After an unprecedented campaign amid a resurgent pandemic, polls have finally started to close in the United States. Donald Trump and Joe Biden are splitting the traditional strongholds in early results. Battleground states, which may hold the key to the White House are up for grabs.
Trump has won Alaska, Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, West Virginia, Wyoming, Indiana and South Carolina.
On the other hand, Biden has taken Democratic leaning states like Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New Mexico New York, Rhode Island Vermont and Virginia.
The key battleground states, including Florida, Georgia, North Carolina and Texas are still too close to call.
Here are the latest updates:
– Jason Miller senior advisor to Trump campaign and 2016 Senior Communications Advisor tweeted against Fox News’ calling of Arizona for Joe Biden.
– California with 55 electoral votes goes to Joe Biden, as per AP projections. This win was expected as California traditionally votes strongly in favour of Democrats in presidential polls. In 2016, Hillary Clinton won the state with 61.73 percent of the vote and a 30.11 percent margin, both the highest since Franklin D. Roosevelt’s 66.95 percent vote share and 35.25 percent margin in 1936.
– Fox News has called Arizona for Joe Biden. “The Fox News Decision Desk can now project that former Vice President Joe Biden will win the state of Arizona, dramatically narrowing the president’s pathway to reelection…”
But it remains to be seen whether the Republican stronghold turns blue. With a growing Latino population and an influx of voters from more liberal, Democrats have focused on turning the state more and more. Trump carried the state by over 3 percentage points in 2016.
– CNN has projected Oregon win for Biden. The state has 7 electoral college votes. In 2016, Hillary Clinton carried the state.
– Fox News has called Florida for Donald Trump becoming the first to project a winner in the swing state. “We have a major race call to announce: The Fox News Decision Desk can now project that President Trump will win the state of Florida and its hefty prize of 29 electoral votes, keeping his reelection hopes alive. This is significant because a Biden win in the Sunshine State would have all but doomed the president’s quest for a second term.” With 29 electoral college votes,Florida is the largest swing state in America and has always been so. The margin of victory in the state has been very low and Trump won in this state in 2016 with 49% of the total votes as opposed to Clinton’s 47.8%; only by 1.2 percentage points.
– Joe Biden wins Washington: AP Projections. Washington was won by Hillary Clinton in 2016 with 54.3% vote over Donald Trump’s 38.07%. The state has 12 electoral votes. Democrat Jay Inslee wins reelection for governor in Washington.
– Trump quite expectedly wins Idaho. The state has 4 electoral votes and has been voting Republicans in US presidential polls since 1968. Republican incumbent Jim Risch defeats Democratic challenger Jordan in race for US senate seat in Idaho.
– Democrat Roy Cooper wins reelection for governor in North Carolina.
– Indian-origin congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi re-elected for US House from Illinois Krishnamoorthi, 47, who was born in New Delhi, easily defeated Preston Nelson of the Libertarian Party. When last reports came in, he had accounted for nearly 71 per cent of the total votes counted. Read more
– Trump wins Utah which adds 6 electoral votes to his tally. Utah was won by Donald Trump in 2016 as well with 45.5 percent of the vote, the lowest percentage for any Republican since George H. W. Bush in 1992.
Trump wins in Missouri. The state was widely expected to vote for President Trump as it did in the 2016 presidential election. MIssouri carries 10 electoral votes.
– Biden bags New Hampshire with 53.7% votes. Hillary Clinton had also win the state with a 0.4% margin, the second closest percentage behind Michigan in the 2016 presidential elections. The state has 4 electoral college votes.
– US Senator Lindsey Graham, an ally of President Donald Trump, has defeated Democrat Jaime Harrison, according to Fox News and The New York Times which called the race with nearly half the precincts reporting. Lindsey Graham was also a close friend of Late US?Senator John McCain.
– Republican Marjorie Taylor Greene has won Georgia’s open 14th Congressional District, reported Bloomberg. She has been a very divisive figure and has even expressed support her for the QAnon conspiracy theory. Even though she has been criticised for racist comments, President Donald Trump called her a “future Republican star.” Read more
– Biden wins in New Mexico, which has five electoral votes.
