US Exit Poll Shocker: Trump Wins Key States, Leads Harris In Early Results

Millions of Americans cast their votes on Tuesday in a landmark presidential election, deciding between Democratic nominee Kamala Harris and Republican candidate Donald Trump, who is vying for a return to the White House.

Early projections show Trump, 78, securing key strongholds, including Florida, while Harris picked up support in several eastern states. According to US network projections, Trump is leading in 10 states, with Harris holding five. In the critical electoral college count, Trump leads with 101 votes, while Harris trails at 71, both aiming to reach the winning threshold of 270 votes.

Exit polls initially indicated strong support for Harris, 59, with 48% of voters nationwide expressing a favorable view of her, compared to 44% for Trump, according to an NBC News survey.

Voters ranked five major issues as most important to their decision: democracy (34%), the economy (31%), abortion (14%), immigration (11%), and foreign policy (4%).

A CNN exit poll revealed widespread dissatisfaction with the country's current state, with approximately three-quarters of voters expressing a negative outlook. Only around a quarter described themselves as enthusiastic or satisfied, while over 40% were dissatisfied, and nearly 30% said they were angry.

These exit polls are preliminary and may shift as more votes are counted, so the results remain subject to change.

The 2024 US presidential race is particularly historic: if Harris, the first female vice president of Indian and African American descent, wins, she would make history as the first woman, Black woman, and South Asian American president. On the other hand, if Trump prevails, he would become the first president in over a century to win non-consecutive terms, despite his unique status as the only president to be impeached twice and the first to be criminally convicted.