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Democrat Mazie Hirono wins re-election to the Senate in Hawaii, NBC News projects
Julián Castro: Democrats must reckon with Latino losses
David Hodari
When the dust has settled, Democrats will need to look at the way they approach the Latino community, Obama administration housing secretary Julián Castro told NBC News.
“Something happened between 2016 and 2020, because the first significant dropoff we saw in places like south Texas was not this year but in 2020. The Democratic Party is going to have to do the inverse of what the Republican Party did in 2012, which is an autopsy to try and figure out what happened there,” Castro said.
“The Latino communities are dividing or cleaving along the lines every other community is: urban versus rural, education level and so forth, especially when you compare what happened in south Texas and rural communities with Latinos versus big cities. I’ll bet you find the dropoff [in voting] was bigger,” he added.
One possible clue to explain the shift in Latino voting patterns might lie in the tone of the debate around immigration, Castro said.
A decade ago, the conversation revolved around Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, but this time it has shifted to much more recent immigrants, he said.
North Dakota defeats measure to legalize marjiuana
Diplomacy under Trump will ‘be different,’ U.S. ambassador to Turkey says
David Hodari
With the world’s eyes on Washington, some may well be asking what a victory for Trump will mean for America’s diplomatic corps and those who have to deal with it.
“I think it’ll be different,” Jeff Flake, the U.S. ambassador to Turkey, told NBC News.
This time around, Trump “knows more people from whom he’ll select: ambassadors, a secretary of state, as well, and I think there’s a good cadre of people in the Senate who are waiting for those opportunities, so I think that it’s going to be different in that way,” said Flake, a former Republican senator from Arizona.
NBC News has yet to project the winner of the presidential race.
As a political newcomer in 2016, when Trump won an unlikely victory after an insurgent campaign, he brings a term’s worth of experience this time around, Flake added.
“Certainly there’s much more familiarity with how Washington works, and I hope that leads to a smoother time, as well. I know our allies want that, certainly,” he said.
Despite a history of unconventional remarks about and positions on U.S. foreign policy, “there are a lot of upsides, as well,” Flake said, adding that Trump’s preference to speak with world leaders by phone was a good instinct.
Nebraska approves measure that limits abortion after first trimester
Nebraska voters have approved a ballot measure that would prohibit abortions after the first trimester, NBC News projects. The measure codifies the current state limits.
See the latest results here.
South Dakota defeats amendment to create open primaries
Voters in South Dakota defeated an amendment to the state constitution that would have instituted open primary elections, allowing the two candidates receiving the most votes to advance, regardless of party affiliation, in U.S. House and Senate races, as well as governor’s, legislative and county contests.
See the latest results here.
Montana passes measure to protect abortion access
South Dakota defeats amendment to protect right to abortion
Voters in South Dakota have defeated a state constitutional amendment that would have protected a woman’s right to abortion rather than keep the state’s ban on the procedure.
See the latest results here.
In Philadelphia County, workers begin stacking paper ballots
At the election warehouse in Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania, workers have begun to stack together the paper ballots from the in-person voting across all the polling locations yesterday.
The ballots, which were already counted electronically, are kept in paper form as backup.
‘It’s far from over’: Harris supporters still holding out hope
Reporting from Washington
The mood was glum as Harris supporters left her event at her alma mater, Howard University, where she did not appear as election results showed Trump closing in on the White House.
“I’m just devastated,” said Dr. Elizabeth Ryznar, citing Trump’s skepticism of climate change as the reason for her disappointment. “The consequences of a second Trump presidency are unfathomable and terrifying and I think will be horrible for us as a country, for our planet and for the world,” she said.
Ryznar and others said they were still holding out hope for a Harris win.
“The blue wall has not been called just yet, and I think metropolitan cities obviously will take much longer than rural areas to return the numbers,” Devante Hill said.
“It’s far from over,” said Imelda Cramer Brown, who was Harris’ sorority sister at Howard. “Kamala is here for the people. We’re moving forward. We’re not going back.”
Trump’s resilience: From controversies to assassination attempts
NBC News’ Kristen Welker highlights Trump’s unprecedented resilience as a political figure, recalling his 2015 comments about John McCain, which were thought to be career-ending. Having survived two assassination attempts, Trump remains a leading contender and is on track to become the oldest president in office.
Arizona defeats measure that would have lowered minimum wage for tipped workers
South Dakota defeats measure to legalize marijuana
Election results watched through the night in London
Max Butterworth
Iran and Hamas among America’s foes to comment on election
David Hodari
A torrent of congratulatory posts and statements may be pouring in from around the world, but reaction among regimes with less friendly stances on America’s leadership has been more circumspect.
“The U.S. elections do not concern us and will not affect Iranians’ livelihoods,” an Iranian government spokesperson told the Qatar-based Al Araby television network.
Elsewhere in the Middle East, a senior Hamas official told Reuters that the Democratic loss was the “natural price” for its leadership’s “criminal stance” on Gaza. The official added that Hamas was hoping Trump would learn from Biden’s “mistakes” and that his victory would put to the test “his statements that he can stop the war within hours.”
NBC News has yet to project the winner of the presidential race.
Meanwhile, in Moscow, Dmitry Medvedev, Russia’s former president, said in a Telegram post that Trump had “one quality that is useful to us.”
“As a businessman to the core, he mortally dislikes spending money on various hangers-on and freeloaders — on idiotic allies, on stupid charity projects and on gluttonous international organizations,” said Medvedev, who is now deputy chair of Russia’s Security Council.
Alexander Lukashenko, the 30-year president of Belarus and longtime ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, described Trump as victorious.
But according to the to the state-owned Belarusian Telegraph Agency, he said that his country respected the history of the socialist movement and that the word “socialism” had become “a dirty word” in the U.S.
He also described Trump as an “ardent capitalist” and a “billionaire.”
Trump overperforms in rural areas as Harris underperforms in urban areas
NBC News’ Tom Llamas breaks down the latest numbers in the race to the White House and found that Trump overperformed in rural areas while Harris underperformed in urban areas and counties.
Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna says he’s confident in the future of the party
Annemarie Bonner
Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., offered optimism for his party while acknowledging he was disappointed in the projected election results.
“I’m confident, but we still have to see where the House is going to go,” he said on MSNBC. “But I’m confident we’re going to rebuild in 2026 and we’ll win back the White House in 2028. And we’ve got to listen.”
Khanna suggested Democrats go on more podcasts, alluding to “The Joe Rogan Experience” as an example. Trump went on Rogan’s wildly popular podcast, while Harris’ campaign declined to do an interview.
Gulf Arab diplomats wake up to ‘stunning’ news
Keir Simmons
Keir Simmons and Natasha Lebedeva
There was palpable enthusiasm about a potential Trump victory in Saudi Arabia and other Gulf Arab nations. NBC News has not yet projected the outcome of the race.
“Stunning,” said a Saudi diplomat who was not authorized to speak publicly. Another was “fascinated” watching the results.
Another Gulf diplomat said simply, “Wow.”
Some said they woke up to the news of Trump’s closing in on the White House, content to go to bed last night and wait for America to make its decision. But many Middle Eastern allies and partners were already calculating what a second Trump presidency could mean for their governments.
A Turkish diplomat who was not authorized to speak publicly sent NBC News a meme showing Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan winning the U.S. election. Erdoğan congratulated Trump in a statement, saying he won the U.S. election “after a great struggle.”
A Syrian diplomatic adviser who was also not authorized to speak publicly said: “I have been watching it for hours. A new world in the morning.”
Obama campaign manager Jim Messina: ‘We got our butts kicked’
Annemarie Bonner
Obama campaign manager Jim Messina said tonight that the Democratic Party has a communication problem with various groups of voters.
“Going forward, the Democrats have a real rural problem, and they have real communication challenges to a whole bunch of groups, including young voters and Latinos, that we thought we had a better message to and just didn’t at all,” Messina, who managed Barack Obama’s 2012 campaign, said on MSNBC.
