Editors note: This post will be updated with the latest news throughout Election Night. Refresh for latest. Donald Trump has officially
Editors note: This post will be updated with the latest news throughout Election Night. Refresh for latest.
Donald Trump has officially been reelected President of the United States with a win in the state of Wisconsin pushing him over the 270 electoral college vote line.
The Republican has 277 electoral college votes to Kamala Harris‘ 224, with Trump winning the popular vote for the first time in his three White House bids. The Associated Press called the election formally for Trump at 2:37 a.m. PT this morning.
The victory was all but assured hours ago when the battleground state of Pennsylvania was called for him around 11:25 p.m. PT. No longer after that Trump took the stage in Palm Beach, FL for a victory speech that promised a “golden age” for America and praise for Elon Musk.
In the hours that followed a chorus of world leaders kissed the ring of the past and future POTUS they will have to deal with as of noon on January 20, 2025. Even with that, and the 279 electoral votes, Trump could do even better as further states like Alaska, Nevada and Michigan are decided.
11:22 p.m. PT/2:22 a.m. ET: Donald Trump Close To White House Win As Democrats’ Blue Wall Starts To Crumble
With MSNBC, CNN, the AP, Fox News and NewsNation calling the state of Pennsylvania for Donald Trump, the 45th President looks poised to become the 47th president in a stunning and chilling political resurrection.
10:07 p.m. PT/1:07 a.m. ET: Donald Trump Wins Georgia, Another Key Swing State
Donald Trump has won another key swing state, Georgia, the AP projects.
Trump earlier won North Carolina, and he has leads in the five other battleground states.
9:49 p.m. PT/12:49 a.m. ET: Kamala Harris Won’t Address Supporters & Nation Until Wednesday; Donald Trump Set To Speak Soon
It’s not over, but Election Night is over for Kamala Harris’ supporters in Washington DC for now.
“You won’t hear from the Vice President tonight, but you will hear from her tomorrow,” campaign co-chair Cedric Richmond told the thousands who had gathered at Harris’ alum Howard University in the early hours of Tuesday.
“She will be back here tomorrow to address not only the HU family, not only to address her supporters but to address the nation,” the ex-director of the White House Office of Public Engagement in the Biden administration added in a very compact speech as votes in battleground states hadn’t been tallied yet.
Cedric Richmond speaks during an election night event for Kamala Harris at Howard University in Washington, DC, on November 6, 2024.
Looking in much better shape electorally right now than where many thought he would be, the former president is scheduled to speak in Florida in the next hour or so.
With the Associated Press calling the race at 230 for Donald Trump and 210 for the VP at just after midnight ET. The winner needs 270 to win, with remaining votes and absentee ballots in Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, and Michigan seemingly holding the ballgame. Republican stronghold Alaska is set to close its polls in the next few minutes.
9:31 p.m. PT/12:31 a.m. ET Republicans Will Take Control Of The Senate
Republicans will take control of the Senate, as they flipped key seats in Ohio and West Virginia, while Democrats’ hopes of flipping any seats dimmed.
Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) lost his seat to Bernie Moreno, while Republican Jim Justice won the seat occupied by Sen. Joe Manchin (I-W.Va.), who chose not to run. Sen. Jon Tester (D-MT) was trailing in Montana.
Donald Trump continues to lead across key swing states. ABC News’ Jon Karl said, “Potentially, Donald Trump [is] on the precipice of the greatest comeback in political history.”
9:09 p.m. PT/12:09 a.m. ET Kamala Harris Wins Virginia and Hawaii, But Trails In Key Swing States
Kamala Harris was projected to win Virginia and Hawaii, narrowing Donald Trump’s lead in the electoral college.
But Trump has leads in Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania, the states that Harris needs if she is to have a chance of victory. Network coverage has focused on the extent to which Trump has improved his numbers since 2020.
On MSNBC, anchors and analysts have started to talk about a Trump presidency.
8:33 p.m. PT/11:33 p.m. ET Donald Trump Projected To Win Crucial Swing State Of North Carolina; Democrats Likely To Lose Senate Majority
Donald Trump was projected to win North Carolina, the AP projected, as he captured the first swing state of the evening.
His victory narrows Kamala Harris’ path to win the White House. Harris’ team has sent out an internal memo suggesting that their most likely path is through the so-called “blue wall” states of Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, which remain too close to call.
Meanwhile, Harris was projected to win New Mexico, as was expected.
