US Election 2024: Battleground North Carolina called for Donald Trump; adding 16 electoral votes to his tally

Donald Trump has claimed victory in North Carolina, securing a crucial battleground state in his bid to return to the White House. Trump’s win in North Carolina marks a successful defense against Kamala Harris, who aimed to flip the state to bolster her pathway to 270 electoral votes. In the final days of the campaign, the former president focused heavily on North Carolina, making several appearances to strengthen his support in the state.

While results remained uncertain in other swing states like Pennsylvania, Georgia, Michigan, Arizona, Wisconsin, and Nevada, the contest continued to be closely watched across the U.S. Both Trump and Harris concentrated their campaigns on these pivotal states. Trump had already claimed Florida, further solidifying his foothold in traditionally Republican regions, while Harris retained Democratic bastions such as New York and Illinois.

A recent AP VoteCast survey indicated that Black and Latino voters showed slightly reduced support for Harris compared to Joe Biden’s 2020 campaign, while Trump saw a modest increase in support among these groups. For Harris supporters, protecting democracy was a key motivation, reflecting the influence of her campaign's late-stage rhetoric against Trump. Conversely, Trump’s backers were mainly driven by concerns over immigration and inflation, themes that were central to his campaign message.


Both candidates prepared for potential legal disputes, deploying legal teams and law enforcement standing by for possible unrest. Trump assured on Tuesday that his supporters would remain peaceful if Harris were to win, stating, “They are not violent people.” Harris, meanwhile, spent the day meeting with supporters at the Democratic National Committee’s headquarters, expressing optimism about the election outcome.