US Election Live Update: Trump and Harris rack up early wins

Vice President Kamala Harris won Illinois on Tuesday, claiming the state's 19 electoral votes for Democrats.

The reliably blue state, the home of former President Barack Obama, has supported Democratic presidential candidates since 1992. The Associated Press declared Harris the winner at 8:38 p.m. EST. (AP)

Donald Trump wins Florida

Donald Trump won Florida on Tuesday for the third consecutive election, earning the state's 30 electoral votes.

Once a crucial battleground state, Florida has been drifting toward the Republican Party in recent years. A Democratic presidential nominee has not won the state since Barack Obama carried it in 2012.

Meanwhile, Trump grew his margin of victory in his adopted home state between 2016 and 2020.

Trump ahead in US presidential race: AP gives him 230 electoral votes, Harris gets 179

According to races called by the Associated Press up to 9.34 am (IST), 230 electoral votes had gone to Republican candidate Trump and 179 to Democratic Party's Harris.

Kamala Harris wins Rhode Island

Vice President Kamala Harris won Rhode Island on Tuesday, giving her four electoral votes and continuing the Democrats' dominance in the state.

The last time a Republican presidential candidate won Rhode Island was in 1984, when former President Ronald Reagan defeated former Vice President Walter Mondale.

President Joe Biden easily defeated former President Donald Trump in Rhode Island in 2020, winning more than 59 per cent of the vote. Hillary Clinton also did well in the state, winning over 54 per cent of the vote in 2016. Given the Democrats' success in Rhode Island, presidential candidates rarely spend time campaigning in the state. The Associated Press declared Harris the winner at 8:00 p.m. EST.

Kamala Harris wins Connecticut

Vice President Kamala Harris won Connecticut on Tuesday, extending the state's long trend of supporting Democratic presidential candidates and adding seven electoral votes to her tally.

This year marked the ninth consecutive presidential election in which Connecticut voters favoured the Democratic candidate. The last Republican presidential candidate to win the state was George H.W. Bush in 1988.

Former President Donald Trump has now lost Connecticut three times, first to former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, then to Joe Biden and now to Harris. The Associated Press declared Harris the winner at 8:00 p.m. EST.

Kamala Harris wins Massachusetts

Vice President Kamala Harris won Massachusetts on Tuesday, continuing a decadeslong streak of victories for Democratic presidential candidates in the Bay State.

The last time Massachusetts backed a Republican candidate was in 1984 when voters cast their ballots for Ronald Reagan. The commonwealth and its 11 electoral votes have become one of the reliable gains for Democrats in presidential elections.

In 2020, Joe Biden easily defeated Donald Trump, winning more than 65 per cent of the vote. The state has also become a steady source of campaign cash for both Republican and Democratic candidates, though few spend time campaigning in the state. Associated Press declared Harris the winner at 8:00 p.m. EST.

Donald Trump wins Tennessee

Former President Donald Trump won Tennessee on Tuesday, keeping the firmly Republican state and its 11 electoral votes in his win column.

Trump won Tennessee by about 23 percentage points in 2020 and by 26 points in 2016. The state's two Republican US senators, Marsha Blackburn and Bill Hagerty, both won their first elections behind endorsements from Trump.

The state has not voted for a Democrat for president since Bill Clinton's reelection in 1996. Voters in 2000 turned on Clinton's vice president from Tennessee, Al Gore, and voted for George W. Bush. The Associated Press declared Trump the winner at 8:00 p.m. EST.

Donald Trump wins South Carolina

Former President Donald Trump won South Carolina on Tuesday, earning its nine electoral votes for the third straight election.

South Carolina has not voted for the Democratic nominee for president since 1976, when Democrat Jimmy Carter -- the governor of the neighbouring state of Georgia -- defeated Republican President Gerald Ford throughout the South.

Four years ago, Trump won 55 per cent of the vote, matching his performance from 2016. Given the success Republicans have in the state, presidential candidates rarely spend time campaigning there. The Associated Press declared Trump the winner at 8:01 p.m. EST.

Kamala Harris wins Maryland

Vice President Kamala Harris won Maryland and its 10 electoral votes on Tuesday.

Maryland is a heavily Democratic state that is home to many federal workers next to the nation's capital. The state has a Black population of about 30 per cent, the largest percentage of any state outside the Deep South.

Democrats outnumber Republicans 2-1 in the state. Former President Donald Trump is deeply unpopular in Maryland. In 2020, Trump received just 32 per cent of the vote. A Republican has not won a presidential election in the state since George H.W. Bush in 1988. The Associated Press declared Harris the winner at 8:00 p.m. EST.

Donald Trump wins Mississippi

Former President Donald Trump won Mississippi on Tuesday, claiming the state's six electoral votes and continuing a long winning streak for Republicans.

The last Democratic presidential nominee to win Mississippi was Jimmy Carter in 1976. Republicans hold both of Mississippi's US Senate seats, three of its four US House seats, all eight statewide offices and a wide majority in the state House and Senate.

Gov. Tate Reeves and most other Republican officials in Mississippi endorsed Trump, while Democratic US Rep. Bennie Thompson endorsed the Democratic nominee, Kamala Harris. The Associated Press declared Trump the winner at 8:00 p.m. EST.

Kamala Harris wins Vermont

Donald Trump wins Kentucky

Donald Trump wins Indiana

Donald Trump wins West Virginia 

Polls closed in Pennsylvania, Georgia and North Carolina, some of the closely fought battlegrounds expected to decide the election, but the results there were too early to call, as balloting continued in other parts of the country. On Election Day, tens of millions of Americans added their ballots to the 84 million cast early as they chose between two candidates with drastically different temperaments and visions for the country.