In a pivotal moment in the 2024 U.S. Presidential election, President-elect Donald Trump secured his sixth battleground state, Nevada, in a race against Vice President Kamala Harris, cementing his path to victory. The Associated Press (AP) made the official call early on Saturday morning, declaring Trump the winner after determining that there were not enough uncounted ballots in Nevada’s Democratic strongholds to close the gap, with Trump maintaining a 46,000-vote lead. This victory was particularly significant as it added to the 270 electoral votes he had already won earlier in the week, thanks to his decisive win in Wisconsin. Nevada's six electoral votes brought his total to 301, further expanding his electoral advantage.
The AP’s decision to declare Trump the winner in Nevada came after careful analysis of the remaining ballots. Despite the ongoing count, it was clear that Harris, while making gains as more votes from Democratic-leaning areas like Clark County were counted, would not be able to overtake Trump’s lead. As the AP reported, Harris would have needed to win 85% of the remaining ballots in order to close the gap—a margin of victory that she never came close to achieving in any updates since polls closed. As a result, Trump’s victory in Nevada not only affirmed his 2024 win but also solidified his dominant performance across multiple critical states, leaving Arizona as the only remaining battleground state yet to be called at the time.
The race in Nevada was intensely contested, as the state has historically been a significant bellwether in presidential elections. Despite supporting Hillary Clinton over Trump in 2016, Nevada remained a competitive battleground in the 2024 election. Both Harris and Trump campaigned heavily in Nevada, making multiple stops in key areas, including Las Vegas and Reno. These two cities are located in Clark and Washoe counties, which have long been Democratic strongholds. However, the overall electoral dynamics in Nevada rely heavily on these counties, with Clark County, in particular, being pivotal for Democrats. It has the largest population in the state, comprising 69% of the total statewide vote in 2020. Winning a substantial margin in Clark County is crucial for any Democratic candidate hoping to secure Nevada’s electoral votes.
While Washoe County is more competitive, with a history of swinging between the parties in statewide elections, Democrats have historically performed well there in high-profile races, including in 2022 when Democratic Governor Steve Sisolak won the county despite losing the broader state to Republicans. On the other hand, Republicans dominate the rural counties outside Clark and Washoe, where they tend to win by large margins, making the outcomes of Clark and Washoe the key determining factors in who ultimately claims Nevada’s electoral votes.
As the remaining ballots continued to be counted, many of the final votes came from Clark and Washoe counties. Historically, these counties have leaned Democratic, and as more votes from these areas were processed, Harris’ chances of catching up to Trump began to dwindle. While Democrats hoped that the late ballots would narrow Trump’s lead, the math was simply not in their favor. The AP noted that, even with the final ballots from these counties, Trump’s advantage remained substantial enough to guarantee his victory.
The race in Nevada, with its high stakes and intense scrutiny, highlighted the importance of battleground states in the 2024 election. Trump's victory there not only added to his electoral tally but underscored his consistent ability to perform well in key swing states. It also set the stage for his ongoing efforts to expand his base of support in other competitive states as he continued to build momentum toward his second term. With the results in Nevada, Trump now holds six of the seven battleground states, leaving only Arizona in question at the time the AP called the race. The outcome in Nevada is seen as an early indicator of Trump’s electoral strength, which could have implications for the final race in Arizona and beyond.
Overall, Trump’s win in Nevada marked the end of one of the most closely watched and competitive races of the 2024 election cycle. The state’s electoral votes, though not decisive in Trump’s overall victory, further solidified his lead in the race and demonstrated his continued strength in key battlegrounds. As the final votes were tallied and the dust settled in Nevada, Trump’s path to a second term seemed ever more assured, and the attention now shifted to the remaining states yet to be called, with Arizona being the last to watch.
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