The Associated Press declared President-elect Donald Trump the winner in Arizona after vote updates in Maricopa and other counties solidified his lead over Vice President Kamala Harris. Trump’s victory in Arizona adds to his overall electoral count, with 312 electoral votes compared to Harris’s 226. The win in Arizona marks Trump’s seventh victory in hotly contested battleground states, securing his path to the presidency with the necessary 270 electoral votes.
The AP only calls a race once it is clear that the trailing candidate cannot close the gap and overtake the vote leader. In this case, Trump’s lead over Harris in Arizona was decisive, with a margin of about 185,000 votes. Harris needed to win a significant percentage of the remaining uncounted ballots to catch up, a feat that seemed unlikely as additional votes were counted. Trump’s strong showing in Maricopa County, where he led Harris by five points, played a key role in securing his victory in the state.
Both Harris and Trump campaigned heavily in Arizona, a border state where immigration is a prominent issue. Trump focused on deportation of undocumented immigrants, while Harris advocated for pathways to citizenship and stronger border security. Independent voters are the largest bloc in the state, followed by Republicans and Democrats. Biden’s narrow victory in Arizona in 2020 marked a rare win for Democrats in a state that has historically leaned Republican. Both candidates targeted Maricopa County, a crucial battleground with a large population center.
Arizona’s status as an early voting state played a significant role in the election, with nearly 90% of votes cast early in 2020. In previous years, Democrats have consistently carried four key counties in Arizona, including Maricopa. Despite Harris leading in these counties, she failed to match Biden’s performance in the 2020 election. Trump’s consistent lead in the statewide vote count, coupled with the demographic and voting history analysis, led the AP to declare him the winner in Arizona. The analysis showed that even if remaining updates showed shifts in Harris’s favor, they would not be enough to close the gap.
This victory for Trump in Arizona further solidifies his path to the presidency, with a total of 312 electoral votes compared to Harris’s 226. The state’s significant role in the election, as a hotly contested battleground with a history of favoring Republicans, underscores the importance of securing key demographics and regions in presidential campaigns. Trump’s lead in Maricopa County and strong showing in early voting further cemented his victory in Arizona. The AP’s decision to declare Trump the winner was based on a thorough analysis of voting trends, demographics, and historical data in the state.