He added that those groups “no longer feel seen by the Democratic Party” and that there should be an analysis of what steps need to be taken.
“I hope we don’t all rush. I hope we all take some time look at all these things, do a comprehensive report and talk about how to move forward, because we got our butts kicked tonight, and we’ve got to figure out how to move forward in a way that gets us back to being majority party we used to be,” he said.
More world leaders congratulate Trump
David Hodari
The trickle of world leaders congratulating Trump on his alleged victory in the presidential election is becoming a flood.
Describing Trump as “my friend,” Narendra Modi, India’s prime minister and the leader of the world’s largest democracy, posted several photos of him and Trump with a message conveying his “heartiest congratulations.”
NBC News has not projected the outcome of the presidential race.
French President Emmanuel Macron of France also posted on X, where he described his readiness “to work together as we have done for four years.”
Macron lost a sizeable chunk of his political capital this year. After he called snap elections, France’s right-wing National Rally party increased its share of the vote, prompting a protracted period of political deadlock.
Mark Rutte, the secretary general of NATO — the Western military alliance that Trump heavily criticized during his first term — posted his congratulations, stressing that Trump’s “leadership will be key to keeping our Alliance strong.”
Elsewhere in Europe, Italy’s right-wing president, Georgia Meloni, posted her own well-wishes describing Italy and the U.S. as “sister nations, linked by an unshakable alliance, common values, and a historic friendship.”
Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić also offered his congratulations on X.
“Together, we face the serious challenges ahead,” Vučić said in a post that included a picture of him and Trump in the Oval Office.
Vučić is a firm ally of Hungary’s Viktor Orbán, who has already congratulated Trump.
Republican Austin Knudsen wins re-election in Montana attorney general’s race, NBC News projects
Republican Greg Gianforte wins re-election in Montana governor’s race, NBC News projects
Trump aide suggests Jack Smith could face legal consequences
Mike Davis, a former clerk to conservative Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch and a Senate aide who is expected to be a key Trump legal adviser, said on X that special counsel Jack Smith should “lawyer up.”
Trump has said he would fire Smith on the first day of his presidency. Justice Department officials have said Smith will continue prosecuting the two federal criminal cases against Trump until directed to do otherwise.
Davis told NBC News that he had been bullish on Trump’s prospects since the Mar-a-Lago raid, arguing that Democratic “lawfare” against Trump would backfire. He said that the “lawfare” propelled Trump to victory during the primary season and helped garner intense loyalty from supporters.
Davis, who was in a Trump campaign war room today, said that the Republican lawyers seemed cautiously optimistic, while he expected Trump to win the popular vote and the swing states. Earlier today, Davis said that Trump came with Melania Trump to thank his campaign staff for their work.
Russia and Ukraine brace for impact on their conflict
Keir Simmons
A Trump victory could have seismic implications for the war in Ukraine, where he has suggested he could withdraw U.S. support that is vital to its defense against Russia’s invasion.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy congratulated Trump on his “impressive election victory.” NBC News has yet to project the outcome of the race.
“I appreciate President Trump’s commitment to the ‘peace through strength’ approach in global affairs,” he said on X. “This is exactly the principle that can practically bring just peace in Ukraine closer. I am hopeful that we will put it into action together.”
Russian President Vladimir Putin has not yet commented, but Russian officials told NBC News they were preparing themselves for change. “Less predictability is incoming,” said a Russian diplomat who was not authorized to speak publicly. “The result is not the most interesting part. The best is what is coming after.”
Another Russian official speaking before the election results said of the conflict, which is nearing the end of its third year: “There is a chance for a truce or at least a shift. Everyone is tired already. Something needs to be done already.”
Harris aides pivoting to how to deal with Trump policies in a second term
As Trump delivered a speech declaring victory, Harris aides had already begun pivoting from hoping for a Harris win to how best to deal with Trump policies during a second term.
“While Trump’s policies will have tremendous domestic and international ramifications, I’ll try to remind myself and others of a larger picture around values that I hold — and share with a broader group of people,” a Harris aide said as Trump was still speaking.
“Those values, around an inclusive American society where nondominant groups are welcome, is one that I will continue to stand for. And while I will stand for those values, I will try hard to practice kindness and embody these values on a micro level with strangers tomorrow and to embody love towards the half of all voters who feel drawn to Trump. That will be the hardest part: to practice love toward someone who is drawn to such hateful rhetoric and tribal tendencies,” the aide said.
NBC News has yet to project the winner of the presidential race. Harris has not conceded but is expected to speak later today.
Election deniers from 2020 congratulate Trump for winning a third time
Annemarie Bonner
At least two 2020 election deniers, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Green, R-Ga., and Republican Senate candidate Kari Lake of Arizona, declared that Trump had won a third victory.
“Donald Trump has just been elected President for a THIRD time,” Greene wrote on X.
Lake offered similar language on X. “BREAKING: Donald Trump just won his THIRD Election! Congratulations, Mr. President,” she wrote.
NBC News has not projected the outcome of the presidential race.
Harris wins one Electoral College vote in Nebraska, NBC News projects
Harris has won one of the five Electoral College votes in Nebraska, NBC News projects. Because she picked up the one vote there, a tie in the Electoral College is not possible.
Trump concludes remarks, calls election ‘massive victory for democracy’
Trump concluded his remarks by praising the coalition his campaign built.
“We had everybody, and it was beautiful. It was a historic realignment, uniting citizens of all backgrounds around a common core of common sense,” Trump said.
Trump called the election a “massive victory for democracy and for freedom.”
He also referred to the assassination attempts, saying, “Many people have told me that God spared my life for a reason, and that reason was to save our country.”
“I will govern by a simple motto: Promises made, promises kept,” he said.
“It’s time to put the divisions of the past four years behind us,” he added. “It’s time to unite.”
Israeli PM Netanyahu congratulates Trump
A Trump win would be warmly welcomed among many Israelis given his support for Israel and close relationship with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has already congratulated Trump on his “huge victory.” NBC News has yet to project the outcome of the race.
“Congratulations on history’s greatest comeback!” Netanyahu said in a post on X. “Your historic return to the White House offers a new beginning for America and a powerful recommitment to the great alliance between Israel and America. This is a huge victory!”
Other far-right Israeli lawmakers also celebrated Trump’s early success, with National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir expressing his enthusiasm with a series of emojis posted on X alongside the message “Yesssss.”
“God bless Israel, God bless America,” Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said in a separate post on X.
Dana White calls Trump’s success ‘karma’
Isabella RamirezIsabella Ramirez is a politics intern with NBC News.
UFC CEO Dana White took to the podium this morning to tell supporters that Trump deserves a victory as “karma” for the past several years.
“This is what happens when the machine comes after you,” White said at the Palm Beach County Convention Center, where Trump addressed his supporters. “He keeps going forward. He doesn’t quit. He’s the most resilient, hard-working man I’ve ever met in my life.”
Trump thanks RFK Jr., says he’ll ‘help make America healthy again’
Trump stopped to add Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to the list of supporters he thanked, saying Kennedy, a former Democratic presidential candidate, is going “to help make America healthy again.”
After thanking Kennedy, Trump quipped that he should “leave the oil to me,” referring to Kennedy’s longtime career as an environmental lawyer who opposed big oil.
“Now he’s a great guy, and he really means that he wants to do some things, and we’re going to let him go to it. I just said, ‘But Bobby, leave the oil to me,'” Trump told his supporters.
Harris wins in New Jersey, NBC News projects
Harris is projected to win New Jersey’s presidential contest, besting Trump and securing the state’s 14 electoral votes.
See the latest results here.
Hungary’s Orbán congratulates Trump
David Hodari
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has congratulated Trump, describing the election results as “the biggest political comeback in U.S. political history.”
“Congratulations to President [Donald Trump] on his enormous win,” Orbán said in a post on X. “A much needed victory for the World!”