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Meanwhile, Democrats’ hopes of retaining control of the Senate are all but nil, as Republican Bernie Moreno was projected to defeat incumbent Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH). In Texas, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) defeated Rep. Colin Allred (D-TX), denying Democrats a pickup opportunity.
8:02 p.m. PT/11:02 p.m. ET: As Polls Close In California, Kamala Harris Quickly Projected To Win
Kamala Harris was projected to win her home state of California, which is not a surprise, giving her the state’s 54 electoral votes.
Harris also was projected to win the state of Washington.
Meanwhile, none of the seven swing states have been called by the AP.
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Donald Trump was projected to win Idaho.
Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) was projected to easily defeat Republican Steve Garvey for California’s open Senate seat.
7:44 p.m. PT/10:44 p.m. ET: Donald Trump Wins Iowa And Kansas; “We Need A Hail Mary,” Says Cardi B, A Harris Supporter
Donald Trump has won Iowa and Kansas, the AP projects.
His victory in Iowa is particularly notable given that a poll released over the weekend, from Ann Seltzer, sent shockwaves through the political class, as it showed Kamala Harris leading by 3 percentage points.
Democrats are nervous, to say the least.
“We need a Hail Mary,” Cardi B, who endorsed Harris and appeared at a rally for her, wrote on Twitter.
7:04 p.m. PT/10:04 p.m. ET: Polls Close In Nevada But Too Early To Call; Kamala Harris Wins Colorado And Illinois, Donald Trump Wins Montana And Utah
Polls have just closed in the key swing state of Nevada, but like other swing states, the race is still too call.
Kamala Harris was projected to win Illinois and Colorado, while Donald Trump took Utah and Montana, according to the AP.
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On MSNBC, there has been some talk among the hosts as to why the race is so close.
“Just think of the last two weeks of what Donald Trump has said,” said Joy Reid.
Nicole Wallace, however, said that the split of the country means that the type of decisive victories, with early calls on election night, have been a thing of the past.
6 p.m. PT/9 p.m. ET: Hollywood Democrats Anxious As Race Points To A Long Night
Polls just closed in the key swing state of Nevada, while Kamala Harris was projected to win New Jersey and New York, as expected, as well as Delaware.
Donald Trump was projected to win Ohio, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wyoming and Louisiana.
In a race that has been close since behind schedule summer when the VP took over the Democratic standard from President Biden, tonight’s results so far are showing that this is all about the margins.
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That fact is anxiety inducing among some top Hollywood donors who have been deep in on Team Harris for months. “It’s going to be a long night,” one producer told Deadline this evening as polls started closing in states on the East Coast. “It’s all about Michigan, the battlegrounds, that’s what’s making me tense.”
NewsNation
In Senate races, Lisa Blunt Rochester is projected to become the first Black person to represent Delaware, while Angela Alsobrooks was projected to win in Maryland, defeating the state’s former Republican governor, Larry Hogan.
In House races, Maxwell Frost was reelected to the House in Florida. He is the youngest member of Congress.
Also in the Sunshine State, a Florida abortion rights amendment was projected to fail. It would have enshrined abortion rights into the state Constitution and garnered 57% of the vote, compact of the 60% margin needed.
5:32 p.m. PT/8:32 p.m. ET: Key Swing States Too Early To Call; Donald Trump Wins Arkansas
Donald Trump picked up another state, winning Arkansas, as expected, per the AP’s projection.
Meanwhile, key swing states remain too early to call.
A number of networks have projected that Democrat Josh Stein would handily defeat Republican Mark Robinson in the governor’s race in North Carolina. But it appears that the scandals surrounding Robinson may not have hurt Trump’s prospects in the state, which remains too close to call.
5:20 p.m. PT/8:20 p.m. ET: As Polls Close In Eastern States, Kamala Harris Takes Massachusetts, Donald Trump Wins Florida; Key Swing States Too Early To Call
Donald Trump has won his home state of Florida, as well as South Carolina, Tennessee, Missouri, Alabama and Mississippi, and Kamala Harris has won Massachusetts, Maryland, the District of Columbia, Rhode Island and Connecticut, the AP projected.
As a slew of states polls closed at the top of the hour, the early returns showed Harris leading in Texas and Ohio, but those figures are duplicitous, cautioned CNN’s John King.
MSNBC’s election night coverage
Virginia Sherwood/MSNBC
“Caution is the operative word here,” King said.
