US Election 2024 results update: who will win the race

Republican candidate and former President Donald Trump is currently ahead of his opponent, Vice President Kamala Harris, in the 2024 US election held on Tuesday.

With the latest vote counts showing Trump at 232 electoral votes and Harris at 216, the race is nearing the critical 270-vote threshold needed to secure the presidency.

According to reports from major media outlets like CNN and the Associated Press, early results show Vice President Harris winning states traditionally held by Democrats, including Vermont, New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Mland, and Illinois. Trump, meanwhile, has taken key Republican strongholds such as Florida, Ohio, Texas, Kentucky, North Dakota, South Dakota, Oklahoma, South Carolina, West Virginia, and Indiana. Vermont contributes three electoral votes to Harris’s total, while Kentucky and Indiana add a combined 19 votes to Trump’s tally.

A significant turnout during the early voting period contributed to the high numbers on election day. Republicans, motivated by Trump and the Republican National Committee’s campaign, cast early ballots at a high rate, closing the gap on Democrats, who traditionally benefit from early voting. Over half of the total 2020 election vote count was reached even before Tuesday’s official election day.

Early voting encountered few issues despite weather disruptions in some states. In North Carolina, for example, Hurricane Helene caused widespread power outages and road blockages, but election officials worked diligently to ensure residents could cast their votes.

Similarly, in Florida, another hurricane posed challenges but did not prevent polling stations from operating smoothly. In the Northwest, however, arson incidents affected ballot drop boxes near the Oregon-Washington border, and authorities are still searching for the suspects responsible.

Despite minimal reported issues, Trump and the Republican National Committee raised concerns about alleged election interference and fraud during early voting—their claims, while unproven, suggest possible challenges to the results post-Election Day. As the vote count continues, both sides remain vigilant, anticipating any irregularities that could impact the outcome.