Which US states are still contested and what do Trump or Biden need to win?

This article is regularly updated with the latest election results.

With the US 2020 Presidential elections fully underway, the race between President Donald Trump and Presidential hopeful Joe Biden is still too close to call.

With only a handful of states still in play, we bring you the ones still up for grabs. With millions of votes still uncounted in key toss-up states, and over 10 million nationwide, the election’s victor is still unclear. Early on in the election, President Donald Trump outperformed in Texas and Florida, and won by a large margin in Ohio and Iowa, contrary to poll expectations.

Who’s in the lead?

With 270 electoral votes needed to win, Biden currently holds 248 votes, while Trump is trailing behind with 214 votes. The major toss-up states that have still not been confirmed could radically change the political map. 

Who could win?

If Trump’s lead in Pennsylvania, Georgia, Alaska and North Carolina is finalised as a victory, it could bring up his total votes to 267. Biden is expected to win Arizona, Nevada, and Maine, which would strongly solidify his position.

Michigan, a key contender still has another 4% of votes to count, which could swing towards Trump or Biden. 

A Biden victory would mean he would have to cement Pennsylvania and Georgia. In 2016, Trump won the Presidential election by a margin of 77,000 votes from three states.

Here’s a state-by-state breakdown of who’s leading, who’s behind, and how many uncounted votes are left that could change the election victory map.

Georgia - 16 votes

With 94% of votes in, this traditionally Republican state is leaning towards Trump, where he leads with 50.2% of the vote, compared to Biden’s 48.5%. While Georgia has traditionally been a Republican state, 5% of its votes are uncounted. Metropolitan areas are favouring Biden, and are where many of the votes have not been counted, setting the stage for a possible Democrat turn-around. 

Pennsylvania - 20 votes

With only 64% of the vote tallied, Trump is currently leading with 53.3% over Biden at 45.5%, with more than a 447,061 vote difference. Pennsylvania’s vote for Trump in 2016 was the first for a Republican since 1988. But this state’s electoral weight could give either of the candidates a strong advantage. The remaining 36% of uncounted votes could see an additional 1,800,000 added to the run. In spite of Trump’s clear initial advantage, the situation could turn around if Biden takes a large amount of the remaining votes. A steep hill to climb.

North Carolina - 15 votes

Another traditionally Republican state, with nearly 94% of votes already tallied. Trump is leading at 50.1%, with Biden trailing behind at 48.7%. The margin is tight however, with a 76,712 vote advantage to Trump. But with 6% of votes that have yet to be tallied, nearly 327,00 votes have yet to be counted, which leaves the state up for grabs, in theory.

Michigan - 16 votes

While this state seems to favour President Trump, Joe Biden has expressed he is confident it will go his way. If this occurs, it will be a major reversal from 2016 when it voted for Trump, although it was by a very small margin of 11,000 votes against Hillary Clinton. So far, 94% of the vote has been tallied, leaving room for change. 

Currently, Biden is leading at 49.6% of the vote, compared to Trump at 48.9%. The gap between Biden and Trump is not insignificant either, with a 37,348 vote margin. With nearly 6% of votes still uncounted, and so small a margin, the race is going to be a close one.

Wisconsin - 10 votes

The Associated Press called victory for Biden with 95% of votes tallied, leaving the former Vice President in the lead at 49.6%, compared to Trump’s 48.9%. 

Arizona - 11 votes

The Associated Press has called the Arizona race in favour of Joe Biden at 51% compared to Trump’s 47.6%, with a margin of 93,509, and 14% in uncounted votes. 

Nevada - 6 votes

This state is also trending towards Biden, with most Democratic votes coming from the Las Vegas and Reno areas. Biden is leading at 49.2%, with Trump trailing behind at 48.6% with a 7,647 margin. Nearly 33% of votes have yet to be counted.

Note: Vote numbers are sourced from Associated Press. This article was last updated at 19:44 GMT.