Polls just closed in Alabama, Connecticut, Delaware, Washington, D.C., remaining parts of Florida, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Tennessee.
4:30 p.m. PT/7:30 p.m. ET: Donald Trump Wins West Virginia As Polls Close In Georgia And North Carolina
Donald Trump was projected to win another state, West Virginia, a deep red state, as polls closed there.
Polls also closed in two key swing states — North Carolina and Georgia — but they are too early to call.
4:02 p.m. PT/7:02 p.m. ET: Donald Trump Wins Kentucky and Indiana, Kamala Harris Wins Vermont
Donald Trump has won the states of Kentucky and Indiana, and Kamala Harris has won Vermont, according to the AP’s projections.
Neither state was in doubt for either candidate, and a slew of additional states are expected to be called in the next hour or so after a wave of poll closings.
Polls just closed in Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, South Carolina, Vermont, Virginia and parts of Florida.
3:01 p.m. PT/6:01 p.m. ET: First Polls Of 2024 Close In Indiana And Kentucky
The first polls in the 2024 election have closed, in portions of Indiana and Kentucky.
The first projections are expected at 4 p.m. PT/7 p.m. ET, when a host of states’ polls close, including the swing state of Georgia.
Networks also are releasing more exit poll data, including one that showed that 80% of voters made up their minds on who to vote for before September. Just 3% made up their minds in the last few days, per CNN data.
2:11 p.m. PT: First Exit Poll Data Shows Broad Dissatisfaction With How Things Are Going In U.S.
The first set of exit poll data shows large-scale dissatisfaction with the way things are going in the U.S.
Some 72% said that they were dissatisfied or incensed over the direction of the country, compared to 26% who said they were enthusiastic or satisfied, according to CNN.
President Joe Biden’s approval rating is just 41%, with 58% disapproval.
That said, a enormous majority — 61% — said that they believe that America’s best days are in the future.
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As for most critical issues, 35% of those polled said it was democracy, followed by 31% who said it was the economy, 14% who said abortion and 11% immigration.
The figures are early, and will be updated as the day goes on.
Meanwhile, Kamala Harris made a stop at Democratic National Committee headquarters in Washington, D.C. to thank staff and volunteers and to make a call in the phone bank. Harris has done a series of radio interviews today, and plans to do Zerlina Maxwell’s SiriusXM show this evening.
Donald Trump, meanwhile, already is claiming that there is “massive cheating” in Philadelphia, just as he did in 2020.
Seth Bluestein, city commissioner of Philadelphia, said that there was “absolutely no truth to this allegation. It is yet another example of disinformation. Voting in Philadelphia has been safe and secure.”
Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner wrote on X, “There is no factual basis whatsoever within law enforcement to support this wild allegation. We have invited complaints and allegations of improprieties all day. If Donald J. Trump has any facts to support his wild allegations, we want them now. Right now. We are not holding our breath.”
1:42 p.m. PT: Networks Set To Release First Batch Of Exit Poll Data
The presidential election billed as one of the most consequential in history will soon see a first batch of data, albeit the figures will not be actual results.
Networks plan to give their first update at 5 p.m. ET/2 p.m. PT, which will provide some insight as to the way that voters feel about the state of the country, what are their most critical issues, and what they look for in a candidate.
The exit polls come from Edison Research for the National Election Pool, and are done for a consortium of media companies including CNN, ABC, CBS and NBC. The initial data will not provide insight as to who is winning. That will be released only when polls close in a particular state.
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The first polls close at 6 p.m. ET/3 p.m. PT in certain districts in Indiana and Kentucky.
At 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT, polls close in Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, South Carolina, Vermont, Virginia and parts of Florida.
At 7:30 p.m. ET/4:30 p.m. PT, polls close in North Carolina, Ohio and West Virginia.
At 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT, polls close in Alabama, Connecticut, Delaware, Washington, D.C., remaining parts of Florida, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Tennessee.
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At 8:30 p.m. ET/5:30 p.m. PT, polls close in Arkansas.
At 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT, polls close in Arizona, Colorado, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, New Mexico, New York, North Dakota, South Dakota, Texas, Wisconsin and Wyoming.
At 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT, polls close in Montana, Nevada and Utah.
At 11 p.m. ET/8 p.m. PT, polls close in California, Idaho, Oregon and Washington.
At 12 a.m. ET/9 p.m. PT, polls close in Hawaii.
At 1 a.m. ET/10 p.m. PT, polls close in Alaska.
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