President Biden praised Vice President Harris Wednesday for being "a tremendous partner and public servant full of integrity, courage, and character" after she conceded defeat to President-elect Trump in the 2024 election.
The big picture: Biden said in a statement after Harris pledged to help with a peaceful transfer of power to Trump while vowing to "never give up" fighting, "What America saw today was the Kamala Harris I know and deeply admire."
More than 42 million people watched coverage of the 2024 elections across 18 live TV networks Tuesday night, marking a 25% drop from the 56.9 million who watched live in 2020, according to Nielsen ratings.
Why it matters: President-elect Trump's lead became clearer earlier on election night this cycle compared to last, which may have curtailed viewer suspense.
President-elect Trump's decisive victory is fueling the potential for a GOP sweep — a scenario top Republican senators have already been planning for.
Why it matters: "It was a political earthquake," Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), who is poised to be the Senate majority whip next Congress, told Axios in an interview. Barrasso added he has been working on plans for this very outcome for months.
Republicans claimed a decisive Senate majority in Tuesday's elections.
Why it matters: Investors, buoyed now by improved certainty in D.C., doubled down on many of their favorite Trump trades — areas and players of the economy they think will benefit from a second term.
From the grounds of her HBCU alma mater, Vice President Harris on Wednesday committed to accepting the results of the presidential election, striking the optimistic tone that underscored her accelerated campaign.
Why it matters: Harris' resounding loss to President-elect Trump has stunned the Democratic Party and minority of the overall electorate who voted for her. Still, she urged her supporters to organize and not give up.
The big picture: Trump has repeatedly bashed the Biden administration's student loan forgiveness plans but has not said how he would handle the mounting debt in another White House term.
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), the leading progressive voice in Congress, argued Wednesday that the Democratic Party's disastrous election performance is no surprise after it "abandoned" the working class.
Why it matters: Vice President Harris' loss is opening up old wounds for some Democrats, and Sanders' comments are surely the first shot in a battle between moderates and progressives.
Across branches and levels of government, Tuesday's election results included firsts for gender, race and age of winning candidates.
The big picture: Voters backed a White House ticket slated to include the oldest president and one of the youngest vice presidents, while securing wins for two Black, female senators and the first transgender person elected to Congress.
Why it matters: Harris fared worse in the race than Democrats had hoped, losing decisively to Trump in battleground states that President Biden won four years earlier.
Special Counsel Jack Smith is in discussions with Justice Department officials about how to close his two federal criminal cases against President-elect Trump, multipleoutlets reported Wednesday.
Forget next year: If Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) wants a shot to win back the majority in 2026, he'll need Senate Democrats to over-perform in the coming hours of vote-counting in Michigan, Nevada and Arizona.
Why it matters: Schumer's candidates have better margins than Vice President Harris in every battleground state. But if Democrats can't hold the GOP to fewer than 54 seats, winning back the majority gets extremely unlikely in two years.
President-elect Trump is on his way to be the first Republican presidential candidate in 20 years to win the popular vote.
Why it matters: Trump was elected in key battleground states this cycle, easing his trajectory to 270 electoral votes and cementing his popular victory.
The Associated Press' victory call for President-elect Trump came in at 5:35am ET Wednesday — less than six hours after polls closed in Hawai'i, the last state to finish voting.
Why it matters: The relatively speedy call came despite concerns that the country was headed for a drawn-out and chaotic period of ballot-counting, legal disputes and potential violence.
Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wisc.) has defeated Republican Eric Hovde in Wisconsin's toss-up Senate race, the Associated Press reported.
Why it matters: Baldwin fended off a late surge from Hovde and an influx of national Republican money to keep a critical Senate seat in Democrats' column.
Vice President Harris faced voters who were hungry for change and thought the country was headed in the wrong direction — fierce headwinds that proved insurmountable.
She also faced a major political realignment, with Democratic losses up and down the ballot and across the map.
Why it matters: Top Democrats tell us the brutal environment — combined with President-elect Trump's harnessing of voter concerns about immigration and inflation — doomed her candidacy in an election that polled 50-50 to the very end.
Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) praised the Trump campaign for "running a sharper operation this time," giving credit specifically to Susie Wiles and Chris LaCavita in a Wednesday morning victory lap.
Why it matters: McConnell is entering his final stretch as the longest-serving Senate party leader. "I had really hoped I'd be able to hand over to my successor, the majority," he told reporters. "The majority is a lot better."