NBC News has not yet projected a winner in the race.
The Hungarian government has strengthened its links with Trump and the Republican Party in recent years. Trump hosted Orbán at Mar-a-Lago in March.
But the Hungarian prime minister has been widely criticized for systematically dismantling his country’s democratic institutions during his 12 years in power, while cultivating close ties with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Trump calls Bryson DeChambeau to stage
Annemarie Bonner
On stage in West Palm Beach, Trump called U.S. Open Champion Bryson DeChambeau to the stage. The golf star came on stage wearing a black “Make America Great Again” hat and did not speak. DeChambeau and Trump played a round of golf together in July.
Harris wins in Minnesota, NBC News projects
Harris is projected to win Minnesota’s presidential contest, besting Trump and securing the state’s 10 electoral votes.
The state’s governor, Tim Walz, was Harris’ running mate.
See the latest results here.
Trump praises Elon Musk: ‘A star is born’
As he thanked members of his family and his campaign team, the crowd asked Trump about tech mogul Elon Musk, who boosted Trump in recent weeks.
“We have a new star; a star is born: Elon,” Trump told his supporters, adding: “He’s an amazing guy. We were sitting together tonight. You know, he spent two weeks in Philadelphia, in different parts of Pennsylvania, campaigning.”
Then, Trump told a story about a recent SpaceX rocket launch that ended in a dramatic feat: The rocket launch booster landed in the arms of the SpaceX launch tower minutes after it launched.
Trump also praised Musk’s Starlink technology, saying Musk helped bring the internet to those affected by recent hurricanes in North Carolina.
“He had it there so fast it was incredible,” Trump said.
Trump says he has a mandate
Trump, claiming victory, said America gave him an “unprecedented mandate.” NBC News has not projected the race.
“America has given us an unprecedented and powerful mandate. We have taken back control of the Senate. Wow, that’s great,” he said. NBC News has projected that Republicans have won control of the Senate.
Sen. Lindsey Graham congratulates Trump on ‘biggest comeback’
David Hodari
Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., congratulated Trump tonight on X on what he characterized as Trump’s electoral victory.
Graham wrote that he spoke to Trump “earlier this evening,” adding that he was “in awe of him and his team.”
Graham also shared a photograph of himself smiling with a phone held up to his ear and bottles of wine in the background.
“Tonight is not about the biggest come back in American history,” he said. “It is about the biggest come back for peace and prosperity at home and abroad.”
NBC News has not projected a winner in the presidential race.
Republican Michael Lawler wins re-election to the House in New York’s 17th Congressional District, NBC News projects
Republican Michael Lawler wins re-election to the House in New York’s 17th Congressional District, NBC News projects.
See the latest results here.
Vance addresses supporters, thanks Trump for his trust
Vance addressed supporters, thanking Trump for “the trust” he placed in him and calling the election results “the greatest political comeback in the history” of the U.S.
“After the greatest political comeback in American history, we’re going to lead the greatest economic comeback in American history under Donald Trump’s leadership,” Vance said.
After Vance concluded his brief remarks, Trump said Vance had “turned out to be a good choice.”
NBC News has not yet projected the outcome of the presidential race.
Republican Tom Barrett wins House seat in Michigan’s 7th Congressional District, NBC News projects
Republican Tom Barrett wins the House seat in Michigan’s 7th Congressional District, NBC News projects. The race was for an open seat previously held by a Democrat.
See the latest results here.
Trump says vote gave Republicans Senate, and mandate
Trump told supporters early Wednesday that “America has given us an unprecedented and powerful mandate.”
“We have taken back control of the Senate,” Trump said to cheers.
He also thanked House Speaker Mike Johnson, who was among those joining Trump on stage in Florida. Trump predicted that Republicans would keep control of the House of Representatives.
NBC News has not yet projected the outcome of the presidential race.
Trump says his campaign ‘overcame obstacles’
Isabella RamirezIsabella Ramirez is a politics intern with NBC News.
Trump said tonight that his campaign “overcame obstacles” in his White House bid.
“We overcame obstacles that nobody thought possible, and it’s now clear we’ve achieved the most incredible political thing — look what happened, is this crazy?” Trump told a crowd of supporters in West Palm Beach, Florida.
“But it’s a political victory that our country has never seen before,” he added.
NBC News Exit Poll: Latinos helped Trump flip Pennsylvania
Hannah Hartig, NBC News Exit Poll Desk
NBC News projects that Trump has won another critical battleground state: Pennsylvania, which Biden won in 2020.
Trump was boosted by several key groups, including Latinos, who shifted toward Trump by double digits, the NBC News Exit Poll found. In 2020, 27% of Latino voters in Pennsylvania cast ballots for Trump. This year, 42% of Latino voters did. Young voters, independents and those with no college degree also moved toward Trump.
Trump says he has been elected 47th president; NBC News hasn’t yet projected race
Trump expressed gratitude for his supporters, saying, “I want to thank the American people for the extraordinary honor of being elected your 47th president and your 45th president.”
NBC News has not projected the race.
Kellyanne Conway blasts Harris for focusing on abortion
Kellyanne Conway, on Fox News, attacked the Harris campaign’s focus on reproductive rights, saying she spoke to women “from the waist down.”
“I think Kamala Harris was talking to us from the waist down, and I think Donald Trump was talking to us from the waist up,” Conway said.
Conway said that Trump focused more on policies that Americans care about, adding that Harris “insulted” women by only focusing on abortion.
“I mean, you got to talk to the woman in full,” Conway said. “It’s as if she doesn’t know anything about the economy, or she doesn’t care about what’s going on in Ukraine, or Israel with Iran, or can’t do the math on her grocery bill.”
“It’s an insult, of course people care, but we care about many things, just as we are not monolithic in life are not monolithic thinkers, politically,” Conway added.
Nevada defeats ranked-choice voting amendment
Trump pledges to ‘help our country heal’
In his speech to supporters, Trump pledged to “help our country heal.”
“We have a country that needs help and needs help very badly,” he said, adding that he would “fix our borders” in a second term.
NBC News has not projected a winner in the presidential race.
Republican Christi Jacobsen wins re-election in Montana secretary of state’s race, NBC News projects
Hoax bomb threats didn’t hinder voters from casting ballots, U.S. official says
Bomb threats reported in several battleground states on Election Day were all deemed noncredible and “did not impact the ability of voters to cast their ballot,” said Jen Easterly, director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency.
The threats were “prepared for, exercised for and effectively mitigated,” she told reporters on a call.
Though many of the threats originated from Russian email domains, Easterly did not go as far as to say that Russia was definitively behind them. She said it was possible that someone could be operating from a .ru domain without actually being in Russia or acting on its behalf.
Democrat Henry Cuellar wins re-election to the House in Texas’ 28th Congressional District, NBC News projects
Trump enters stage, flanked by family and allies, to address supporters
Trump has walked onstage and is about to speak. He entered to his usual walkout song, “God Bless the USA.”
He was flanked by his family members and allies onstage.
Republicans celebrate in Florida and Capitol Hill
As Republicans wait for Trump to speak, Republicans across the country were in celebratory mood in Florida and elsewhere.
In West Palm Beach, the crowd erupted in cheers after Fox News called the election for the former president. Staffers hugged and high-fived as the news was announced.
Farther north on Capitol Hill, chants of “USA” broke out at a watch party of young Republicans after the network call.
“We need to play ‘Y.M.C.A.,’” said one attendee, referring to the song by the Village People that has become the Trump rally refrain.
Speaking to the room of supporters shortly afterward, American Moment President Saurabh Sharma quoted Kimberly Guilfoyle: “The best is yet to come.”
Stock futures surge as Pennsylvania is called for Trump
U.S. stock futures, which indicate where trading will open this morning, surged as news outlets, including NBC News, projected that Trump will win the key battleground state of Pennsylvania.
