Trump wins Ohio

Former President Trump is the projected winner of Ohio, his running mate’s home state, according to Decision Desk HQ.

The Buckeye State, which has moved further right over the years, has 16 Electoral College votes to hand out.

The former president has won the state by just more than 8 points in the past two elections, after backing President Obama in 2008 and 2012. The 2020 election marked the first time since 1964 that Ohio backed a losing candidate.

The former president tapped Ohio's junior Sen. JD Vance (R) to be his vice president during the Republican National Convention in July, capping months of speculation as to who would join the ticket. While Trump and Vance have had a rocky past, the senator has emerged as one of his staunchest allies.

When Vance pushed false claims earlier this year that Haitian migrants were abducting and eating pets in Springfield, Ohio, Trump latched onto the story, despite officials in the city denying such incidents. During his debate against Vice President Harris, the GOP nominee amplified the rhetoric, drawing backlash.

Gov. Mike DeWine (R), who supported the GOP ticket but did not openly endorse Trump, called the allegations "very hurtful."

The Ohio Republican has also largely dodged questions around the 2020 election and whether he agrees with the GOP nominee's allegations of fraud. Last month, he said Trump did not lose the previous contest "by the words that I would use," some of his most extensive comments on the subject to date.

Despite the controversies, The Hill/DDHQ's polling aggregate showed the former president leading Vice President Harris in the state by nearly 6 percentage points ahead of the election.

Trump was the only major party candidate in the GOP primary race, winning all of the state’s 79 delegates available.