WASHINGTON (JTA) — Donald Trump won the key state of Florida, according to The Associated Press, a battleground state where he and Hillary Clinton fought for the pivotal Jewish vote.
The 29 electoral votes Florida carries, according to AP projections late Tuesday, blocks a key path for Clinton, the Democratic nominee, to the presidency. If the AP projection is right, Clinton now has 190 of the necessary 270 electoral votes to win, and Trump has 215.
Both candidates campaigned hard in Florida in recent weeks, with Trump hammering the Obama administration’s record on Israel in his appearances in the state.
Clinton also made multiple appearances in the state and deployed top Jewish surrogates to the state, including prominent Jewish lawmakers and Joe Lieberman, who was the first Jew on a major ticket when he was Al Gore’s running mate on the Democratic ticket in 2000.
There are about 850,000 Jews in the state among a population of 20 million, with a growing Orthodox population, which tends to favor Republican candidates, while the broader Jewish population tends to favor Democrats.
Initial exit polls showed Trump getting 24 percent of the Jewish vote nationwide and Clinton 70 percent, although those were likely to be adjusted as the night wore on.
Trump also won the 18 electoral votes in Ohio, like Florida, a battleground state in recent decades. The campaigns focused on Jews in Ohio as well, although in recent weeks Clinton tamped down expectations of winning the state as Trump made gains in polls.
