Donald Trump wins North Carolina; takes lead in Pennsylvania, other swing states narrowing Kamala Harris' chances

As the US election enters its fourth hour of vote counting, Republican candidate Donald Trump has taken a strong lead over his Democrat rival Kamala Harris in six out of the seven crucial swing states, including North Carolina, that are pivotal to securing the White House.

Donald Trump won North Carolina and holds the lead in Arizona, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Georgia, according to early results. Polls were closed in the battlegrounds of Pennsylvania, Georgia, Michigan, Arizona, Wisconsin and Nevada, but the results there were too early to call.

Swing states, also known as battleground states, are vital in determining the outcome of the presidential race. These states typically have a nearly equal level of support for both major parties, making them crucial for candidates seeking to secure the 270 electoral votes needed for victory.

This year, the contested states include Pennsylvania (19 electoral votes), Michigan (10), Georgia (16), Wisconsin (10), North Carolina (16), Nevada (6), and Arizona (11). As of now, Donald Trump’s strong performance in these battlegrounds puts him in a favourable position, though the final outcome will depend on the remaining votes.

Donald Trump wins North Carolina

Donald Trump won the battleground state of North Carolina, fending off a challenge from Kamala Harris, who was looking to flip the state and expand her pathways to 270 electoral votes.

The former Republican president had made stops to the state in each of the last three days of the campaign to deprive Kamal Harris of the pickup, as a divided America made its decision in a stark choice for the nation’s future. The Democratic vice president’s campaign chair Jen O’Malley Dillon told staff in a memo that the “blue wall” of Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin was now the Democrat’s “clearest path” to victory, according to a copy obtained by The Associated Press.

Voting continued in the West on Election Day, as tens of millions of Americans added their ballots to the 84 million cast early as they chose between two candidates with drastically different temperaments and visions for the country.

Donald Trump won Florida, a one-time battleground that has shifted heavily to Republicans in recent elections. He also notched early wins in reliably Republican states such as Texas, South Carolina and Indiana, while Harris took Democratic strongholds like New York, Massachusetts and Illinois.

Harris and Trump eye seven swing states

Harris and Trump entered Election Day focused on seven swing states, five of them carried by Trump in 2016 before they flipped to Biden in 2020: the “blue wall” of Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin as well as Arizona and Georgia. Nevada and North Carolina, which Democrats and Republicans respectively carried in the last two elections, also were closely contested.

Trump voted in Palm Beach, Florida, near his Mar-a-Lago club. On Tuesday night, he called into a Wisconsin radio station to say: “I’m watching these results. So far so good."

Trump has said he had no plans to tell his supporters to refrain from violence if Harris wins, because they “are not violent people.”

Harris, 60, would be the first woman, Black woman and person of South Asian descent to serve as president. She also would be the first sitting vice president to win the White House in 36 years.

Trump, 78, would be the oldest president ever elected. He would also be the first defeated president in 132 years to win another term in the White House, and the first person convicted of a felony to take over the Oval Office.

He survived one assassination attempt by millimeters at a July rally. Secret Service agents foiled a second attempt in September.

(With inputs from agencies)

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