Washington (CNN). Americans are casting their verdicts on Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump on Tuesday after an exhausting, acrimonious campaign that at times revolted the nation and tore at its fabric.
History will be made no matter how the vote turns out. Clinton would become the first woman to win the presidency in the 240-year history of the United States. A Trump triumph would represent a massive repudiation of the Washington establishment not seen in generations.
Both candidates argue the election presents an unusually significant choice for a divided nation. Democrats warn that Trump, with his rhetoric on race, gender and immigration, would represent a rejection of core American values. Trump insists his outsider campaign represents America’s last chance to drive out a corrupt political establishment that has turned its back on hard-working Americans.
Polling places are now open across the country. Clinton and Trump have already voted.
The Republican nominee cast his ballot near Trump Tower in New York City and was met with cheers and boos outside the polling station. Clinton voted at a school near her home in Chappaqua, New York, with former President Bill Clinton.
By 9 p.m. Eastern time, voting had ended in more than three dozen states that together represent 429 electoral votes.
Clinton was projected to win the District of Columbia, Delaware, Illinois, Massachusetts, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island and Vermont, giving her 97 electoral votes, according to the Associated Press.
Trump locked down Alabama, Arkansas, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Mississippi, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, North Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, West Virginia and Wyoming, racking up 125 electoral votes.
Voting also ended in the key swing states of Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Michigan, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Wisconsin. But those pivotal states were too close to immediately call.
Donald Trump will win the key state of Ohio. The Ohio victory is especially important for Trump as no Republican has won the White House without taking the Buckeye State. That result and his strong position in Florida make it increasingly possible Trump has a path to the 270 electoral votes needed to win.
Donald Trump has completely turned the tables on Hillary Clinton, and the race is extremely close.
His wins in Ohio, North Carolina and Florida have put a tremendous amount of pressure on Mrs. Clinton to hold traditionally blue states, and her grip on states like Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin is shaky. Mr. Trump only needs to win one of those states to have Mrs. Clinton on the electoral ropes.
Trump wins Wisconsin — a state that hasn’t voted for a Republican for president since Ronald Reagan in 1984.
The Republican candidate was victorious in the Republican strongholds of Utah, Alabama, Kentucky, South Carolina, Nebraska, Indiana, West Virginia, Mississippi, Tennessee, Oklahoma and Texas.
And he took Georgia, Missouri, Montana, Louisiana, Arkansas, Kansas, North Dakota, South Dakota, Idaho and Wyoming – all solidly conservative states
Mrs Clinton won the Democratic heartlands of California, Oregon, New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maryland, Vermont, Delaware, Illinois, Rhode Island, Hawaii, Washington, Maine and District of Columbia, as well as New Mexico and Colorado.
