US Presidential Elections: Donald Trump edges over Kamala Harris with wins in Florida, Ohio, Mississippi

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Former US President Donald Trump saw a victory in his home state of Florida, making it the third time in a row that the Sunshine State has supported the Republican nominee, ANI reported.

As per new projections by Politico at 10 am IST, Trump has leaped to 230 electoral college votes as compared to a democtatic candidate who stands at 205. So far, Trump has carried most of the 'Red Wall' states in this presidential election, ANI cited

This victory in the state of Florida will add 30 electoral college votes for Trump's final count. Previously seen as a swing state after winning the 2000 presidential election for George W Bush, votes have gone dramatically to the red in recent years. Barack Obama won in 2008 and 2012.

Meanwhile, Kamala Harris was seen trailing behind in her home state of Minnesota as Trump hopes to win 10 electoral college votes of one of the traditional Democratic belts.

According to ANI, since 1972 no Republican candidate for president has won in Minnesota. Trump came within close distance in the 2016 presidential elections, narrowly losing by 1.5 points to the then Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton.

As per ANI, Trump has won in the state of Idaho and Texas, while Harris has won in California. Trump has secured the conservative state's 40 electoral votes, he also bagged a win in the state of Oklahoma with 65 per cent of votes.

Polls showed a tight competition between the candidates with Trump taking a tentative lead over the Democratic candidate Kamala Harris by just a few points in some cases.

According to projections at 9 am (IST) NBC, ABC and CBS have given Harris 91 electoral college votes but for Trump, they have counted between 178 and 201 electoral votes.

Fox News has projected a win for Trump in the states of Florida, Indiana, Kentucky, West Virginia, Mississippi, Alabama, Oklahoma, Tennessee, South Carolina and Arkansas, while it projected wins for Harris in the states of Vermont, Illinois, Massachusetts, Maryland, New Jersey, Connecticut, Rhode Island and the District of Columbia, ANI cited.

CNN has projected a win for Trump in the US states of Texas, Ohio, Georgia, Kansas and North Carolina while it projected a lead for Harris in Pennsylvania, Virginia, Michigan and Maine states. It has also projected a win for Harris in Colorado, New York and Delaware.

Trump is projected to win in the states of Iowa, South Dakota, Wyoming and Louisiana,

There was a total of 538 Electoral College votes allocated to the 50 American states and the District of Columbia. It will take a candidate to win 270 votes in order to be the next US President.

According to CBS projections at 9 45 am (IST) Trump is narrowly in the lead in Georgia, North Carolina and Pennsylvania, while Harris has a huge advantage in Michigan, ANI reported.

"Polls have closed in Florida. @realDonaldTrump has carried the state of Florida and has earned 30 electoral votes" Florida Governor Ro DeSantis said on X.

DeSantis waged an aggressive campaign against Amendment 3, which attempted to legalize recreational marijuana, and Amendment 4, which would have expanded abortion access in the state.

The Trump campaign in a statement said after the win, "After four years of the disastrous Harris-Biden administration, Floridians are eager to return to commonsense policies that put their freedom, their families, and America first."

The US is casting ballots to elect the next President and Vice President, all representatives to the House and one-third of senators, along with governors of 11 states and to US territories.

Around 10 am (IST) voting was closed down in most US states, including the seven swing states of Georgia, Arizona, Nevada, North Carolina, Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania, ANI reported

(With inputs from ANI)

By around 10 am (IST) polls had closed in most states, including the seven swing states of Georgia, Arizona, Nevada, North Carolina, Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania.