Election 2024 live updates: Trump flips battleground state of Arizona

George Conway, a former advocate for President-elect Trump who has been outspoken against his candidacy, argued in an op-ed in The Atlantic Wednesday that America “did this to itself.”

“This time, the nation was on notice. Back in 2016, those of us who supported Donald Trump at least had the excuse of not knowing how sociopathy can present itself, and we at least had the conceit of believing that the presidency was not just a man, but an institution greater than the man, with legal and traditional mechanisms to make sure he’d never go off the rails,” Conway opened the op-ed.

After the 2020 presidential election and the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, in which President Biden won, Conway argued the American people knew a lot better who Trump was.

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Former Republican National Committee (RNC) Chair Ronna McDaniel said that an increase in early voting must be the “norm going forward” for the Republican Party following President-elect Trump’s win in the 2024 U.S. presidential election. 

“It was so critical that President Trump, he spoke out on this. I mean, there’s no better person that’s going to get voters to change their habits, to believe in it than President Trump,” McDaniel said during her Wednesday appearance on NewsNation’s show “The Hill.” 

“The RNC, I was there earlier this year,” she said. “We launched a ‘Bank Your Vote’ initiative in every state. We were going to county parties. We were creating ‘Bank Your Vote’ captains,” she added, referencing the program the committee launched in 2023 that encouraged GOP voters to cast their ballots early. 

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Donald Trump is projected to win the state of Arizona, clinching a major battleground state, according to Decision Desk HQ.

Arizona is one of seven swing states that held the key to whether Trump or Vice President Harris returned to the White House. The Grand Canyon State went for Trump in 2016 by 3.5 points, but the former president narrowly lost it in 2020 against President Biden by just over a quarter of a percentage point.

Trump has secured the 270 electoral votes needed to win the White House following a roughly 100-day campaign between him and Harris. With the Arizona win, Trump has acquired total of 312 votes while Harris got a total of 226.

Several prominent Republicans in the state endorsed Harris, including former Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.), who most recently served as ambassador to Turkey during the Biden administration, and Mesa Mayor John Giles.

But even those prominent GOP defections were not enough to put Harris over the top.

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New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy (D) said it’s time to reflect after Democrats lost key counties in the blue-leaning state following Vice President Harris’s defeat in the 2024 U.S. presidential election. 

Murphy said Wednesday that “it’s time to look in the mirror and make sure [we] either change our substance, if it needs to be changed, or change the way we communicate what we stand for.”

The Democratic governor said that New Jersey is not a swing state. He stated that the White House race was about the economy, “kitchen table issues,” immigration and “it’s probably crime and public safety.”

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Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D) said being chosen as Vice President Harris’s running mate and campaigning with her over the last several months was the “honor and privilege” of his life.

In a statement posted Wednesday after Harris conceded the election to President-elect Trump, Walz thanked the vice president for choosing him.

“Thank you Vice President @KamalaHarris for putting your faith in me, and selecting me as your running mate,” he said in posts online. “Campaigning at your side was the honor and privilege of my life.

Walz admitted the outcome of the presidential election was not what he and Harris wanted, but said he was grateful for the millions of Americans who supported them.

“While the outcome is not what we wanted, I am grateful to the millions of Americans who joined our campaign and stood up for our greatest ideals: decency, compassion, and love of our neighbor,” Walz said.

“Now more than ever, we need you to continue fighting for those values and the country we all love,” his statement concluded.

Former President Clinton and former first lady, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, wish President-elect Trump and Vice President-elect JD Vance well.

“Kamala Harris and Tim Walz ran a positive, forward-looking campaign to be proud of. The American people have voted, and Donald Trump and J.D. Vance will be the next President and Vice President of the United States,” the Clintons said in a statement. “We wish them well and hope they will govern for all of us.”

The Clintons were supportive of Vice President Harris’s campaign, working with former President Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama on Harris’s behalf.

“We must remember that America is bigger than the results of any one election, and what we as citizens do now will make the difference between a nation that moves forward or one that falls back,” the Clintons said.

Former first lady Melania Trump vowed that the incoming Trump administration will “safeguard the heart of our republic” and push the country forward. 

“The majority of Americans have entrusted us with this important responsibility,” she said in a Wednesday post on the social platform X. “We will safeguard the heart of our republic — freedom. I anticipate the citizens of our nation rejoining in commitment to each other and rising above ideology for the sake of individual liberty, economic prosperity, and security.” 

