Honestly, looking back at the 2024 map is kinda like staring at a puzzle where several pieces just didn't fit the way people expected. By the time the dust settled and the Electoral College cast its final votes in December 2024, the picture was clear. Kamala Harris finished with 226 electoral votes, while Donald Trump secured 312. It was a decisive shift.
When we talk about the Kamala Harris states won list, we're basically looking at the "Blue Wall" that held, the coastal strongholds that stayed loyal, and those specific congressional districts that split from their home states. She carried 19 states plus the District of Columbia. If you’re a fan of the "blue" side of the map, it was a night of holding the line in traditional territory while watching the swing states slip away one by one.
The Full List of States Carried by Harris
It's easier to just see them all in one go. Harris won the following 19 states:
California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine (statewide), Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, New Hampshire, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, and Washington.
She also took the District of Columbia, which is a given for Democrats these days, and picked up a single electoral vote from Nebraska’s 2nd Congressional District. That little dot in the middle of a red state—the "blue dot" in Omaha—was a bright spot for her campaign, even as the rest of the state went heavily Republican.
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The Kamala Harris States Won: Breaking Down the Numbers
The strategy was always about protecting the "Blue Wall"—Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin. But that wall crumbled. Instead, the Harris victory map was defined by massive margins in places like Vermont and Maryland, which basically acted as the anchors for her electoral total.
Vermont actually ended up being the "bluest" state in the union if you look at the percentages. Harris won there with a margin of about 32 points. Maryland wasn't far behind at +29, followed by Massachusetts at +25. These weren't just wins; they were landslides. But in a national election, a landslide in a state you're already guaranteed to win doesn't help you reach that magic number of 270.
The Coastal Strongholds
California remains the crown jewel for any Democrat, providing 54 electoral votes. Harris won her home state comfortably, but interestingly, the margin was narrower than what Joe Biden saw in 2020. This was a trend we saw across the board. In New York, the margin shrank significantly, with Trump making gains in places like Queens and Nassau County. It's kinda wild to think that even in the most "solid" states, the ground was shifting.
Why the "Blue Wall" Fell
You can't really talk about the states Harris won without talking about the ones she didn't win. The seven core swing states—Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin—all went to Trump.
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Pennsylvania was the tipping point. It always is. Trump won it by about 1.7 percentage points. For Harris, losing the Keystone State meant her path to 270 was essentially blocked. Even though she held onto Virginia and New Hampshire—two states that Republicans were eyeing hungrily in October—those wins weren't enough to offset the loss of the industrial Midwest.
Surprises in New Jersey and New Mexico
One thing that caught a lot of people off guard was how close things got in New Jersey. For a long time, Jersey was considered safe. Harris won it, but her margin was much smaller than expected—only about 5 points. Compare that to Biden's 16-point win in 2020.
New Mexico stayed blue, too, but again, the "red shift" was visible. Harris won there by roughly 6 points. It seems like the national mood—mostly driven by concerns over inflation and the cost of living—seeped into every single state, regardless of whether it stayed blue or flipped red.
A Closer Look at the "Split" States
Maine and Nebraska are the two weird ones in our system because they don't do "winner-take-all."
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- Maine: Harris won the state overall and the 1st Congressional District, netting her 3 electoral votes. Trump took the 2nd District, which is much more rural and conservative.
- Nebraska: Trump won the state and two districts, but Harris held onto that Omaha-based 2nd District.
That one vote from Omaha was the result of a massive "Blue Dot" grassroots campaign. Supporters literally put blue dots on their lawns to show they were holding out in a sea of red. It worked, but in the grand scheme of 312 to 226, it was a symbolic victory more than a kingmaker.
What Most People Get Wrong About the 2024 Results
A lot of people think Harris lost because her base didn't show up. That’s sort of true, but it’s more complicated. According to Pew Research, Harris actually won 83% of Black voters and 57% of Asian voters. She also held onto a 7-point lead with women.
The real story in the states she won was the "educational divide." Harris won voters with college degrees by about 16 points. In the states she lost, the surge of non-college-educated voters—across all races—was just too much to overcome. Even in her winning states, like Connecticut and Rhode Island, the "working class" areas trended much more toward Trump than they did four years ago.
Actionable Insights for Future Maps
If you're looking at where politics goes from here, the 2024 map tells us a few things:
- The "Safe" States Aren't as Safe: If you're a political strategist, you can't ignore New York or New Jersey anymore. The margins are tightening.
- Urban Centers are Shrinking: Harris did great in cities (winning urban areas 65% to 33%), but the rural-urban gap is now a canyon. Rural voters went for Trump by 40 points.
- Demographics are Fluid: The idea that certain ethnic groups "belong" to one party is dead. The Hispanic vote in particular is now a true swing demographic, splitting nearly 50/50 in some regions.
To really understand the Kamala Harris states won data, you have to look at the turnout. In California, turnout was down roughly 10% compared to 2020. When the most populated blue areas don't vote at 2020 levels, the electoral map starts looking very different very fast.
The next step for anyone following this is to look at the 2026 midterms. Keep a close eye on the "narrow" blue states like New Jersey and Virginia. If the trends from the 2024 presidential map continue, those governors' races are going to be absolute dogfights. Check the local voter registration data in your county to see if the partisan tilt is shifting—that's usually the first sign of a larger map change.