Dow Jones Industrial Average futures soared more than 850 points, or more than 2%. S&P 500 futures, the index widely held in average Americans’ 401(k) accounts, also jumped nearly 2%.
Republican Dave Sunday wins Pennsylvania attorney general’s race, NBC News projects
NBC News Exit Poll: White voters with college degrees support Harris by a 10-point margin
Hannah Hartig, NBC News Exit Poll Desk
White voters with college degrees have shifted toward Democratic candidates for president over the last three elections, and this year they supported Harris over Trump by a 10-point margin, the NBC News Exit Poll found. In 2016, the group broke for Trump by 3 percentage points.
The shift has come from both white men and white women with college degrees, though the women strongly supported Harris over Trump, 59% to 39%, while the men were about evenly divided.
Jubilant Trump supporters in West Palm Beach
Max Butterworth
Supporters celebrate as they wait to hear Trump speak in West Palm Beach, Florida, this morning.
NBC News Exit Poll: More voters have an unfavorable view of both presidential candidates
Hannah Hartig, NBC News Exit Poll Desk
A slightly higher share of voters say they have unfavorable views of both presidential candidates this year compared with four years ago — and slightly more of those voters are breaking for Trump than did so in 2020, according to the NBC News Exit Poll.
Just 3% of voters had unfavorable views of both Biden and Trump in 2020. This year, 8% of voters had unfavorable views of both Harris and Trump, the poll found.
Those voters preferred Trump: 55% voted for Trump compared with 3 in 10 who voted for Harris. A large share of those voters — 14% — said they supported a candidate other than Trump or Harris.
Getting him closer to the presidency, Donald Trump wins in Pennsylvania, NBC News projects
Donald Trump is projected to win Pennsylvania’s presidential contest, besting Kamala Harris and securing the state’s 19 electoral votes.
He is now just four electoral votes away from a projected win.
This is the second battleground state, after Georgia, that Trump has flipped red. He also defended North Carolina. Harris has yet to pick up a battleground state.
Pennsylvania is also part of the “blue wall,” along with Michigan and Wisconsin. The three states have voted together in recent elections.
Pennsylvania is viewed as a critical swing state, and both candidates spent a lot of time campaigning there. Trump’s win in the state significantly limits Harris’ path to the presidency.
See the latest results here.
Democrat Jeff Jackson wins North Carolina attorney general’s race, NBC News projects
Missouri passes abortion-rights amendment
Emily Randall becomes first out LGBTQ Latina elected to Congress
Washington state Sen. Emily Randall won the race to represent her state’s 6th Congressional District, NBC News projects, making her the first out LGBTQ Latina elected to Congress and the first LGBTQ member from Washington.
Randall, a Democrat, defeated Republican Drew MacEwen for the open seat, which is currently held by Democrat Derek Kilmer.
Randall focused on “fighting climate change,” “lowering costs for families” and “safeguarding access to abortion,” according to her campaign website.
There are currently 12 openly LGBTQ members of Congress: three senators and nine representatives. Ten of the current members are running for re-election, along with seven nonincumbents. All but one of the 17 candidates are Democrats.
NBC News has projected that 10 of those 17 candidates, including Randall, have won their races. Delaware’s Sarah McBride made history as the first out transgender person elected to Congress, and Texas’ Julie Johnson made history as the first LGBTQ person elected from the South.
NBC News Exit Poll: Vance and Walz tie in favorability
Vance and Walz, the vice presidential nominees, are both men from the Midwest. According to the NBC News Exit Poll, they were each viewed favorably by 46% of voters.
Ohio defeats nonpartisan redistricting amendment
Ohio voters did not pass an amendment that would have established a citizens’ commission to conduct redistricting.
See the latest results here.
Democrat Maggie Goodlander wins House seat in New Hampshire’s 2nd Congressional District, NBC News projects
Democrat Maggie Goodlander wins the House seat in New Hampshire’s 2nd Congressional District, NBC News projects.
See the latest results here.
Trump wins 4 of the 5 Electoral College votes in Nebraska, NBC News projects
Pushing him closer to regaining power, Trump has won four of the five Electoral College votes in Nebraska, NBC News projects.
NBC News Exit Poll: Latino men split for Trump, ending a Democratic-leaning streak
Mara Ostfeld, NBC News Exit Poll Desk
Fewer than half of Latino men voted for Harris, according to the NBC News Exit Poll. This is the first time that a majority of Latino men did not vote for the Democratic presidential candidate in at least the last five elections. Fifty-four percent of Latino men voted for Trump this year.
This election also marks the most pronounced gap between the votes of Latino men and women in recent electoral history. Latinas were 16 percentage points more likely to vote for Harris than Latino men, the poll found.
This gender gap was larger than the one among either Black or white voters in this election.
Ballot measures targeting noncitizen voting approved in 8 states
Voters approved Republican-backed constitutional amendments designed to make it clear that only American citizens can vote in elections in all eight states they appeared on the ballot, NBC News projects.
Clear majorities of voters in Idaho, Iowa, Kentucky, Missouri, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina and Wisconsin passed constitutional amendments making it explicitly illegal for noncitizens to vote in state and local elections — even though it’s already illegal for noncitizens to vote in elections in those states and at the federal level and even though it rarely happens.
Read the full story here.
Trump to address supporters in Florida tonight
Trump is on his way to the Palm Beach County Convention Center, where he is expected to address supporters.
Campaign officials previously told NBC News that they were waiting for North Carolina and Georgia to be called before Trump would speak.
NBC News Exit Poll: The Biden voters who were most likely to flip for Trump
About 5% of people who voted for either Biden or Trump in 2020 switched their votes to the other major party this year, according to the NBC News Exit Poll.
Crossing over from voting Biden in 2020 to Trump in 2024 was relatively common among Latino and Asian American voters.
Looking at the reverse trend, the poll found that 16% of Black adults who voted for Trump four years ago backed Harris this year.
Republican Derrick Van Orden wins re-election to the House in Wisconsin’s 3rd Congressional District, NBC News projects
Republican Derrick Van Orden wins re-election to the House in Wisconsin’s 3rd Congressional District, NBC News projects.
See the latest results here.
NBC News Exit Poll: America’s political ‘education gap’ grows wider
Patrick J. Egan, NBC News Exit Poll Desk
Harris is on track to win 57% of the votes of Americans with four-year college degrees this year, according to the NBC News Exit Poll. If that number holds, it will be the best performance of any Democratic presidential candidate among college graduates in the past five elections.
At the same time, the exit poll indicates Trump will win 54% of those who do not hold bachelor’s degrees. If so, that will the GOP’s best performance among the group in the past five elections.
In 2008, Democrat Barack Obama and Republican John McCain performed equally well among college graduates and those without degrees. Today, the Democratic Party, long viewed as the champion of working-class people, relies heavily on college graduates — most of whom hold white-collar jobs — to win elections. By contrast, the GOP coalition is now dominated by those without college degrees, many of whom are blue-collar workers.
Presidential race too close to call in Nevada, NBC News projects
Idaho joins conservative states passing citizenship voting requirement
NBC News Exit Poll: Trump wins Georgia, powered by anti-abortion and white evangelical voters
Patrick J. Egan, NBC News Exit Poll Desk
Trump’s projected victory in the battleground state of Georgia was powered by anti-abortion voters, white evangelical Christians and voters who want a candidate to bring needed change, according to the NBC News Exit Poll.
About a third of the state’s electorate supports making abortion illegal in all or most cases, the poll found, and those voters overwhelmingly backed Trump over Harris. Trump also led handily among Georgia voters disapproving of Biden’s job performance.
Idaho defeats amendment to establish ranked-choice voting
Arizona passes abortion-rights amendment
Stein pulls significant vote share in Dearborn, Mich., amid progressive and Arab American criticism of war in Gaza
Green Party nominee Jill Stein pulled in 22% of the vote in Dearborn, a heavily Arab American city in Michigan, as progressive and Arab American voters have panned the White House’s posture on Israel’s war with Hamas in Gaza.
