after defeating Democratic nominee Kamala Harris.
Trump also won the state in 2016 and 2020, but Democrats had been optimistic they could reverse previous outcomes with campaign spending, canvassing and Harris rallies. They also tried to link Trump to embattled Republican gubernatorial candidate Mark Robinson.
But Trump and running mate JD Vance visited North Carolina often during the fall campaign, pushing a more protectionist economic agenda and promises to crack down on illegal immigration and the southern border.
The Associated Press declared Trump the winner at 11:18 pm (EST).
9:55 am, 06 Nov 2024
Race Call: Donald Trump wins Idaho
Former President Donald Trump won Idaho for the third consecutive election on Tuesday, adding four electoral votes to his tally. Idaho is deeply red, and the Republican presidential nominee has carried the state with more than 60% of the vote for the last several elections.
The last time a Democratic presidential nominee won Idaho was 60 years ago, when Lyndon Johnson beat Republican Barry Goldwater by a narrow margin of just over 5,300 votes.
The Associated Press declared Trump the winner at 11:00 pm (EST).
9:53 am, 06 Nov 2024
Race Call: Kamala Harris wins Washington
Vice President Kamala Harris won Washington's 12 electoral votes on Tuesday, besting former President Donald Trump in a state where he is not popular.
Washington has not gone for a Republican presidential candidate since Ronald Reagan in 1984. President Joe Biden carried Washington in 2020 with 58% of the vote to Trump's less than 39%.
The Associated Press declared Harris the winner at 11:00 pm (EST).
9:41 am, 06 Nov 2024
Race Call: Kamala Harris wins California
Kamala Harris won California on Tuesday, giving her the largest prize in the presidential election - 54 electoral votes. The outcome in the heavily Democratic state where Harris previously served as a US senator and attorney general was expected.
A Republican candidate hasn't won a presidential contest in the nation's most populous state since 1988, and the GOP hasn't seriously contested California in a presidential election since 2000.
Registered Democrats outnumber Republicans in California by about 2-to-1, and the party holds every statewide office and dominates the Legislature and congressional delegation.
The Associated Press declared Harris the winner at 11:00 pm (EST).
9:27 am, 06 Nov 2024
Race Call: Donald Trump wins Iowa
Former President Donald Trump won Iowa on Tuesday, claiming the state's six electoral votes. Formerly considered a swing state, Iowa has proved to be a clear example of Trump's appeal among Republican voters and his staying power in the GOP.
A majority of Iowans backed Democrat Barack Obama in 2008 and 2012 but chose Trump decisively in 2016 and again in 2020.
Now, after easily earning the support of Iowa's Republican caucusgoers earlier this year and buoying his reelection bid, Trump has won the state in three consecutive presidential elections.
The Associated Press declared Trump the winner at 10:40 pm (EST).
9:23 am, 06 Nov 2024
Race Call: Donald Trump wins Kansas
Former President Donald Trump won Kansas and its six electoral votes on Tuesday. Republican candidates have carried Kansas in every presidential election since 1964, and it was the third election in a row that Trump has won the state.
Kansas City-area suburbs that once were reliable GOP strongholds started leaning more Democratic after Trump was elected president in 2016, but Trump has retained his strong popularity in much of the state and particularly in rural areas.
The Associated Press declared Trump the winner at 10:39 pm (EST).
9:20 am, 06 Nov 2024
Race Call: Kamala Harris wins the District of Columbia
Vice President Kamala Harris won the District of Columbia on Tuesday, securing the capital's three electoral votes.
Harris' win in D.C. is no surprise—the District is a long-time Democratic stronghold whose government repeatedly feuded with Republican Donald Trump when he was the president.
Trump has described modern-day Washington as a crime-ridden dystopia, and Republican allies in Congress have threatened to strip D.C. of its limited autonomy.
The Associated Press declared Harris the winner at 10:20 pm (EST).
8:50 am, 06 Nov 2024
Race Call: Kamala Harris wins Colorado
Kamala Harris won Colorado on Tuesday, picking up the state's 10 electoral votes. Colorado was once a purple state, flipping between Democratic and Republican presidential candidates, but it has shifted blue in the past two decades.
