Donald Trump secures a third consecutive victory in North Carolina, projected to win the state's 16 electoral votes, surpassing Vice President Kamala Harris in the swing state. According to the Associated Press, Trump leads with 2,571,258 votes (50.8%) to Harris's 2,436,454 (48.1%), with 89% of votes counted. Both candidates made last-minute visits to North Carolina on Saturday, the final day of early voting, to sway undecided voters. Trump held rallies in Gastonia and Greensboro, while Harris made a stop in Charlotte just before her 'Saturday Night Live' debut. Throughout the campaign, both candidates frequently visited North Carolina, where issues such as inflation, the cost of living, and the economy were key motivators for voters. A recent survey highlighted that these issues were at the forefront of North Carolina voters' minds as they headed to the polls, with abortion and border security also ranking high. Early voting in the state set new records this cycle, with 57% of registered voters casting their ballots by Sunday morning. The total number of early in-person votes reached 4.2 million, exceeding the approximately 3.6 million early votes cast in 2020. Notably, early turnout was higher on average in the 25 western counties most affected by Hurricane Helene, which pre-election polling suggested would favor Trump. Harris and her running mate Tim Walz spent several days campaigning in North Carolina alongside outgoing Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper and his successor Josh Stein, the state's current Attorney General and Governor-elect. Trump's campaign distanced itself from Republican gubernatorial candidate Mark Robinson after allegations surfaced that he posted racist and sexist remarks under a pseudonym on a porn site. Robinson lost the governor's race to Stein early Tuesday evening, with only 25% of the votes counted.
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