What is the blue wall?
What is the "blue wall?"
It's the buzz word being tossed around election coverage across the United States as all eyes are on Kamala Harris and Donald Trump. The so-called blue wall refers to the states that traditionally lean towards the Democratic candidate in recent presidential election.
The blue wall consists of 18 U.S. states, plus District of Columbia. The blue wall consists of key battleground areas – like Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin – and 15 other states, which includes California, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, Oregon, Vermont and Washington.
Trump won the 2016 election after securing Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin – three of the blue wall states – in his race against Hillary Clinton.
RELATED: What states does Kamala Harris need to win?
Long story short: Harris needs to secure the blue wall in order to win the Presidential Election. At the very least – especially in this close race – Harris will need to secure Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin to have a shot at beating Trump.
While Trump held a 230-210 lead as of 9 p.m., PT, he also needs to secure Pennsylvania – like he did in 2016 – in order to secure his second term as President.
In addition to awaiting the results of Pennsylvania, five other battleground states have not been called yet: Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada and Wisconsin.
RELATED: How many electoral votes does each of the 50 states have?
How many electors are in the Electoral College?
The Electoral College is made up of 538 electors. The first to hit 270 will win the race for the presidency.
In the 2020 race, Joe Biden beat Trump 306-232.
At around 8 p.m. on November 5, Kamala Harris became the projected winner of California, the state with the most electoral votes with 54. Trump secured Florida, which has the third most electoral votes with 30.
The nation awaits the results for Texas, which has the second most electoral votes with 40.
The numbers are updated every 10 years with the census, which may lead to shifts in some states' electoral votes. The current electoral vote allocations are based 2020 Census data and will be used for the 2024 and 2028 presidential elections.