Early Results Suggest the Polls Were Notably Accurate

Even before former President Donald J. Trump emerged as the winner in the presidential race, the numbers on election night showed signs of a victory … for polling.

Over the final weeks of the campaign, pre-election polls consistently pointed to a tight race between Mr. Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris, in both the popular vote and the battleground states. And though the current results are preliminary, and many states are still counting ballots, a close race is what has unfolded.