November 3 Election Updates: In Progress
November 3 concluded a long and contentious election season, and results are coming in.
The presidential election is still too close to call, with a significant number of mail-in and absentee ballots still being counted. President Donald Trump leads in crucial swing states Pennsylvania and North Carolina, while former Vice President Joe Biden leads in Arizona, Michigan, and Wisconsin. Additionally, the President leads in Georgia, which is a surprisingly tight race this year, and both candidates are vying for electoral votes in Nevada. Votes will continue to be tallied throughout the rest of the week.
Republicans are currently holding control over the U.S. Senate, and are likely to keep power in the chamber. Republicans have flipped one seat—Tommy Tuberville beat out his Democratic opponent Doug Jones in Alabama, and Democrats are likely to flip two—John Hickenlooper beat Republican incumbent Cory Gardner in Colorado, and Mark Kelly is projected to beat Republican Martha McSally.
Additionally, both Senate races in Georgia are close—Republican Senator Kelly Loeffler will compete in a runoff election between her Democratic challenger Raphael Warnock, who held a slight lead in the regular election. Republican Senator David Purdue is holding a lead over Democrat Jon Ossoff, but as votes continue to be counted, it is possible that neither will secure the 50% of the vote necessary to win, and they too will compete in a runoff election. The current projected count in the U.S. Senate is 48 Democrats to 52 Republicans for the 117th Congress. The 116th Congress, wrapping up in December, has a ratio of 47 Democrats to 53 Republicans.
If the Democrats are able to flip the U.S. Senate, there is likely to be a shift in focus to some new, more progressive policies that have not been considered under the Republican majority. There is a strong likelihood that a large, broad COVID-19 relief stimulus bill would be passed immediately. Also, with Chuck Schumer leading the chamber as Senate Majority Leader, there would likely be a focus on electric vehicle and emissions regulation legislation, issues that Schumer strongly supports.
In the other chamber, the Democrats are expected to keep their hold on the U.S. House of Representatives, despite Republicans flipping at least 6 seats. Although some polls predicted a “blue wave” matching that of 2018, the Democratic majority is unlikely to expand. Votes are still coming in, but the current tally of representatives is 209 Democrats to 190 Republicans, with 36 races being too close to call.
This page will continue to be updated as election results are released.