Republican nominee wins in 16 states, ahead in key states Florida and Ohio; Democratic rival takes deep-blue states
Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump was ahead of rival Hillary Clinton overnight Tuesday – Wednesday, winning 137 electoral votes of the 270 needed to clinch the presidency. The Democratic nominee had 104 electoral votes.
Trump won in Kentucky, Indiana, Virginia, West Virginia, Kansas, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Lousiana, Texas, Wyoming, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Arkansas, Alabama and South Carolina
No state looms larger for the Republican nominee than Florida, a state his advisers have repeatedly described as a must-win, and where he was expected to win as of early Wednesday. The stakes were also high for Trump in North Carolina and Ohio.
Clinton meanwhile took deep-blue states Vermont, Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Rhode Island and Illinois. She was ahead in Pennsylvania, Colorado, Missouri, Maine and New Mexico.
Exit polls underscored the deep divisions that have defined the 2016 contest. Women nationwide supported Clinton by a double-digit margin, while men were significantly more likely to back Trump. More than half of white voters backed the Republican, while nearly 9 in 10 blacks and two-thirds of Hispanics voted for the Democrat.
Earlier in the day, Trump refused to say whether he would accept the election results, injecting new drama into the final day of a turbulent election season. He also continued to raise doubts about the integrity of the election system, warning of possible voter fraud as his campaign sought an investigation into early voting hours in battleground Nevada.
While familiar charges from an unorthodox candidate, the Election Day statements challenged bedrock principles of American democracy: fair and free elections and the clean transfer of power. There is no evidence of widespread voter fraud in America.
“We’re going to see how things play out,” Trump said on Fox News when asked if he would accept the election results. “I want to see everything honest.”
The comments come as Trump eyes a challenging path to the 270 electoral needed for victory, although both sides paint the picture of a very close election that will likely come down to a handful of swing states.
As reported by by The Times of Israel