 "Guests watch a television broadcast of U.S. elections in Hong Kong, Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024. AP")
In the US presidential election, Republican candidate Donald Trump has a solidified lead over Democratic rival Kamala Harris after winning North Carolina, the first of the swing states.
However, the Harris camp remains optimistic about winning, calling the race “razor thin.” They say that the so-called “blue wall” states of Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin were her “clearest path” to victory.
But what exactly are blue wall states? And will they help Harris secure a historic win? We take a look.
Catch all updates on US presidential election in our live coverage here
What are blue wall states?
The ‘blue wall’ refers to a group of states that have consistently supported Democrats in presidential elections from 1992 through 2012. According to media accounts, the ‘blue wall’ in the US is made up of 18 states and Washington, DC, which provide 238 electoral votes.
In 2016, former US President Donald Trump managed to turn around three of these states — Wisconsin, Michigan, and Pennsylvania — breaking the long-standing trend. With a combined total of 44 electoral votes, these states helped Trump defeat Hilary Clinton in the 2016 election. Trump received 306 electoral college votes, even though he lost the national popular vote by about 2.9 million.
President Joe Biden was able to reinstate the blue wall in 2020, regaining these states and earning 306 electoral votes — exactly the same number that Trump had received four years prior. The blue wall states were still fiercely contested battlegrounds, but Biden’s nationwide lead in the popular vote grew to more than seven million.
The National Archives states that each “blue wall” state receives the following number of electoral votes: Wisconsin received 10 votes, Pennsylvania 19 votes, and Michigan 15 votes. According to the National Archives, current electoral vote allocations are based on data from the 2020 Census.
The blue wall states are once again too close to call in the ongoing presidential election , according to polls.
Trump has won North Carolina and is leading in all other battleground states. The former US President can reach the magic number (270) by carrying Georgia and Pennsylvania or by carrying Georgia, Michigan and Wisconsin. He also can win by carrying Wisconsin and Arizona, as well as other combinations involving Nevada. But that would require him to crack the blue wall of northern states.
Trump’s lead in Pennsylvania is making it harder for Vice President Harris to win, which makes wins in Michigan and Wisconsin — two other blue wall states — all the more important. She could stand to lose in Wisconsin, but only if she wins Arizona. But the map has surely shrunk for Harris, who cannot lose more than one in the three-state northern arc.
With inputs from agencies