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Americans react as Donald Trump wins US presidential race

Americans react as Donald Trump wins US presidential race

Donald Trump has won a sweeping victory in the United States presidential election and will return to the White House as the 47th president. The vote was called in favour of the Republican candidate early on Wednesday, The Associated Press reported. Trump made an astonishing political comeback in defeating his rival, Vice President Kamala Harris, who is yet to concede. His victory has been met by international congratulations but is likely to add further uncertainty to a turbulent geopolitical situation. Results showed Trump beating Harris, a Democrat, in a race far less tight than expected as he triumphed in key battleground states. Victory in Wisconsin after earlier triumphs in Georgia, North Carolina and Pennsylvania saw the former president clear the threshold of the 270 Electoral College votes required to clinch the White House in Tuesday’s election. Adblock test (Why?)

Mike Johnson reveals where House stands as GOP fights to keep majority after Trump win

Mike Johnson reveals where House stands as GOP fights to keep majority after Trump win

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., is anticipating full Republican control of Washington, D.C., after the GOP swept the White House and the Senate on Tuesday night. “As more results come in it is clear that, as we have predicted all along, Republicans are poised to have unified government in the White House, Senate, and House,” Johnson said in a statement Wednesday morning. He said Republican promises of “secure borders, lower costs, peace through strength, and a return to common sense” drove Americans to vote red across the country. THOUSANDS OF NONCITIZENS REMOVED FROM VOTER ROLLS, DOZENS OF LAWMAKERS WANT ANSWERS FROM GARLAND “House Republicans have been successful in securing critical flips in swing states including Pennsylvania and Michigan, while our battle-tested incumbents have secured re-election from coast to coast,” Johnson continued. “The latest data and trends indicate that when all the votes are tabulated, Republicans will have held our majority, even though we faced a map with 18 Biden-won seats.” “We will continue to monitor the results and ensure every legal ballot is counted throughout this process.” As of late Wednesday morning, The Associated Press projected House Republicans to have won 198 seats to Democrats’ 177. Of the 435 House races across the country, the first party to win 218 will take the majority. HEAD HERE FOR THE LATEST FOX NEWS ELECTION RESULTS A significant number of outstanding races are in California, where Republicans are fighting to hold onto several seats that were critical to them winning the majority in 2022. The GOP suffered two setbacks in New York on Tuesday night with the projected losses of Reps. Marc Molinaro and Brandon Williams, who were both expected to run in tight races. Republicans are projected to hold onto Rep. Mike Lawler’s critical New York swing seat and the central New Jersey district represented by Rep. Tom Kean, however – both key suburban victories. They also are projected to flip Democratic Rep. Elissa Slotkin’s Michigan House seat, which she vacated to run for Senate. It comes after Republicans won control of the Senate, with businessman Bernie Moreno projected to oust Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio on Tuesday and veteran Tim Sheehy on the path to defeating Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., as of Wednesday morning. The GOP also won control of West Virginia’s Senate seat, which was expected with the retirement of Democratic-aligned Sen. Joe Manchin, I-W.Va. Meanwhile, President-elect Trump secured the critical swing states of North Carolina, Georgia and Pennsylvania in the early hours of Wednesday, solidifying his path to victory over Vice President Kamala Harris. Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.

JD Vance vows to ‘never stop fighting’ for Americans following election victory

JD Vance vows to ‘never stop fighting’ for Americans following election victory

Vice President-elect JD Vance is declaring Wednesday that he will “never stop fighting” for the American people following his election victory with President-elect Donald Trump.  In a post on X, the Ohio senator thanked his wife for “making it possible to do this” and “To President Donald J. Trump, for giving me such an opportunity to serve our country at this level.   “And to the American people, for their trust. I will never stop fighting for ALL of you,” Vance added.  Vance said earlier this morning during Trump’s victory speech in Palm Beach, Florida, that “I think that we just witnessed the greatest political comeback in the history of the United States of America.  LIVE UPDATES: DONALD TRUMP ELECTED AS THE NEXT PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES  “After the greatest political comeback in American history, we are going to lead the greatest economic comeback in American history under Donald Trump’s leadership,” he also said.  Trump, speaking to Vance, said, “I want to be the first to congratulate our great – now I can say –  Vice president-elect of the United States, JD Vance.”  HERE’S HOW VP-ELECT JD VANCE’S SENATE SEAT WILL BE FILLED  “He’s turned out to be a good choice. I took a little heat at the beginning, but he was, I knew the brain was a good one. About as good as it gets,” Trump added.  With Vance poised to take on the role of vice president next year, Ohioans will now need someone else to fill his Senate seat.  Initially, Ohio’s governor will tap someone to fill the void caused by Vance vacating the seat. Later, there will be a special election to fill the remainder of Vance’s Senate term, according to Ohio law.  Fox News’ Alex Nitzberg contributed to this report. 

