(NewsNation) — Donald Trump is projected to win in Georgia, taking 16 electoral votes in the battleground state that has historically gone red since 1972, according to NewsNation/Decision Desk HQ. See the results of the presidential election in other states here.
Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump had been polling closely in key states, including Georgia, leading up to the election, according to NewsNation partner The Hill.
Georgia usually voted Republican in presidential elections between 1972 and 2016 but flipped in 2020 for President Joe Biden.
Biden won the race in 2020 by less than 11,200 votes.
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The Biden victory cast Georgia into the national spotlight, with Trump alleging election fraud. In the days leading up to Biden’s inauguration, Trump called Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, allegedly trying to pressure the elected official to overturn Georgia’s election results.
Before Biden, the last time a Democratic nominee won the state was former President Bill Clinton in 1992. Before that, Georgia was routinely red except in 1976 and 1980, when the state supported native son Jimmy Carter.
The economy was overwhelmingly the most important issue for Georgia voters, according to an Emerson College/The Hill poll.
Trump and Harris were considered to be neck and neck in Georgia since Harris replaced Biden at the top of the ticket over the summer.
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Polling conducted by the Marist Institute for Public Opinion in October showed voters favored Harris on issues like abortion and preserving democracy, while Trump was the better choice to deal with immigration and war in the Middle East.
On the economy, Trump repeatedly told supporters at campaign rallies the Biden administration had destroyed the country, blaming rising inflation on Harris and the rest of the administration.
Trump also targeted Harris on border issues, saying that she and Biden had allowed immigrants to cross into the U.S illegally and claiming it led to a rise in violent crime committed by migrants.
Meanwhile, Harris and running mate Tim Walz toured Georgia during their campaign for the White House, focusing on proposals to improve the lives of middle-class Americans.
