US election: Donald Trump projected to win first battleground state – as counting continues elsewhere

Donald Trump is projected to have won North Carolina, one of the key battleground states that could decide the US election.

Millions of Americans have been voting in an historic contest that could put the Republican back in the White House or make Democrat Kamala Harris the first woman to become US president.

Polls have closed in the majority of states, with early projections coming in through the night.

Follow live: Early data makes Trump camp 'optimistic'

North Carolina, now projected to have been won by Mr Trump, is one of seven battleground states thought to be key to taking the White House.

Of the others, Mr Trump is ahead in Pennsylvania, Georgia, North Carolina, Arizona and Wisconsin, while Ms Harris leads in Michigan.

What results are in so far?

Voting is still happening in some states, while counting is now under way in a slew of states where polls have already closed.

While not all the votes have been counted, a winner can be projected in a number of states.

Ms Harris is projected to have won California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia and Washington. This would put her on 189 Electoral College votes.

Mr Trump is projected to have won Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska (three of five votes), North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, West Virginia and Wyoming. This would put him on 230 Electoral College votes.

NBC News says Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin are too close to call.

Voters are not just selecting a president. Control of both the House of Representatives and the Senate are also up for grabs, with all seats in the House and one-third of those in the Senate up before voters.

With most races still not yet called, NBC News has projected that Republicans have gained a Senate seat in West Virginia. It had been held by independent Senator and former Democrat, Joe Manchin.

Read more:
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What Trump or Harris victories would mean for UK

How the vote works

As well as those lining up at polling booths on Tuesday, tens of millions of Americans cast early ballots - voting by post or in person before today.

To become president, the winning candidate needs 270 electoral votes or more, with each state carrying a different number of votes.

If the polls predicting a close race are correct, the election will likely come down to a few battleground states: Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.

With some races perhaps coming down to thousands of votes, it could be days before a definitive result is known.

The FBI reported that there had been "non-credible" bomb threats to several states, resulting in some polling stations staying open later. The agency said some of the threats came from Russian email domains. The Russian embassy said accusations of interference were "malicious slander".

Trump or Harris

Former president Mr Trump, 78, voted in Palm Beach, Florida, near his Mar-a-Lago club.

Wearing his trademark red "Make America Great Again" baseball cap, he said at the polling station that he was feeling "very confident".

"I hear we're doing very well," he said. "It looks like Republicans have shown up in force."

Elon Musk, the world's richest man and Trump donor, said he will watch results unfold with the former president.

In the meantime, Ms Harris, the 60-year-old Democratic vice president, did radio interviews in the battleground states of Pennsylvania, Georgia and North Carolina.