The last Republican presidential candidate to snag Colorado's electoral votes was George W. Bush in 2004. Since then, it's backed Democratic presidential candidates, with Joe Biden winning it handily in 2020.
Colorado gained its 10th electoral vote after the 2020 census, attributed to population growth around Denver.
The Associated Press declared Harris the winner at 10:08 pm (EST).
8:44 am, 06 Nov 2024
Race Call: Donald Trump wins Utah
Donald Trump won Utah and its six electoral votes on Tuesday.
The Mountain West state is a rare Republican stronghold that has in past elections only half-heartedly supported Trump, whose brash style and comments about immigrants do not sit right with some members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Latter-day Saints, commonly known as Mormons, make up about half of Utah's 3.4 million residents.
A Democratic presidential candidate has not won in Utah since Lyndon B. Johnson in 1964. Voters have historically favored moderate Republicans in statewide elections.
The Associated Press declared Trump the winner at 10:00 pm (EST).
8:42 am, 06 Nov 2024
Race Call: Donald Trump wins Montana
Former President Donald Trump won Montana for the third consecutive election on Tuesday, adding four electoral votes to his tally.
Montana has one more electoral vote this cycle than it did in the previous two, as the state received an additional congressional seat following the 2020 census. Montana has gone to the Republican nominee for president in all but one election going back to 1968.
The Associated Press declared Trump the winner at 10:00 pm (EST).
8:40 am, 06 Nov 2024
Race Call: Donald Trump wins Missouri
Republican Donald Trump won the reliably conservative state of Missouri on Tuesday, defeating Democrat Kamala Harris. Missouri voters overwhelmingly favored Trump over Democrats in the 2016 and 2020 elections, and he was favored to win again this year.
In the past decade, the GOP has become increasingly dominant in Missouri, and Republicans now hold all statewide political offices. Republicans also hold large majorities in both legislative chambers.
The Associated Press declared Trump the winner at 9:49 pm (EST).
8:36 am, 06 Nov 2024
Updates from swing states of North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Michigan
In North Carolina, Trump is leading Harris by roughly 4 percentage points, with more than half of the expected votes counted. Many of the state’s most populous counties haven’t reported significant numbers of votes cast in person on or before Election Day. In North Carolina, votes cast before Election Day made up 83% of total votes in 2020 and 58% in 2022.
In Pennsylvania, Harris is leading with about a fifth of the estimated votes counted a little more than an hour after polls closed. The earliest results included mailed ballots, which have historically favoured Democratic candidates. But the gap is narrowing, as expected, with Election Day votes from across the state being added.
In Michigan, more than half of the state's 83 counties had not reported any votes two hours after polls closed in much of the state. Only a handful of votes had been reported in Wayne and Macomb counties in the Detroit area, which tend to favour Democrats and Republicans, respectively.
Michigan is also home to a large population of Arab and Muslim Americans, who traditionally lean Democratic but have expressed strong dissatisfaction with Harris over the Biden administration’s handling of the Gaza war.
8:20 am, 06 Nov 2024
Trump leads Harris 178-99 as focus shifts to Eastern battleground states
There have been no surprises in the result projections so far, with polls having closed across most of America.
Donald Trump is projected to win Republican-leaning states like Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Texas, and Ohio, while Harris carried Democratic strongholds in New England, Illinois, and the Northeast, including New Jersey and New York.
Meanwhile, focus is shifting to the key battleground states in the East—Georgia, North Carolina, and Pennsylvania.
8:11 am, 06 Nov 2024
Race Call: Donald Trump wins statewide vote in Nebraska and two electoral votes
Republican Donald Trump won the statewide popular vote in Nebraska for the third consecutive election on Tuesday, receiving two electoral college votes. Nebraska is one of two states that divide electoral votes with two votes going to the statewide winner and one apiece to the winner of each congressional district.
Trump won Nebraska by 25 percentage points in 2016 and by 19 points four years later. The last Democratic presidential nominee to win the statewide popular vote in Nebraska was Lyndon B. Johnson in 1964.