Here’s how VP-elect JD Vance’s Senate seat will be filled

Here’s how VP-elect JD Vance’s Senate seat will be filled

With Sen. JD Vance poised to take on the role of vice president next year, Ohioans will need someone else to fill his Senate seat. Initially, Ohio’s governor will tap someone to fill the void caused by Vance vacating the seat. Later, there will be a special election to fill the remainder of Vance’s Senate term, according to Ohio law. “The appointee shall hold office until the fifteenth day of December succeeding the next regular state election that occurs more than one hundred eighty days after the vacancy happens,” Ohio law states.  REPUBLICAN LAWMAKERS REACT TO PROJECTED TRUMP VICTORY: ‘WELCOME BACK’ “At that next regular state election, a special election to fill the vacancy shall be held, provided, that when the unexpired term ends within one year immediately following the date of such regular state election, an election to fill the unexpired term shall not be held, and the appointment shall be for the unexpired term,” Ohio law stipulates. Since current Ohio Gov. Gov. Mike DeWine, a Republican, is slated to select Vance’s temporary replacement, the seat should remain in GOP hands. A special election will be held in November 2026, according to cincinnati.com. ‘TIRELESS CAMPAIGN’: REACTIONS POUR IN AFTER GOP CHALLENGER FLIPS CRUCIAL SENATE SEAT HELD BY LONGTIME DEM Vance took office in 2023, and his Senate term is not slated to end until early 2029. During remarks celebrating the victory, Vance said, “After the greatest political comeback in American history, we’re gonna lead the greatest economic comeback in American history, under Donald Trump’s leadership.” Earlier this year, entrepreneur and author Vivek Ramaswamy told Fox News Digital that he would consider serving in the Senate role if asked to do so.  AOC CHIMES IN AFTER JD VANCE REFERS TO KAMALA HARRIS AS ‘TRASH’ Ramaswamy mounted a bid for the GOP presidential nomination in 2023 before dropping out in early 2024 and backing Trump. The Fox News Decision Desk projected that Republicans won control of the Senate during the 2024 elections.

Depressed media react to Trump victory: How could this possibly have happened?

Depressed media react to Trump victory: How could this possibly have happened?

