Trump Secures Wins in Georgia and North Carolina, Edging to 247 Electoral Votes Amid Tight Race

Donald Trump is projected to win key battleground states Georgia and North Carolina, bringing him to 247 electoral votes against Kamala Harris’s 213 in the race to 270. The focus now shifts to northern swing states crucial for Harris’s path to victory. Republicans are set to gain Senate control, highlighted by Bernie Moreno’s win in Ohio, while the House outcome remains uncertain.

CONTENTS:

• Trump gains, Latino men shift.
• North Carolina’s political landscape divides.
• Trump wins Georgia, North Carolina.

Trump Secures Wins in Georgia and North Carolina, Edging to 247 Electoral Votes Amid Tight Race

Trump gains, Latino men shift

Trump Secures Wins in Georgia and North Carolina Former President Donald Trump secured early wins in key battleground states, including North Carolina and Georgia, while other swing states such as Michigan, Nevada, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin remained too close to call. Vice President Kamala Harris won traditional Democratic strongholds like California and New York, while Trump claimed Republican-leaning states, including Florida and Texas.

The Republicans gained control of the Senate by flipping seats previously held by Democrats, though the outcome of the House remained uncertain.

Notably, Democrat Angela Alsobrooks made history as the first Black woman elected to represent Maryland in the Senate, while Lisa Blunt Rochester became Delaware’s first Black female senator.

Several gubernatorial races and critical ballot measures on issues such as abortion and marijuana were also being decided. According to the NBC News Exit Poll, fewer than half of Latino men supported Harris, marking the first time in at least five elections that the majority of Latino men did not vote for the Democratic presidential candidate. Instead, 54% of Latino men cast their votes for Trump, highlighting the most significant gender gap among Latino voters in recent elections. Latino women were found to be 16 percentage points more likely to vote for Harris than Latino men, a disparity larger than that observed among Black or white voters.

North Carolina’s political landscape divides

Trump Secures Wins in Georgia and North Carolina  For the third time in eight years, North Carolina voters backed Republican President Trump for president while also electing a Democratic governor.

Why it matters: The results from Tuesday night underscore that despite North Carolina’s rapid growth and changing demographics, the state remains consistently unpredictable, maintaining its status as a purple battleground.

The latest: The gubernatorial race saw Democratic Attorney General Josh Stein secure victory over embattled Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson, who conceded shortly before 9 p.m. North Carolina was also the first swing state to be called in the presidential election, with the Associated Press declaring Trump the winner at around 11:15 p.m.

The big picture: This year’s call came significantly sooner than in 2020, when it took the AP 10 days to officially confirm Trump’s win in the state.

Yes, but: North Carolina Democrats appear to have ended the GOP’s supermajority in the state legislature by flipping a key seat located an hour east of Raleigh.

Flashback: North Carolina played a crucial role in Trump’s 2016 victory while also electing Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper over incumbent Republican Pat McCrory. In 2020, the state supported Trump again while re-electing Cooper.

Zoom out: This year, voters continued to show mixed preferences, supporting both Democrats and Republicans across the ballot. Democratic Congressman Jeff Jackson defeated Republican Dan Bishop in the attorney general race, while Republican incumbent Steve Troxler held onto his role as agriculture commissioner by defeating Democrat Sarah Taber.

As of midnight, Republicans were leading in races for state auditor, labor commissioner, insurance commissioner, and state treasurer. Democrats, on the other hand, led in the contests for superintendent of public instruction, secretary of state, and lieutenant governor.

Between the lines: Robinson’s campaign struggles, stemming from allegations reported by CNN in September regarding inappropriate comments on a porn site message board, likely influenced Republican performances down the ballot as Democrats leveraged the opportunity to associate their opponents with him.

What’s next: North Carolina is set to continue its era of divided government, featuring a Democratic governor, Republican control of the state legislature and courts, and representation from both parties on the council of state.

Trump wins Georgia, North Carolina

Trump Secures Wins in Georgia and North Carolina  Donald Trump is projected to secure victories in two key battleground states, North Carolina and Georgia, in the tightly contested presidential race against Vice President Kamala Harris. While these states have been called, five other swing states remain too close to determine a winner, and polls have officially closed nationwide. Trump aimed to maintain his hold on North Carolina, a state he carried in previous elections, and sought to reclaim Georgia after losing it in 2020.

Trump’s projected wins in Georgia and North Carolina shift the focus to the “blue wall” — a group of northern swing states seen as Harris’s most viable path to a potential victory. Currently, Trump holds 247 electoral votes, while Harris has 213, with 270 needed to win. Updates on when the final presidential election results will be known are ongoing.

Republicans are expected to take control of the Senate, while the outcome for the House remains uncertain. Notably, one of the Republican gains includes the Ohio Senate seat previously held by three-term Democratic Senator Sherrod Brown. Car dealer Bernie Moreno’s victory contributed to the GOP’s Senate majority, bolstered by substantial advertising support from the crypto industry. Moreno characterized Brown, who chaired the Senate Banking Committee, as an extreme liberal. Brown’s efforts to energize liberal voters in the conservative-leaning state included highlighting Moreno’s disparaging comments about older women who prioritize abortion rights, but these efforts were ultimately unsuccessful.