US Election 2020: Donald Trump wins Florida in nail-biting race for the White House
Counting is underway, as Democrat challenger Joe Biden makes a statement in his home town.
Wednesday 4 November 2020 05:53, UK
Donald Trump is projected to hold on to the crucial swing state of Florida, as he fights to stay in the White House and crucial results go down to the wire.
The US president looks set to pip challenger Joe Biden to the all-important win, securing 29 Electoral College votes to push him further towards the 270 he needs.
But in other battlegrounds, the Republican and Democrat candidates are seeing razor-thin margins - with North Carolina, Georgia and Arizona all still in "toss-up" territory.
Florida was the first big declaration of the night, with no states successfully flipped yet.
And it could be several more hours or even days before the final results are revealed in other marginal states like Pennsylvania and Michigan, given the huge numbers of people who voted early and by post due to the pandemic.
Speaking from his home state of Delaware, Mr Biden addressed supporters at a drive-in rally to tell them "it may take a little longer" than usual for all votes to be counted.
"Keep the faith guys, we're going to win this," he added.
Mr Trump is waiting in the White House to discover if he will get four more years there or become the first one-term president since 1992.
He admitted earlier losing would not be "easy", but is still publicly optimistic about his chances.
Mr Trump said the result should be declared as soon as possible, telling campaign workers at their headquarters in Virginia that: "I think we should know what happens on the night…
"You can't have these things delayed for many days and maybe weeks, you can't do that.
"The whole world is waiting, this country is waiting but the whole world is waiting."
His Democrat challenger is in Wilmington, Delaware, where a podium has already been erected for him to make an "address to the nation" in front of a drive-in rally of supporters.
Mr Biden spent the day in his hometown of Scranton, Pennsylvania - the same state he paid three visits to on Tuesday in a sign of how highly he values its prize of 20 Electoral College (EC) votes.
So bullish is he that the former vice president wrote a note on the wall of the living room in the house he grew up in that said: "From this house to the White House with the grace of God."
The national early exit poll of 12,600 voters appears to favour Mr Biden, showing the proportion of white voters is down by 6% to 56% compared to 2016, while the number of college graduates of all ethnicities is up by 5% to 45%.
White non-college educated voters are therefore down by 6% to 33% compared to the last election - potentially problematic for Mr Trump given they were his core vote.
In Georgia, the regional exit poll suggests Mr Biden has won over more white voters - 30% - compared to Hilary Clinton's 21%, while Mr Trump's support among them fell from 75% at the last election to 68%.
A Democrat has not won the state since 1992, but Mr Trump last time achieved the lowest share of the vote of any Republican since 1996.
In Ohio, the exit poll shows white non-college educated people made up 53% of voters - up by 10% from 2016. Mr Trump is leading with that group on 58% - but took 63% of them last time.
In North Carolina, Mr Biden seems to be increasing the Democrats' margins in the major Mecklenburg and Wake counties.
And in Arizona, the exit poll suggests both candidates are neck-and-neck at 48%, with Mr Biden doing better with white voters than Ms Clinton, and Latinos making up 4% more of voters - up to 19%.
35 results have been projected so far:
For Mr Trump
- Alabama - 9 EC votes
- Arkansas - 6 EC votes
- Florida - 29 EC votes
- Idaho - 4 EC votes
- Indiana - 11 EC votes
- Kansas - 6 EC votes
- Kentucky - 8 EC votes
- Louisiana - 8 EC votes
- Mississippi - 6 EC votes
- Missouri - 10 EC votes
- Nebraska - 3 EC votes
- North Dakota - 3 EC votes
- Ohio - 18 EC votes
- Oklahoma - 7 EC votes
- South Carolina - 9 EC votes
- South Dakota - 3 EC votes
- Tennessee - 11 EC votes
- Utah - 6 EC votes
- West Virginia - 5 EC votes
- Wyoming - 3 EC votes
For Mr Biden
- California - 55 EC votes
- Colorado - 9 EC votes
- Connecticut - 7 EC votes
- Delaware - 3 EC votes
- Illinois - 20 EC votes
- Maryland - 10 EC votes
- Massachusetts - 11 EC votes
- New Hampshire - 4 EC votes
- New Jersey - 14 EC votes
- New York - 29 EC votes
- New Mexico - 5 EC votes
- Oregon - 7 EC votes
- Vermont - 3 EC votes
- Virginia - 13 EC votes
- Washington - 12 EC votes
- Washington DC - 3 EC votes
And the Democrats are projected to retain control of the House of Representatives.
There was no widespread voting chaos like some feared, though there were a few hindrances.
In Michigan, the attorney general said some constituents received automated calls telling them to "stay home" because of the coronavirus.
"Obviously this is FALSE and an effort to suppress the vote," she tweeted.
In North Carolina, stayed open up to 45 minutes longer in some areas because they opened late due to "printer issues".
And the US postal services ordered some sites to "sweep" facilities to "ensure that no ballots have been held up and that any identified ballots are immediately sent out for delivery".
Meanwhile shops and offices in California, Washington DC and New York boarded up their windows for fear of violence breaking out on the streets.
While all eyes will be on whether Mr Trump or Mr Biden gets the top job, all the seats in Congress and a third of the Senate is also up for election.
Democrats are hoping to increase their majority in the House of Representatives, and flip a minimum of three seats in the US Senate to take control there.
One Republican senator - Lindsey Graham - has kept his seat, so far.