President Trump wins critical state of Florida, AP projects
TAMPA, Fla. (NEXSTAR) -- President Donald Trump has claimed the first and largest of the key swing states viewed as most likely to determine the winner of the 2020 presidential election.
Florida’s 29 electoral votes are expected to fall to the president, according to the Associated Press.
After going back-and-forth most of the evening, Trump held a steady lead of a few hundred thousand votes over the last couple hours. With 96% of the vote reported, Trump was leading Biden 51-48.
According to initial numbers, it appears Biden beat out Hillary Clinton in several suburban areas, but considerably underperformed Hillary Clinton’s performance in Miami-Dade County, a key population center and turnout area for Democrats.
Without the state, Trump would have few paths to an Electoral College victory. He still needs to secure victory in at least two other key swing states to gain the needed 270 electoral votes to return to the White House.
The president is wagering much on Pennsylvania as the best chance of moving within striking distance of that threshold. After a trio of rallies this past week, Trump held four more in the state on Saturday.