2024 Election Day Recap: Donald Trump Wins His Second Term in Office, Defeating Kamala Harris

President Donald Trump Will Be the Next President of the United States

In the early morning hours of Wed., Nov. 6, the Associated Press called Donald Trump as the winner of the 2024 presidential election .

Wisconsin carried the former president, 78, over the finish line in the race to 277 Electoral College votes ahead of Vice President Kamala Harris, making him the first convicted felon elected to the nation's highest office, and only the second commander in chief elected to serve two non-consecutive terms.

Minnesota Votes for Kamala Harris

Kamala Harris has won Minnesota — the state of her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz — earning its 10 electoral votes, according to Associated Press projections.

The Electoral College tally now stands at 224 votes for Harris and 267 votes for Trump, with Trump just three short of winning the presidency.

Pennsylvania Reverts to Red in Support of Donald Trump

Donald Trump has won the state of Pennsylvania and its 19 electoral votes, one of the most critical swing states in the election. Pennsylvania was thought to be a key state in the 'Blue Wall' — a group of battlegrounds, including Michigan and Wisconsin, that were considered the Democrats' most reliable path to the presidency ahead of Election Day. Trump narrowly claimed Pennsylvania in 2016, but Joe Biden flipped the state back to blue in 2020.

The win in Pennsylvania brings Trump to 267 votes, while Harris stands at 214 votes, per the Associated Press .

Georgia Flips Red to Support Donald Trump

Donald Trump quashed Democrats' hopes of cementing Georgia as a blue state, earning its 16 electoral votes in the 2024 presidential election, according to the Associated Press . Georgia voted Republican in every presidential election since 1996 before breaking for Joe Biden in a 2020 upset.

Republican Party Earns Majority in U.S. Senate

Republicans flipped the U.S. Senate on Election Day 2024, taking the majority with 51 seats.

There were 34 Senate seats up for reelection, with the Democrats losing two seats. One of the states to flip was in West Virginia, with Gov. Jim Justice defeating Democrat Glenn Elliott to win the Senate spot.

And in Ohio, Republican Bernie Moreno defeated Democratic incumbent Sherrod Brown to become the state's Senator.

Adam Schiff Elected to Dianne Feinstein's Former Senate Seat in California

Democratic Rep. Adam Schiff has defeated former Major League baseball player Steve Garvey to win the U.S. Senate race in California.

The Associated Press projected Schiff's victory, which means he fills he seat that the late Dianne Feinstein occupied for over three decades before her death last fall.

Schiff, who first joined the U.S. House of Representatives in 2001, led the first impeachment trial of former President Donald Trump.

Read more here.

Melania Trump Shares Photo of Son Barron Trump, 18, Voting for the First Time

Donald Trump's wife, Melania Trump, shared a photo of the couple's son, Barron Trump , 18, voting for the first time on Tuesday, Nov. 5.

"Voted for the first time - for his dad!" Melania wrote.

Barron began his freshman year of college at New York University in September.

California and Washington Begin Tallying Votes

California, with 54 electoral votes, and Washington, with 12, are beginning to tally election results after polls closed at 11 p.m. EST. The Pacific time zone polling stations in Idaho and Oregon have also now shut down for the night.

Shortly after 11 p.m. EST, the Associated Press called California and Washington for Harris.

Iowa Backs Trump After Recent Poll Hinted at Harris Momentum

Donald Trump has won Iowa and its six electoral votes. Though Iowa has often gone blue in the past, Trump turned the state red in both 2016 and 2020.

Days before the election, a poll from the Des Moines Register/Mediacom Iowa, which was conducted by veteran Iowa pollster J. Ann Selzer, showed Harris with a 47% to 44% lead over Trump in the state. Despite excitement caused by Selzer's polling among Democrats, Trump retained a win in the battleground state.

Texas Selects Donald Trump

Donald Trump has won Texas, continuing his strong performance in the state, which he also claimed in both 2016 and 2020. As the second-most populous state, this victory gives Trump 40 electoral votes — providing a significant boost in his quest for victory.

With his win in the Lone Star State, among others, Trump currently stands at 210 votes, while Harris has 112 electoral college votes, according to the Associated Press.

Historic Firsts with New Jersey's Andy Kim and Delaware's Sarah McBride

As America closely watches the 2024 presidential election results unfold, New Jersey and Delaware had two historic firsts.

In Delaware, Sarah McBride becomes the first transgender member of Congress after defeating her Republican opponent, John Whalen III, in Delaware's at-large House district.

Meanwhile, in New Jersey Rep. Andy Kim has been elected as the first Korean-American senator. Kim will take the Senate seat previously occupied by Democrat Bob Menendez, who resigned in August following federal bribery charges.

