Former President Donald J. Trump won North Carolina, according to The Associated Press, retaining his grip on a fast-growing Southern battleground state that his campaign viewed as a must-win.
The state and its 16 electoral votes have now gone to Mr. Trump in all three of his presidential bids, underscoring his political strength there even as its population becomes younger and more diverse.
Vice President Kamala Harris’s campaign had invested significant resources in North Carolina, and had hoped that high turnout in fast-growing cities like Raleigh and Charlotte would help her flip the state. Ms. Harris forced Mr. Trump to compete in the state until the very end, with both candidates visiting frequently.
Republicans were counting on the roughly one-third of North Carolina voters who live in rural areas, and on some fast-growing suburban and exurban counties that lean red, to run up their numbers. Despite its explosive growth, North Carolina remains the most rural of the swing states.
Mr. Trump also benefited from the state Republican Party’s field operation, which ensured a strong turnout from rural communities in particular.
The last time a Republican lost in North Carolina was in 2008, when Barack Obama eked out a win with a 0.32 percent margin. Mr. Obama and Jimmy Carter are the only Democrats who have won the state in the last 50 years.
Some conservatives had been concerned about the potential negative effect that Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson, the scandal-plagued Republican nominee for North Carolina governor, could have on Republican turnout.
Mr. Trump has faced criticism in the state for spreading misinformation about the federal and state response to Hurricane Helene, which ravaged North Carolina’s western region with flooding and landslides and killed more than 100 people in the state. Mr. Trump falsely claimed that disaster-relief funds were being diverted to house undocumented migrants, and suggested without evidence that Democrats were not eager to help conservative residents.
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