Much of the attention each presidential election cycle centers on swing states where the outcome can have an outsize impact on who wins the White House. But candidate campaigns and political analysts also zero in on smaller areas where factors like demographics and turnout can play critical roles in the race's ultimate outcome.
Enter battleground counties. Often – but not always – these geographic puzzle pieces are part of a larger swing state. They can offer clues to broader patterns among key groups like Hispanic voters or blue-collar workers, as well as to the strength of a party's turnout infrastructure and where it's chosen to make investments. Sometimes, the key is simply for a party to perform to its historical strength in a given county. If a party underperforms its historical vote share in a key county, it risks losing the state and the larger national race to 270 electoral votes.
With the 2024 presidential election approaching and a rematch of incumbent President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump looking likely, U.S. News is spotlighting 13 battleground counties across the U.S., examining their past presidential track records and explaining why they're important this year.
Among the 13 counties on our list is Washoe County, Nevada.
Of the presidential battleground states, Nevada has the fewest electoral votes, with six. But since 2000, the state has been hotly contested in four of the six presidential contests. In 2000, 2004, 2016 and 2020, the winner in Nevada has edged the loser by 2 to 3 percentage points, though........