Once a swing state, New Mexico has leaned heavily towards the Democrats in recent races. Hillary Clinton won the state in 2016, aided by increasing support from Latino voters.
– Trump bags Kansas’ 6 electoral votes.
This was not a surprise as the state has been voting for Republicans for years. In 2016, Trump had taken this Republican stronghold with 56% votes.
Also Read: US Election 2020: What is the electoral college and what are the battleground states?
– Polls have closed in Lowa (6 electoral votes), Montana (3); Nevada (6) and Utah (6).
-Trump and Biden in a close fight in Texas
There’s a really close fight underway for Texas, with both Trump and Biden securing 49 per cent of the vote. Trump appears to be just a little ahead of Biden in the key battleground state. The state has 38 electoral votes.
– Donald Trump has won South Carolina with 456,360 votes, according to NYT. The seat has nine electoral votes. In 2016 also, Trump carried the Red state with 54.9% of the vote. Republicans have only lost South Carolina once since the assassination of John F. Kennedy, in 1976.
– Joe Biden has won Colorado, which has nine electoral votes. In 2016, Hillary Clinton carried the state of Colorado. He also won the District of Columbia, which has 3 electoral votes. The win was expected as DC has never elected a Republican candidate.
– Even as Trump campaign claimed Florida, the US media said the competition was too close to call.
– Donald Trump has taken Nebraska, Louisiana, Wyoming, South Dakota and North Dakota. Joe Biden, meanwhile, has won New Mexico, in latest projections put out by AP.
– CNN Projects a Trump win South Dakota. There are three electoral votes at stake in South Dakota. In 2016, Trump had carried the state
– Biden projected to win New York . Trump who calls himself a lifelong New Yorker lost to Hillary Clinton in 2016 as well.
– US Senate Republican leader McConnell wins reelection
US Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky won reelection ensuring that the most powerful Republican in Congress will remain in the chamber for another six years, reported AFP.
– Trump retains Alabama. In 2016 as well, Donald Trump won the election in Alabama with 62.08% of the vote.
– Trump retains Mississippi. Mississippi has not voted Democratic since 1976 and so Trump was widely expected to win the state. Trump won the election in 2016 in Mississippi with 57.86% of the vote.
– Trump retains Arkansas. In 2016 as well Trump won the state with 60.57% of the vote even though Bill Clinton had been the Governor of Arkansas for 12 years.
– Biden wins in Illinois and Rhode Island, reported AFP based on US media projections.
– According to the news agency AP, voter turnout for the 2020 presidential election was massive. However, it didn’t come close to the record that was set in 1876, when 81.8 percent of eligible voters went to the polls.
– Joe Biden has won in Connecticut, reported AFP quoting US media.
– While Joe Biden has won New Jersey, Tennessee has voted for Trump, reports AFP quoting US networks.
– Joe Biden has won his home state Delaware, says AFP. He is also projected to win Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and the District of Columbia. Donald Trump is projected to win Oklahoma.
– Voting will close in Alabama, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Tennessee at 6.30am IST.
– Joe Biden is expected to win in Maine and Vermont, according to the projections of the US media.
– The incumbent president now has 19 electoral college votes and Biden 13. The magic number is 270.
– Donald Trump has won West Virginia, while Joe Biden has won in Virginia, AFP reported
– Donald Trump has won the traditionally Republican-leaning states of Kentucky and Joe Biden has won the state of Vermont.
– Polls have closed in North Carolina (15 electoral votes), Ohio (18 electoral votes), and West Virginia (5 electoral votes).
– All eyes are on Georgia. It has been a comfortable state to win for the Republican Party in all but two presidential elections since 1960.
-According to news agency AFP quoting US networks, Donald Trump has won Indiana (also home to Vice-President Mike Pence) and Vermont. He is also set to win Kentucky, according to projections by US news media.
– Polls have closed in Georgia, the rest of Indiana and Kentucky, South Carolina, Vermont and Virginia.