US Presidential polls: Trump edges over Harris with wins in Florida, Ohio, Mississippi

FLORIDA: Former President Donald Trump won his home state of Florida, making it three times in a row that the Sunshine state has voted for the Republican candidate according to Decision Desk HQ projection on Tuesday.

As per the latest projections by Politico at 10 am IST, Trump had surged to 230 electoral college votes as compared to 205 for Vice-President Kamala Harris. Trump has carried most of the ‘Red wall’ states in this election.

The win in Florida will add 30 electoral votes for Trump in the final count. Previously considered a swing state for years after having decided the 2000 presidential election for George W Bush, votes have shifted significantly to the red in the recent years. Barack Obama won in 2008 and 2012.

Meanwhile, Harris was seen trailing in her home state of Minnesota as Trump looks to flip the 10 electoral college votes of one of the traditional Democratic bastion. According to CBS news no Republican candidate for president has won Minnesota since 1972. Trump came within striking distance in 2016, narrowly losing by 1.5 points to Hillary Clinton.

Trump has won in Idaho and Harris has claimed California, according to CNN projections. He has also picked up win in Texas according to NBC News projections. He secured the the conservative state’s 40 Electoral College votes. The Republican candidate also notched a win in Oklahoma contest with 65 per cent of votes according to NBC News projection

Polls showed a tight race with Trump taking a tentative lead over Democratic Party candidate Vice President Kamala Harris by just a few points in some cases. According to projections at 9 am (IST) NBC, ABC and CBS have all given Harris 91 votes but for Trump they have counted between 178 and 201 electoral votes.

Fox News has projected a win for Trump in Florida, Indiana, Kentucky, West Virginia, Mississippi, Alabama, Oklahoma, Tennessee, South Carolina and Arkansas. It projected wins for Harris in Vermont, Illinois, Massachusetts, Maryland, New Jersey, Connecticut, Rhode Island and the District of Columbia.

CNN has projected Trump victory in Texas, Ohio, Georgia, Kansas and North Carolina while the news outlet projected a lead for Harris in Pennsylvania, Virginia, Michigan and Maine. It has also projected Harris win in Colorado, New York and Delaware. Trump is projected to win in Iowa, South Dakota, Wyoming and Louisiana,

There are 538 Electoral College votes allotted to the 50 states and the District of Columbia. It takes 270 votes for a candidate to win. According to CBS projections at 9 45 am (IST) Trump is narrowly ahead in Georgia, North Carolina and Pennsylvania, while Harris has the advantage in Michigan.

“Polls have closed in Florida. @realDonaldTrump has carried the state of Florida and has earned 30 electoral votes”, Florida Governor Ro DeSantis said on X. DeSantis led an aggressive campaign against Amendment 3, which sought to legalize recreational marijuana, and Amendment 4, which would have broadened abortion access in the state.

The Trump campaign in a statement said after the win, “after four years of the disastrous Harris-Biden administration, Floridians are eager to return to commonsense policies that put their freedom, their families, and America first.”

The US is voting to elect the President and Vice President, all representatives to the House and one-third of the senators, as well as governors of 11 states and two US territories.

By around 10 am (IST) polls had closed in most states, including the seven swing states of Georgia, Arizona, Nevada, North Carolina, Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania. (ANI)