World leaders congratulated former President Trump as Tuesday's presidential election results rolled in, indicating that he'd beaten Vice President Harris.
The big picture: Before AP called the election, Trump, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, French President Emmanuel Macron, U.K. PM Keir Starmer and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky were among those to offer their congratulations to the Republican presidential candidate on Wednesday.
Latin American leaders say they're aiming to maintain friendly diplomatic relations with the U.S. after Donald Trump was projected the winner of the presidential election onWednesday.
Why it matters: Relations between the U.S. and Latin American nations are key when it comes to trade and immigration policy.
Vice President Kamala Harris will join the company of vice presidents who have launched a bid for the White House — and who have had to certify their own loss.
The big picture: The founders' framework of entrusting the affirmation of electoral votes to the vice president lays out a tricky dynamic for the men (and now, women) who must oversee the announcement of their defeat.
Axios is reporting live results for the 2024 presidential election between Vice President Harris and former President Trump. Former President Trump was projected to win the presidency after a strong showing in seven swing states that helped him secure the 270 electoral votes needed to win.
Editor's note: This story was originally published on Sept. 27 and was republished after President-elect Trump's victory.
To President-elect Trump, tariffs are "the greatest thing ever invented."
Why it matters: Trump has touted tariffs as a miraculous cure to just about every domestic and international strain, from war to child care to high grocery prices. But Trump also consistently claims tariffs are paid by countries exporting to the U.S., which isn't actually how they work.
Editor's note: This story was originally published on Feb. 11 and was republished after President-elect Trump's victory.
President-elect Trump's plan to crack down on immigration includes using a range of tools to deport millions of people in the U.S. each year — from obscure laws to military funds to law enforcement officers from all levels of government.
Why it matters: History tells us such an effort would dramatically disrupt local communities and economies across the U.S. — and sow fear among the millions of people without legal status.
Editor's note: This story was originally published on Nov. 2, and was republished after the 2024 race was called.
President-elect Trump has promised to rebuild the economy, unleash energy dominance and secure U.S. borders.
The big picture: Trump and Vice President Harris have campaigned for weeks with largely differing visions for the nation on everything from border security to reproductive rights.
Editor's note: This story was originally published on July 20 and was republished after President-elect Trump's victory.
Democrats have warned of the damage that Project 2025 could do to the federal government and access to reproductive care when President-elect Trump gets sworn in.
Why it matters: The Heritage Foundation-backed plan would do far more than that. Its 900-page wishlist could reshape daily life for millions of Americans if some of its less publicized recommendations are adopted.
Over the next 75 days, President-elect Trump's win will be certified by Congress and his presidential transition process will ramp up ahead of Inauguration Day.
The big picture: Trump will receive national security and intelligence briefings while the electoral vote process is underway.
The popularity of prediction markets (for gambling on politics) is a new phenomenon in the United States, and who pays out when is not at all consistent.
Why it matters: Prediction markets are suddenly at the center of political chatter, but how bettors actually collect is somewhat untested and has implications for the growth of these markets.
American voters have just decided — among many other things — that artificial intelligence will grow up in a permissive, anything-goes household, rather than under the guidance of stricter parents.
Between the lines: Trump's reputation may be that of a strongman, and his MAGA brand of conservatism embraces tough talk, but last night's Republican victory makes it a lot more likely that AI will run wild as it develops.
Voters in Florida, Nebraska and South Dakota voted against expanded abortion rights on Tuesday, ending a string of victories for ballot initiatives to enshrine or expand abortion access.
Why it matters: Those defeats were offset by results that broke for abortion rights in New York, Colorado, Maryland and in deep red Missouri and Montana. But they underscored the fractured reproductive health landscape that's evolved since Roe v. Wade was struck down.
Former President Donald Trump's reelection threatens to worsen global climate change by altering the trajectory of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions, eroding federal climate research and forecasting, and abdicating America's leadership role in global climate negotiations.
Why it matters: His return to the White House comes at a time when climate scientists have warned that the Paris Agreement's warming targets are slipping dangerously out of reach, raising the odds of potentially catastrophic consequences.
Voters in 10 states decided on 11 abortion-related ballot measures on Election Day.
The big picture: 2024 marks the most abortion-related measures on statewide ballots in a given year and comes during the first presidential election since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade.