Stein’s share is just a few percentage points below Harris’ 28% share in Dearborn, according to unofficial results from the city clerk (which do not include absentee votes). And both candidates fell far short of Trump, who is at 47%.
Regardless of whether those margins hold after the absentee votes are counted, it’s clear that a significant share of voters in the city broke against Harris. That’s especially notable considering that the Harris campaign tried to target the community with digital advertising playing up her words about stopping the “human suffering in Gaza,” as Republican-aligned groups sought to stress her support for Israel, with one going as far to lean on antisemitic “dual loyalty” tropes, most likely in the hope of souring these voters on Harris.
Nevada passes abortion-rights amendment
Nevada passes amendment increasing voter ID requirements
Nevada voters have passed an amendment that increases voter ID requirements.
The proposed constitutional amendment on the ballot would require people to show identification when they vote in person.
Under state rules, voters are required to pass the measure in two consecutive elections for it to take effect, meaning it will go back on the ballot in 2026.
See the latest results here.
Republican Derek Brown wins Utah attorney general’s race, NBC News projects
All polls have officially closed
All polls in the U.S. have closed in the 2024 election.
NBC News Exit Poll: Voters becoming less divided along racial and ethnic lines
Patrick J. Egan
Trump is on track to win 1 in 3 votes cast by voters of color this year, according to the NBC News Exit Poll. If that number holds, this year will mark Trump’s strongest performance among nonwhite voters in his three runs for president. The shift was driven by Latino and Asian voters; Black voters’ support remained relatively flat.
Meanwhile, Harris’ support among white voters — at 43% — is the best performance of any Democratic candidate since Barack Obama in 2008.
To be clear, the GOP continues to perform better with white voters, among whom Trump leads Harris, 55% to 43%. And the Democrats enjoy solid support from people of color: Harris leads 65% to 32%. But political polarization along racial and ethnic lines has diminished.
Russia was accused of orchestrating bomb threats against polling sites in last week’s election in Moldova
As the FBI investigates Russia’s possible role in hoax bomb threats against polling stations in five swing states, Moscow already stands accused of orchestrating bomb threats against polling sites in an election in Europe.
Germany yesterday blamed Russia for trying to prevent Moldovans abroad from casting ballots in the country’s presidential election last week, through bomb threats and other forms of voter intimidation.
Germany’s foreign minister, Annalena Baerbock, said Russia had carried out a “massive, coordinated attempt” in Moldova to interfere in the election against a pro-Western candidate.
Bomb threats targeted several polling stations in Germany, including in Hamburg, Frankfurt, Kaiserslautern and Berlin, where expatriate Moldovans were due to vote, German officials said.
Despite the Russian interference efforts, which included an extensive disinformation campaign, Moldova’s pro-Western president, Maia Sandu, won a second term.
“It’s not totally clear yet, but there seems to be a playbook here,” said Bret Schafer, a senior fellow at the Alliance for Securing Democracy at the German Marshall Fund.
Schafer co-wrote an analysis published this morning that warned Moscow might try the same approach on America’s Election Day as it did in Moldova.
“The Kremlin is known for testing disinformation strategies in its ‘backyard’ before applying those strategies globally,” the report said.
Russia has denied trying to interfere in the U.S. and Moldovan elections.
The FBI said that it was aware of hoax bomb threats targeting polling places and election offices in five battleground states and that the threats in four of those states came from Russian email domains.
The emails and threats were similar in language and structure, according to a senior FBI official and a senior law enforcement official.
If it is found to have been carried out by Moscow, the flurry of bomb threats would represent a major escalation in Russia’s election interference efforts in the U.S., far beyond its previous spread of false claims about voter fraud, experts said.
Harris wins in New Mexico, NBC News projects
Harris is projected to win New Mexico’s presidential contest, besting Trump and securing the state’s five electoral votes.
See the latest results here.
How a push for early voting may have helped Trump in Georgia
NBC News’ Blayne Alexander reports on the possible impact of Trump’s encouraging early voting as the Georgia secretary of state says he believes Trump has an insurmountable lead in the state.
NBC News Exit Poll: Trump wins more voters under 30 than any Republican presidential candidate since 2008
Hannah Hartig, NBC News Exit Poll Desk
Trump is on track to pick up a larger share of voters under 30 than any Republican presidential candidate since 2008, according to the NBC News Exit Poll.
Trump is performing better than he has previously among both young men and young women. Those gains mean young men are split in their preference, with 49% supporting Harris and 47% supporting Trump.
While Trump has also picked up support among women under 30, they still overwhelmingly favor Democratic candidates, supporting Harris by a double-digit margin, 62% to 36%.
Men and women under 30 prioritized very different issues at the ballot box. While 4 in 10 young women said abortion was the most important issue to their votes, just 11% of men under 30 said the same. Young men were far more likely to prioritize the state of democracy (36%) or the economy (37%).
One thing Democrats’ previous victories in Georgia had in common
Trump’s victory in Georgia tonight highlights a trend: After 1992, Democrats have carried Georgia in a presidential or Senate race only when Raphael Warnock has been on the ballot.
Warnock, the popular senator-reverend, was on the ballot in 2020, when he and Sen. Jon Ossoff, D-Ga., as well as Biden won Georgia. Warnock won the state again in 2022 for a full six-year term.
Harris won’t address supporters tonight, campaign co-chair says
Harris will not address supporters at Howard University tonight and will instead address the nation tomorrow, Harris-Walz campaign co-chair Cedric Richmond said.
Richmond announced the news moments ago to supporters in a brief message.
Meanwhile, the crowd gathered for Trump’s election night party booed loudly when Fox News aired Richmond’s announcement.
Trump has been projected to win two battleground states, narrowing the Harris campaign’s possible path to victory.
Howard is Harris’ alma mater.
NBC News Exit Poll: Among voters nationwide, Trump is seen as more extreme than Harris
Hannah Hartig, NBC News Exit Poll Desk
Both Harris and Trump have strived to convince voters that the opposing candidate is out of sync with the average American. In the NBC News Exit Poll, a slightly higher share of voters across the country said Trump is too extreme compared with those who said the same of Harris.
But a higher share of Trump’s supporters (13%) than Harris’ (4%) said their own candidate’s views were too extreme.
Harris campaign vibe check: ‘Not good’
One Democrat at a gathering of major Harris donors at a hotel in Washington, D.C., likened the atmosphere to that of a funeral. A Harris campaign official summed up the mood simply: “Not good.”
At the start of the night, Harris campaign officials were expressing confidence and saying they believed she would win. As the results rolled in, their disposition was significantly tempered, bordering on glum.
“People are anxious. People are understandably quiet and restless because they just want to see something break,” a Harris aide said. “Folks want to win and want to see one of the battlegrounds called for her.”
Late in the evening, Harris campaign chair Jen O’Malley Dillon argued the Democratic ticket still had a path through the “blue wall” states of Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania, all of which were still too close to call at midnight on the East Coast.
“Praying for a miracle,” a former Biden campaign aide said. “It’s all on the blue wall.”
At Harris headquarters on the campus of Howard University in Washington, thousands stared at screens in near-silence, stone-faced. No one waved the American flags that were handed out earlier in the evening. The vibe went from joyful and celebratory to worried and anxious, per our NBC News team on the ground there.
A few dozen people in the crowd, clearly done with watching the returns showing Harris’ seemingly shrinking path, started chanting: “Music! Music!” Soon after, the giant screen playing cable news was muted and the DJ began blaring some rap music.
Some Harris staffers were pacing around with blank looks on their faces.
“Biting my nails to nubs,” a former White House aide said. “People are crazier than I gave them credit for.”
A Democratic lawmaker told NBC News that overall, “it’s pretty concerning. I just keep reminding myself that eight years ago all the trends in the first few hours showed Hillary winning, and then she didn’t. But obviously this is not the return we were looking for.”