This wins were, of course, special for both Democratic candidates.

"I know how much it would have meant for me as a kid to see something like this happen, but I didn't run to make history with an election, I ran to help make historic progress in Congress for all Delawareans on all of the issues that matter," McBride told PEOPLE exclusively.

Nevada and Other Western States Close Their Polls

Nevada is the final swing state to cut off voting in the 2024 presidential election. Montana and Utah, and parts of Idaho and Oregon, also closed their polls at 10 p.m. ET.

A couple solidly blue states — including California, with more Electoral College votes than any other states — will begin reporting results at 11 p.m. ET.

Abortion Amendment in Florida Fails to Pass

An abortion rights ballot initiative has failed in Florida, despite earning 57% of the vote. The initiative needed a 60% supermajority in order to pass, falling just short.

If it had passed, Amendment 4 would have preserved abortion protections up to the point of fetal viability, which is around 24 weeks, into Florida's state constitution. This would have prevented the state from passing laws to "prohibit, penalize, delay, or restrict abortion" until that fetal viability point — a stark contrast to the current, six-week ban that went into effect in the state in May.

Notably, six weeks is before many women are even aware that they're pregnant.

Donald Trump Has 120 Electoral College Votes, Kamala Harris Has 99 as of 9 p.m. EST

As the next batch of states polls close, the Associated Press has called more states for former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris.

Harris earned 28 Electoral College votes from New York, helping push her to 99 total Electoral votes just after the 9 p.m. EST hour. Trump, meanwhile, won the Dakotas, as well as Wyoming, earning 130 Electoral College votes.

Several More States Have Closed Polls, Including a Few Battlegrounds

A few key battleground states closed their polls at 9 p.m. EST. Newly closed are Arizona, Colorado, Iowa, Louisiana, Minnesota, Nebraska, New Mexico, New York, Wisconsin and Wyoming.

Five other states that straddle time zones — Kansas, Michigan, North Dakota, South Dakota and Texas — closed the remainder of their polls. Only a handful of western states are still voting, including the swing state of Nevada.

Florida Reelects GOP Sen. Rick Scott, Disappointing Optimistic Democrats

Rick Scott has been reelected to a second term in the U.S. Senate, defeating former Democratic Rep. Debbie Mucarsel-Powell and defending an important Republican seat that appeared vulnerable in the final weeks before the election.

Democrats have the harder Senate map this year, forced to defend numerous seats in battleground or conservative states in order to hold onto their majority.

A Democratic victory in Florida was never the likeliest outcome, but that didn't stop the party from dreaming of evening the score with an upset.

Florida Goes for Donald Trump

Former President Donald Trump has won Florida, continuing the state's support for him in both 2016 and 2020. Despite going blue in 2008 and 2012, Florida has a long history of Republican victories in presidential elections.

With Florida's 30 electoral votes, Trump now has 95 votes compared to Harris' 35 votes.

During the 8 p.m. EST hour, other states called for Trump by the Associated Press include West Virginia, Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee, Oklahoma and South Carolina.

The AP has projected Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut and Maryland for Vice President Kamala Harris.

Voting Has Ended in More than 50% of States

At 8 p.m. EST, several states closed polls. Voting has now ceased in more than half of the nation, and the Electoral College map will soon begin to take clearer form.

Here are all the places that just closed down their polling stations for the night: Alabama, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida (Central Time region), Illinois, Kansas (Central Time region), Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan (Eastern Time region), Mississippi, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, North Dakota (Central Time region), Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Dakota (Central Time region), Tennessee, Texas (Central Time region), and Washington, D.C.

Arkansas' polls will close soon at 8:30 p.m. EST.

Gen-Z's Maxwell Frost Is Reelected in Florida

Democrat Maxwell Frost, 27, has been reelected as the U.S. representative for Florida's 10th congressional district.

When Frost won his race in 2022 at age 25, he became the first member of Generation Z to be elected to Congress.

"It's important to have people with different perspectives in Congress — working-class people, younger people, et cetera — because when we sit down at a table and we're discussing these issues ... you want that table to be representative of all the different plights, struggles, experiences, cultures, loves and fears that our country has," Frost told PEOPLE in January 2023.

West Virginia Senate Seat Flips Red

West Virginia's Republican Gov. Jim Justice has handily defeated Democratic Mayor Glenn Elliott to secure a seat in the U.S. Senate, replacing outgoing Sen. Joe Manchin and flipping a seat red.

Manchin, a Democratic-turned-independent lawmaker who also previously served as the West Virginia governor, complicated Democrats' chances of holding their slim Senate majority when he decided not to seek reelection this year.

