Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump won North Carolina and the state's 16 Electoral College votes, according to projections late Tuesday from the Associated Press.
The AP called the race at 11:18 p.m., significantly narrowing Harris' path to victory and dashing Democrats' hopes once again.
With 86% of precincts reporting, Trump led with 50.46% of the vote versus 48.06% for Harris.
AP Race Call: Donald Trump wins the presidential battleground state of North Carolina, receiving the state's 16 electoral votes for the Republicans. https://t.co/vNyURdNHtn pic.twitter.com/4iWm8TxjzQ
— The Associated Press (@AP) November 6, 2024
North Carolina was one of only seven states considered to be in play this election. The state remained close throughout the presidential race, with Harris drawing even with Trump after President Joe Biden dropped out this summer. The final Elon University poll of North Carolina voters showed Trump and Kamala Harris tied, with each at 46% of the vote.
Barack Obama narrowly won North Carolina in 2008. Ever since, Democrats have hoped that with an influx of out-of-state voters and a younger, more diverse population, North Carolina might become the next Virginia: a reliably blue state that was once guaranteed to go Republican.
But in every presidential election since, North Carolina has eluded Democrats, going red in 2012, 2016 and 2020.
In 2020, it was the state Trump won with his narrowest margin of victory: just over 1%, or less than 75,000 votes.
Both campaigns invested heavily in pursuit of the state’s 16 Electoral College votes, with frequent rallies right up to the end. In just the week before the election, Trump visited Rocky Mount, Greensboro and Gastonia, while Harris appeared in Charlotte and Raleigh. Gov. Tim Walz hit up Charlotte, Asheville and Greensboro, while Sen. JD Vance went to High Point.
The Harris campaign saw North Carolina as a guaranteed path to victory if they could flip the state, as well as an insurance policy against losing one of the three “blue wall” states in the Midwest. Trump’s campaign saw North Carolina as a vital battleground to retain while trying to peel away Michigan, Pennsylvania or Wisconsin from the Democrats.
