President Donald Trump is projected to defeat Democratic challenger Joe Biden in Texas, NBC News reported.
As of 1:12 a.m. Wednesday, Trump was leading in the Lone Star State with 5.6 million votes, or 52.3%, compared to 4.98 million votes, or 46.2% for Biden, with 93% percent of the expected votes tallied.
Texas has 38 Electoral College votes, second only to California’s 55.
Polling averages going into Tuesday had indicated a close race, with a slight Trump advantage.
In 2016, the president won the state by 9 points. Texas was considered a must-win state for Trump in 2020.
A Democratic presidential candidate hasn’t won Texas since Jimmy Carter in 1976. A growing population and shifting demographics have inched the state further left from its historical status as a Republican stronghold.
President Donald Trump delivers a speech during a tour of the Double Eagle Energy Oil Rig in Midland, Texas, U.S., July 29, 2020.
Carlos Barria | Reuters
