Donald Trump won not just the electoral college but also the popular vote by sweeping the ‘swing States’ that were expected to feature a close contest between him and Kamala Harris.
While the margins of victory for Mr. Trump were the lowest in the seven swing States — Wisconsin (about 1% point), Michigan (1.6 points), Georgia (2 points), Pennsylvania (2 points), North Carolina (3 points), Nevada (5 points), and Arizona (5 points) — the fact that he won all of them shows the frailty of Ms. Harris’ campaign and the Democratic Party’s inability to secure enough votes in these regions. These numbers were as of 9:00 p.m. IST on Wednesday.
Nearly 80% of the entire advertising budget spent by both parties was concentrated in the seven swing States. Close to $575 million was spent on advertisements in Pennsylvania alone by the two parties, with the Democrats allocating $300 million. They outspent the Republicans across the seven States, yet came up short.
We look at the swing in vote shares for Trump (in red arrows) and Kamala Harris compared to the 2020 presidential elections in counties across swing States. The larger the arrow, the higher the vote share increase for the candidate. For example, a blue arrow pointing left corresponds to an increase in vote share for Democrats (for Harris) compared to what Joe Biden garnered in the 2020 elections.
A red arrow pointing right does the same for Trump. Only those counties were considered where the votes were counted more than 95% of the registered electorate.
The chart shows the performance of the candidates in the “Rust Belt” States
Published – November 08, 2024 08:00 am IST
