Donald Trump scored major victories over Hillary Clinton on Tuesday night in Florida, Ohio and North Carolina, showing remarkable strength in three of the nation's most fiercely fought battleground states in an unexpectedly tight race for the presidency.
Mrs Clinton carried Virginia and Colorado, as well as California, the nation's largest prize. With a handful of other states still undecided, neither candidate had cleared the 270 Electoral College votes needed to win the White House.
Michigan and Wisconsin, two Midwestern powerhouses that haven't voted for a Republican presidential candidate since the 1980s, took on unexpected importance. Mrs Clinton's campaign had largely taken both for granted, but made a late push in Michigan in the race's final days.
A candidate needs to secure 270 out of 538 electoral college votes in order to win the presidency. They claim these by winning individual states that each award a certain number of votes. States with more people have more electoral college votes.
The popular vote can be less important to the overall result, as a candidate can gain a majority of electoral votes without performing as well at a national level. In the 2000 election, Al Gore gained more votes than George Bush, but the Republican managed to scrape 271 electoral votes and claim the presidency.
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