President-elect Donald Trump has been projected to win Arizona’s 11 electoral vote and Nevada’s 6, according to the Associated Press.
Trump’s triumphs in North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin, Nevada, and Arizona solidified his dominance in the swing states. These victories propelled his electoral vote count to an impressive 312.
During the campaign, Trump, Vice President Kamala Harris, and their surrogates dedicated a significant amount of time in Arizona and Nevada. Their objective was to secure the support of one of the pivotal swing states in the Sun Belt region.
According to Thom Reilly, the co-director of the Center for an Independent and Sustainable Democracy at Arizona State University, both Harris’ and Trump’s campaigns, along with their allies, invested a significant amount of time and resources into micro-targeting in Arizona.
Their campaign events in Arizona took different approaches to the issues that mattered to local voters. Trump, in particular, emphasized how Harris’ stance on immigration made her unfit for the presidency. On the other hand, Tim Walz, the vice presidential candidate, voiced concerns during a rally in Phoenix about the potential dangers to democracy and freedom under another Trump term.
According to the Arizona Republic, back in 2020, the margins in Arizona were incredibly close during the presidential election. President Joe Biden narrowly defeated Trump with a margin of 49.36% to 49.06%, which amounted to less than 11,000 votes.
A week before the election, polls indicated a tightly contested race, although it was not anticipated to be as close as it turned out. According to The Hill, Trump enjoyed a larger lead in Arizona compared to other swing states. Biden’s victory in 2020 marked the first time Arizona had voted for a Democratic candidate since 1996.
Nevada boasts one of the most impressive track records in the nation when it comes to predicting presidential outcomes. Throughout the last 30 presidential elections, the candidate who emerged victorious in Nevada went on to claim the White House in 27 of those instances. The state’s only deviations from this trend occurred in 1908, 1976, and 2016, when Democrat Hillary Clinton secured a win. Notably, Democrats have emerged triumphant in Nevada during the past four presidential elections.
President Joe Biden won the state in 2020, securing 50% of the vote compared to Trump’s 48%.
According to The Hill, tracking by Decision Desk HQ reveals that Trump secured 52.6% of the vote, narrowly surpassing Harris’s 46.4% by a margin of almost 200,000 votes. In Nevada, Trump’s lead was slimmer, with a 50.6% to 47.5% advantage over Harris, equating to approximately 46,000 votes.
Trump secured his path to the White House without requiring either state. He was declared the winner early Wednesday, following the announcement of his victory in two crucial swing states, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.
Leading up to the election, many people speculated that we would have to wait for a significant amount of time to receive Arizona’s election results. This is because the process of counting ballots in Arizona takes longer compared to other states. Mail-in ballots that were cast and processed before Election Day can be reported immediately after the polls close. However, ballots dropped off on Election Day take much longer to process. Election workers are not permitted to begin processing these ballots until after the polls have closed.
Nevada’s numerous competitive races were anticipated to have a prolonged conclusion due to the state’s election procedures. Every registered voter is automatically sent a mail-in ballot, although they still retain the option to vote in person. The popularity of mailing in ballots has been evident, as evidenced by the fact that 80% of voters in the 2022 midterm elections chose to cast their ballots in-person prior to Election Day or through the mail.