8:30 P.M. --- EXPLAINING RACE CALLS: Alabama, Illinois, Delaware and more

WASHINGTON (AP) — Here is an alphabetical state-by-state look at how and why The Associated Press is calling U.S. states in the 2020 presidential election. States will be added throughout Election Night.
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WHY AP CALLED ALABAMA FOR TRUMP:
The AP declared President Donald Trump the winner of Alabama as soon as polls closed in the state, even though election officials there had yet to release results from Tuesday's presidential contest.
The news agency did so after results from AP VoteCast and an analysis of voting statistics confirmed expectations that the state's longstanding political trend of favoring Republican presidential candidates will hold.
VoteCast, the AP's wide-ranging survey of the American electorate, captures voters' choices and why they made them.
A Democratic presidential contender hasn't won Alabama since Jimmy Carter, from neighboring Georgia, did in 1976. Trump carried the state by 28 percentage points in 2016.
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WHY AP CALLED CONNECTICUT FOR BIDEN:
The AP declared Democrat Joe Biden the winner of Connecticut as soon as polls closed in the state, even though election officials there had yet to release results from Tuesday's presidential contest.
The news agency did so after results from AP VoteCast and an analysis of early voting statistics confirmed expectations that the state's longstanding political trend of favoring Democratic presidential candidates will hold.
VoteCast, the AP's wide-ranging survey of the American electorate, captures voters' choices and why they made them.
Hillary Clinton won Connecticut by over 13 percentage points in 2016. A Republican presidential candidate hasn't carried the state since George H.W. Bush in 1988.
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WHY AP CALLED DELAWARE FOR BIDEN:
The AP declared Democrat Joe Biden the winner of Delaware as soon as polls closed in the state, even though election officials there had yet to release any results from Tuesday's presidential contest.
The news agency did so after results from AP VoteCast and an analysis of early voting statistics confirmed expectations that the state's longstanding political trend of favoring Democratic presidential candidates will hold.
VoteCast, the AP's wide-ranging survey of the American electorate, captures voters' choices and why they made them.
Biden, who moved to Delaware as a boy and continues to live there, represented the state in the U.S. Senate for more than three decades until he became Barack Obama's vice president in 2009.
Hillary Clinton won Delaware by over 11 percentage points in 2016. The state hasn't voted for a Republican presidential candidate since George H.W. Bush in 1988.
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WHY AP CALLED ILLINOIS FOR BIDEN:
The AP declared Democrat Joe Biden the winner of Illinois as soon as polls closed in the state, even though election officials there had yet to release any results from Tuesday's presidential contest.
The news agency did so after results from AP VoteCast and an analysis of early voting statistics confirmed expectations that the state's longstanding political trends in favor of Democratic presidential candidates will hold.
VoteCast, the AP's wide-ranging survey of the American electorate, captures voters' choices and why they made them.
Illinois has long been a Democratic stronghold and hasn't swung for a Republican presidential candidate since George H.W. Bush in 1988. Hillary Clinton carried the state by 17 percentage points in 2016.
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WHY AP CALLED KENTUCKY FOR TRUMP:
The AP declared President Donald Trump the winner of Kentucky as soon as polls closed in the state, even though election officials there had yet to release results from Tuesday's presidential contest.
The news agency did so after results from AP VoteCast and an analysis of early voting statistics confirmed expectations that the state's longstanding political trends in favor of Republican presidential candidates will hold.
VoteCast, the AP's wide-ranging survey of the American electorate, captures voters' choices and why they made them.
Bill Clinton was the last Democratic presidential contender to win Kentucky in 1996. Trump won the state in 2016 by nearly 30 points.
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WHY AP CALLED MARYLAND FOR BIDEN:
The AP declared Democrat Joe Biden the winner of Maryland as soon as polls closed in the state, even though election officials there had yet to release any results from Tuesday's presidential contest.
The news agency did so after results from AP VoteCast and an analysis of early voting statistics confirmed expectations that the state's longstanding political trends in favor of Democratic presidential candidates will hold.
VoteCast, the AP's wide-ranging survey of the American electorate, captures voters' choices and why they made them.
A Republican presidential candidate hasn't won Maryland since George H.W. Bush in 1988. Democrat Hillary Clinton carried the state by over 26 percentage points in 2016.
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WHY AP CALLED MASSACHUSETTS FOR BIDEN:
The AP declared Democrat Joe Biden the winner of Massachusetts as soon as polls closed in the state, even though election officials there had yet to release any results from Tuesday's presidential contest.
The news agency did so after results from AP VoteCast and an analysis of early voting statistics confirmed expectations that the state's longstanding political trends in favor of Democratic presidential candidates will hold.
VoteCast, the AP's wide-ranging survey of the American electorate, captures voters' choices and why they made them.
Hillary Clinton carried the state by over 27 percentage points in 2016, and a Republican presidential candidate hasn't won Massachusetts since Ronald Reagan in 1984.
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WHY AP CALLED MISSISSIPPI FOR TRUMP:
The AP declared President Donald Trump the winner of Mississippi as soon as polls closed in the state, even though election officials there had yet to release any results from Tuesday's presidential contest.
The news agency did so after results from AP VoteCast and an analysis of voting statistics confirmed expectations that the state's longstanding political trends in favor of Republican presidential candidates will hold.
VoteCast, the AP's wide-ranging survey of the American electorate, captures voters' choices and why they made them.
A Democratic presidential contender hasn't won Mississippi since Jimmy Carter in 1976. Trump carried the state by more than 17 percentage points in 2016.
