How Florida's Winner Impacts The Election

With the race between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton coming to its final moments, Florida will likely have a crucial impact on the outcome of the 2016 presidential election. But will a Florida win be a winner-take-all scenario? Florida is a winner take-all state in presidential elections, meaning that the state's electoral votes will go toward one candidate. The results of that will greatly effect what happens next. It would be difficult for either candidate to win the election without winning Florida, so the state's results could likely decide the final outcome. In other words, the Sunshine State will play a huge role in shaping who ends up in the White House, because Florida happens to be one of the “make it or break it" states. That's been the case in previous elections.

In fact, the election statistics website Five Thirty Eight predicts that if Trump wins Florida, his chances of winning the election are at about 29 percent. Without Florida, that number goes down to only 7 percent. Historically speaking, it's unlikely to win an election without winning Florida. So, if Trump doesn't take Florida, it's looking like even though it's certainly possible for him to win (if he receives the 270 electoral votes), more than likely, he's out. On the other hand, if Clinton wins Florida, her probability in winning the electoral college rises to 93 percent, also according to Five Thirty Eight. Out of the past 10 elections, Florida has picked nine of the winners, Mic reported.

At the time this is published The New York Times has Trump winning (49.2 percent to Clinton's 47.7 percent.) They are predicting that Trump will take the state, but it's still so close and too early to call. It's not over for Clinton just yet. According to CNN, Clinton's percentage could rise after votes from "blue" Palm Beach County are counted. Plus, Barack Obama won Florida in 2012 by only 0.9 percentage points, so every small rise from Clinton's side means something.

The results are still hours away from being in, so the anxiety is exponentially building. Regardless, either candidate needs those 270 electoral votes to win this, and Florida will be a crucial number in that equation.