Asked about the results thus far, a Democratic congressman texted a one-word reply: “F—.”
Projected Ohio Senate winner Moreno says he wants to eliminate some agencies
Republican Bernie Moreno, who NBC News projected upset Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown of Ohio to fli p the seat, told supporters he wants to “get rid of federal agencies.”
Moreno did not name any agencies in his speech.
“What we’re going to do is massively reduce the size and scale of the federal government, and we’re going to do it from Congress, because it’s Congress that has the power of the purse,” Moreno said.
“Now, that starts by getting rid of agencies that we don’t need, relocating them out of Washington, D.C.,” he said.
SpaceX founder Elon Musk has also said Americans would most likely experience “temporary hardship” because of deep cuts in government spending if Trump wins.
At Trump’s Madison Square Garden rally, Musk said he wants to cut $2 trillion from the federal budget. He did not specify where the cuts would come from.
Photos: Attendees await Trump in West Palm Beach
Elise Wrabetz
Republican Deb Fischer wins re-election to the U.S. Senate in Nebraska, NBC News projects
Republican Deb Fischer wins re-election to the U.S. Senate in Nebraska, NBC News projects. Her win was enough to give Republicans control of the chamber.
See the latest results here.
Republicans will take the Senate, NBC News projects
Republicans will take control of the U.S. Senate, NBC News projects, handing the upper chamber back to the GOP next year after four years of Democratic control.
The win was propelled by flipping two seats, in Ohio and West Virginia. Republicans could still increase their control of the chamber.
Trump has won Georgia, NBC News projects. The win flips a state that Trump lost in 2020.
Republican Robert Bresnahan wins U.S. House seat in Pennsylvania’s 8th Congressional District, NBC News projects
Republican Robert Bresnahan wins U.S. House seat in Pennsylvania’s 8th Congressional District, NBC News projects.
Bresnahan’s victory is the first Republican flip of a Democratic-held House seat of the evening. He defeated Democratic Rep. Matt Cartwright, who was one of five Democrats representing a district Trump won in 2020.
See the latest results here.
NBC News Exit Poll: Trump makes gains with Latino and Black voters in ‘blue wall’ states
Trump is outpacing his 2020 performance among Latinos in the “blue wall” states of Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, the NBC News Exit Poll found. He is winning the Latino vote in Michigan and is performing 14 points better among Latinos in Pennsylvania than he did four years ago.
Trump is also outpacing his 2020 performance among Black voters in Pennsylvania and Michigan, though to a lesser degree. The most dramatic change is in Wisconsin, where Trump roughly doubled his support among Black voters from 8% in 2020 to 21% this year.
Kellyanne Conway: A Trump win alongside a GOP House majority could insulate him from ‘impeachment shenanigans’
In an appearance on Fox News, former Trump adviser Kellyanne Conway told viewers that if Trump is elected to another term, she hopes Republicans also control the House to prevent House Democrats from impeaching him again.
“I think that if [Trump] can hold on to the House, Bret, then he really insulates himself from any of these impeachment shenanigans and whatnot,” Conway told Fox News host Bret Baier, referring to the fact that House Democrats impeached Trump twice during his first term.
“I got to tell you,” Conway added, “if this is a decisive victory — and we’re not there yet — but if it’s a decisive victory, then I think the Democrats have to think thrice about this lawfare strategy that they have put on his shoulders like an anvil.”
NBC News has not projected a winner in the presidential race.
Sherrod Brown concedes Ohio Senate race to Bernie Moreno
Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, formally conceded to Republican challenger Bernie Moreno after midnight, calling on his supporters to continue fighting for freedom.
“We may be tempted to say hope was not enough,” said Brown, who was first elected to the Senate in 2007. “We believe if you love this country, you fight for the people who make it work. We always will.
“It will never be wrong to fight for the freedom of women to make their health care decisions,” Brown added, alluding to the fight over abortion rights after the fall of Roe v. Wade. “It sure will never be wrong to fight for civil rights and human rights.”
In recent years, Ohio has shifted sharply to the political right and become a more solidly Republican state.
Republican John Curtis wins Senate race in Utah, NBC News projects
Republican John Curtis has won the Senate race in Utah, NBC News projects. The victory brings Republicans within one state of taking control the Senate.
See the latest results here.
Photos: Anxious Harris supporters await results at Howard University
Matthew Nighswander
Harris supporters watch results come in during an election night watch party at Howard University, the vice president’s alma mater, in Washington, D.C.
Gallego reassures supporters as results trickle in: ‘We fought for Arizona’
Rep. Ruben Gallego’s speech at the Arizona Democratic Party’s election night party could barely be heard amid anxious chatter in the crowd. Gallego acknowledged that his race to become Arizona’s next senator is unlikely to be called tonight.
“One result is already coming through and clear: We fought for Arizona,” Gallego told the crowd. “One result is already coming through [loud] and clear. We fought for Arizona, and because of that, we are going to win.”
“I still want to thank all Arizonans, all Arizonans who supported me, Democrats, Republicans, independents, and to those who didn’t, to those who didn’t, I want you to know that regardless of who you voted for today, I will stand up and fight for you as hard as I fought to get out of poverty,” he said.
Arizona woman says she got involved in campaign for her daughters and granddaughter
Pearl Moses, of Mesa, Arizona, was a senior in high school when Roe v. Wade was decided. She had friends who resorted to “back alley” abortions in their youth and saw how it had damaged and affected them, she said.
“Nothing will ever stop abortions,” Moses said at the Yes on Prop 139 watch party in Phoenix. “What Roe v. Wade did just save women’s lives and keep them away from the back alleys.”
Decades later, Moses has dedicated countless hours to securing abortion access in Arizona. She hosted parties, canvassed, phoned banked and collected signatures.
“I wanted to do it for my daughters. I wanted to do it for my granddaughter,” she said. “I’m the one that can put in the time to try to make this happen. It’s for them as much as it is for me.”
‘Pretty bleak’: Guests at European ambassador’s watch party grow pessimistic
At a watch party hosted by a European ambassador in Washington, D.C., some guests have grown pessimistic as more election results come in.
“Pretty bleak” was how one guest, who was not authorized to speak on the record, described the results. When North Carolina was called for Trump, another attendee uttered a single word: “Terrifying.”
“I’m still hoping for Kamala, but I’m an optimist,” said a Spanish diplomat, who declined to offer their name. A colleague added, “I am manifesting Kamala. I fear I will have to go to sleep with Donald Trump” in the lead.
Harris wins in Hawaii, NBC News projects
Harris is projected to win Hawaii’s presidential contest, besting Trump and securing the state’s four electoral votes.
See the latest results here.
Democrats flip two competitive House seats
So far tonight, Democrats have flipped two competitive House seats, NBC News projects: Alabama’s 2nd District and New York’s 22nd District.
Both districts were redrawn after the 2022 midterms, making each more heavily Democratic.
In Alabama, the seat was open, and Democrat Shomari Figures, a former Justice Department official, is projected to win.
In New York, GOP Rep. Brandon Williams, who faced an uphill re-election battle, is projected to lose to Democrat John Mannion.
Democrat Steve Hobbs wins re-election in Washington secretary of state’s race, NBC News projects
Democrat Tobias Read wins Oregon secretary of state’s race, NBC News projects
Oregon votes against ranked-choice voting measure
California voters repeal Prop. 8
California voters passed Proposition 3, NBC News projects. The ballot referendum establishes a right to marry in the state, regardless of gender or race, and removes language from the California Constitution stating that marriage is exclusively a union between one man and one woman.
California was one of three states, along with Colorado and Hawaii, that allowed residents to vote on ballot measures this year that would remove language from their state constitutions prohibiting same-sex marriage.
While these bans have been unenforceable since the Supreme Court’s 2015 Obergefell v. Hodges ruling, which guaranteed same-sex couples across the country the right to marry, the ballot measures sought to proactively protect these rights should that landmark decision be overturned.
