Former U.S. President Donald Trump is the projected winner in the battleground state of Georgia.
The state's 16 electoral votes lend Trump a significant advantage in the race against Democratic challenger Vice President Kamala Harris. Trump's latest win narrows Harris's path to the 270 electoral votes required to secure the White House, requiring her to prevail in Michigan, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania.
In U.S. presidential elections, a candidate does not have to win a majority of the popular vote, but a majority of electoral votes, which are allocated per state based on population.
The election is expected to come down to pivotal races in a handful of states, including Georgia, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Michigan, and Arizona. Trump was recently declared the projected winner in the swing state of North Carolina.
Trump and Harris campaigned aggressively in Georgia, both making appearances in the state in the days leading up to the election. The state has become increasingly competitive in recent years, transforming from a Republican stronghold to a hotly contested battleground.
Georgia voted Republican in the majority of presidential races from 1972 through 2016. In 2020, U.S. President Joe Biden defeated Trump by just 0.2%, the narrowest victory margin in the election.
Voting in Georgia on Nov. 5 was impacted by bomb threats at polling stations. U.S. intelligence officials are investigating an email account with a Russian internet domain as the possible source of non-credible threats in Georgia, CNN reported.
Some polling centers in heavily Democratic districts in the state were evacuated due to bomb threats. Voting hours were extended at these sites to account for the disruption.
U.S. intelligence agencies have sounded the alarm on Russian election interference for months, with officials warning that disruption attempts might escalate on election day.
The election result will have a profound impact on the Russia-Ukraine war. While Harris has pledged to continue supporting Ukraine in its fight for independence, many fear that Trump would cut a deal with Moscow, possibly at the cost of painful concessions for Ukraine.
Martin Fornusek
