Who wins U.S. presidential election depends on Rust Belt states

U.S. President Donald Trump is closing in on Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden by pulling off an Election Day comeback. The president is almost certain to win or is leading in crucial swing states, but Mr. Biden still has a shot at winning. The election result will likely to come down to Rust Belt states (Wisconsin, Michigan, and Pennsylvania), which are slow-counting states.

As of at 2 a.m. Wednesday local time, President Trump had lead in key swing states, including Florida (29), Texas (38), Wisconsin (10), Michigan (16), Pennsylvania (20), and North Carolina (15). He won Florida and Texas. Trump has held a narrow lead over Biden in North Carolina but Biden has a slim chance of turning the table as 95 percent of votes have been counted.

With only 60-70 percent of votes counted in three Rust Belt states, it remains to be seen who will win in those crucial states as they still have over one million mail ballots, which are tilted in the Democrats’ favor, to count.

Eventually, the election’s outcome will be determined by the Rust Belt states as it could take days to count their votes. In particular, ballot counting in Pennsylvania will not be completed before the weekend as the state receives mail ballots by Friday. If Trump and Biden are neck-and-neck in Pennsylvania, the final result will be out after the last vote is counted.


Jae-Dong Yu jarrett@donga.com