Donald Trump is expected to become the 47th US president, after securing the critical swing state of Pennsylvania, blocking any further paths for Kamala Harris to obtain the White House.
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After a night that saw him dramatically outperform expectations, Donald Trump has been projected as the winner of the state of Pennsylvania, making it near impossible for Kamala Harris to win the White House.
One of the most narrowly won states in both 2016 and 2020, Pennsylvania was universally considered a must-win state for Harris.
While acknowledging throughout the campaign it expected a narrow margin of victory, Harris' operation boasted of its massive canvassing and mobilisation effort, and the vice president delivered the climactic speech of her campaign at a massive rally in the state's largest city, Philadelphia — the city that was expected to provide her with her margin of victory.
Trump, meanwhile, was widely expected to lose ground among the state's Puerto Rican voters because of racist remarks made by a comedian at a rally a week before the election.
However, exit poll data showed that the former president has in fact improved his performance among the state's Latino population since the last election — a pattern that has so far appeared to be a nationwide trend.
Pennsylvania was a key state for both campaigns
Biden won the state of Pennsylvania by just 81,000 votes in 2020, yet between 1992 and 2012, the state consistently voted for Democrats.
Pennsylvania was seen as so important to the election that many had expected Harris to pick the state's Democratic Governor Josh Shapiro as her running mate. She instead picked Minnesota's Governor Tim Walz.
It was in this key battleground state that Trump was the victim of an assassination attempt in July.
The two candidates' only debate during the election was also held in the state's most populous city of Philadelphia.
The state is being watched for its close Congressional races as well, which could also impact whether or not Democrats can flip the House of Representatives.
Two closely watched House races in Pennsylvania's districts 7 and 8 were not yet called but were leaning towards the Republican party.
Trump expected to win the presidency
Trump is now widely expected to win the presidency. He will be the first president to serve two non-consecutive terms since Grover Cleveland in 1892, the only other US president to have done so.
Trump was first elected president in 2016, defeating former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. In 2020, he lost re-election to President Biden in the context of the global COVID-19 pandemic.
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