Former President Trump will be the 47th U.S. president, the AP projected onWednesday, marking the culmination of a divisive campaign and cementing himself as one of the most significant political figures in U.S. history.
Why it matters: Trump appealed to voters concerned about immigration and the economy with promises for a second term that include mass deportations, sweeping tariffs and increased drilling for oil and gas.
At no point before Election Day did the prediction markets give Donald Trump a greater than 43% chance of winning the popular vote. Indeed, in mid-August the chances of that happening were less than 20%.
In this case, although the race has yet to officially be called, the low-probability outcome (Trump becoming the first Republican to win the popular vote in 20 years) likely ended up happening.
Former President Trump is on the verge of the most astonishing, gravity-defying comeback in the history of American politics.
Why it matters: Across the country — across all demographics — the results early Wednesday tell the same story: Trump was improving on his margins from 2020, well on his way to assembling the most diverse GOP coalition in decades.
Former President Trump is on the verge of returning to the White House with help from groups that soundly rejected him when he was president: suburban women, independents and young people.
Driving the news: Trump didn't defeat Harris with any of those groups, exit polls suggested Tuesday. But by focusing on the economy, illegal immigration and crime, he managed to deny Harris the margins she needed to reassemble the coalition that led President Biden to victory four years ago.
U.S. allies and adversaries around the world woke up on Wednesday to the likelihood of a second Trump presidency.
Why it matters: Many of America's Western allies have worried about the return of a Trump administration, which could significantly change U.S. foreign policy and its engagement with the world.
Former President Trump has taken North Carolina, Georgia and Pennsylvania and all but locked up the presidency.
Why it matters: Trump would be just the second president ever to leave the White House and then win it back — doing so despite felony convictions, assassination attempts and countless scandals.
Senate Republicans now have a 54- or even 55-seat majority within reach after an unexpectedly strong performance by former President Trump in swing states with competitive down-ballot races.
Why it matters: Nothing is final, butcoattails from Trump could give the next Senate GOP's leader their biggest majority in years.
Former President Trump hailed his return to the verge of the presidency as the "greatest political movement of all time" during an Election Night party in West Palm Beach, Fla.
Why it matters: Trump is projected to win the battleground states of Pennsylvania, North Carolina and Georgia, per AP, making his victory all but guaranteed.
Latino voters in Florida and Texas helped propel former President Trump to victories Tuesday in counties where Democrats had an edge in the past two presidential elections.
Why it matters: Most Latinos still vote Democratic, but the results suggested that as a bloc this fast-growing segment of the electorate — now about 20% of the population — is continuing to slowly shift to the right.
A triumphant former President Trump addressed his ecstatic supporters in West Palm Beach, Florida, early Wednesday as he was on the cusp of defeating Vice President Harris in the 2024 presidential election.
The big picture: Trump's supporters became more excited as the election results rolled in, while Harris voters' mood turned from optimism earlier in the evening to despair by late Tuesday.
Why it matters: The party is reeling from a stunning wipeout in the Senate and the former president is closing in on the White House, with the race for the House on a knife's edge.
SHREVEPORT, La. — House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) is feeling pretty good about his job security.
Why it matters: As the election results rolled in Tuesday night, Johnson — who was once widely viewed as a placeholder leader — told Axios he's confident House Republicans will keep their majority and tap him to stay on as speaker.
Incumbent Ted Cruz fended off Democratic U.S. Rep. Colin Allred in Texas' U.S. Senate race.
Why it matters: Democrats poured millions into long-shot Senate races, including in Texas, in the month leading up to the election in an effort to maintain control of the chamber.
Elon Musk and his pro-Trump super PAC were sued on Tuesday by two swing state voters who accused them of fraud in separate lawsuits.
The big picture: Both lawsuits cite the billionaire's attorney stating Monday in a Pennsylvania case that allowed a daily $1 million sweepstakes to proceed that the winners were earning paymentforacting as spokespeople and were not chosen at random.
New Hampshire's governorship will stay in Republican hands after former U.S. Sen. Kelly Ayotte beat Democratic opponent Joyce Craig to return to the Granite State's political spotlight, AP reports.
The big picture: The race was seen as one of the most competitive gubernatorial contests in the country and Democrats' best hope to flip a governor's mansion to the blue column.
Julie Fedorchak (R) will be the first woman to represent North Dakota in the House of Representatives after winning her race on Election Day, per AP.