Manchin was an anomaly in West Virginian politics, managing to win three Senate elections as a Democrat in a deeply conservative state.

A Key Swing State Just Closed Its Polls

Americans will hold their breath as North Carolina counties begin to report their 2024 election results. The state, where Vice President Kamala Harris hopes to pull off an upset win, closed its polls at 7:30 p.m. EST. Alongside North Carolina, Ohio and West Virginia also closed their polls at 7:30 p.m.

Sabrina Carpenter Registered 35,814 Voters in 2024 Election, Breaking Artist Voter Engagement Records

According to the nonprofit HeadCount , Sabrina Carpenter has registered 35,814 voters, making her HeadCount's most influential artist in getting fans to participate in the 2024 presidential election.

The 25-year-old singer also helped engage 263,087 voters to check their registration and polling location ahead of the election HeadCount notes, throughout her Short 'N' Sweet tour with giveaways, postcards, in-person activations and video boards.

Green Day 's Saviors Tour also broke the record for most voters engaged for a single tour by getting 7,900 new voters registered and engaging over 61,000 voters.

Ariana Grande previously held HeadCount's record as the most influential musician politically during her Sweetener world tour. Carpenter's actions have doubled Grande's numbers, courting more voters than ever before via the nonprofit.

More Polls Close, as First States Are Called for Harris and Trump

At 7 p.m. EST, the first significant wave of polls closed, including a couple of states that could prove competitive. All of Indiana and Kentucky have now finished voting, in addition to Georgia, South Carolina, Vermont, Virginia and the majority of Florida.

Next up are North Carolina, Ohio and West Virginia, which will close at 7:30 EST.

Shortly after 7 p.m., the Associated Press called Vermont for Vice President Kamala Harris, while Kentucky and Indiana are estimated for former President Donald Trump.

Voting Questions or Concerns as Polls Begin to Close? Here's What to Do

As polling locations begin to close around the country, voters are being reminded that if you're already in line at a polling location: stay in line.

Should voters face difficulties or concerns while attempting to cast their ballots, there's a nonpartisan group that can help: the Election Protection coalition .

Election Protection offers a hotline on Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 5, as a resource to voters. English-speakers can call 866-OUR-VOTE, while there's also a Spanish/English helpline: 888-VE-Y-VOTA; an Arabic/English helpline: 844-YALLA-US; and an Asian languages/English helpline: 888-API-VOTE.

The hotline is open until 11:59 p.m. EST on Tuesday. Volunteers will answer voting questions and give you advice on how to cast your ballot.

Ballots Have Been Cast — from Space! Astronauts Share Voting Picture from ISS

The four NASA astronauts currently aboard the International Space Station (ISS) celebrated the 2024 election with a gravity-defying photo on Tuesday, Nov. 5, after voting from outer space.

"It doesn't matter if you are sitting, standing, or floating - what matters is that you vote!" Nick Hague wrote on Instagram, alongside fellow SpaceX Crew-9 astronauts Don Pettit, Sunita Williams and Butch Willmore.

All four American astronauts were able to vote early while aboard the ISS due to a 1997 Texas law.

They requested and were provided electronic absentee ballots, which they accessed via unique credentials from NASA's Johnson Space Center Mission Control. Ultimately, mission control then provides the electronic absentee ballots to local election officials in Houston.

The First Polls Have Closed

At 6 p.m. EST, the first polling stations in the nation closed, in the portions of Indiana and Kentucky that observe Eastern Time. As results begin to trickle in, many around the nation have yet to cast their votes.

The next polls close at 7 p.m. EST, in Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, Vermont, Virginia and the remaining areas in Indiana and Kentucky that are in the Central time zone.

The final polls of the night close at midnight EST, in Alaska and Hawaii.

Here's the full schedule.

Why Does the U.S. Have an Electoral College? Thank Our Founding Fathers

When it comes to deciding who will be the next president of the United States, the popular vote comes second to the support of the Electoral College.

To secure a presidential victory, a candidate must earn more than half of the support of the Electoral College, which requires 270 electoral votes. Each state is allotted a certain number of votes in the Electoral College, based on population, and whoever wins the state's popular vote wins its electoral votes.

With every presidential election cycle, questions over why the Electoral College exists resurface.

As CNN's John King previously explained to PEOPLE, the Electoral College was borne out of disagreement. "We were coming out of King George and the monarchy and the oppressive British rule and the authoritarian king, they were afraid to let the popular vote carry the election because they thought that an angry populist would come along and sway the masses and the people would make a mistake," King said. "And so they were abandoning a monarchy, but they didn't fully trust democracy. And that's how we got the Electoral College a long, long time ago."

