WASHINGTON: Republican billionaire Donald Trump defeated Democrat Hillary Clinton in the state of Iowa Tuesday, inching closer to winning the White House in a shock upset, television networks projected.
The midwestern US state has six Electoral College votes, moving the Manhattan property mogul closer to the total of 270 needed to claim the US presidency.
Clinton — the 69-year-old Democratic former first lady, senator and secretary of state — began the day as the narrow favorite to win the White House and become America’s first female president.
But Trump’s string of successes reflected how deeply divided the American electorate has become, and showcased his ability to tap into white blue-collar voters’ resentment of cultural change linked to immigration and the loss of manufacturing jobs at home.
World markets plunged as US observers awaited results from the Rust Belt state of Pennsylvania, the northeastern state of New Hampshire, and the northern states of Michigan and Wisconsin — all now vital to Clinton’s hopes.
