Donald Trump won the swing state of North Carolina and its 16 Electoral College votes at a crucial moment in the election.
The Tar Heel State was a key target for both campaigns and was the scene of a frenetic campaign, with Trump making stops there on each of the final three days of the race.
In a big boost for the Republican, it was the first of seven swing states, which will ultimately determine the winner, to be decided.
Harris campaign chairwoman Jen O’Malley Dillon told staff in a memo that after losing North Carolina, the northern industrial “blue wall” states of Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin were now the “most clear” of the Democrat towards victory.
A Democratic presidential candidate has not claimed victory in North Carolina since Barack Obama in 2008. Trump won three consecutive elections.
Donald Trump won the critical swing state of North Carolina and its 16 electoral votes at a crucial time in the election.
A woman votes during the 2024 US presidential election on Election Day, in Arden, North Carolina.
More than 4.2 million North Carolinians voted early before Election Day, breaking the turnout record in 2020.
Turnout in some western counties affected by Hurricane Helene even surpassed that of the rest of the state, as election officials made sure victims could cast their ballots.
Exit polls found that 43 percent of voters in North Carolina had a favorable view of Trump, up from 47 percent in the 2020 election.
It found that 55 percent viewed it unfavorably, compared to 51 percent in 2020.
The poll also found that 48 percent of the state’s voters had a favorable opinion of Harris, compared to 50 percent who said the same of Joe Biden in the 2020 exit poll.
It found that 50 percent viewed her unfavorably, compared to 47 percent who viewed Biden that way in 2020.
A poll worker displays stickers that say “I voted,” during the 2024 U.S. presidential election on Election Day, in Arden, North Carolina.
The survey found that 36 percent of voters in North Carolina said the economy was the most important thing when deciding how to vote in the presidential election.
And 12 percent said immigration, 13 percent abortion, 32 percent the state of democracy and 4 percent foreign policy.
In the state, 47 percent of voters said their family’s financial situation was worse than four years ago.
Of North Carolina voters, 73 percent said they believe democracy in the United States is threatened.
Voting signs direct people to Biltmore Forest City Hall on November 5, 2024 in Asheville, North Carolina.
Democratic presidential candidate US Vice President Kamala Harris reacts while speaking on the phone at the Democratic National Committee (DNC) headquarters during the 2024 US presidential election on Election Day in Washington.
Republican presidential candidate and former US President Donald Trump, accompanied by former US First Lady Melania Trump, speaks to reporters after voting at the Mandel Recreation Center on Election Day in Palm Beach, Florida.
The number of voters with a college degree increased.
And 52 percent of voters were women, up from 56 percent in 2020.
The exit poll found that 69 percent of voters in North Carolina were white, up four points from 2020.
The percentage of white men increased five points.