Many journalists were clinging to fading hopes that Kamala Harris could somehow pull out a victory as Donald Trump won state after state in the greatest comeback in American political history. By early this morning, it was clear that the outcome they most dreaded had materialized, and it wasn’t all that close. The Blue Wall crumbled when Trump won Wisconsin, and with it the vice president’s chances – and already some of her allies in the press are blaming racism and sexism. He wound up, at this writing, with a near-sweep of the battleground states. FOX NEWS PROJECTS DONALD TRUMP DEFEATS KAMALA HARRIS TO BECOME 47TH PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES Harris did the best she could in a shortened campaign, with overwhelmingly favorable and celebrity-fueled media coverage, compared to the constant attacks on her opponent. But she was the incumbent in a change election. Many of the political geniuses said that Trump – only the second president to regain the White House after losing it – was traveling a dark road, with harsh rhetoric, personal attacks and Arnold Palmer-type distractions. This, they were convinced, would appeal only to his MAGA base and contrasted with Harris’ sunny message of unity and lifting up the middle class. “We’re going to help our country heal,” Trump said this morning in West Palm Beach, a striking contrast with his previous tone. For those left-leaning commentators who said 2024 could be America’s last election if Trump won, the outcome – which included Republicans taking over the Senate – was a slap in the face. Look at these New York Times news headlines: “America Hires a Strongman.” “Pariah, Felon, President-Elect: How Trump Fought His Way Back to Power.” “Four More Years of Unpredictability: The World Prepares for Trump’s Return.” And the editorial page: “America Makes a Perilous Choice.” When Trump was leading in the Electoral College count last night by 153 to 27, MSNBC host Nicolle Wallace said: “It could be a very good night for Kamala Harris.” There was a subdued tone on the network this morning. On “Morning Joe,” Joe Scarborough said: “America, first of all, is far more to the right than any time in our lifetimes. Even going back to the Reagan years. And Donald Trump won in dominating fashion.” Think of all the ink that was spilled on whether Trump would accept the outcome if he lost and whether there would be violence. As for the dire predictions that a second Trump term would have no guardrails and destroy democracy, well, we’ll find out soon enough whether that was an apocalyptic view. As liberal pundits tried to pick up the pieces of the Democratic wipeout, with one on CNN accusing Trump of having no plan, there was a focus on why Harris didn’t do better with Black men, or Latinos. Trump projected strength, and even many of those turned off by his pugilistic style had favorable memories of his previous term and its strong economy, despite the trauma of Jan. 6. Harris was saddled with the unpopularity of Joe Biden, who should have stepped aside much sooner. The theme of one stunned television panel after another today: How could this possibly have happened? But for those who lambasted Trump for not accepting his defeat in 2020 – something he still contested in the final days – it’s now their turn to accept that you can’t love your country only when you win. Harris, after hiding from the press for a month and even after winning the debate, just didn’t have much new to say in the final weeks and often retreated to talking-point responses. I’ve covered Donald Trump for decades, and interviewed him in New York just a couple of weeks ago, when he was very much on his game. He stood by his most controversial stances, such as saying “the enemy within” – naming Nancy Pelosi and Adam Schiff – were more of a threat than Russia or China. The former and future president has promised a mass deportation of illegal immigrants, among other things. But his most dramatic rhetoric is often brushed aside by most supporters who believe this is what goes on in campaigns and much of it will never happen. Trump always drives the news agenda by going up to and over the line, forcing the media to cover him, and even negative headlines help him by highlighting his larger points. On CNN, former Biden communications director Kate Bedingfield said that “Democrats need to have a soul-searching moment.” The media could badly use one as well. But I’m not holding my breath. Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.

Navy SEAL Tim Sheehy ousts 3-term Sen. Jon Tester in Montana Senate race

Navy SEAL Tim Sheehy ousts 3-term Sen. Jon Tester in Montana Senate race

Former Navy SEAL Tim Sheehy has beaten three-term Democrat Sen. Jon Tester in the Montana Senate race, flipping a key race as Republicans are set to take back control of the Senate, the Associated Press projects.  His win increases the Republican majority in the Senate to at least 52, per the Associated Press projections.  All eyes were on the Big Sky State’s competitive Senate race that saw three-term Senator Tester, the only statewide Democrat elected in Montana, facing former Navy SEAL and businessman Tim Sheehy.  Early on in the cycle, the Montana race was deemed one of Republicans’ best pickup opportunities and one of Democrats’ most vulnerable seats of the 2024 cycle. Sheehy launched his Senate bid exclusively with Fox News Digital in June 2023, calling for “a new generation of leaders to step up” in Congress in his bid to oust the red state Democrat. MONTANA SENATE RACE COULD BE GOP’S BEST BET TO TIP BALANCE OF POWER The Navy SEAL quickly received the backing of prominent GOP members after announcing his candidacy, including Sens. Steve Daines of Montana, Marco Rubio of Florida, Tom Cotton of Arkansas, Cindy Hyde-Smith of Mississippi, Ted Budd of North Carolina, Markwayne Mullin of Oklahoma, Bill Hagerty and Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee, and John Barrasso of Wyoming. Before entering the political scene, Sheehy served in Iraq, Afghanistan, South America and the Pacific region, receiving the Bronze Star with Valor for Heroism in Combat and a Purple Heart. On top of owning several businesses, the veteran shares four kids with his Marine veteran wife, Carmen Sheehy.  MONTANA MIGHT DECIDE THE SENATE Former President Trump endorsed Sheehy, who he described as an “American Hero,” in February, after Montana Rep. Matt Rosendale launched a short-lived bid for the seat. Tester, a former school teacher, was first elected to the Montana Senate in 2006. The Democrat owns a family farm in Big Sandy where he lives with his wife, Sharla. Tester has taken a more moderate stance on issues during his time in the Senate, openly breaking with the Biden-Harris administration on several issues throughout the years. The Democrat withheld an endorsement of Vice President Kamala Harris after she became the party’s nominee. Tester outraised Sheehy throughout the election cycle, but the latest polling leading up to Election Day found that the Republican nominee was leading the race. Just two months ahead of Election Day, two top political handicappers shifted the Senate race in Sheehy’s favor.  The Cook Political Report, an independent nonpartisan elections handicapper, recently shifted the race from “toss-up” to “lean Republican,” while Sabato’s Crystal Ball at the University of Virginia’s Center for Politics moved the race to “leans Republican.” Democrats were protecting 23 Senate seats this cycle, more than double the number of Republicans who are defending 10 seats in the chamber. 

