(NOTE: Vice President Kamala Harris is expected to address the nation Wednesday in what will likely be her official concession in the 2024 presidential election. Watch live here.)
Around 4:30 a.m. Wednesday, NBC News projected former President Donald Trump would become the next President-elect after clinching Wisconsin's 10 Electoral College votes. Those votes put Trump over the edge to secure 276 electoral votes, surpassing the 270 electoral votes needed to win.
But before the call was made, Wisconsin, along with Michigan, Arizona, Alaska and Maine, all remained too close to call, and experts initially warned that projecting a winner could take days.
In key swing states like Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania, clerks are unable to process mail-in ballots prior to Election Day. In 2020, those states were decided by approximately 20,000 and 80,000 votes, respectively.
This time, both campaigns believed the race was extremely close across the seven swing states that were expected to decide the election, barring a major surprise: Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.
MORE: How Donald Trump won, according to the NBC News Exit Poll
In 2020, it took four days before President Joe Biden was officially called the winner. In 2000, results hinged on just 537 votes in Florida, with networks calling the state for Al Gore, then George Bush before ruling the race "too close to call."
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In 2016, the election was decided just hours after most polls closed.
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What changed overnight?
On Election Day in 2024, Trump clinched Pennsylvania, in a major blow to Harris. By Wednesday morning, it all came down to Wisconsin, which saw Trump win 49.7% to 48.7%, according to NBC News, putting him over the edge to secure enough Electoral College votes.
"Well, you look at Wisconsin, Michigan, Pennsylvania and a couple of blue collar economies really jump out at you," Political strategist Pete Giangreco told NBC Chicago Wednesday morning. "If you look at Kenosha County just over the line, Trump won that by three points against Biden in 2020."
In 2024, Trump won it by six, Giangreco said.
"You look at Lackawanna County, Scranton -- Joe from Scranton -- Joe Biden won that by 6.4 years ago. Kamala Harris only won it by three. You look at Macomb County, Michigan, blue collar north of Detroit, Trump owned by eight. Four years ago, Biden won it by 16 this time. So you saw those blue collar counties really where Trump built out a margin where Kamala Harris was not able to meet it."
Giangreco went on to say that Trump overperformed with Latino men, Black men and young men.
Illinois' presidential vote likely the closest in decades
"All Donald Trump had to say was, were things better off?", Giangreco said. "Were you better off four years ago? And he drove that message. The question in our party is, were we better off if Joe Biden had stepped out earlier? Could Kamala Harris have defined herself a little better if she had more time?"
The president-elect will also have at least Republican control of the Senate as well. Previously, Democrats held a narrow majority in the senate.
In Ohio, Republican Bernie Moreno projected to beat Sen. Sherrod Brown. And West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice captured that state’s seat.
When he takes the oath of office, Trump will become just the second person in history to serve two non-consecutive terms in the White House, joining Grover Cleveland in that group.
Which states are still counting votes?
As of 5:30 a.m. Wednesday, votes were still being counted in Nevada, Arizona, Michigan, Alaska and Maine, with races too close to call in those states.
Trump was leading in Nevada, Arizona and Michigan. Harris was leading in Maine.
When does the president get inaugurated?
Before the inauguration, there's a few key dates to pay attention to:
Certification of Election Results
According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, there are a variety of dates by which governments have to certify the vote counts in their states.
Here is a sample of battleground state dates:
Arizona – Third Monday after the election (Nov. 25)
Georgia – The 17th day after the election (Nov. 22)
Michigan – 20th day after the election (Nov. 25)
Wisconsin – Dec. 1
Electoral College Vote
According to U.S. law, the Electoral College’s votes are required to be cast on the first Tuesday after the second Wednesday in December, which this year falls on Dec. 17.
The Electoral College votes from all 50 states and the District of Columbia are cast on that date, and are prepared to be send to designated federal and state officials.
New Congress is Seated
The new members of Congress assemble on Jan. 3, and on that date, the Archivist transfers sets of certifications of Electoral College votes to lawmakers.
Electoral College Votes Counted
On Jan. 6, the Electoral College’s votes are counted during a joint session of Congress. Vice President Harris will oversee the count.
New President is Sworn In
At noon on Jan. 20, the new president and vice president will be sworn into office in Washington.
We will update this story with more details as they become available.