Read the full story here .

Oldest Living Survivor of 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre, Age 110, Casts Vote in Oklahoma

Viola Ford Fletcher, who is the oldest living survivor of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre, has voted in the 2024 election, casting her ballot for Vice President Kamala Harris.

CNN reporter Abby Phillip shared a photo of Fletcher wearing an "I voted sticker" in Oklahoma on X, writing, "I'm told she voted for Vice President Harris."

The massacre happened in Tulsa, Okla., on May 31 and June 1, 1921 when a White mob descended on the city's thriving Greenwood business district, known as "Black Wall Street." The mob burned and destroyed more than 1,000 homes and businesses, killing upwards of 300 Black people. Bodies were disposed of in mass graves, many of which went uncovered for nearly a century.

The Department of Justice is currently undergoing a federal review of the massacre , which comes after the Supreme Court dismissed a lawsuit Fletcher and fellow survivor Lessie Benningfield Randle filed seeking reparations.

Randle, 109, previously told Essence that she had voted for Harris this election via absentee ballot.

Paul Rudd Hands Out Water to Voters in Pennsylvania

Ant-Man star Paul Rudd was spotted on camera by MSNBC in Philadelphia, Penn., on Tuesday, Nov. 5, providing water to young voters in a lengthy line on the Temple University campus.

MSNBC National Correspondent Jacob Soboroff ran over to Rudd in the footage, asking the actor what brought him to the swing state.

"I just wanted to give people water," Rudd replied. "They're waiting in line for a long time, and it's a wonderful thing that all these young people are out voting."

According to Soboroff, lines at that polling location had reached two-hour wait times. Said Rudd, "We've been doing lots of stuff today here in Pennsylvania. We wanted to come out and tell these students they're doing really great things."

Rudd's Parks and Recreation costar Adam Scott also celebrated the former's activism with Instagram photos of the actor with Harris-Walz signs in Pennsylvania.

Donald Trump's Stock Fluctuates — and Gets Halted — on Election Day

While most eyes focus on the polls, former President Donald Trump saw a significant dip on a different chart, Tuesday, Nov. 5.

Stock in the 78-year-old's media company, Trump Media & Technology Group Corp., saw a 15% drop in just 15 minutes around 2:40 p.m. EST on Election Day. The sharp drop came after a spike earlier Tuesday in the double digits. According to CNN , it was ultimately halted for volatility, before ending the day down more than 1% at $33.94.

Trump Media & Technology Group Corp. operates Trump's social media platform, Truth Social , and trades on the stock market under DJT.

Speaking to Newsweek , a finance expert suggested that the "initial rise was speculative, driven by hopes of a Trump victory." Kevin Thompson, founder and CEO of 9i Capital Group, also speculated a dip in the stock should Trump lose the election.

When Will a Presidential Winner Be Declared?

PEOPLE caught up with MSNBC's Steve Kornacki ahead of the election to ask the question on everyone's minds: When will we know our next president?

The TL;DR from Kornacki is that it could be decided quickly if one of them pulls far ahead, but more likely, Americans will need to exercise patience.

"It wouldn't be entirely shocking to me if it took a few days again. I think there's a wide range of possibilities here," he told PEOPLE's Lizzie Hyman, adding that Arizona and Nevada get a late start at processing and counting ballots, and Pennsylvania's timing is a "wild card."

Still, Kornacki has hope that the election could be called sooner than it was in 2020, when Joe Biden wasn't declared the winner until the Saturday after Election Day. His logic? Mail-in ballots are less popular this year than they were in 2020, whereas early in-person voting spiked. "That is a much more efficient set of votes to count than vote by mail."

Read the full story here.

Final Polls Show No Clear Front-Runner

Pollsters dropped their final results in the days leading up to Nov. 5, giving election forecast models enough time to tabulate the scores and predict a presidential winner. Nearly every model reached the same conclusion: it could go either way.

That's not to say that the Electoral College will reach a tie, but rather that Harris and Trump have near-equal chances of being the lucky candidate who pulls ahead.

Pollsters worked hard this year to avoid underestimating Trump like they did in 2016 and 2020, but some experts now fear that the way they weighted responses in his favor may have actually overestimated the former president's support by failing to fully consider the momentum behind Harris' historic campaign.

Ultimately, there's no way to know if this year's polling adjustments solved or worsened the accuracy issues from past elections until the ballots have been counted.

2024 Election Day Recap: Donald Trump Wins His Second Term in Office, Defeating Kamala Harris

Minnesota Votes for Kamala Harris

Pennsylvania Reverts to Red in Support of Donald Trump

Georgia Flips Red to Support Donald Trump

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