Donald Trump Wins Georgia's 16 Electoral Votes in Second Major Battleground Call

Donald Trump has defeated Kamala Harris in the critical swing state of Georgia and will earn its 16 electoral votes, according to The Associated Press.

Georgia played a major role in each campaign's 2024 Electoral College strategy after the state narrowly flipped blue in 2020 to help elect Democrat Joe Biden . Harris and Trump spent significant time courting Georgia voters this time around, with Trump appearing the slight favorite heading into Election Day.

Following AP's Georgia call on Wednesday morning, Trump leads in the presidential race with a total of 246 electoral votes to Harris' 210. The first candidate to reach 270 wins the Electoral College — and the White House.

Before 2020, Georgia had backed the Republican candidate in every presidential election since 1996. The state previously supported Arkansas Gov. Bill Clinton 's first White House campaign in 1992 and both of former Georgia Gov. Jimmy Carter 's campaigns.

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Carter, now the longest-living U.S. president, was one of Harris' most prominent Democratic backers in Georgia this year, mailing in his Georgia ballot shortly after turning 100 in October. The centenarian 's final wish, according to his family, was to cast a vote for Harris in the 2024 presidential election.

"I think he feels good," Jimmy's son Chip told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution about the former president filling out his absentee ballot. "It was a good morning for him and good for us that he got it done."

Both Trump and Harris kept their eyes on Georgia in the final days of the election season, as polling showed them well within the margin of error of one another.

Other swing states that have played large roles in the 2024 presidential campaign include Pennsylvania (with 19 electoral votes), North Carolina (16), Michigan (15), Arizona (11), Wisconsin (10) and Nevada (6).