The race to 270 is officially underway, and former President Donald Trump is currently in the lead to get the Electoral College votes that either candidate needs to take the White House.
None of the seven battleground states in the 2024 presidential election—Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin—have been called yet.
As of 9:15 p.m. ET, Trump leads in Georgia with 52.7 percent of the vote. Vice President Kamala Harris has 46.6 percent of the vote. An estimated 69 percent of the votes have been counted in the Peach State, which means Harris could still catch up in an election expected to be one of the closest in American history.
However, if things continue to trend this way, that would give Trump Georgia’s 16 electoral votes. Here’s which other states he would need to clinch 270 before Harris:
Can Trump Win Without Pennsylvania?
The short answer is yes.
The long answer? Trump is projected to win Arizona’s 11 electoral votes. With Arizona and Georgia under his belt, Trump could be elected to a second term if he takes North Carolina in addition to just one of the three Great Lakes states.
With Georgia and North Carolina’s 16 electoral votes each, he would not need Pennsylvania to win.
Donald Trump State-by-State Breakdown
What happens if Trump loses North Carolina?
In that case, he would have to carry the crown jewel of the swing states, Pennsylvania, to win the White House.
With 19 electoral votes, the Keystone State has the highest number of electoral votes up for grabs. Without North Carolina, Trump cannot afford to lose Pennsylvania to Harris because if she takes both states, she would need only one more swing state to go her way. That could be Michigan, Wisconsin or even Nevada, which has the fewest electoral votes of the seven battleground states with just six votes.
Plus, there’s still a chance that Harris could take Georgia.
Which States Has Trump Won?
As of 9:15 p.m. ET, 14 states have been called for Trump, giving him 154 electoral votes.
The former president has won Alabama, Arkansas, Indiana, Kentucky, Missouri, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, West Virginia and Wyoming. Trump has also won Florida, which was once a swing state but is now reliably red.
Trump is watching the election from his Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida. Even though the state was called for the Republican early into the night, his watch party loudly cheered when the Sunshine State’s trove of electoral votes went to Trump.
Florida has become increasingly red in recent elections. Trump won the state by just over a percentage point in 2016. In 2020, he expanded his margin of victory to more than three points, and he’s expected to win by an even larger margin this year.
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