Former President Donald Trump has won Pennsylvania, the pivotal swing state that was the most coveted state on the electoral map this year.
With this victory, called by Fox News, CNN, and NBC News early Wednesday, Trump has secured the state's 19 electoral votes. Most election forecasters ahead of the election considered Pennsylvania the most likely tipping-point state, or the one that would push the race in either candidate's favor. If history holds, the remaining "blue wall" states — Michigan and Wisconsin — may also go the same way. It's been almost 40 years since the Great Lakes battlegrounds haven't voted in unison.
Trump's best path to the White House was based on his taking away at least one of the blue-wall states. He won all three in 2016 but watched them narrowly slip away four years later. In 2020, Trump lost Pennsylvania by roughly 81,000 votes. Republicans were hopeful that Trump would fare better without President Joe Biden — who was born in Scranton and for 36 years served as a US senator from neighboring Delaware — on the ballot.
The Keystone State's Democratic governor, Josh Shapiro, was under consideration to become Vice President Kamala Harris' running mate. While he was not selected, Shapiro was one of Harris' top surrogates in the state.
No part of Pennsylvania was untouched by this unique presidential race, which saw both major-party candidates pour considerable resources into the state.
Elon Musk, who donated over $100 million in favor of electing Trump, also campaigned in the state for the former president.
