WASHINGTON: Republican candidate Donald Trump has clinched three out of seven key swing states and is leading in three others, giving him a critical advantage over Democrat Kamala Harris in the closely watched US presidential election, according to the latest trends.
The seven decisive swing states -- Arizona, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Georgia, North Carolina, Michigan, and Nevada -- are pivotal as they lack consistent Democratic or Republican dominance, often determining the outcome of the election.
Trump narrowly claimed victory in North Carolina, where he received 2, 852, 981 votes compared to Harris's 2, 676, 410, and in Georgia, winning 2, 643, 396 votes against Harris's 2, 528, 271. He also won Pennsylvania; however, he fell short by three electoral votes in winning the presidency, as per media reports.
He could easily win the race to the White House by securing a win in any other swing state.
To reach the necessary electoral count, Trump could achieve the majority by winning either Pennsylvania or a combination of Michigan and Wisconsin. Other potential paths to victory include combinations involving Wisconsin, Arizona, and Nevada.
The contest has intensified in the so-called "Blue Wall" states -- Michigan, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania -- which have traditionally been Democratic strongholds but flipped to Trump in 2016, contributing to his victory over Hillary Clinton.
Both Michigan and Pennsylvania hold 16 electoral college votes each, making them critical targets.
For either candidate to secure the presidency, 271 of the 538 electoral college votes are required. Over 82 million Americans cast their ballots before Election Day, either in person at early voting stations or through postal voting -- a turnout surpassing 51 per cent of the 158 million votes cast in 2020 during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Harris and Trump ended their campaign with rallies in Pennsylvania and Michigan, respectively, also both battleground states. Unlike others, these swing states are neither solidly Democratic nor Republican, and they can swing between the two and are, therefore, also called the Swing States.
In 2020, Joe Biden won all of these states except North Carolina to secure his victory against Trump.