Republican presidential hopeful Donald Trump stormed to crucial victories in a series of battleground states on Tuesday, widening an incredible but increasingly likely path to victory for the billionaire real-estate mogul and reality TV star.
One by one the swing states fell Trump’s way: Florida, Ohio, North Carolina, Pennsylvania. Democrat Hillary Clinton was clinging to faint hopes as the election of the nation’s 45th president neared a frenzied conclusion.
“Things that were true: undercover Trump vote; @mike_pence for VP; Hillary’s floor & ceiling r same; rally crowds matter; we expanded the map,” Trump campaign manager Kellyanne Conway tweeted at 1:30 a.m. ET.
By that time, Trump had claimed more than 260 electoral votes to Clinton’s 215. The magic number is 270, and swing states still too close to call included Michigan (16), Wisconsin (10) and New Hampshire (4).
Polling sites across the nation had closed after more than 110 million people cast votes in the historic race.
Trump’s strong early showing brought angst to world financial markets, with the Dow Jones industrial average falling as much as 500 points in after-hours trading. Brad McMillan, chief investment officer at Commonwealth Financial Network, said a Trump win would spark uncertainty and likely result in a steep fall in stock prices Wednesday.
Trump claimed victories in Pennsylvania, Iowa, Utah, Idaho, North Carolina, Florida, Georgia, Ohio, Missouri, Montana, Louisiana, Arkansas,Kansas, North Dakota, South Dakota, Texas, Wyoming, Alabama, West Virginia, Kentucky, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee and Indiana. Indiana is a historically red state and home to Trump’s running mate, Gov. Mike Pence.