Fear that Obergefell could be overturned was fueled after the Supreme Court overturned the landmark Roe v. Wade abortion ruling in 2022, doing away with a half-century of precedent.
NBC News Exit Poll: Trump gains support among independent voters
Maureen Michaels, NBC News Exit Poll Desk
Harris narrowly edged out Trump among independent voters, 50% to 45%, but Trump has built support among them since 2020, according to the NBC News Exit Poll.
Among independent female voters, Trump remained steady since 2020 at about 4 in 10. Among independent men, Trump went up slightly from 45% in 2020 to 50%.
Missouri votes to raise the minimum wage
Minnesota is too close to call, NBC News projects
NBC News projects that the presidential race in Minnesota is too close to call. Hillary Clinton and Biden won the state in 2016 and 2020, respectively.
The state’s governor, Democrat Tim Walz, is Harris’ vice presidential nominee.
Democrat Bob Ferguson wins Washington governor’s race, NBC News projects
Harris wins in Virginia, NBC News projects
Harris is projected to win Virginia’s presidential contest, besting Trump and securing the state’s 13 electoral votes.
The state was not seen as competitive, but Trump narrowed the margin more than was expected.
See the latest results here.
Trump claims first battleground state with win in N.C., NBC News projects
Donald Trump is projected to win North Carolina’s presidential contest, besting Kamala Harris and securing the state’s 16 electoral votes.
Trump closely won the state in 2020, and the state has not voted for a Democratic presidential candidate since 2008. Democrats saw the state as a possible way to expand their path to 270 Electoral College votes.
North Carolina is one of seven battleground states, and Trump’s projected win is a significant boost for his campaign. Vance had said in September that it would be “very hard” for the Trump campaign to win the White House if it did not take North Carolina.
See the latest results here.
Harris campaign holding out hope in Pennsylvania and Wisconsin
As Trump appears to have made gains in battleground states since 2020, the Harris campaign is holding out hope that the “blue wall” states will bring a victory.
Symone Sanders-Townsend reported on MSNBC that Harris’ aides expect tens of thousands of absentee ballots to be counted in their favor in Philadelphia County within the next hours. The campaign does not believe it will repeat Biden’s win in Georgia but is waiting it out.
Ian Sams, a Harris campaign spokesperson, wrote on X that the Michigan county that is home to Detroit has not yet been counted. Sams pointed out that the current margin in Michigan is roughly 100,000 votes, while Biden won the county by more than three times that margin.
Democrat Amy Klobuchar wins re-election to the Senate in Minnesota, NBC News projects
Trump wins county where he was nearly assassinated by same margin as in 2020
With virtually all of the vote counted in Butler County, Pennsylvania, Trump holds a 32-point edge over Harris.
Butler County was the site of the first attempt on Trump’s life in July.
Trump carried Butler County by 32 points in 2020 and 38 points in 2016.
Turnout is up in Butler County, though, and both Trump and Harris exceeded the raw vote total Trump and Biden got there in 2020.
NBC News Exit Poll: Senior vote divided between Harris and Trump
Maureen Michaels, NBC News Exit Poll Desk
Seniors were split between Harris and Trump, the NBC News Exit Poll found, with 50% reporting they voted for Harris and 49% for Trump.
The senior vote, however, differed by gender. Among women ages 65 and older, 54% voted for Harris, while 55% of men in the age group voted for Trump.
Latino voter shift fuels Ted Cruz’s re-election victory
The story of the Texas Senate race: Ted Cruz won Latino voters by 6 points en route to re-election, according to NBC News exit polls.
In his last race in 2018, Cruz lost Latinos by 29 points, exit polls showed.
A striking 35-point swing.
Ohio Sen.-elect Bernie Moreno tells supporters: ‘I will not let you down’
Fresh off of a victory in Ohio’s Senate race, businessman Bernie Moreno, who NBC News projects has defeated Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown, told supporters, “This is a new dawn of Republican leadership.”
With Moreno’s victory, Republicans have now netted two new Senate seats. If no Republicans lose Republican-held seats, the GOP will be expected to take over the Senate majority.
Moreno addressed Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., in his victory speech, telling him: “You’re fired, buddy.”
Then, he attempted to present a unifying message to Ohio voters, addressing those who didn’t vote for him by saying, “I will work for the next six years to win you over,” and telling his own supporters, “I will not let you down.”
Julie Johnson becomes first out LGBTQ candidate in the South elected to Congress
State Rep. Julie Johnson won the race to represent Texas’ 32nd Congressional District, NBC News projects, making her the first out LGBTQ person from the South elected to Congress.
Johnson, a Democrat, defeated Republican Darrell Day.
“Together, we have shattered barriers and proven that representation matters,” Johnson wrote on Instagram. “This moment is a testament to the power of collective action. It’s about the countless individuals who fought for equality and inclusion and the belief that our government should reflect the will of its people. To everyone who knocked on doors, made calls, donated, shared our message, and believed in this campaign, your efforts were not in vain. This win belongs to you.”
There are 12 openly LGBTQ members of Congress: three senators and nine representatives. Ten of the current members are running for re-election, along with seven challengers. All but one of the 17 candidates are Democrats.
Harris wins in Connecticut, NBC News projects
Harris is projected to win Connecticut’s presidential contest, besting Trump and securing the state’s seven electoral votes.
See the latest results here.
Democrat Maria Cantwell wins re-election to the Senate in Washington, NBC News projects
Harris wins in Washington state, NBC News projects
Harris is projected to win Washington’s presidential contest, besting Trump and securing the state’s 12 electoral votes.
See the latest results here.
NBC News Exit Poll: First-time voters lean toward Trump in a reversal from 2020
Hannah Hartig, NBC News Exit Poll Desk
Voters who cast their ballots for the first time in this election are breaking for Trump over Harris — a reversal from 2020, when a majority of first-time voters picked Biden, according to the NBC News Exit Poll.
In 2020, voters who cast ballots for the first time broke for Biden over Trump 64% to 32%. But this year, first-time voters had a slight preference for Trump over Harris, 55% to 44%, the poll found.
As was the case four years ago, those new voters are much younger than those who have cast ballots before; roughly 6 in 10 are under age 30.
There is a gender gap among them, with men likelier to support Trump and women likelier to support Harris.
Washington, D.C., passes ranked-choice voting
Voters in Washington, D.C., have passed a measure that will allow nonpartisan primaries by implementing ranked-choice voting.
See the latest results here.
Rep. Rob Menendez Jr., son of embattled former Sen. Bob Menendez, wins re-election
Rep. Rob Menendez Jr., D-N.J., has won re-election, NBC News projects.
Menendez was running in a safely Democratic seat, but he faced minor headwinds because of his father’s indictment this year.
The elder Menendez, former Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., was found guilty on charges of accepting bribes this year and resigned in August. Rep. Andy Kim, D-N.J., is projected to take over the Senate seat.
Photos: Volunteers distribute pizza to hungry voters in Montana
Matthew Nighswander
“We just want everyone to get out and vote. This means a tremendous amount to so many people in our community and our country, and we just want people to get out and take it seriously,” election volunteer Jill Roberts said.
James Kapp said: “This is the American thing to do. If you’re going to complain about anything that we have politically and stuff, you gotta vote, you’ve gotta have your say. Otherwise you need to just shut up; you don’t have a reason to complain.”
Reproductive health care advocates cautiously optimistic in Arizona
Advocates for reproductive health care in Arizona are cautiously optimistic their measure will pass tonight after an initial batch of results came in from Maricopa County.
“We’re feeling really good,” Dawn Penich, of Arizona for Abortion Access, said at a Phoenix watch party for Yes on Pro p 139.
Jennifer Sheets, an advocate and rape survivor, said she came prepared tonight for any result but is happy with the early turnout.
“If the last results turn it in some way, it just means we have more work to do,” she said.
