Donald Trump Wins Georgia’s 16 Electoral Votes, Rebounding After 2020 Loss

November 6, Atlanta, GA – Republican Donald Trump has won Georgia’s 16 electoral votes in a dramatic comeback, narrowly defeating Vice President Kamala Harris with 50.9% of the vote to her 48.4%, according to the Associated Press, with 94% of votes counted.

Trump’s comeback comes after losing Georgia by razor-thin margins in 2020. REUTERS

This victory marks a significant reversal for Trump, who lost Georgia to President Biden in 2020 by a razor-thin margin of just under 12,000 votes, or 0.23 percentage points.

The Peach State hadn’t voted for a Democrat in a presidential election since Bill Clinton’s re-election in 1996, making the 2020 loss a historic flip. Trump’s 2024 success restores Georgia to the Republican column.

Both Trump and Vance spent significant time campaigning in Georgia in the election’s closing weeks. ERIK S LESSER/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock

Democrat Jon Ossoff replaced former GOP Sen. David Perdue in the 2021 Georgia runoff elections. Getty Images

Trump rallied late in the campaign, holding a high-energy event in Macon on Sunday, urging his supporters to turn out in force. “The day I take the Oath of Office, the migrant invasion ends, and the restoration of our country begins immediately,” he promised the crowd. “We’re gonna close this thing out, and it’s party time,” Trump added, encouraging Georgians to vote.

Trump made peace with Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp last month after Hurricane Helene ravaged central Georgia. Getty Images

Georgia saw unprecedented early voting this cycle, which helped set the stage for a tight race. Over 4 million votes were cast during the early voting period, including 3.7 million in-person ballots and over 242,000 absentee ballots. Early voting accounted for 55% of the votes, marking a record turnout.

Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger ‘s office reported that early voting totals in the Peach State had surpassed two-thirds of the total number of ballots in the 2020 presidential election. Getty Images

Notably, nearly 873,000 black voters had already cast their ballots by the close of the early voting period, underscoring a significant demographic shift. The state’s metro Atlanta counties, which include Fulton, Cobb, DeKalb, and Gwinnett, contributed the majority of the vote.

Republican voters cheer after Georgia is called for Trump. Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Throughout the election season, polls consistently showed a tight race, with Trump often maintaining a narrow lead. A YouGov poll conducted in late October found Trump ahead by 5 points, while other surveys, such as one from Marist College, indicated a close contest, with Trump and Harris either tied or Trump holding a slight advantage.

Harris supporters carry campaign signs in Suwanee, Georgia, in the final campaign stretch on Oct. 26, 2024. AFP via Getty Images

As of election night, Trump’s victory in Georgia marked a crucial moment in the race, as the state’s 16 electoral votes were critical to both candidates’ paths to the presidency.