Trump wins Arizona, claiming victory over all swing states in US election

President-elect Donald Trump has won the state of Arizona, completing a clean sweep of all swing states in the US election against Kamala Harris, the Associated Press reports.

Along with Arizona, Trump won the swing states of Michigan, Pennsylvania, Georgia, North Carolina, Wisconsin, and Nevada – crucial states needed to secure the 270 electoral college votes required to win the presidency. These states are typically won by slim margins.

Arizona is the last state to be called. Trump is now projected to have 312 electoral college votes, compared to Harris’ 226.

The Associated Press reports that Trump has won 74.6 million votes nationwide (50.5%), compared to Harris’s 70.9 million (48%).

Since the 1940s, Arizona has only turned Democratic twice – in 2020 and in 1996, when Bill Clinton was elected.

Arizona has consistently backed Democrats in the 1910s, 1930s, and 1940s, with Republicans dominating only in the 1920s.

Trump has outperformed his 2016 victory over Hillary Clinton, when he won 306 electoral college votes to Clinton’s 232.

In the 2020 election, President Joe Biden defeated Trump by winning six of the seven key swing states, losing only North Carolina. Biden secured 306 electoral college votes to Trump’s 232.

Former US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said the Democrats would have done better in Tuesday’s election if President Joe Biden had stepped down from the race earlier.

She added that if Biden had stepped down sooner, it could have allowed for an open primary – which would have let multiple Democrat candidates compete for the chance to succeed Biden.