In 2024, six battleground states have the potential to decide the fate of the U.S. president’s election and even cost Joe Biden the White House. They are Arizona, Georgia, Wisconsin, Michigan, North Carolina, and Pennsylvania.
To understand why these six states play such an important role, we first have to look at their political and population characteristics. Their populations range between 8 million (Georgia) and 12.5 million (Pennsylvania). Voter blocs within each of these states lean either left or right, making them highly competitive. In 2020, all but one of these states voted for Joe Biden, with the exception of Arizona, which went to Donald Trump.
As the 2024 election approaches, these battleground states will become even more crucial. They appear to be the likeliest states to swing either left or right, and their potential to change the voting outcome could determine the direction of the country for years to come.
In the past, these states have proved to be unpredictable, sometimes swinging from one candidate to another over the course of a single election cycle. For example, North Carolina voted for Democratic presidential candidate Al Gore in the 2000 election, switching to Republican candidate George W. Bush in 2004 and then again to Democrat Barack Obama in 2008. Georgia, too, has shifted between the two major political parties.
What may be most noteworthy is that the political divides in each of these states are microscopic. While Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden won Arizona in 2020, he received less than 11,000 more votes than Republican Donald Trump. This shows that these state races will be held closer than ever before, making each vote count more than ever.
Given this closely divided political landscape, it’s evident that each of these states is crucial for either party to win. As a result, campaigns for the 2024 election will likely focus their attention on these battlegrounds to ensure they get their vote out in order to win the White House.
Ultimately, the six battleground states of Arizona, Georgia, Wisconsin, Michigan, North Carolina, and Pennsylvania could represent a major turning point in the 2024 election. Their highly competitive electorates and their knack for producing close elections make them essential for deciding the fate of the White House.