Washington — Former President Trump has captured the crucial battleground state of Pennsylvania, CBS News projects, delivering a significant boost to his chances of taking the White House.
With votes still being counted, Trump maintained a lead of just over 2 percentage points as of 2 a.m. ET, with 95% of jurisdictions reporting.
Victory in the Keystone State was critical for both campaigns heading into Election Day, with its 19 electoral votes making it the biggest prize of the battleground states.
Harris and Trump made dozens of appearances in the state in the months leading up to the election, a reflection of the state's influence on the overall outcome.
His victory in Pennsylvania gives Trump a total of 265 electoral votes so far in states where CBS News has projected a winner, compared to Harris' 194. A total of 270 electoral votes are needed to win the White House.
Trump won the state in 2016 and lost it to President Biden in 2020.
Trump projected to win Pennsylvania
CBS News projects Trump will win Pennsylvania and the state's 19 electoral votes.
Pennsylvania is a toss-up
Pennsylvania is a toss-up, CBS News estimates, with relatively few votes counted so far.
Results not expected quickly in Pennsylvania
Results in Pennsylvania were expected to take a while. Pennsylvania law doesn't allow the early processing of mail-in ballots, which dragged out the state's 2020 ballot counting process. Pennsylvania election officials were bracing themselves for conspiracy theories and protests.
"Elections in Pennsylvania have never been more safe and secure with a voter verified paper ballot record of every vote that's cast, whether you vote in person on Election Day or you vote by mail," Al Schmidt, a Republican and the state's top election official, told "60 Minutes" in October.
What to know about Pennsylvania
Trump won Pennsylvania in 2016, and President Biden, who was born in Pennsylvania, won it in 2020. The state, which is really a commonwealth, has a strong cohort of White, blue-collar workers, as well as a diverse population in Philadelphia. Unions still have a strong presence in Pennsylvania, especially in the western part of the state.
Major issues in Pennsylvania
- Fracking is a big issue in Pennsylvania, and Harris has walked back her anti-fracking stances of earlier campaigns, telling voters that she would not ban it. Trump in Pennsylvania has emphasized his support for fracking, and bashed Harris on the issue. Energy issues are particularly important to Pennsylvania voters, given the state's heavy concentration of coal, nuclear, natural gas and renewable energy jobs.
- Like it is across the country, inflation and the cost of living are top issues for Pennsylvania voters.
Major races in Pennsylvania
- Aside from the presidential race, the most-watched race in Pennsylvania is the U.S. Senate race between incumbent Democratic Sen. Bob Casey and Republican David McCormick. A CBS News/YouGov poll from late October showed Casey with a lead of 48% to 42% over McCormick.
- Pennsylvania has three House races the Cook Political Report considers toss-ups: Democratic Rep. Susan Wild vs. Republican challenger and state Rep. Ryan Mackenzie in Pennsylvania's 7th district; Democratic Rep. Matt Cartwright vs. Republican Rob Bresnahan in Pennsylvania's 8th district; and Republican Rep. Scott Perry vs. Democratic challenger Janelle Stelson in Pennsylvania's 10th district.
Pennsylvania polling
As of late October, polls showed Harris and Trump virtually tied in the state. A September CBS News/YouGov poll showed Harris with 50% of the vote in Pennsylvania and Trump with 50%.
What time do the polls close in Pennsylvania?
Polling places in Pennsylvania closed at 8 p.m. ET across the state.