Saturday, November 23, 2024

US election: Trump ahead in most battleground states, early projections say

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The seven battleground states remain too close to call but Donald Trump is ahead of Kamala Harris in five, early projections for the US election say.

The two candidates were neck and neck in the opinion polls after a bitter campaign that saw two assassination attempts against Republican Mr Trump as well as the shock withdrawal of President Joe Biden.

Of the battleground states, Mr Trump is ahead in Pennsylvania, Georgia, North Carolina, Arizona and Wisconsin, while Ms Harris leads in Michigan.

Follow live: Early data makes Trump camp ‘optimistic’

Image:
Kamala Harris and Donald Trump. Pics: Reuters/AP

What results are in so far?

Voting is still happening in some states, while counting is now under way in a slew of states where polls have already closed.

While not all the votes have been counted, a winner can be projected in a number of states.

Ms Harris is projected to have won California, Colorado, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island and Vermont. This would put her on 153 Electoral College votes.

Mr Trump is projected to have won Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska (three of five votes), North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, West Virginia and Wyoming. This would put him on 214 Electoral College votes.

Melissa Fehl votes, next to a cat named "Skye", in the 2024 U.S. presidential election on Election Day, at the Mattress Factory in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S., November 5, 2024. REUTERS/Quinn Glabicki
Image:
A cat seen at a polling booth in Pennsylvania. Pic: Reuters

None of the seven battleground states have yet been projected for either candidate. NBC News says Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin are too close to call.

Voters are not just selecting a president. Control of both the House of Representatives and the Senate are also up for grabs, with all seats in the House and one-third of those in the Senate up before voters.

With most races still not yet called, NBC News has projected that Republicans have gained a Senate seat in West Virginia. It had been held by independent Senator and former Democrat, Joe Manchin.

Read more:
An easy guide to the US election
What Trump or Harris victories would mean for UK

How the vote works

As well as those lining up at polling booths on Tuesday, tens of millions of Americans cast early ballots – voting by post or in person before today.

To become president, the winning candidate needs 270 electoral votes or more, with each state carrying a different number of votes.

If the polls predicting a close race are correct, the election will likely come down to a few battleground states: Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.

With some races perhaps coming down to thousands of votes, it could be days before a definitive result is known.

The FBI reported that there had been “non-credible” bomb threats to several states, resulting in some polling stations staying open later. The agency said some of the threats came from Russian email domains. The Russian embassy said accusations of interference were “malicious slander”.

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What’s happening in Georgia?

Trump or Harris

Former president Mr Trump, 78, voted in Palm Beach, Florida, near his Mar-a-Lago club.

Wearing his trademark red “Make America Great Again” baseball cap, he said at the polling station that he was feeling “very confident”.

“I hear we’re doing very well,” he said. “It looks like Republicans have shown up in force.”

Elon Musk, the world’s richest man and Trump donor, said he will watch results unfold with the former president.

In the meantime, Ms Harris, the 60-year-old Democratic vice president, did radio interviews in the battleground states of Pennsylvania, Georgia and North Carolina.

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