Former President Obama and first lady Michelle Obama congratulated President-elect Trump on his election victory and urged the country to have “good faith and grace.”

“In a country as big and diverse as ours, we won’t always see eye-to-eye on everything. But progress requires us to extend good faith and grace — even to people with whom we deeply disagree,” Obama said in a statement.

Both the Obamas were on the campaign trail with Vice President Harris looking to stop Trump from securing a second term. Still, they congratulated him and Vice President-elect JD Vance on the win

The Trump campaign said in a statement that the president-elect “looks forward” to meeting with President Biden at the White House and “very much appreciated” the phone call from Biden.

The campaign said Trump would visit the White House “shortly.”

Trump never invited Biden to meet with him after the 2020 election, nor did he ever concede defeat.

President Biden issued a statement Wednesday evening lauding Harris after her concession speech, calling her a “tremendous partner and public servant full of integrity, courage, and character.”

“Under extraordinary circumstances, she stepped up and led a historic campaign that embodied what’s possible when guided by a strong moral compass and a clear vision for a nation that is more free, more just, and full of more opportunities for all Americans,” Biden said in a statement.

The president said selecting Harris as his running mate was “the best decision I made.”

“Her story represents the best of America’s story. And as she made clear today, I have no doubt that she’ll continue writing that story,” he said.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky congratulated President-elect Trump on Wednesday after he won the presidential election against Vice President Harris.

“I had an excellent call with President [Trump] and congratulated him on his historic landslide victory — his tremendous campaign made this result possible. I praised his family and team for their great work,” Zelensky wrote on X. “We agreed to maintain close dialogue and advance our cooperation. Strong and unwavering U.S. leadership is vital for the world and for a just peace.”

Zelensky had earlier congratulated Trump in the early morning hours on Wednesday after he secured enough Electoral College votes to win the election.

In a video address, Zelensky said he was confident in Trump’s “peace through strength” promise.

“If this becomes the policy principle of the 47th president of the United States, American and the whole world will undoubtedly benefit from it,” he said.

Trump also spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday, who was among the first world leaders to call him.
Zelensky met with Trump in September in New York to discuss the war against Russia. Trump has promised to end the war in Ukraine before he takes office.

Democrat Josh Riley is projected as the winner in New York’s 19th congressional district, according to Decision Desk HQ, defeating incumbent Rep. Marc Molinaro (R-N.Y.) in a massive victory for Democrats and their quest to take control of the House.

Riley’s win came in his second match-up against Molinaro: The two New Yorkers squared off for the district’s House seat in 2022, a race that Molinaro won by 1.6 percentage points.

The victory is a massive boon for Democrats, who had their eyes locked on the race and saw the area as critical to their path back to the majority. Democrats need to net four seats to take control of the lower chamber.

And it puts an end to Molinaro’s short stint in the House, during which at times he emerged as a close ally of Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.).

The Empire State district broke for President Biden by 4.6 percentage points in 2020 before Molinaro narrowly captured it last cycle. Biden’s win, however, had fueled hope among Democrats that they could move the seat back into their column this cycle. Cook Political Report rated the seat a “toss up.”

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Olympic gold medalist Simone Biles called on President Biden to “make some things shake” before his term ends early next year.

“Mr Biden, I need you to stand up, straighten your back and make some things shake before your departure,” Biles said in a Wednesday post on X that came following Vice President Harris’s loss in the 2024 U.S. presidential election to former President Trump.

“xoxo the women in America,” she added.

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) on Wednesday accused the Democratic Party of largely ignoring the priorities of the working class and pointed to that as the biggest reason for why they lost control of the White House and Senate.

“It should come as no great surprise that a Democratic Party which has abandoned working class people would find that the working class has abandoned them,” Sanders said in a statement about the results of Tuesday’s election.

“While the Democratic leadership defends the status quo, the American people are angry and want change. And they’re right,” he said.

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President Biden watched Harris’s concession speech at Howard from the West Wing of the White House.

Harris thanked Biden and first lady Jill Biden early in her remarks.
The president was running against Trump himself until July, when he backed out of the race following a pressure campaign from fellow Democrats after a dismal debate performance.

Howard students are expressing a sense of sadness but hope after hearing Kamala Harris’s address with many saying the vice president’s speech has empowered them.