The AP declared Trump the winner at 9:00 pm (EST).
Race Call: Trump wins 3rd Congressional District in Nebraska and one electoral vote
Trump also won the electoral vote tied to Nebraska's vast, rural 3rd Congressional District on Tuesday.
The former president easily defeated Democratic candidate and Vice President Kamala Harris in the state's most conservative of its three districts, covering 80 counties and two time zones.
The district is also one of the most conservative in the country and supported Trump by about 3-to-1 in both 2016 and 2020. The last time the district voted for a Democrat to represent it in the US House was in 1958.
The Associated Press declared Trump the winner at 9:25 pm (EST).
8:01 am, 06 Nov 2024
Race Call: Donald Trump wins Texas
Former President Donald Trump won Texas for the third consecutive election on Tuesday, adding 40 electoral votes to his tally.
Texas gained two more electoral votes this cycle after the 2020 census.
The Republican nominee for president has won Texas for nearly 50 years since Democrat Jimmy Carter carried the state in 1976.
The Associated Press declared Trump the winner at 9:12 pm (EST).
8:00 am, 06 Nov 2024
Race Call: Donald Trump wins Ohio
Republican Donald Trump carried Ohio for a third time on Tuesday, defeating Democratic nominee Kamala Harris to capture the state's 17 electoral votes. Support for the former president helped turn Ohio from a presidential bellwether to reliably Republican in recent years.
Ohio voters supported him by wide margins in 2016 and 2020, and they delivered for him again this year. No Republican has reached the White House without carrying Ohio.
In 2020, Joe Biden became the first Democrat to win the presidency without winning Ohio since John F. Kennedy in 1960.
The Associated Press declared Trump the winner at 9:08 pm (EST).
7:59 am, 06 Nov 2024
Race Call: Donald Trump wins Wyoming
Former President Donald Trump beat Vice President Kamala Harris in deep-red Wyoming to win the least-populated state's three electoral votes on Tuesday. One of the most Republican states by almost any measure, Wyoming gave Trump his widest margins of victory in any state in the 2020 and 2016 elections.
Trump made at least one fundraising visit to Wyoming in 2024 but did not campaign in the state. He focused instead on states less certain to deliver him wins.
The Associated Press declared Trump the winner at 9:00 pm (EST).
7:57 am, 06 Nov 2024
Race Call: Donald Trump wins Louisiana
Former President Donald Trump won Louisiana on Tuesday for the third consecutive presidential election, increasing his electoral vote tally by eight. Trump won Louisiana with about 58% of the vote in both 2016 and 2020.
In addition to voter support, Trump has various powerful political allies in and from the Bayou State, including House Speaker Mike Johnson, Majority Leader Steve Scalise and Gov. Jeff Landry.
In Louisiana, where the GOP currently holds each statewide elected office and controls the legislature, the Republican nominee for president has won every election since 1996.
The Associated Press declared Trump the winner at 9:00 pm (EST).
7:55 am, 06 Nov 2024
Race Call: Donald Trump wins South Dakota
Former President Donald Trump won South Dakota's three electoral votes for president Tuesday. The Republican nominee had been expected to prevail comfortably in a state where GOP voters outnumber Democrats by more than 2-to-1. No Democratic nominee has carried South Dakota since President Lyndon Johnson won in 1964.
Trump received nearly 62% of the vote in each of his previous runs for president, and both times his margin was more than 26 percentage points. Almost 51% of the state's 616,000 registered voters are Republicans, while fewer than 24% are Democrats.
The Associated Press declared Trump the winner at 9:00 pm (EST).
7:54 am, 06 Nov 2024
Race Call: Donald Trump wins North Dakota
Former President Donald Trump won North Dakota's three electoral votes on Tuesday. His victory continues a decadeslong streak of Republican presidential wins in the conservative state known for its agriculture and energy production.
The last Democratic presidential candidate to win the state was President Lyndon B. Johnson in 1964. North Dakota has about 784,000 residents.
The Associated Press declared Trump the winner at 9:00 pm (EST).
