LIVE: Trump is on the verge of victory after winning Pennsylvania, the crown jewel of the 2024 election

November 6, 2024 ndowd

After months of waiting, the showdown between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump appears to be all but over. Donald Trump, the 45th president of the United States, will almost certainly become America’s 47th president having crossed the 270-vote threshold necessary to clinch the presidential election.

While a handful of states have yet to declare official winners, Trump was able to lock down all of the states he was expected to, as well as several pivotal battleground states including North Carolina, Georgia, and Pennsylvania, the latter being the most crucial swing state of the 2024 election.

Obviously, the implications of a second Trump presidency are vast—particularly as it pertains to America’s economy, businesses, culture, and more. Fortune will have plenty of reactions, insight, analysis, and reporting in the coming hours, days, and weeks. But first, let’s take a look at how the 2024 election went down.

How did the election results break down?

Our official tally:

Kamala Harris has been declared victor in 17 states—Vermont, Maryland, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Illinois, Delaware, New York, Colorado, California, Washington, Oregon, New Mexico, Virginia, Hawaii, New Hampshire, Minnesota, plus the District of Columbia, Maine’s 1st congressional district, and Nebraska’s 2nd congressional district—capturing 224 electoral votes.
Donald Trump has been declared victor in 26 states—Indiana, Kentucky, West Virginia, Alabama, Mississippi, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Florida, Tennessee, Arkansas, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Louisiana, Wyoming, Ohio, Texas, Missouri, Utah, Montana, Iowa, Kansas, Idaho, North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Maine’s 2nd congressional district and Nebraska’s 1st and 3rd congressional districts—capturing 267 electoral votes.

Remember, you need 270 electoral votes to win the U.S. presidential election.

What were the biggest headlines of Election Day 2024?

When did polls close?

Below is a complete rundown of when polls closed for every U.S. state. Worth noting: Parts of some states close earlier than others, which we flagged.

6:00 p.m. ET: Kentucky (some polls close), Indiana (some polls close)

7:00 p.m. ET: Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, South Carolina, Vermont, Virginia, Florida (some polls close), New Hampshire (some polls close)

7:30 p.m. ET: North Carolina, Ohio, West Virginia, Florida (some polls close), New Hampshire (some polls close)

8:00 p.m. ET: Alabama, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Kansas (some polls close), Michigan (some polls close), North Dakota (some polls close), South Dakota (some polls close), Texas (some polls close)

8:30 p.m. ET: Arkansas, Kansas (some polls close), Michigan (some polls close), North Dakota (some polls close), South Dakota (some polls close), Texas (some polls close)

9:00 p.m. ET: Arizona, Colorado, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, New Mexico, New York, North Dakota, South Dakota, Texas, Wisconsin, Wyoming

10:00 p.m. ET: Montana, Nevada, Utah, Idaho (some polls close), Oregon (some polls close)

11:00 p.m. ET: California, Idaho, Oregon, Washington

Midnight ET: Hawaii, Alaska (some polls close)

1:00 a.m. ET: Alaska

How did the polls compare to the results?

Here’s a rundown of the notable final polls in the lead-up to Election Day:

NPR/PBS News/Marist: 51% Harris, 47% Trump

Reuters/Ipsos: 51% Harris, 47% Trump

ABC News/Ipsos: 49% Harris, 46% Trump

New York Times/Siena College: Harris leads in all but one swing state (Michigan)

Of course, Trump ended up winning the election—through the popular and electoral vote—by a considerable margin. For what it’s worth, the limitations of polling are fairly well-documented.