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WHY AP CALLED NEW JERSEY FOR BIDEN:
The AP declared Democrat Joe Biden the winner of New Jersey as soon as polls closed in the state, even though election officials there had yet to release any results from Tuesday's presidential contest.
The news agency did so after results from AP VoteCast and an analysis of early voting statistics confirmed expectations that the state's longstanding political trends in favor of Democratic presidential candidates will hold.
VoteCast, the AP's wide-ranging survey of the American electorate, captures voters' choices and why they made them.
A Republican presidential candidate hasn't won New Jersey since George H.W. Bush in 1988. Democrat Hillary Clinton carried the state by 14 percentage points in 2016.
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WHY AP CALLED OKLAHOMA FOR TRUMP:
The AP declared President Donald Trump the winner of Oklahoma as soon as polls closed in the state, even though election officials there had yet to release any results from Tuesday's presidential contest.
The news agency did so after results from AP VoteCast and an analysis of early voting statistics confirmed expectations the state's longstanding political trends in favor of Republican presidential candidates will hold.
VoteCast, the AP's wide-ranging survey of the American electorate, captures voters' choices and why they made them.
Lyndon Johnson in 1964 was the last Democratic presidential candidate to win the state. Trump carried Oklahoma by 36 points in 2016.
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WHY AP CALLED RHODE ISLAND FOR BIDEN:
The AP declared Democrat Joe Biden the winner of Rhode Island as soon as polls closed in the state, even though election officials there had yet to release any results from Tuesday's presidential contest.
The news agency did so after results from AP VoteCast and an analysis of early voting statistics confirmed expectations that the state's longstanding political trends in favor of Democratic presidential candidates will hold.
VoteCast, the AP's wide-ranging survey of the American electorate, captures voters' choices and why they made them.
A Republican presidential candidate hasn't won Rhode Island since Ronald Reagan in 1984. Hillary Clinton beat Trump in the state by over 15 percentage points in 2016.
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WHY AP CALLED SOUTH CAROLINA FOR TRUMP:
The AP declared President Donald Trump the winner of South Carolina at 7:53 p.m. EST, after results from early returns and an AP survey of the electorate showed Trump had beaten Democratic nominee Joe Biden in the state.
While only about 3% of the vote had been counted statewide, completed counts in a representative selection of precincts in communities across South Carolina showed Trump comfortably ahead.
Those results matched data from AP VoteCast and an analysis of early voting statistics. The survey found Trump with a substantial lead in the state. VoteCast, the AP's wide-ranging survey of the American electorate, captures voters' choices and why they made them.
South Carolina hasn't swung for a Democratic presidential contender since the 1976 election of Jimmy Carter, who is from neighboring Georgia. Trump won the state by over 14 points in 2016.
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WHY AP CALLED TENNESSEE FOR TRUMP:
The AP declared President Donald Trump the winner of Tennessee as soon as polls closed in the state, even though election officials there had yet to release any results from Tuesday's presidential contest.
The news agency did so after results from AP VoteCast and an analysis of early voting statistics confirmed expectations that the state's longstanding political trends in favor of Republican presidential candidates will hold.
VoteCast, the AP's wide-ranging survey of the American electorate, captures voters' choices and why they made them.
Bill Clinton in 1996 was the last Democratic presidential candidate to win Tennessee. Trump carried the state by 26 percentage points in 2016.
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WHY AP CALLED VERMONT FOR BIDEN:
The AP declared Democrat Joe Biden the winner of Vermont as soon as polls closed in the state, even though election officials there had yet to release results from Tuesday's presidential contest.
The news agency did so after results from AP VoteCast and an analysis of early voting statistics confirmed expectations that the state's longstanding political trend of favoring Democratic presidential candidates will hold.
VoteCast, the AP's wide-ranging survey of the American electorate, captures voters' choices and why they made them.
Biden's victory in Vermont is not a surprise: Democrats have won the state in every presidential election since 1992, and it is home to former Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders.
Democrat Hillary Clinton carried the state in 2016 by over 28 percentage points.
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WHY AP CALLED VIRGINIA FOR BIDEN:
The AP declared Democratic nominee Joe Biden the winner of Virginia at 7:31 p.m. EST, after results from early returns and an AP survey of the electorate showed the former vice president had beaten President Donald Trump in the state.
While only about 10% of the vote had been counted statewide, completed counts in a representative selection of precincts in communities across Virginia showed Biden comfortably ahead of Trump.
Those results matched data from AP VoteCast and an analysis of early voting statistics. The survey found Biden with a substantial lead in the state. VoteCast, the AP's wide-ranging survey of the American electorate, captures voters' choices and why they made them.
Virginia was once solidly Republican, with President George W. Bush winning there as recently as 2004. But explosive growth in northern Virginia's Washington, D.C., suburbs has led to an influx of increasingly diverse and Democratic-leaning voters who have helped tip the balance of power.
Democrat Hillary Clinton won Virginia by more than 5 points in 2016. The state has a Democratic governor. And in 2019, Democrats took control of both chambers of the Legislature for the first time in decades.
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WHY AP CALLED WEST VIRGINIA FOR TRUMP:
The AP declared President Donald Trump the winner of West Virginia as soon as polls closed in the state, even though election officials there had yet to release any results from Tuesday's presidential contest.
The news agency did so after results from AP VoteCast and an analysis of voting statistics confirmed expectations that the state's longstanding political trend of favoring Republican presidential candidates will hold.
VoteCast, the AP's wide-ranging survey of the American electorate, captures voters' choices and why they made them.
Trump won West Virginia by 42 points in 2016. The last Democratic presidential contender to carry the state was Bill Clinton in 1996.