These are the states to watch on election night

President Trump and Democratic challenger Joe Biden each has a path to win the White House. The former vice president is competitive in all the battleground states Trump carried in 2016, and has put a handful of traditional Republican states, including Georgia and Arizona, in play. Trump can win by defending a wide swath of territory he won in 2016, but his hopes for re-election are heavily dependent on the swing states of Florida and Pennsylvania.

Grab the binoculars and focus on these states as election returns start rolling in:

FLORIDA IS WORTH 29 ELECTORAL VOTES

All eyes are on Florida, a swing state known for razor-thin election tallies. If Trump doesn’t win Florida, he’s going to have a rough time capturing enough states to stay in office. If Biden doesn’t win the state, he still has other pathways to victory.

Don’t put the state in either candidates’ win column too early.

PENNSYLVANIA IS WORTH 20 ELECTORAL VOTES

Trump won the long-running Democratic state of Pennsylvania in 2016 by a little more than 1 percentage point. Biden has had a slight advantage in most polls, while some suggest Trump remains positioned to capture the state again.

Trump’s hopes of winning got boosted after Biden, in a presidential debate, called for phasing out fossil fuels.

OHIO IS WORTH 18 ELECTORAL VOTES

Trump glided to victory in Ohio four years ago by 8 percentage points, but recent polls show this year’s presidential race tightening in the Buckeye State.

Trump’s support in key suburbs has eroded and he has worked to keep hold of the near-historic margins he earned from voters in rural areas of the state in 2016. Biden’s push into traditionally Republican areas signaled his campaign’s hope that the state could be within his grasp.

GEORGIA IS WORTH 16 ELECTORAL VOTES

Population changes are driving politics in the Peach State.

Georgia has long been a GOP stronghold, but parts of the state are leaning Democratic. Trump easily won the state by 5 percentage points in 2016, but Biden maintains he has a shot.

MICHIGAN IS WORTH 16 ELECTORAL VOTES

Michigan was long considered a Democratic stronghold in presidential contests. But Trump won it by less than 11,000 votes in 2016 with support from working-class voters and a boost from Hillary Clinton’s poor showing with Black voters in Detroit.

Biden has teamed up with former President Barack Obama to campaign in Flint and Detroit. Trump isn’t ceding Michigan to Biden.

ARIZONA IS WORTH 11 ELECTORAL VOTES

Arizona has a long political history of going Republican. It’s the home state of Barry Goldwater, a five-term conservative senator who was the Republican nominee for president in 1964. Trump won Arizona in 2016, but it is no longer an ironclad GOP stalwart.

WISCONSIN IS WORTH 10 ELECTORAL VOTES

Trump won Wisconsin by fewer than 23,000 votes in 2016. To win it again, he needs to perform well outside urban areas like Milwaukee and Madison. His record on handling the coronavirus pandemic is at the forefront in many voters’ minds as cases of the virus spike in Wisconsin.

IOWA IS WORTH SIX ELECTORAL VOTES

Trump won Iowa handily in 2016, yet the public health and economic crises resulting from the coronavirus pandemic are part of why Democrats think they have a chance.

NEVADA IS WORTH SIX ELECTORAL VOTES

Trump narrowly lost Nevada in 2016 as the state has trended toward the Democrats in the past decade, but the president thinks he can flip it.

Trump’s campaign has invested heavily in the state and is relying on its ground game to turn out voters. Democrats, by contrast, have largely relied on virtual campaign efforts during the pandemic, save for the casino workers’ Culinary Union, which has sent workers door-to-door.

from Boston Herald https://ift.tt/3mYW4P9