7:53 am, 06 Nov 2024
Race Call: Kamala Harris wins New York
Vice President Kamala Harris won New York's presidential contest on Tuesday, picking up the state's 28 electoral votes.
New York has now voted for the Democrat in every presidential contest since giving Ronald Reagan the nod in his landslide 1984 election.
Former President Donald Trump has consistently struggled to gain traction in his home state, losing New York in each of his three runs for the White House.
New York's electoral vote haul is the fourth richest, after California, Texas and Florida, but has one fewer vote than it did four years ago due to population shifts.
The Associated Press declared Harris the winner at 9:00 pm (EST).
7:16 am, 06 Nov 2024
Race Call: Kamala Harris wins Illinois
Vice President Kamala Harris won Illinois on Tuesday, claiming the state's 19 electoral votes for Democrats.
The reliably blue state, the home of former President Barack Obama, has supported Democratic presidential candidates since 1992.
The Associated Press declared Harris the winner at 8:38 pm (EST).
7:15 am, 06 Nov 2024
Race Call: Kamala Harris wins Delaware
Democrat Kamala Harris won Delaware's presidential contest Tuesday, easily defeating Republican Donald Trump. Harris' victory in solid-blue Delaware was a foregone conclusion, given the stranglehold Democrats have held on the state's three electoral votes for decades.
The last Republican presidential candidate to win in Delaware was George H.W. Bush in 1988. That's also the last time Delaware voters elected a Republican governor.
Delaware's congressional delegation for years has been composed entirely of Democrats, who also control both chambers of the state legislature.
The Associated Press declared Harris the winner at 8:34 pm (EST).
7:14 am, 06 Nov 2024
Race Call: Kamala Harris wins New Jersey
Kamala Harris won New Jersey's 14 electoral votes on Tuesday.
Harris' victory over Republican Donald Trump continues Democrats' dominance in the state, which has gone with the Democratic candidate for president in every election since 1988.
New Jersey Democrats have nearly 1 million more registered voters than Republicans. Trump has ties to New Jersey, including golf clubs across the state. He also operated casinos in the shore resort of Atlantic City, but they ended in bankruptcy.
The Associated Press declared Harris the winner at 8:30 pm (EST).
Former President Donald Trump secured Arkansas' six electoral votes on Tuesday, winning the heavily Republican state for the third presidential election in a row.
Trump had the backing of the state's top Republican figures, including Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders. Sanders, who had served as Trump's White House press secretary, endorsed the former president's bid and campaigned for him.
Former Gov. Asa Hutchinson ran unsuccessfully for the GOP nomination and declined to endorse Trump's reelection.
Democrats have not won a presidential election in Arkansas since 1996, when native son Bill Clinton won reelection.
The Associated Press declared Trump the winner at 8:30 pm (EST).
Former President Donald Trump won Oklahoma and its seven electoral votes on Tuesday, defeating Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris.
A Democrat has not won the presidential race in Oklahoma since 1964, and Trump was heavily favored to win.
The last time a Democrat won one of Oklahoma's 77 counties in a presidential race was in 2000 when Al Gore won nine counties in the eastern part of the state during his loss to then-Texas Gov. George W. Bush.
The Associated Press declared Trump the winner at 8:00 pm (EST).
Former President Donald Trump won Tennessee on Tuesday, keeping the firmly Republican state and its 11 electoral votes in his win column. Trump won Tennessee by about 23 percentage points in 2020 and by 26 points in 2016.
The state's two Republican U.S. senators, Marsha Blackburn and Bill Hagerty, both won their first elections behind endorsements from Trump.
The state has not voted for a Democrat for president since Bill Clinton's reelection in 1996. Voters in 2000 turned on Clinton's vice president from Tennessee, Al Gore, and voted for George W. Bush.
The Associated Press declared Trump the winner at 8:00 pm (EST).
Vice President Kamala Harris won Massachusetts on Tuesday, continuing a decadeslong streak of victories for Democratic presidential candidates in the Bay State. The commonwealth and its 11 electoral votes have become one of the reliable gains for Democrats in presidential elections.
