The Republican candidate pulled a series of surprising victories in places which had for years been Democratic strongholds, flipping them red.
There are several ways in which election night shaped up to be significantly different than what last-minute polls had prepared Americans for, but former President Donald Trump’s unexpected victories in multiple once-blue bastions of the country have been among the biggest surprises of the race.
As of the time of this article’s publication, the Republican candidate is on the cusp of victory with 267 Electoral College votes over his rival, Vice President Kamala Harris’s 224. Trump needs only three more Electoral College votes to reach the necessary 270 and emerge victorious. The former president has already made an early victory speech in Palm Beach, Florida, declaring that his return to the White House will bring back “a golden age for America.”
At this time, Trump has won Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, West Virginia, and Wyoming.
While the results are overall positive for the former president, these were the biggest surprises of election night so far.Starr County, Texas
On election night, Trump became the first Republican to win Starr County since 1892—breaking a stunning record.
