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What is the “blue wall” that Trump wants to tear down in 2024?

November 4, 2024, 4:34 PM IST

In the final hours before Tuesday's showdown, Harris and Trump are eyeing not only the swing states, but also the “blue wall” states. Here's what you should know:

As the campaign for the 2024 US presidential election enters its final hours, there is a lot at stake for both Kamala Harris and Donald Trump. In the final push for a decisive lead before the showdown on Tuesday, the two candidates not only have their eyes on the swing states, but also the “blue wall”.

This combination of images, created on November 3, 2024, shows LR, former Republican presidential candidate of US President Donald Trump, speaking during a campaign rally in Kinston, North Carolina, on November 3, 2024, and US Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris speaking at her Address a service at the Greater Emmanuel Institutional Church of God in Christ in Detroit, Michigan, on November 3, 2024. (Photo by Ryan M. Kelly and ROBERTO SCHMIDT / AFP)(AFP)

What is the “blue wall”?

Throughout their campaign, the vice president and former president spent a lot of time in the “blue wall.” The term refers to a group of 18 states and the District of Columbia. Together they were Democratic strongholds for decades.

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The so-called blue wall was notably breached in 2016, when Trump overturned three of them. However, according to USA Today, Joe Biden had switched it back to blue in 2020. In addition to Washington DC, the 18 states behind the blue wall are:

  1. California
  2. new York
  3. Illinois
  4. Pennsylvania
  5. New Jersey
  6. Massachusetts
  7. Michigan
  8. Washington
  9. Wisconsin
  10. Maryland
  11. Minnesota
  12. Connecticut
  13. Oregon
  14. Maine
  15. Hawaii
  16. Delaware
  17. Rhode Island
  18. Vermont

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The breakthrough of the “blue wall”, its status in the 2024 race

The Blue Wall states remained loyal to the Democratic Party in every presidential election from 1992 to 2012. Until the 2016 election, when Trump swept Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, Democrats relied on their influence in each of those states.

HT in the US: Special coverage of the American elections by Prashant Jha

Together, these three key states have a total of 44 electoral votes in the 2024 race. According to the latest NYC/Sienna poll released Sunday, Harris has a slim lead in Wisconsin, with 49% of voters likely to vote for her. She is now tied with Trump in the states of Michigan (47%) and Pennsylvania (48%).

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