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Your guide to what the 2024 US election means for Washington and the world

Former President Donald Trump has claimed the battleground states of North Carolina, Georgia and Pennsylvania, increasing his vote share across the country.

Trump received more votes in every state except Utah and Washington than in 2020. He was particularly strong in the areas he won in the last election, making the red states, particularly Florida and Texas, even redder. This puts Trump on track to win a majority of the national popular vote for the first time.

Trump also gained ground in traditional Democratic strongholds, narrowing the gap with Harris by 12 points in New York, 11 in Connecticut and 11 in New Jersey.

In Florida's majority-Latino counties, Trump increased his vote share by nearly eight points compared to four years earlier. He defeated Miami-Dade, the state's most populous county, receiving more than 55 percent of the vote. In 2020, Joe Biden won the county with 53.4 percent.

Pennsylvania, which awards 19 electoral votes and was paramount to Harris after her losses in Georgia and North Carolina, was nominated for Trump, who leads with 51 percent compared to 48 percent for Harris. Some remaining swing states — Arizona, Michigan, Nevada and Wisconsin — are still in limbo, but Trump has declared victory.

Across the U.S., data shows that urban voters did not turn out strongly enough for Harris, while people in rural areas went for Trump.

According to polling data, the Republican candidate has gained support among large parts of the electorate compared to 2020. Asian, black, Hispanic and white voters all leaned toward Trump. Harris only increased her share of the vote among those over 65 and among college-educated white women.

Long-range shots from Harris fell by the wayside. A poll last weekend by “gold standard” pollster J Ann Selzer showed Harris with an unexpected three-point lead in staunchly conservative Iowa, boosting Democrats' hopes. With almost all votes counted, Trump is 14 points ahead in the state.

In North Carolina, a state where Republicans have won every election since 2012, the former president has been able to increase his share of the vote by increasingly narrow margins. He also managed to flip three counties – Nash, Pasquotank and Anson – from Democrats.

Georgia, another state where the Harris campaign poured resources, was flipped by Trump. He is ahead with 50.7 percent of the vote, compared to 48.5 percent for Harris.

In the “Blue Wall” swing states that are still in balance, the current vote count largely favors a Trump victory.

In Wisconsin, Dane County is a reliably Democratic jurisdiction, having seen increasing vote share for Democratic candidates in every presidential election since 1992 except this year.