Why it matters: North Dakota was one of two states that had never elected a woman to the House before Tuesday. Mississippi is now the only state that hasn't.
Delaware state Sen. Sarah McBride (D) on Tuesdaywon her race to become a U.S. representative for the state's only congressional district.
Why it matters: McBride, who was already the highest-ranking transgender elected official in the U.S., is now the first openly transgender person elected to Congress.
Delaware Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester and Prince George's County, Maryland, Executive Angela Alsobrooks made historyTuesdayby winning their U.S. Senate races.
Why it matters: This will be the first time two Black women, both Democrats, serve in the Senate at the same time, and each is the first Black senator to represent their state.
Democrat Angela Alsobrooks, the Prince George's County executive who made control of the U.S. Senate front-and-center in her campaign, has defeated Republican Larry Hogan in the Maryland Senate race, per AP.
Why it matters: The blue state had an unusually pricey and competitive race thanks to Hogan, a well-liked former GOP governor who distanced himself from former President Trump.
Alsobrooks will be Maryland's first Black senator.
The big picture: Alsobrooks campaigned on supporting abortion rights and defending Democrats' narrow Senate majority, positioning herself as a senator who would fight "MAGA extremists."
Since 2019, she has led one of the most affluent majority Black counties in the U.S., a mix of suburbs bordering D.C. and rural land.
Hogan came up short despite courting Democrats and independents by promising to "stop the partisan BS" in Congress.
Follow the money: Republicans and Democrats poured money into the race.
As of mid-October, more than $65 million had been spent on the general election by both sides, according to political ad tracker AdImpact.
Between the lines: Even though Alsobrooks was steadily polling ahead of Hogan, his favorability numbers held up across all demographics — including Black people, women and independents.
The intrigue: She won despite last-minute scrutiny for improperly claiming tax breaks on two properties, including one in D.C.
In October, she said she paid the back taxes and was working toward paying down the interest.
Several voting precincts in metro Atlanta and other states were targeted Tuesday by non-credible bomb threats that appeared to stem from Russia, officials say.
The big picture: Voting was briefly interrupted at twelve polling places in heavily Democratic communities in metro Atlanta.
Fani Willis, the district attorney for Fulton County, Georgia, overseeing former President Trump's election interference case, won her reelection bid.
The latest: Willis cruised to an easy victory in reliably blue Fulton County against Republican challenger Courtney Kramer, a former White House legal intern in the Trump administration.
Florida voters narrowlyrejected a ballot measure to enshrine the right to an abortion in the state constitution, according to the Associated Press.
Why it matters: A ban on abortion after six weeks of pregnancy will remain the law of the land. After that cutoff, the procedure will be illegal aside from a narrow set of exceptions.
North Carolina Democratic Attorney General Josh Stein defeated the state's embattled Republican Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson in the race for governor, the Associated Press reported.
Why it matters: Stein's win is a major victory for North Carolina Democrats as they retain control of the governor's office. This gives them a check on the Republican-controlled state Legislature.
It's also historic: Stein will be the state's first Jewish governor.
Rep. Andy Kim (D-N.J.) beat Republican real estate developer Curtis Bashaw in the New Jersey Senate race, per the Associated Press, a largely expected outcome in the Democratic stronghold.
The big picture: The former State Department adviser will become the first Korean American U.S. senator. He'll be one of just three Asian American U.S. senators in office.
Trump-backed West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice (R) won the state's closely watched U.S. Senate race on Tuesday, per AP, besting his Democratic challenger and flipping the seat long held by Sen. Joe Manchin (I-W.Va.).
Why it matters: The coal-mining magnate's victory strips Democrats of a stronghold they historically guarded in the solidly red state.
The GOP victory also marks the first time the state will not send a Democrat to the Senate since 1958.
In the 2024 election, both presidential campaigns have zeroed in on the same seven swing states they believe give them the most viable path to victory.
The big picture: Thanks to the Electoral College, the presidential race has hinged on Arizona, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina and Wisconsin in the last two elections.
Around 80 million voters cast ballots early, tens of millions more lined up today, and it's all likely to come down to seven swing states.
Why it matters: We may or may not know for sure whether former President Trump or Vice President Harris has been elected by the end of the night. But following the real-time data and zooming in on key counties can give you a sense of where things are headed.
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