New Delhi: Donald Trump is projected to become the first Republican to win the popular vote in the US presidential elections in two decades. Trump’s path to the presidency became clear as he won crucial swing states, including North Carolina and Georgia, dimming Democratic nominee and Vice President Kamala Harris’ chances at the White House.
The former president is on track to reclaim the White House, possibly becoming the first Republican to win the popular vote since George W Bush in 2004. In the 2004 US presidential elections, Bush won 62,040,610 votes and 286 electoral votes, while Democratic nominee John Kerry secured 59,028,444 votes and 251 electoral votes.
According to Election Voter data from the past 20 years, Barack Obama won the largest popular vote victory in 2008 with 69.5 million votes (52.9 percent) and a substantial 365 electoral votes. His second term in 2012, though still a decisive victory, saw a slight drop in the popular vote percentage to 51.1 percent and the electoral vote to 332.
In contrast, the 2016 election saw an unusual result in which Donald Trump won the presidency with 304 electoral votes but only received 46.1 percent of the popular vote, while Hillary Clinton won 48.2 percent of the popular vote — which was 2.1 percentage points more than Trump and still insufficient for victory.
In 2020, Joe Biden won a clear popular and electoral majority by winning 51.3 percent of the popular vote and 306 electoral votes. In comparison, Trump won 74,223,975 votes and his electoral vote total was 232.
Trump took an early lead in key swing states, including North Carolina and Georgia. But the biggest prize was winning the crucial battleground state of Pennsylvania. With 19 electoral votes, the Pennsylvania win brought Trump closer to the White House. These victories, combined with his strong showing in traditionally Republican strongholds like Texas and Florida, gave Trump a significant lead in the electoral vote count.
As the results came in, Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign found itself struggling to gain momentum. Despite a strong showing in Democratic strongholds, her path to victory appeared to be narrowing considerably. Harris’ campaign headquarters in Washington, D.C., advised supporters that the clearest path to victory would now depend on the so-called “blue wall” states: Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. Now that Pennsylvania has gone to Trump, all eyes are on the other two states.
There were dramatically different scenes in Washington DC and at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida on election night. At Howard University, a historically black college in the nation’s capital, excitement waned as results began to show Trump’s growing lead. Harris’s supporters, many of whom hoped she would pull off a historic win as the first black and South Asian woman in the White House, expressed anxiety and uneasiness. Trump’s supporters at a Palm Beach viewing party, on the other hand, celebrated an early victory.
If confirmed, Trump’s win would make him the oldest president to be inaugurated. His return to the White House would also make him the second president to serve non-consecutive terms, a feat previously achieved only by Grover Cleveland in the 19th century.
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