Kamala Harris and Donald Trump have their sights set on Pennsylvania as the key to victory in the presidential election. But it’s not their only path to the White House.
Last week, Harris visited the state twice during campaign events in Erie and Washington Crossing, Pennsylvania. Trump campaigned in Oaks, Pennsylvania, and Latrobe outside Pittsburgh.
Pennsylvania, with its nineteen electoral votes, is the largest of the seven battleground states that could go either way and decide the election.
And the latest polls show the race in a dead heat in the crucial swing state, with Trump just half a point higher than the Real Clear Politics average.
Although the path to the necessary 270 electoral votes becomes much more complicated without Pennsylvania, this does not mean that the race is over for Trump or Harris.
Kamala Harris and Donald Trump would have an easier time winning the White House if they pull off a victory in Pennsylvania, but winning the battleground state isn’t their only path to the presidency
The ex-president won the state in 2016 on his way to the White House by fewer than 70,000 votes. But President Biden turned it blue again in 2020 by just 80,000 votes.
If Harris wins Pennsylvania, Trump’s most likely path to victory appears to include Arizona, Georgia, North Carolina and Michigan.
Should Trump win Pennsylvania, Harris’ most likely path to the White House appears to be winning Wisconsin, Michigan, Nevada and Georgia or North Carolina.
Since 1948, Democrats have not won the White House without winning the Keystone State, but without winning the Keystone State, Republicans have successfully won in recent years.
Seven states are considered swing states in the 2024 presidential race, with 93 electoral votes up for grabs, but the road to the White House will come down to who wins Pennsylvania, Georgia and North Carolina
Your browser does not support iframes.
President George W. Bush served two terms in 2000 and 2004 without winning the state.
The state is also emerging as the most expensive battleground, with both Democrats and Republicans spending hundreds of millions — totaling more than half a billion — on advertising in the final stretch of the presidential race.
DailyMail.com breaks down what each candidate needs to win the presidency without winning the crucial Keystone State:
Trump’s path to winning without Pennsylvania
If Trump doesn’t win Pennsylvania, his path to the White House will be much more difficult, but not impossible.
Whatever happens, Trump should make sure he holds Georgia or North Carolina.
He has won both states before. He took North Carolina in both 2016 and 2020. He also won Georgia in 2016, but lost it in 2020 by a razor-thin margin.
Even if he wins both, he would still have to break the Democrats’ so-called “blue wall” somewhere else, be it Michigan or Wisconsin.
Both are states in which Democrats have a small advantage but are wafer-thin in the final stretch.
Former President Trump’s likely path without Pennsylvania could include picking up southern swing states like Arizona, as well as at least one other “blue wall” state like Michigan
If he wins both southern swing states, the ex-president would still need a combination of at least two other battleground states, probably Arizona and then at least one of Wisconsin or Michigan.
If he can’t contain both Georgia and North Carolina, he would have to carry at least one, plus all the other four battleground states, including Arizona, Nevada, Michigan and Wisconsin, to win the White House.
Harris’ path to winning without Pennsylvania
For Harris, not winning the Keystone State also seriously complicates her path to victory, but does not completely nullify her victory.
Harris would need to win Georgia or North Carolina if she loses Pennsylvania to have any path forward, as well as at least three or possibly four other battleground states from Arizona, Michigan, Nevada and Wisconsin.
Polls show her in ties in Michigan, Nevada and Wisconsin, while Trump has a narrow lead in Arizona.
Without Pennsylvania, Vice President Harris’ path to victory includes the two other “blue wall states,” a western state like Nevada, and at least one southern swing state like Georgia, which Democrats won in 2020. The path could also switch Georgia. for North Carolina
While Biden won Georgia in 2020, the latest average of Real Clear Politics polls shows Harris trailing in both southern swing states.
She is almost a point behind in Georgia and just over a point in North Carolina.
Harris was in Georgia to encourage people to vote at a rally in Atlanta on Saturday. She will also return to the state on Thursday for her first joint campaign appearance with former President Obama.