Donald Trump has won election as President of the United States on Tuesday night as Decision Desk HQ and Fox News gave him Pennsylvania. Trump edged beyond the 270-delegate count needed in the Electoral College. Trump defeated Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris. A final Electoral College number has not been reached as of Tuesday night. Fox News put the Electoral College delegate total at 277-226 after 2 a.m. Eastern.
For the most part, Donald Trump and Kamala Harris were victorious in states that tend to lean either Republican or Democratic. Late Tuesday night, Harris did pick up California and Washington, according to The AP. Decision Desk HQ had Trump leading Harris by at least 6 percentage points through votes tabulated across the United States.
Donald Trump Gets Red State Wins
Trump’s victories, when viewed on a map of America, cut right down the middle from North Dakota to Texas. His focus on immigration issues appeared to be something his supporters rallied around him about. Some voters, according to exit polling data from The AP, were less likely to give Harris their votes. These same voters, though, aligned with President Joe Biden in his 2020 campaign.
AP Race Call: Donald Trump wins the presidential battleground state of North Carolina, receiving the state’s 16 electoral votes for the Republicans. https://t.co/vNyURdNHtn pic.twitter.com/4iWm8TxjzQ
— The Associated Press (@AP) November 6, 2024
While much of America’s states had been called for Donald Trump late Tuesday night, there remained a lot of votes to be counted. This includes the Democratic strongholds of Michigan, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania. Some Democrat Party advisers believe Harris can secure a victory by taking these “Blue Wall” states.
In looking at the election results and polling data, Reuters reported that Donald Trump picked up more support from Hispanics and lower-income households. Provisional exit polls indicated that Trump won 45 percent of Hispanic voters across the United States. That’s less than Harris’ 53 percent yet is a noteworthy higher number than from his 2020 campaign.
Votes may take into Wednesday or even Thursday to be counted. Neither Trump nor Harris had come out to speak in public as the night wore on. The presidential race remained up in the air, but maps put together across television and online networks showed Trump in the lead.
Texas Republican Ted Cruz retains his US Senate seat. More Senate results here: https://t.co/zTCZDXwyrY pic.twitter.com/02NVzxnVzs
— Reuters (@Reuters) November 6, 2024
Looking at congressional races across the United States, West Virginia’s Jim Justice, a Republican, took the seat previously held by Joe Manchin. Sen. Rick Scott of Florida managed to stave off a Democratic push and retain his seat. Democrats were looking at those “Blue Wall” states for even more help in keeping a Senate foothold. But that looked shaky as Tuesday night wore on as well.
Cruz Holds On To Senate Seat
Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, according to Reuters, turned back a Democratic challenge for his Senate seat from Collin Allred. Bernie Moreno, who received backing from Trump, defeated incumbent Sherrod Brown for the Senate seat in Ohio.
These battles for seats in the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives have been tough over the campaign season. Yet it appeared that the Senate was going to remain in GOP hands. It was too soon to tell how the House would end up leaning as Tuesday night wore on. Two Democratic black women, Lisa Blunt Rochester of Delaware and Angela Alsobrooks of Maryland, won their elections for House seats.
Alsobrooks managed to beat former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan to secure her victory.
In Nebraska, The Associated Press reported, there was a heated race going on between the incumbent, Republican Sen. Deb Fischer, and independent Dan Osborn. Again, this race was too close to call late Tuesday night.
Abortion Issues Under Consideration
The issue of abortion was on some states’ ballots for the electorate to decide about on Tuesday. A Florida measure failed to reach a threshold that would have made it into law. The measure required 60 percent to pass. It would have amended the state’s constitution to guarantee abortion rights. Back in May, Florida started banning abortions after the sixth week of pregnancy, Reuters reported.
There would be rare exceptions to this situation, though. Voters’ decisions may have been tipped when Trump said he would vote against the measure. But he lives in Florida, where he would have to have faced stiff blowback about the issue. Initially, Trump had said that he might vote in favor of the measure.
In Arizona, a ballot measure passed by voters will amend the state’s constitution to guarantee abortion rights up to fetal viability. This is considered to happen between 23 or 24 weeks of pregnancy. Arizona currently bans abortions after the 15th week of pregnancy.