The last time Massachusetts backed a Republican candidate was in 1984 when voters cast their ballots for Ronald Reagan. In 2020, Joe Biden easily defeated Donald Trump, winning more than 65% of the vote.
The state has also become a steady source of campaign cash for both Republican and Democratic candidates, though few spend time campaigning in the state.
Associated Press declared Harris the winner at 8:00 pm (EST).
Vice President Kamala Harris won Rhode Island on Tuesday, giving her four electoral votes and continuing the Democrats' dominance in the state.
The last time a Republican presidential candidate won Rhode Island was in 1984, when former President Ronald Reagan defeated former Vice President Walter Mondale.
President Joe Biden easily defeated former President Donald Trump in Rhode Island in 2020, winning more than 59% of the vote. Hillary Clinton also did well in the state, winning over 54% of the vote in 2016. Given the Democrats' success in Rhode Island, presidential candidates rarely spend time campaigning in the state.
The Associated Press declared Harris the winner at 8:00 pm (EST).
Former President Donald Trump won South Carolina on Tuesday, earning its nine electoral votes for the third straight election.
South Carolina has not voted for the Democratic nominee for president since 1976, when Democrat Jimmy Carter -- the governor of the neighbouring state of Georgia -- defeated Republican President Gerald Ford throughout the South.
Four years ago, Trump won 55% of the vote, matching his performance from 2016. Given the success Republicans have in the state, presidential candidates rarely spend time campaigning there.
The Associated Press declared Trump the winner at 8:01 pm (EST).
Vice President Kamala Harris won Connecticut on Tuesday, extending the state's long trend of supporting Democratic presidential candidates and adding seven electoral votes to her tally.
This year marked the ninth consecutive presidential election in which Connecticut voters favoured the Democratic candidate. The last Republican presidential candidate to win the state was George H.W. Bush in 1988.
Former President Donald Trump has now lost Connecticut three times, first to former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, then to Joe Biden and now to Harris.
The Associated Press declared Harris the winner at 8:00 pm (EST).
Donald Trump won Florida on Tuesday for the third consecutive election, earning the state's 30 electoral votes. Once a crucial battleground state, Florida has been drifting towards the Republican Party in recent years.
A Democratic presidential nominee has not won the state since Barack Obama carried it in 2012. Meanwhile, Trump grew his margin of victory in his adopted home state between 2016 and 2020.
The Associated Press declared Trump the winner at 8:01 pm (EST)
Vice President Kamala Harris won Maryland and its 10 electoral votes on Tuesday. Maryland is a heavily Democratic state that is home to many federal workers next to the nation's capital.
The state has a Black population of about 30 percent, the largest percentage of any state outside the Deep South. Democrats outnumber Republicans 2-1 in the state.
Former President Donald Trump is deeply unpopular in Maryland. In 2020, Trump received just 32 percent of the vote. A Republican has not won a presidential election in the state since George H.W. Bush in 1988.
The Associated Press declared Harris the winner at 8:00 pm (EST).
Former President Donald Trump won Mississippi on Tuesday, claiming the state's six electoral votes and continuing a long winning streak for Republicans. The last Democratic presidential nominee to win Mississippi was Jimmy Carter in 1976.
Republicans hold both of Mississippi's US Senate seats, three of its four US House seats, all eight statewide offices and a wide majority in the state House and Senate.
Gov. Tate Reeves and most other Republican officials in Mississippi endorsed Trump, while Democratic US Rep. Bennie Thompson endorsed the Democratic nominee, Kamala Harris.
The Associated Press declared Trump the winner at 8:00 pm (EST).
Former President Donald Trump won West Virginia for the third straight presidential election cycle on Tuesday. The victory adds four electoral votes to the former president's count.
West Virginia has one fewer electoral vote this cycle after losing a congressional seat following the 2020 census.
The state is one of only two where Trump won every county in 2016 and 2020. No Democrat has won the presidential election in West Virginia since Bill Clinton in 1996. Republicans control every elected partisan statewide office in West Virginia.
The Associated Press declared Trump the winner at 7:30 pm (EST).
Republican Donald Trump won the presidential election in Indiana on Tuesday.
