US Election 2024 Live: Donald Trump Takes the Lead in Early Ballot Counts


From financemagnates

Donald Trump in a rally for his 2024 Presidential election campaign; Photo: Shutterstock

Americans are deciding today who their next President will be. The race between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris is tight, with the outcome expected to be determined by seven swing states: Arizona, Georgia, North Carolina, Nevada, Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin. The candidate who secures the majority 270 electoral votes will become the next US President.

Although the official declaration of the next president might take some time, exit polls will provide an early indication of public sentiment in the meantime.

Trump and Harris Held Their Strongholds

Many states, including Texas, Florida, Illinois, and New York, have called the results. The results from all of these states are not surprising – Trump won the Republican-dominated ones, while Harris held the Democrats’ strongholds.

Counting is also ongoing in two key swing states: Pennsylvania and Georgia. While Trump is ahead in Georgia, Harris is leading Pennsylvania. However, these trends might change by the time these two states call their results.

Projections Put Trump in the Lead

Projections from the several red states have put Trump ahead of Harris. Meanwhile, some Harris is projected to win in some strongholds of the Democrats.

Just brutal numbers for Kamala Harris in the CNN Exit Poll72% of voters are "angry" or "dissatisfied" with the state of the country.She was the one in charge the last 3.5 years.pic.twitter.com/kHBXIt2fcQ

— Greg Price (@greg_price11)November 5, 2024

State-wise Exit Poll Results

Edison Research has also released preliminary state-wise exit poll results.

Pennsylvania:

  • 46% of voters view Trump favourably (down from 48% in 2020)
  • 46% view Harris favourably (compared to 50% for Biden in 2020)

Wisconsin:

  • 47% of voters view Harris favourably (compared to 50% for Biden in 2020)
  • 44% view Trump favourably (up from 43% in 2020)
  • 84% of voters are white (down from 86% in 2020)
  • 6% are black (unchanged from 2020)
  • 5% are Hispanic (up from 4% in 2020)