US election: Donald Trump takes early lead over Kamala Harris. Check how swing states have voted

Former US President Donald Trump has taken an early lead against Vice President Kamala Harris in the race for the White House, with the Associated Press projecting 230 votes for the Republican candidate as against 205 for the Democratic nominee. Most US states lean clearly towards either Republicans or Democrats and it all comes down to a few swing states. This time, all eyes are on the seven battleground states –Arizona, Georgia, North Carolina, Nevada, Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin– which will eventually decide the fate of Trump and Harris.

Let’s take a look at how the swing states have voted in the 2024 US elections:

Arizona - 11 electoral college votes

Arizona has traditionally voted for Republican candidates but President Joe Biden managed to flip it last time by 0.3 percentage points over Donald Trump. According to CNN, Trump is leading in Arizona with 49.8% of votes as against Harris’s 49.3%.

Georgia - 16 electoral college votes

Georgia is another swing state that usually votes for Republican candidates but swung blue in the 2020 US elections. With 93% of the votes already counted, Trump is likely to wrest it from Democrats as the Republican has polled nearly 50.7% of votes.

North Carolina - 16 electoral college votes

In the last six US presidential elections, North Carolina swung blue only in 2008 when Barack Obama was on the ballot. Trump has already bagged the 16 electoral college votes in North Carolina by polling around 50.7% votes of the 90% of the votes counted so far.

Nevada - 6 Electoral College votes

Relatively a smaller state with six electoral college votes, Nevada has emerged as a bellwether seat in five of the last six presidential battles. Nevada has been voting Democrat since 2008 and didn’t swing ‘Red’ even in 2016 when Trump pulled off a surprise victory. Trump is leading in Nevada with more than 76% of votes counted but it’s too early to call the state as only 2% votes have been counted so far.

Pennsylvania - 19 Electoral College votes

Pennsylvania has been voting for Democrats since 2000, barring 2016. Trump is leading in Pennsylvania which has the highest number of electoral college votes among swing states and could prove decisive for the Republican. According to the Associated Press, Trump is leading with a vote share of 50.9%. The report suggests that 86% of votes have been counted so far.

Michigan - 15 Electoral College votes

Traditionally voting for Blue, Michigan chose Trump over Hillary Clinton in the 2016 presidential election. Trump is again leading in this midwestern state with 52.0% of counted votes. According to AP, 53% of votes have been counted and it is still too early to call the election in Michigan.

Wisconsin - 10 Electoral College votes

Wisconsin is another swing state that has been voting for Democrats in several US elections in the recent past but turned Red in 2016 when Trump was on the ballot. Trump is again leading in with over 51.2% of the votes counted. According to AP estimated, 82% of the total votes polled have been counted so far.