7 states vote to protect abortion rights, 3 keep restrictions in place

7 states vote to protect abortion rights, 3 keep restrictions in place

Ten states voted directly on abortion-related measures Tuesday, with abortion advocates claiming seven victories. Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Maryland, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New York, Nevada and South Dakota all went to the polls on the issue, with the majority of the ballot measures seeking to amend efforts passed in Republican-led states whose leaders moved to restrict abortion in the wake of the Supreme Court’s June 2022 decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. Voters in Missouri cleared the way to undo the state’s near-total ban, one of the nation’s tightest restrictions, with an amendment that would allow lawmakers to restrict abortions past the point of a fetus’ viability – usually considered after 21 weeks, although there is no exact defined time frame. Abortion rights amendments also passed in Arizona, Colorado and Maryland and Montana, per The Associated Press. Montana voted to amend the state constitution to “expressly provide a right to make and carry out decisions about one’s own pregnancy, including the right to abortion.” ABORTION ‘ON THE BALLOT’ IN 10 STATES THIS ELECTION, BUT IT MIGHT NOT MATTER Nevada voters also approved an amendment, but they’ll need to pass it again in 2026 for it to take effect.  Another measure, which bans discrimination on the basis of “pregnancy outcomes,” prevailed in New York. It does not contain the word “abortion,” but rather bans discrimination on the basis of “pregnancy outcomes, and reproductive healthcare and autonomy.” In Arizona, voters were asked to amend the state constitution to allow abortions through the 24-week mark. The measure enshrines a “fundamental right” to abortion before fetal viability, when a fetus has a “significant likelihood” of surviving outside the uterus. The amendment replaces the current law that bans abortion after the first 15 weeks of pregnancy. A long-dormant 1864 law, which predated Arizona’s statehood, had gone into effect in the Grand Canyon State after the repeal of Roe vs. Wade in 2022, thrusting the issue into the spotlight and leading to Tuesday’s vote. The law had no exceptions for rape and incest, only for the life of the mother, and was repealed in September. DESANTIS CLAIMS VICTORY OVER FLORIDA ABORTION, MARIJUANA AMENDMENTS AS SUPPORTERS CELEBRATE: ‘PRAISE GOD’ Florida, Nebraska and South Dakota defeated similar constitutional amendments, leaving existing restrictions in place. Florida, home to more than 13 million registered voters, was the most populous state deciding on abortion measures. Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis last year signed into law the Heartbeat Protection Act, which restricts most abortions after six weeks of gestation.  This year, Florida residents voted on Amendment 4, the Right to Abortion Initiative, which aimed to overturn that law by prohibiting measures that restrict abortion before viability. In Florida, constitutional amendments must get 60% of the vote, not a simple majority, to pass. Amendment 4 received majority support among voters but failed to meet the 60% threshold. South Dakota voters’ defeat of its abortion measure prevents some regulations related to the health of the woman after 12 weeks. The Mount Rushmore State currently has a ban on abortion throughout pregnancy with some exceptions. Nebraska passed a ballot amendment prohibiting abortion beyond the first three months of pregnancy. Tuesday’s results ended a win streak for abortion-rights advocates who had prevailed on all seven measures that have appeared on statewide ballots since the fall of Roe. A Fox News poll conducted this year found that a record-high number of voters now say they support legalizing abortion in some form, including two-thirds who said they supported a nationwide law that would guarantee abortion access for women. Fifty-nine percent said they believe abortion should be legal in “all or most cases,” up from the previous high of 57% in September 2022.  Fox News’ Danielle Wallace, Breanne Deppisch, Emma Colton and the Associated Press contributed to this report.