'Narrow but clear favorite': NY Times sees race leaning in one candidate's favor

The New York Times delivered its first presidential estimate Tuesday night as results poured in from Georgia and North Carolina.

Nate Cohn, chief political analyst for the Times, noted around 9:20 p.m. ET that the paper of record was making its first estimate on election night.

"For the first time tonight, our estimates indicate that the race leans toward Donald Trump," he said. "He is a narrow but clear favorite to win Georgia and North Carolina."

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Cohn added that if Trump wins those states, Vice President Kamala Harris will "probably need to sweep Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin to win — a real possibility, but a tall order nonetheless."

"We have very little data from those states, and it will be a long time until we do," he said.

Cohn's post on the Times website comes as the Harris campaign has seen some worrisome exit polls in Georgia and Wisconsin.