“The feelings of nerves are still there because the fact that we are going under a Donald Trump presidency but for the most part, I am feeling empowered,” said Tyra Odom, a senior. “The fight isn’t over, and we have much more work to do. I am hoping to see a woman president in my lifetime. I’m only 20, so I’m hoping my future kids to see a woman president, and my younger siblings, I hope they see women more in leadership positions like the presidency.”

Odom isn’t alone in her mixed feelings. Chloe Hightower, a grad student, said she was devastated earlier Wednesday morning, but now she plans to continue the fight has Harris urged in her concession speech.

“It’s sad seeing people not show up for Black women that are overqualified, but hearing her speech, her talking with so much grace and still uplifting this country and telling us to go out and work I’m gonna continue to do what I know I need to do to benefit my community.”

Hightower and others say they’re also already hoping for a 2028 announcement from one of Howard’s most famous alums.

“Hearing her speech was very powerful and inspiring, and it just pushed me to know that no matter what the results were today, to not look into darkness, just look into light,” freshman Veronica Davis said.

Republican pollster Frank Luntz shared his three election takeaways after former President Trump’s victory in the 2024 presidential contest.

Luntz outlined Trump’s performance with male Latino voters, women under the age of 30 representing a small sample of the electorate and abortion being a “low-priority issue.”

“Most important is the Latino the Hispanic vote,” Luntz told CNN anchor Wolf Blitzer on Wednesday. “I was shocked to find out that Trump actually won a majority of male Latinos. There is a huge gender gap, as there is in every single break, but Trump is able to win a majority.”

The second takeaway is young women under the age of 30 being 7 percent of the sample, according to Luntz.

“For Harris to be successful, they needed to draw a major turnout, because the spread there was almost two to one in favor of Harris, you have to make that something bigger,” he said Wednesday.

“And third was the fact that in the end, abortion was a relatively low-priority issue. She was dominating there,” he said before adding that “if it doesn’t matter to voters, then it doesn’t matter if one candidate has a tremendous lead.”

Harris conceded the 2024 presidential contest to President-elect Trump during remarks at her alma mater, in which she also encouraged a peaceful transfer of power.

“We owe loyalty not to a president or a party but to the Constitution of the United States and loyalty to our conscious and our God. My allegiance to all three is why I am here to say while I concede this election, I do not concede the fight that fueled this campaign,” Harris said to a crowd of supporters.

“I know folks are feeling and experiencing a range of emotions right now, I get it. But we must accept the results of this election,” Harris added.

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U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer spoke Wednesday evening with President-elect Trump following his victory in the 2024 U.S. presidential election.

“The Prime Minister offered his hearty congratulations and said he looked forward to working closely with President-elect Trump across all areas of the special relationship,” a Downing Street spokesperson said.

“From defence and security to growth and prosperity, the relationship between the UK and US was incredibly strong and would continue to thrive for many years to come, the leaders agreed,” the spokesperson added.

Starmer, who was elected prime minister in early July, “reflected on” the developments in the Middle East and “underscored the importance of regional stability,” according to the readout.

“The leaders fondly recalled their meeting in September, and President-elect Trump’s close connections and affinity to the United Kingdom and looked forward to working with one another,” the spokesperson said.

Former Vice President Mike Pence congratulated President-elect Trump on his presidential election win.

“The American people have spoken and Karen and I send our sincere congratulations to President-Elect Donald Trump and his family on his election as 47th President of the United States,” Pence posted Wednesday to social platform X. “We also send our congratulations to Vice President-Elect J.D. Vance and his family on his election as Vice President of the United States.”

Pence also congratulated newly elected Republicans in the Senate and House.

“We will continue to pray for all those in authority and urge every American to join us in praying for our incoming President, Vice President and elected officials at every level,” Pence’s post said.

Pence certified the results of the 2020 presidential election, ultimately ending his relationship with Trump. He did not endorse Trump’s most recent campaign.

Crowds “boo” as Harris says she called Trump earlier to congratulate him on his win.

Harris walked out to raucous cheers and applause at Howard University. Many attendees continue chanting her name and some wave flags in the air.

“I love you” someone shouts from the crowd, to which Harris responds “and I love you back.”

Harris arrived at Howard University just after 4 p.m. Wednesday to deliver a concession speech at her alma mater.

Anticipation ramped up at Howard, where Harris is expected to walk out at any moment. A host of Beyoncé songs have started playing, and supporters have started chanting the vice president’s name.

Harris was expected to speak to supporters at Howard on election night but opted to not visit her election night party.

