Democrats Take North Carolina and Georgia Senate Seats as Alaska Count Begins

Democrats picked up North Carolina's Senate seat on Tuesday, with former governor Roy Cooper defeating Republican Michael Whatley for the seat being vacated by retiring Republican Sen. Thom Tillis. The Associated Press also called the Georgia race for incumbent Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff, and Democrat Chris Pappas won New Hampshire's open seat left by retiring Democrat Jeanne Shaheen.

Democrats need a net gain of four Senate seats to take control of the chamber. Republicans hold a six-seat majority there, and six Senate races were considered toss-ups heading into Election Night. In the House, Republicans hold 218 seats to Democrats' 214, so Democrats need to flip three seats for a majority. The Cook Political Report had projected Democrats would likely flip between 15 and 25 House seats.

More than 60 million Americans voted early before Election Day, through mail ballots and in-person voting, according to the University of Florida's Election Lab. That figure is 15 million above the early vote total from 2022. In states that track party registration, 43% of early ballots came from Democrats and 31% from Republicans.

Alaska's Senate race has drawn national attention after the Department of Justice sued to block certification of results should the Republican incumbent lose, arguing that two candidates named Dan Sullivan appear on the ranked-choice ballot, one the incumbent and one not affiliated with a party. A federal judge dismissed the lawsuit last week. The Department of Justice has said it plans to appeal.

Vote counting for that race is underway. Alaska's 2024 statewide House race took 15 days to call.

President Trump campaigned heavily for Republican candidates in the closing stretch, telling GOP voters: "Pretend I'm on the ballot." His approval rating has fallen during this term, with many polls showing it under 40%. A September AP-NORC poll found roughly two-thirds of Americans said Trump was to blame for higher-than-usual prices.

In Westchester County, New York, ballot scanner problems surfaced on Tuesday. Katie Miller, a conservative podcaster and wife of White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller, posted on social media: "This is how the left steals elections." Republican Rep. Mike Lawler, who represents the district, told CNN: "There's no shenanigans going on here."

Election officials in Westchester County plan to scan voters' paper ballots later. Live special coverage of results begins at 8 p.m. ET.