US election: Donald Trump wins crucial battleground state of Florida

Trump supporters in Florida on November 1. Photo / AP

Donald Trump has won the crucial battleground state of Florida.

The president's home state, which comes with 29 electoral votes, was a must-win if he is to reach the magic number 270.

The race was called by Decision Desk HQ at 8.11pm US time.

Republicans appear to have made huge inroads with Florida's Hispanic community.

Decision Desk HQ Projects Trump (R) Has Won The State Of Florida And Its 29 Electoral Votes

Race Called At 11-03 08:11 EST

All Results: https://t.co/6GfosqGUrH

— Decision Desk HQ (@DecisionDeskHQ) November 4, 2020

Hispanic voters per early 2020 exit polls:

Florida:
2016: Clinton +27
2020: Biden +8

Georgia:
2016: Clinton +40
2020: Biden +25

Ohio:
2016: Clinton +41
2020: Biden +24

CNN

— Political Polls (@PpollingNumbers) November 4, 2020

Beyond a ridiculous take.

This is not disinformation at all. https://t.co/T2rK5IgtBu

— Steve Guest (@SteveGuest) November 4, 2020

What this means for the election's outcome

There may be 50 states in America, but when the votes are counted, just a handful of them – Florida included – decide who wins the presidential election.

In this election, 15 states fall into the category of a "swing state" or "battleground state" – meaning they could conceivably be won by either Donald Trump or his Democratic rival Joe Biden.

As for the rest, we already know who will win them: Trump stands no chance whatsoever in Democratic Party strongholds like New York and California, for example, while he's likely unbeatable in heavily Republican territory like Alabama and Oklahoma.

Of this year's 15 swing states, Florida was the one to watch – worth 29 electoral votes – and always notoriously unpredictable and close.

The most famous example came in 2000, when George W. Bush was controversially declared the winner over Al Gore by 537 votes (Bush won 48.85 per cent, compared to Gore's 48.84 per cent).

Trump won Florida by 1.19 per cent four years ago, and Barack Obama by 0.88 per cent in 2021. Even in the landslide 2008 election, the margin in Florida was less than 3 per cent.

The state is one of the biggest prizes up for grabs in terms of its electoral vote haul. And while Biden has a few other paths to victory without Florida, it would have been very tough for Trump to win without it.

The ultimate goal is to reach a threshold of 270 electoral votes. Winning the popular vote in any given state will earn a candidate its entire haul of electoral votes, and move them that much closer to victory.