Harris called Trump earlier on Wednesday to congratulate him on his victory. On that call, Trump “acknowledged Vice President Harris on her strength, professionalism, and tenacity throughout the campaign, and both leaders agreed on the importance of unifying the country,” according to his campaign.

In the wake of former President Trump’s election victory, an attorney for Enrique Tarrio said that “every possible avenue” will be explored to seek the ex-Proud Boys leader’s release.

Tarrio was convicted of seditious conspiracy last year in connection with the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol attack and sentenced to 22 years in prison — the longest term for any Jan. 6 defendant.

“We are committed to pursuing all legal options available and that justice is served,” Tarrio’s attorney Nayib Hassan said.

Hassan added that he and his client “acknowledge and applaud” Trump’s reelection. Trump has vowed to issue pardons for Jan. 6 rioters.

“We look forward to what the future holds, both in terms of the judicial process for our client and the broader political landscape under the new administration,” Hassan said. “We remain hopeful that the courts will recognize the merits of our appeal, and we are optimistic about what lies ahead.”

Former presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said he won’t take away vaccines from people when President-elect Trump takes office in January.

Kennedy, who is expected to serve in a second Trump administration, said in a Wednesday interview with NBC News that he wants the American people to have the information to make informed decisions about vaccines.

“I’m not going to take away anybody’s vaccines,” Kennedy told NBC News, when asked whether there were specific vaccines that Kennedy would want to remove from the market.

“If vaccines are working for somebody, I’m not going to take them away. People ought to have choice, and that choice ought to be informed by the best information,” he said.

Pennsylvania Rep. Dan Meuser (R-Pa.) called the Latino vote “profound” in the 2024 presidential election.

“It was profound,” Meuser said Wednesday on CNN. “I mean, nearly 100,000 of registered Latino Americans in Pennsylvania alone that we think we picked up that were eligible voters.”

“I mean, that itself could have turned the election. And that’s why, you know, President Trump was smart,” Meuser, who won his reelection bid in Pennsylvania’s 9th Congressional District, added. “I mean, he was in Reading, a big Latino area, Allentown, a couple of times, a high percentage of Latino Americans. So many of them are small business owners that just work.”

Former President Trump won the 2024 presidential election over Vice President Harris. Latino voters shifted by 25 points towards Trump in the 2024 White House race, with the GOP nominee winning 45 percent to Harris’s 53 percent, according to NBC News’ exit polls.

“They want low taxes. They liked our message. They like low taxes they want us to go after inflation,” Meuser said. “They don’t like you like the open borders. So certainly top the policy debate was certainly important here.”

Jon Ralston, editor of the Nevada Independent said, Democratic Senate candidate Jacky Rosen will likely lose the state alongside Vice President Harris.

“It’s over, my wire service friends. Even the Culinary Union can’t save Harris, and the union’s efforts probably won’t save Jacky Rosen, either,” Ralston wrote in a post on X.

Decision Desk HQ (DDHQ) shows Rosen trailing Republican Sam Brown by 0.6 percentage points. Nevada officials have counted 91 percent of ballots and the DDHQ forecast projects Rosen will win by a thin margin.

Many of Harris’s supporters can be seen hugging each other as they mill about the Howard University campus, waiting for her arrival.

For Diva McPherson, the results of the election are not only devastating but worrying.

“Now I’m wondering who’s in my circle that I don’t know voted for her,” McPherson, 80, told The Hill from Howard University.

“I’m trying to find something positive in all of this. But quite frankly, I’m tired of being positive because there is no bright side to me right now, right? Maybe this time tomorrow, or maybe when she’s done talking. But not now.”

For McPherson, the tightness of the race was particularly disturbing.

“We know how he feels about women,” she said. “But I hope that people believe in this country and believe in our communities enough to go back and try again [in 2028].”

The Pennsylvania Senate race is the only of the three outstanding Senate contests not yet called by Decision Desk HQ that is currently in the threshold for an automatic recount.

Pennsylvania law requires the secretary of state to order an automatic recount by Nov. 14 if the margin of a statewide race is within 0.5 percent.

As of Wednesday afternoon, Republican candidate David McCormick is leading incumbent Sen. Bob Casey (D) by 0.4 percentage points, with an estimated 93 percent of the vote reported.

Workers in three states are now entitled to paid sick leave for the first time, after voters backed ballot measures Tuesday night.

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