Former President Donald Trump secured a victory in North Carolina on Tuesday night, gaining the support of a key battleground state needed to win the presidency, Associated Press (AP) projected.
The state was called at 11.18 p.m. with 89 percent of votes counted. Trump was leading Harris 50.8 percent to 48.1 at the time the race was called.
The state has narrowly voted for Trump in 2016, 2020, and now in 2024, with pre-election data and early election experts predicting a win in North Carolina for the former president.
Republicans were notably more enthusiastic during early voting in the state than they have been in the past, surpassing their Democrat counterparts by a slim margin, state data shows. Democrats had a 9.8-point lead in 2016 early voting, and a 5.6-point advantage in 2020 early voting. This year, Republicans held a 0.9-point lead.
A memo published by the Trump campaign also revealed how rural early voting turnout was up nearly 27,000 compared to 2020, while female turnout was down roughly 154,000 and urban turnout was down 175,470 compared to 2020.
Harris may have anticipated losing the battleground state after her campaign withdrew nearly $2 million in planned ad buys from television stations statewide one week before the election.
Trump’s victory also comes as North Carolina still grapples with the severe damage the state experienced from Hurricane Helene, which left hundreds dead across the region and whole towns wiped out from flooding.
The Biden-Harris administration received backlash for its slow federal response to the crisis, while good Samaritans stepped in to fill the gaps.
For his part, Trump visited North Carolina to survey the damage from the storm, met with survivors, and thanked volunteers who worked to save lives. He also slammed the Biden-Harris administration’s response to the crisis in a rally in the state days before the election.
“I also want to send our prayers to everyone here in North Carolina who’s still recovering from this unbelievable hurricane — the size of it,” Trump told the crowd. “Hurricane Helene, Kamala’s hurricane response was a disgrace and it was a betrayal. It was just reported that almost 50 percent of phone calls sent to FEMA were unanswered — they didn’t answer.”
North Carolina accounts for 16 electoral votes.
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