The reliably conservative state, where Republicans have held the governor's office for 20 years, gave Trump its 11 electoral votes over Democrat Kamala Harris.
Indiana has been favourable towards Trump in his three races for the White House. In 2016, the year he won the presidency, and again in 2020, Trump took 57 per cent of the Hoosier state vote.
The Associated Press declared Trump the winner at 7:00 pm (EST).
Kamala Harris won the Democratic stronghold of Vermont, which gave its three electoral votes to the vice president on Tuesday.
The small state has voted in favour of Democratic candidates in the previous eight presidential elections.
Vermont Gov. Phil Scott, a Republican, has been a critic of Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump and voted for Democrat Joe Biden in the 2020 election.
The Associated Press declared Harris the winner at 7:00 pm (EST).
Former President Donald Trump won Kentucky for the third consecutive election on Tuesday, adding eight electoral votes to his tally.
The Republican nominee for president has won Kentucky in every election since Democrat Bill Clinton carried the Bluegrass State in 1996.
Kentucky's most powerful Republican, Senate GOP leader Mitch McConnell, once called Trump "morally responsible" for the January 6, 2021, Capitol attack. But in a remarkable turnaround, McConnell endorsed Trump's bid to return to the White House. During Trump's term, the two worked together to pass a tax cuts package and to put three conservative justices on the Supreme Court.
The Associated Press declared Trump the winner at 7:00 pm (EST).
How US electoral college works: Explaining the presidential vote
The Electoral College is the unique American system of electing presidents. It is different from the popular vote, and it has an outsize impact on how candidates run and win campaigns.
The framers of the Constitution set it up to give more power to the states and as a compromise to avoid having Congress decide the winner.
The US has 50 states and most of them vote for the same party in every election except the swing states. Based on the volume of population, the states are assigned electoral college votes.
Before the general election, each US state selects a group of electors.
Each state's electors vote for the candidate who won the popular vote in that state. The runner-up gets nothing, except in Nebraska and Maine, where elector votes are awarded based on congressional district and statewide results.
Overall, a total of 538 electoral college votes are up for grabs. A candidate with 270 or more electoral votes is declared the winner in the election.
If both candidates register victory in all the states that historically support the same party, then it will leave Harris 44 electoral college votes short of victory and Trump 51 votes short.
In that situation, the 93 votes of the swing states will decide who the next American president will be.
So far, only five presidents have lost the popular vote despite winning the Electoral College. Trump was the last president to do so in 2016.
But how does electoral college work? Watch below.
7 states will determine next US President, but why?
This election is being described as one of the closest in modern US history.
Every presidential election is generally decided by a handful of states, which are dubbed battleground or swing states.
The US has 50 states and most of them vote for the same party in every election except the swing states
Trump and Harris are expected to win in states that traditionally support their respective parties, with Trump likely carrying Republican-leaning states and Harris expected to win Democratic-leaning ones.
This year, the final outcome may hinge on seven swing states—Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Nevada, and North Carolina—where both candidates have polled very close to each other.
Voting in the U.S. presidential election has concluded in some states and entered its final hours in others, with millions of Americans already casting ballots in a choice between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump.
The race between the Democratic leader and her Republican rival for the White House has been truly unprecedented, as it saw drama, tragedy, political comebacks, fierce rhetoric, and a historically razor-tight contest.
The election outcome will likely be determined by a handful of states, dubbed battleground or swing states. This includes Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Michigan, North Carolina, Georgia, Arizona, and Nevada.
The race has remained deadlocked for weeks, with some of the election forecasters giving 60-year-old Harris an edge over Trump, 78, in some of the key battleground states like Pennsylvania.
The US has 50 states, and most of them vote for the same party in every election except the swing states. Based on the volume of population, the states are assigned electoral college votes.
Overall, a total of 538 electoral college votes are up for grabs. A candidate with 270 or more electoral votes is declared the winner in the election.
In addition to the presidential race, control of the US House of Representatives and Senate is also at stake, critical for advancing the legislative agenda of either candidate over the next two years.
Heading into today's election, Democrats had controlled the Senate, while Republicans had the majority in the House.
