Nov 6 (VOA/GNA) – Former U.S. President Donald Trump was elected as the 47th president early Wednesday after wins in several key states, including Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, defeating Vice President Kamala Harris.
In the U.S. system, where the presidential election is tallied in a series of state-by-state contests, both Harris and Trump were quickly declared winners after polls closed Tuesday in states where their parties enjoy clear majority support. Meanwhile, seven so-called battleground states were expected to tip the balance and determine the winner.
Trump pushed ahead with important wins in those areas, combining his victory in Pennsylvania with wins in Georgia and North Carolina to give him at least 267 of the 270 electoral votes needed to clinch a majority. Harris would need to win all of the outstanding states, including Michigan, Wisconsin, Nevada and Arizona.
In addition, the Republicans took control in the 100-member Senate late Tuesday, but it was not yet known which party would control the U.S. House.
Trump claimed victory early Wednesday as he thanked his supporters at a rally in Florida.
“This was a movement like nobody’s ever seen before, and, frankly, this was, I believe, the greatest political movement of all time,” Trump said.
He pledged to “fix our borders” and “fix everything in our country.”
Trump also said he would work to deliver a “strong, safe and prosperous America.”
A Harris campaign official told a crowd of her supporters in Washington that she would not address the gathering overnight but would speak later Wednesday.
GNA/VOA
