Donald Trump.
Credit: Reuters File Photo
President-elect Donald Trump has won Nevada, according to The Associated Press, flipping a battleground state Republicans had not won since 2004.
Trump, who officially clinched his return to the White House in the early hours of Wednesday, and Vice President Kamala Harris each sought to portray themselves in Nevada as the candidate best positioned to tackle soaring prices for housing, gas and consumer goods.
Frustrations around the economy created an opening for Trump, who capitalized on voters' dim view of the economy there.
"If Kamala gets four more years, she will obliterate our economy, kill millions of jobs -- kill thousands of people, too, by the way -- and destroy your family finances probably forever," Trump told a crowd in Las Vegas last month.
President Joe Biden won Nevada by about 2.5 points in 2020, capitalizing on the powerful organizational advantage that Democrats have long enjoyed in the state. But recent changes in how Nevadans received ballots and the huge growth of nonpartisan voters made it hard for the campaigns to handicap the race. George W. Bush was the last Republican presidential candidate to win Nevada, in 2004.
In a reversal of past habits, registered Republicans flocked to the polls to vote early, handing in ballots at a far higher rate than Democrats, who were able to eat into those gains somewhat through their dominance in returning mail ballots.
About $81 million was spent on advertising in the state, according to AdImpact, a tracking firm. Harris' campaign and allied groups spent about twice as much as Trump's campaign and groups supporting him.
Even so, polling in Nevada remained tight until the end, with The New York Times' polling average showing the race tied in the state.
Trump's campaign focused intently on turning out younger male voters and trying to chip away at the Democrats' typical success with Latino voters, who make up 20% of Nevada's registered voters.
He was the first of the two candidates to say he would eliminate taxes on tips -- a popular stance in a state with an economy that hinges on tourism.