(The Center Square) – Donald Trump’s visits to North Carolina netted his greatest difference in raw votes and second-best winning percentage over Kamala Harris in the seven consensus battleground states of the America’s 60th presidential election.
As unofficial absentee and provisional votes are finalized before canvasses across the country, Trump secured the 16 electoral college votes of the state with 189,311 more votes from more than 5.6 million cast. His 3.4% win was his third consecutive in a state that has chosen the Republican presidential nominee 13 of the last 15 election cycles across 60 years.
The nation’s 45th president campaigned in the state Wednesday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday ahead of the election, opting for locations across the state including less populated eastern North Carolina cities Rocky Mount and Kinston. Trump’s polling lead on Harris heading into Election Day had only gotten up to about 0.9% and 1.2% in respective aggregates from Project 538 and RealClear Polling, differences considered toss-ups in part because no margin of error is factored.
In winning the electoral college 312-226 and the popular vote 75.4 million to 72.2 million, the Republican Party ticket of Trump and Ohio U.S. Sen. J.D. Vance outperformed a modest polling lead in the state and swept the other six battlegrounds. Wisconsin was closest to a defeat, where he won by 0.8% (29,417 votes).
Pennsylvania had 19 electoral college votes, North Carolina and Georgia 16 each, Michigan 15, Arizona 11, Wisconsin 10 and Nevada six.
Largest percentage win was registered in Arizona (5.6%), which as of Wednesday evening had the second-largest raw vote difference (184,908). From closest to most, he won by 1.4% in Michigan, 1.9% in Pennsylvania, 2.2% in Georgia and 3.1% in Nevada.
Trump, visit to North Carolina 11 times, was close to grabbing four electoral college votes in New Hampshire (lost by 2.8%, or 22,541 votes) and 10 in Minnesota (lost by 4.2%, or 137,951) – the latter home to the Harris ticket running mate of Gov. Tim Walz.
Two states where Trump made significant visits, trying to turn longshots into battlegrounds, were Virginia (13 electoral college votes) and New York (28). The former was only a 5.2% win for Harris (224,321 votes), and the latter was more decisive (11.8% Harris win, or 917,551 votes) for the vice president.
