
Indiana’s Republican Gov. Eric Holcomb will win reelection, CNN projects.
By Meg Wagner, Melissa Macaya, Veronica Rocha, Melissa Mahtani, Jessica Estepa and Amanda Wills, CNN
Indiana’s Republican Gov. Eric Holcomb will win reelection, CNN projects.
Republican Hal Rogers of Kentucky will win the first House race of the night, CNN projects.
From CNN's Alex Rogers
After six years of Republican rule, the Senate could very well flip. By now, the reasons are clear.
A majority of the country never approved of President Trump, or his handling of his top crisis, the coronavirus pandemic, which shuttered businesses and claimed the lives of over 230,000 people in America.
Democratic candidates bet that protecting and expanding upon the Affordable Care Act, which ended their party's control of the Senate in 2014, would be their path back to power. Republicans hope that an economic rebound and the late confirmation of Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett will remind voters why they put the GOP in charge, and save their Senate majority.
Here are key things to watch tonight:
Read more here.
Democrat Jaime Harrison is facing off with three-term GOP Sen. Lindsey Graham in North Carolina tonight.
Here's what we know about the race:
Who are the candidates
Challenger: Democrat Jaime Harrison
Incumbent: Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham
Why this race matters
Democrats haven't had success in South Carolina ever since Fritz Hollings retired 15 years ago after nearly four decades in the Senate. In the six Senate elections since 2004, the Democratic candidate never got more than 45% of the vote. But Harrison may change that, boosted by an unprecedented level of financial support.
While President Donald Trump is more popular in South Carolina than he is in other states where vulnerable Republican senators are running, polls have shown a dip in the President's standing here. Whether that's enough to end Graham's 26-year career in Congress is an open question.
CNN's Phil Mattingly explains:
From CNN's Simone Pathe and Terence Burlij
With Democrats poised to expand their House majority this year, the two biggest things to watch on Election Night will be how many seats they flip and where they are.
The gains Democrats make will say a lot about how much partisanship is changing along geographic and educational divides — and how much the national environment, specifically President Trump, may have accelerated those changes.
Democrats made historic gains in the 2018 midterms, flipping 40 seats with the help of massive fundraising and enthusiasm for sending a message to the White House and GOP-controlled Congress. At the time, that looked like a high-water mark. The current balance of power in the House is 232 Democrats to 197 Republicans with one Libertarian and five vacancies.
The trends that fueled those Democratic pickups two years ago have only intensified since then. With Trump on the ballot this year, his unpopularity among well-educated and affluent voters is expected to further sink down-ballot Republicans, even in places that voted for him four years ago.
And it's no longer just wealthy metropolitan areas that are in play for Democrats. The party has made inroads in some unexpected places, while also holding off strong challengers or remaining competitive in rural districts that voted for the President by double digits four years ago and may back him again this year.
Republicans need a net gain of 17 seats to flip the chamber — a tall order in any year. But that task became more of a challenge as the pandemic, and Trump's handling of it, dominated the election. Inside Elections with Nathan L. Gonzales, a CNN contributor, now projects Democrats will win a net gain of between 14 and 20 seats this year.
Democrats are still facing real fights to hold some of their seats — especially in places like New York's Staten Island, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Utah and Minnesota, primarily places with a high concentration of White, working class voters. But the party pivoted to being increasingly on offense over the course of the cycle.
Read about some of the key races here
CNN's Phil Mattingly reports:
From CNN's Zachary B. Wolf
Several Senate seats are at play this election, and Democrats are aiming to flip seats to turn the chamber blue.
Here's a look at when key polls close tonight:
From CNN's Zachary B. Wolf
The real question on Election Day is whether Republicans can hang onto their slim majority in the Senate.
Democrats need to pick up a net of three seats if Biden wins and four if Trump wins (the vice president breaks ties in the Senate) to seize power.
They're pretty much guaranteed to lose a Senate seat in Alabama, so Democrats are looking for 4-5 seats elsewhere. There are plenty of opportunities.
One Republican-held seat — Colorado — is rated by CNN as "lean Democratic."
Three Republican-held seats — Arizona, Maine and North Carolina — are rated by CNN as "tilt Democratic."
Three Republican-held seats — Georgia, Iowa and Montana — are rated by CNN as "tossup."
If there's a massive Democratic wave, look to the three Republican-held seats — Kansas, South Carolina and Georgia's second seat — rated by CNN as "tilt Republican."
Meanwhile, Democrats are expected to build on the House majority they won in 2018.
Check out the full ratings here.
CNN's Phil Mattingly explains:
From CNN's Veronica Stracqualursi
Voters across the country today will decide more than who will sit in White House. States will weigh several different issues this election, such as whether to legalize marijuana, limit access to abortion, reform voting and more.
Here are some of the top ballot measures to watch this Election Day:
Read more about state and local ballot measures here