Pearla Sandberg said she was 19 years old when she had an abortion and can’t imagine being “forced” to give birth if she lived in a state where she couldn’t access the procedure.
“I’m nobody’s incubator,” she said.
Harris campaign chair acknowledges ‘razor thin race’
Harris’ campaign chair, Jen O’Malley Dillon, acknowledged in an email to campaign staff members this evening that this is a “razor thin race.”
“While we continue to see data trickle in from the Sun Belt states, we have known all along that our clearest path to 270 electoral votes lies through the Blue Wall states. And we feel good about what we’re seeing,” O’Malley Dillon wrote in the email, which was obtained by NBC News.
O’Malley Dillon said that the Harris campaign “overperformed turnout expectations in Philadelphia” and that it is waiting for a “significant amount of votes to come in” from Michigan, including from Detroit. She said it is also waiting for a “significant amount of vote” in Wisconsin’s Dane and Milwaukee counties, adding that it doesn’t expect the state’s complete results until 3 a.m. to 5 a.m.
“We’ve been saying for weeks that this race might not be called tonight,” she continued. “Those of you who were around in 2020 know this well: It takes time for all the votes to be counted — and all the votes will be counted. That’s how our system works. What we do know is this race is not going to come into focus until the early morning hours.”
NBC News Exit Poll in Florida: Abortion amendment fails with opposition from conservatives and Republicans
Maureen Michaels, NBC News Exit Poll Desk
The majority of Florida’s conservatives and Republicans opposed Amendment 4, according to the NBC News Exit Poll. The amendment, which would have added the right to an abortion to the state constitution, needed a “yes” vote from at least 60% of voters to pass; it failed to reach that threshold.
Still, the exit poll found widespread support for abortion rights in the state.
Opponents of Amendment 4 included 75% of conservatives and 70% of Republicans, according to the exit poll. Conservatives and Republicans are nearly 4 in 10 voters in Florida. Among political moderates, another large group of voters, more than 1 in 5 voted “no.”
Key groups who voted “yes” on Amendment 4 included 92% of Democrats, 79% of Black voters, 70% of women ages 18-44 and 63% of independents.
Raffensberger says Trump has an ‘insurmountable lead’ in Georgia
Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger told reporters late tonight that “if you look at who’s leading the race right now, Donald J. Trump has an insurmountable lead” in the state.
Though there are still thousands of outstanding votes in the state, Raffensperger added, “the math looks like this is done.”
The race is too close to call, NBC News projects.
Republican Bernie Moreno wins Senate race in Ohio, NBC News projects
Election watch party at U.S. Embassy in China
Janis Mackey Frayer
At an election event at the U.S. Embassy in Beijing, more than 200 embassy staff members and China-based diplomats are watching the results come in.
The main point of the event, though, according to U.S. Ambassador Nicholas Burns, is to send a message to people in China that an election is “democracy in its purest form.”
The vote is one of the top trending topics on Chinese social media, though censors here are amplifying comments and messaging aimed at painting democracy as a broken system.
Democrat Adam Schiff wins U.S. Senate race in California, NBC News projects
Democrat Adam Schiff has won the U.S. Senate race in California, NBC News projects. See the latest results here.
Schiff has also won the special election to fill the seat for the remainder of the term that ends in January. See the latest results here.
Trump has frequently lashed out at Schiff during campaign events. Last month, when Trump called Democrats who have opposed him “the enemy from within,” he specifically pointed to Schiff, calling him one of the “lunatics.”
Former Speaker Nancy Pelosi is an ally of Schiff and was one of his earliest backers in the race for the Senate seat.
The seat had previously been held for decades by the late Sen. Dianne Feinstein, who died in September of last year.
Democrat Martin Heinrich wins re-election to the Senate in New Mexico, NBC News projects
Democrat Martin Heinrich wins re-election to the Senate in New Mexico, NBC News projects. The seat was not competitive, but Republicans often try to pose a challenge in New Mexico.
See the latest results here.
NBC News Exit Poll: Record low share of voters identify as Democrats
In an ominous development for Democrats, the share of voters identifying with their party hit the lowest mark this century.
According to the NBC News Exit Poll, 32% of voters identified as Democrats, down from 37% four years ago. The poll also found the highest level this century of voters identifying as independent or “something else.”
The share of voters identifying as Republicans has moved less, standing at 34% this year.
Republicans win downballot Missouri races, NBC News projects
Missouri votes to approve citizenship amendment that prohibits ranked-choice voting
Missouri voters have approved an amendment that would both require citizenship to vote and prohibit the use of ranked-choice voting.
See the latest results here.
Democrat Shomari Figures wins House seat in Alabama’s 2nd Congressional District, NBC News projects
Harris wins in Oregon, NBC News projects
Harris is projected to win Oregon’s presidential contest, besting Trump and securing the state’s eight electoral votes.
See the latest results here.
Peachtree City woman barely makes it to vote before polls close
Reporting from Peachtree City, Ga.
Fayette County ranked high in Georgia’s early voting turnout this election, but Peachtree City resident Chéné Robinson barely made it before polls closed. She blamed the traffic.
“The way people were driving, I thought they were against me,” she said after she cast her vote for Harris at Gathering Place Senior Services.
Robinson said that reproductive rights drove her decision and that she could have been among the pregnant women who died high-profile deaths reported in Georgia after the state’s six-week abortion ban went into effect. She gestured over to her children waiting in their family van — ages 17, 15 and 6 — and said she experienced severe preeclampsia during all of their births.
“I almost died” with the younger two, she said. “Being able to have those options is not saying that you want to kill a kid. [It’s about] living to see another day. Luckily, I have two beautiful kids out of those experiences, but it’s really serious, and I’ve been through it multiple times.”
Harris wins in California, NBC News projects
Harris is projected to win California’s presidential contest, besting Trump and securing the state’s 54 electoral votes.
See the latest results here.
Trump wins in Idaho, NBC News projects
Trump is projected to win Idaho’s presidential contest, besting Harris and securing the state’s four electoral votes.
See the latest results here.
Temple University students vote in their first election: ‘So monumental’
Reporting from Philadelphia
Just outside Temple University in Philadelphia, excited students gathered at a polling site, thrilled to be voting for the first time.
“I feel like this presidential race is so monumental and definitely will be one of the most important in our lifetime,” said Melody Nixon, 20, a junior, adding that she felt it was “so cool” that she got to vote for a female presidential candidate.
Nixon said the most important issue to her was “definitely women’s rights” after Roe v. Wade was overturned, but she was also motivated by the economy, health care and the rhetoric against immigrants.
She said Harris “actually has economic plans for first-time homebuyers. She has plans to lower grocery prices. She has plans to help reinstate Roe vs. Wade.”
Elliot D’Alessandro, 20, said he was motivated largely by human rights issues.
He said he was initially “a little bit undecided” until he watched the debate between Harris and Trump.
“One of them was totally ineligible, should not even be on the stage, and one of them sounded composed,” D’Alessandro said. “You can hear what they’re going to do for people. It was very striking to me.” He added that selecting Harris as a first-time voter “feels important, and I feel like it’s something good.”
Nixon echoed that, adding, “Especially with Philly and just Pennsylvania, we’re a swing state.”
Map: Bomb threats reported in several battleground states
Ash Reynolds
Officials in at least three battleground states — Arizona, Georgia and Pennsylvania — have reported bomb threats today.
NBC News Exit Poll: Trump has an edge with late-deciding voters
Voters who said they decided on their picks for president in the closing days of the campaign broke slightly in Trump’s favor, 49% to 42%, according to the NBC News Exit Poll.
That suggests that to the degree that there was backlash to a comedian’s disparaging remarks about Puerto Rico at Trump’s Madison Square Garden rally just over a week ago, it did not result in his losing those who decided on their votes in the past week.
Overall, 7% of voters reported deciding in the last week of the campaign, 6% reported deciding in October and 7% in September. Seventy-nine percent said they decided before September.