The trend is clear: Republican candidate and former president Donald Trump has a clear edge in the US presidential elections. With Trump winning all 'Red states' as expected and Democratic candidate Kamala Harris winning all 'Blue states', the focus has shifted to the key battleground states.
Much to the dismay of the Democrats, Trump is the projected winner in two - North Carolina and Georgia - while he is leading in the remaining five, though narrowly. The battle, however, is too close to call in Pennsylvania, Arizona, Michigan and Wisconsin. As for Arizona, the current best estimate is that the state would lean toward Trump as Harris has polled the worst here.
So can Harris still win? Yes, but even that will be by a very narrow margin. Now that there is zero hope for Dems in Arizona, the focus will mostly be on three 'Blue Wall' states, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. A loss in any one of these states means it is game over for Harris. Even if Nevada falls for Harris, it is unlikely that she gets the right numbers as it has very few Electoral College seats.
Though Trump is still leading in the 'Rust Belt' states, Harris still has hope as many uncounted votes are still concentrated in areas where Democrats have a majority.
However, the question is whether these Rust Belt states would defy a nationwide trend, which is pro-Trump. The former president has done significantly better than he did in 2020 in almost all states, even in Blue states like Virginia.
But, looks like there is little cheer left in the Harris camp as the crowd has started to thin down. The first hint came from the Harris campaign itself as they announced the Vice President would not be addressing supporters in Washington DC. Heartbroken supporters began leaving watch parties as the night that started with music and dancing fell into the gloom. Many broke down in tears.
Cedric Richmond, a co-chair of Harris' campaign, told disappointed supporters at a victory rally at Howard University that Harris would not speak that night. "We still have votes to count. We still have states that have not been called," Richmond said. "You will hear from her tomorrow."
Reports are that the mood in the party right now is worse than a funeral, with many stating it is reminiscent of the 2016 elections.
Many are still holding out hopes, stating that they were expecting the Rust Belt states to come to their aid.