For much of the election campaign, the nation’s attention was solely on seven battleground states – Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. They were areas which received the most attention from both Kamala Harris and Donald Trump, as winning a majority would secure the presidency.
Ultimately, Trump would win all seven battleground states, and see gains in 49 states across the country. Yet, despite devoting much of his time, effort, and financial resources towards just 14% of the country, the President-elect saw his largest gains in traditional Democrat heartlands.
In fact, the seven battlegrounds did not even feature in the top ten pro-Trump swings nationwide.
The President-elect saw gains in traditional Republican heartlands. His support went up by 6.5 percentage points in Tennessee, while he enjoyed an 8.3-point boost in Texas. Florida, his home state, voted so overwhelmingly for Trump that most networks called it the second polls closed – no wonder, perhaps, given a 9.8-point boost in the state.
Intriguingly, Trump saw a major increase in support in California – Harris’ home state where she spent much of her political career. Despite losing the Democrat stronghold, Trump gained 8.4 points compared to 2020. The Republican also gained by double digits in New Jersey (10.1) and New York (11.5).
Many on social media highlighted the significance of Trump’s nationwide gains.
Others were surprised by the major shift for New Jersey.
