Trump notches win in battleground Iowa

President Trump has picked up a win in Iowa, keeping a state he won in 2016 in his category as he seeks a path to the 270 electoral votes needed to win reelection. 

The president was leading in Iowa with 53 percent of the vote while Democratic nominee Joe Biden followed with about 45 percent with 96 percent of precincts reporting, according to The Associated Press.

The AP called the race for Trump after midnight. The state has six Electoral College votes, less than some other states heavily contested by the two candidates Tuesday night, but which could prove key in a tight race.

Trump won Iowa by more than 9 percentage points in 2016, but Democrats viewed it as a potential pickup opportunity this year, with Trump holding only single-digit leads in most polls released before Election Day.

The state is also the site of a high-profile Senate race, where incumbent Sen. Joni Ernst (R) faced a well-funded challenge from Democrat Theresa Greenfield. The AP called the race for Ernst after midnight.

The Hawkeye State joins other battlegrounds such as Ohio and Florida that Trump has kept in his column this year, while Biden has won Minnesota, which Hillary Clinton narrowly carried four years ago.

Biden visited Iowa in the final weeks before Election Day, seeking to pick up a state that had gone for the Democratic nominee in six out of seven presidential races before Trump won it in 2016.

Trump and Biden were competing late Tuesday in multiple Midwest states that comprised the traditional “blue wall” that Trump captured four years ago to first win election.

John Bowden contributed. Updated at 12:49 a.m.