Republican candidate Donald Trump has surpassed Democratic challenger Kamala Harris in the key battleground state of Pennsylvania, as votes cast in the US elections are counted. According to The New York Times, Donald Trump has a three percentage point lead in the swing state. Harris previously led in Pennsylvania. The state has 19 electoral college votes.

Nearly four hours after the count, Trump has the lead in six swing states. Trump leads in Arizona, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Georgia and North Carolina. There are no indications yet for the swing state of Nevada.

Swing states, also called ‘battleground states’, are the key to victory in the American elections. These states have nearly equal levels of support for both Democrats and Republicans, and elections are won and lost in these states. This year the swing states are Pennsylvania, with 19 electoral college votes, Michigan (10), Georgia (16), Wisconsin (10), North Carolina (16), Nevada (6) and Arizona (11).

Both the former president and the sitting vice president are pushing for the magic number of 270 electoral college votes that will pave the way to the Oval Office in the White House. Current trends show Trump leading with 230 votes, while Harris is at 179.

According to exit polls, the state of democracy, the economy and abortion were the top issues on voters’ minds as they headed to the polling booths. A CBS News poll found that nearly six in 10 people named the state of democracy as their most important issue, followed by abortion, which was picked as an important issue by five percent of voters. For one in ten, the economy was a priority.

A CNN exit poll shows that almost three-quarters of the electorate has a negative view of the current situation in the US.