The results from the 2020 US presidential election have so far shown a neck-and-neck contest between incumbent US President Donald Trump and his Democratic rival Joe Biden, with the race coming down to the wire in just a few battleground states, including Georgia, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Arizona and Nevada.
Biden enjoys a crucial advantage, having taken the lead in Georgia by 1,096 votes, and also closing in on Trump in Pennsylvania. The Democrat is also leading by slender margins in Arizona and Nevada.
Earlier, Biden managed to secure key triumphs in both Michigan and Wisconsin, taking his electoral college vote count to 264, while Trump hangs on at 214. The Democratic candidate is within touching distance of the 270 electoral votes needed to secure the White House.
Here's what the trends look like:
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GEORGIA
With 16 electoral college votes, Georgia has become one of the crucial states that can determine which way the election goes.
Biden has taken the lead over Trump, with the margin being just 1,096 votes. Earlier, it was Trump who was ahead in the state where no Democratic candidate has won since 1992.
PENNSYLVANIA
President Trump actively campaigned in Pennsylvania in the run up to this election, where he bagged a narrow win against Clinton in 2016. He is leading with 49.5 percent of the vote, while Biden is hot on his heels with 49.2 percent at present. 95 percent of the total votes have been counted so far.
Pennsylvania has a total of 20 electoral votes.
NORTH CAROLINA
The numbers are close in North Carolina too, with Trump in the lead with 50 percent of the vote, and Biden not far behind at 48.6 percent. This statistic comes in as 95 percent of all expected votes have been counted.
The state contributes 15 electoral votes.
NEVADA
Although having just six electoral votes, Nevada has emerged as a crucial state this election. With 89 percent of the estimated votes reported, Biden currently leads with 49.4 percent of the vote, while Trump is at 48.5 percent.
Nevada's importance lies in the fact that if Biden gets all the electoral college votes from Michigan, Wisconsin and Arizona, he'll only need the six votes of Nevada to reach the 270 electoral threshold, without having to win Pennsylvania, North Carolina and Georgia.
Meanwhile, here are some of the other crucial states where results have already been called in favour of one candidate or the other:
MICHIGAN
Joe Biden has been projected to win Michigan, which contributes 16 electoral votes to the electoral college, and where Trump was earlier leading.
With around 98 percent of the estimated votes reported, Biden was leading with 50.5 of the vote, and Trump was behind at 47.9 percent.
According to CNN, the change of numbers could have been attributed to Wayne County, which houses Detroit. The news channel's correspondent Phil Mattingly earlier said this "shows the effect of major urban centres that are Democratic strongholds where there's major vote outstanding."
WISCONSIN
Democratic candidate Joe Biden is projected to win in the state of Wisconsin. Biden has 49.4 percent of the vote, while Trump has 48.8 percent, with around 98 percent estimated votes reported.
According to the Associated Press, Biden took a slender lead in Wisconsin due to a late burst of votes from Milwaukee. Notably, Trump had won the state in 2016 by just 22,000 votes, CNN reported.
Wisconsin contributes 10 electoral votes to the electoral college.
ARIZONA
Biden was projected to win Arizona by some networks on Wednesday. Currently, with 90 percent of the estimated total vote reported, the Democrat has 50.1 percent of the vote, while Trump has picked up 48.5 percent.
Biden winning Arizona would mark a significant flip, as it was Trump who had won the state in 2016.
The state contributes 11 electoral votes.
FLORIDA
With a total of 29 electoral votes, Florida is leaning red in 2020, marking a crucial advantage for Trump and ensuring that the race goes down to the wire.
Trump is projected to win with 51.2 percent of the vote, with Biden trailing at 47.8 percent, according to reports.
IOWA
President Trump is projected to win the race in this battleground state as well, garnering 53.1 percent of the votes against Biden’s 44.9 percent. As much as 92 percent of the estimated vote total has been reported, according to The New York Times.
The state has six electoral votes up for grabs.
OHIO
Trump has been projected to win Ohio by 8 points, a state that has 18 electoral votes.
Trump has bagged 53.3 percent of the vote in Ohio, with Biden trailing at 45.2 percent, according to reports.
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