(NewsNation) — Former President Donald Trump is projected to win Pennsylvania, taking 19 electoral votes in the crucial swing state, according to NewsNation/Decision Decision Desk HQ. See the results of the presidential race in other states here.
Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump had been neck and neck in key battleground states, including Pennsylvania, leading up to the election, according to polling by NewsNation partner The Hill.
Pennsylvania voters favored the Democrats in six straight elections prior to 2016, but Trump won the state that year by 0.7 percentage points. Biden clinched Pennsylvania back for Democrats in 2020 by 1.2 points.
Pennsylvania lost an electoral vote from 2020 to 2024, going from 20 to 19 as the population declined.
An October survey by Emerson College Polling and The Hill found the economy was the top issue for Pennsylvania, followed by threats to democracy and immigration.
Much of Harris’ and Trump’s strategy was to reach out to the state’s rural voters, who typically lean red.
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The Harris campaign hired a rural engagement director to make additional inroads into those communities.
In addition, Harris tried to reassemble the coalition behind Biden’s winning campaign, including college students, Black voters and women animated by protecting abortion rights.
Trump drilled into his support for fracking — extracting oil and natural gas from underground formations.
It’s a key issue in Pennsylvania, which is the second biggest producer of natural gas in the country behind Texas. The state holds over 100,000 jobs, and the industry has an economic impact of $41 billion. Harris has said she will not ban fracking.
Meanwhile, Trump was the target of an assassination attempt in Pennsylvania’s Butler County in July.
A gunman shot at the former president with a rifle from the roof of a building near the rally stage. Trump was hit in the ear and rushed off stage. One rally attendee was killed, and two more were injured.
The gunman, Thomas Crooks, was shot and killed by the Secret Service.
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Pennsylvania was also the only place where Trump and Harris debated when they faced off in Philadelphia in September.
Harris had support from the state’s Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro, who backed the vice president despite being the runner-up as her choice for vice president.
In fact, she introduced her selection for running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, in Philadelphia with Shapiro there in support.
