LIVE | US election: Trump leads over Harris as early numbers come in
The 2024 US presidential election is being billed as historic as it has been one of the tightest presidential races in the last several decades
The United States is on the cusp of a historic presidential election, with citizens voting on Tuesday (November 5). Democrat Kamala Harris and Republican Donald Trump each need at least 270 electoral votes to win the presidency.
The first results of the US presidential elections are coming in, and Trump looks set to win the key race of Florida. Harris is likely to pick up Massachusetts and Maryland, per CNN projections.
"It’s too early to call in Georgia, North Carolina and Pennsylvania, which, alongside Arizona, Michigan, Wisconsin and Nevada, are the key battleground states that are seen as pivotal to their path to victory," said a CNN report.
Associated Press projections indicate Trump is currently leading in Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, West Virginia, South Carolina, Ohio and Florida, while Harris is ahead in Vermont, New Hampshire, North Carolina and Virginia.
Tough battle
On the final day of canvassing, former president Trump, known for his aggressive rhetoric, held rallies in North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Michigan while Harris addressed supporters in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania.
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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 winner in the election.
The election is being billed as historic as it has been one of the tightest presidential races in the last several decades.
Read/watch The Federal's extensive coverage of the US polls here.
Read the updates here.
Donald Trump has won Utah and its six electoral votes, said AP. "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," said the AP report.
Latter-day Saints, better known as Mormons, make up about half of Utah’s 3.4 million population. Since Lyndon B Johnson in 1964, no Democratic presidential candidate has won in Utah.
The Associated Press declared Trump the winner at 10:00 pm EST.
Kamala Harris has won Colorado, 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, said AP.
"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," said the AP report.
Votes cast on election day tend to favour Republicans, while Democrats are historically favored in early voting, causing blue and red “mirages” depending on which types of votes each state counts first, says a Forbes report.
The 'red mirage', a major factor in the 2020 race, could show up again in the 2024 vote counting, says the report, adding that it may be less prominent this time.
"The 'red mirage' refers to early vote totals that favour Republicans as ballots cast in-person on election day are counted, while a 'blue shift' occurs as absentee and provisional ballots are totaled (since Democrats traditionally vote by mail more frequently than Republicans)," the report said.
Some American states now count their mail ballots first, potentially leading to a 'blue mirage' in states like Georgia early in the night, followed by a 'red shift' as GOP-leaning in-person votes are added to the total.
Trump (198):
Florida, Texas, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia, Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi, Missouri, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wyoming, Minnesota, Louisiana, Wisconsin, New Mexico, Utah, Montana, Georgia, Virginia, Oregon, Arizona
Harris (99)
Delaware, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Michigan, Illinois, Iowa, Missouri, Kansas, ColoradoMichigan: Leaning Harris
Wisconsin: Leaning Trump
Pennsylvania: Leaning Harris
Nevada: Not available yet
Arizona: Not available yet
North Carolina: Leaning Trump
Georgia: Leaning TrumpAccording to NYT forecast, Trump has a 67% chance of winning though Harris has slightly more popular votes.
Trump (177):
Florida, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia, Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi, Missouri, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Texas, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wyoming, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Louisiana
Harris (71)
Delaware, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Michigan, Illinois, Iowa, Missouri, Kansas, Colorado, New Mexico