Donald
Trump took a dramatic step toward the White House Tuesday with
crucial battleground victories in Florida, North Carolina and Ohio.
The
victories are stunning for a candidate long seen as unlikely to win
the presidency. Hillary Clinton's campaign was confident it was
competitive in places like Florida and North Carolina and even sought
to expand the map with recent visits to traditionally Republican
states such as Arizona.
An
election season that has defied expectations from the very beginning
is staying true to form to the very end. Trump has an increasingly
viable path to the 270 electoral votes needed to win. And even if
Clinton were to win, it would likely be by the slimmest of margins.
The
Ohio victory is especially important for Trump as no Republican has
won the White House without taking the Buckeye State. North Carolina
is a serious blow to Clinton, who fought hard for the state and held
the final rally of her campaign there in the early hours of Tuesday
morning.
Clinton
pulled out desperately needed wins in Virginia, Nevada and Colorado.
Still, she faces a much stronger than expected challenge from Trump
in Michigan and Wisconsin. Those Midwestern states form the bedrock
of her Democratic firewall.
But
the race is so close across the country that Maine and Nebraska,
which split their electoral votes by congressional districts, could
become important in deciding the outcome of the election.
The
prospect of a Trump win quickly sent global markets tumbling, amid
fears his vow to ditch global trade deals and brand China a currency
manipulator would spark global economic shocks. Dow futures plummeted
Tuesday night. Major indexes in Asia are also down.
So
far, Trump has won 24 states, including Texas. Clinton has come out
on top in New York and 16 other states along with the District of
Columbia. Trump has 238 electoral votes compared to 215 electoral
votes for Clinton.
Regardless
of who prevails, history will be made as Americans elect either their
first woman president or side with the ultimate political outsider.
Latest
election results
Both
candidates argue the election presents an unusually significant
choice for a divided nation. Democrats warn that Trump, with his
rhetoric on race, gender and immigration, would represent a rejection
of core American values. Trump insists his campaign represents
America's last chance to drive out a corrupt political establishment
that has turned its back on hard-working Americans.
New
York is the center of the political universe this Election Day. This
is the first campaign since 1944 in which both candidates are from
the Empire State. And their victory parties are being held a mile and
a half apart in Manhattan.
Clinton
is counting on minority voters and highly-educated white women to
take her to victory. Trump is banking on a huge turnout from his less
well-educated, less diverse coalition will defy pollsters who give
Clinton a small but steady lead nationally and are projecting tight
races in some swing states.
At
her last rally, past midnight in North Carolina, Clinton capped her
campaign with the words "Love trumps hate."
Trump
took to Fox News on Tuesday morning to declare his confidence in the
outcome.
"We're
going to win a lot of states. Who knows what happens, ultimately, but
we're going to win," he said. The GOP nominee also took aim at
polls showing that Clinton has the advantage.
"I
think a lot of polls are purposely wrong. The media is extremely
dishonest and I think a lot of polls are phony. I don't think they
interview people. I think they put out phony numbers," Trump
said on "Fox & Friends."
Trump
also appeared to be laying the groundwork for a legal challenge in
the event of a close race. In Nevada, his campaign sued Clark County
officials over an alleged decision to keep early voting polling
stations open two extra hours.
The lawsuit targets the greater Las
Vegas area, which has large minority precincts.
A
judge later denied Trump's request.
The
GOP nominee sent conflicting signals about his willingness to accept
the result if he loses, telling News Radio 610 WTVN in Ohio that he
would see what happens.
"You
hear so many horrible stories and you see so many things that are
wrong. So we'll take a look. Certainly, I love this country and I
believe in the system, you understand that," he said.
Battle
for Congress
The
presidential election is not the only close race being watched
Tuesday. Democrats are battling to grab back the Senate from
Republicans and scored their first pickup when war veteran Tammy
Duckworth won her race in Illinois against Republican Sen. Mark Kirk.
Democrats
need a net gain of five seats to recapture the Senate. If Clinton
wins the presidency, four pickups would be enough to allow her vice
president, Tim Kaine, to cast the deciding vote in an evenly split
chamber.
In
the first significant Senate result of the night, Ohio Sen. Rob
Portman won re-election, defeating former Democratic Gov. Ted
Strickland.
The
GOP, meanwhile, will hold onto the House of Representatives
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