Paxton’s picks appear on track to cement Republicans’ hold on Texas’ highest criminal court
Three new faces will join the bench, but the political balance of power is likely to remain the same on the Court of Criminal Appeals.
Three Republicans are poised to keep their seats on Texas Supreme Court, despite efforts from anti-abortion groups
Jane Bland and Jimmy Blacklock won their reelection bids over Democrat challengers backed by anti-abortion groups, while John Devine was poised for victory.
U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar secures another term as criminal trial looms
The longtime Laredo congressman fended off Republican challenger Jay Furman despite a federal indictment accusing the incumbent of bribery and money laundering.
Texas GOP poised to increase its majorities in the Legislature
Gov. Greg Abbott said the House would have enough Republicans to pass school vouchers next year.
Harris will not speak from Howard University on election night as planned
Vice President Kamala Harris will not speak to supporters tonight from her alma mater in Washington, D.C., as previously planned. Harris campaign co-chair Cedric Richmond briefly addressed those gathered at Howard University in the early morning hours Wednesday, informing them Harris would address voters at the university on Wednesday. It was not made clear when exactly that would occur. Despite the bleak outlook for Democrats at that moment of the night, Richmond told those gathered at Howard there were “still votes to be counted.” THE HITCHHIKER’S GUIDE TO THE MEANING OF A REPUBLICAN SENATE – AND WHAT’S AHEAD FOR THE HOUSE “We still have states that have not been called yet,” Richmond added. “We will continue overnight to fight to make sure that every vote is counted, that every voice has spoken.” Before Richmond spoke and informed the crowd Harris would not be speaking as originally planned, videos began circulating online showing those gathered at Howard vacating the premises as the race’s momentum appeared to swing in favor of Republicans. FLORIDA’S PROGRESSIVE ABORTION AMENDMENT FAILS FOLLOWING DESANTIS PUSH AGAINST ‘BAIT AND SWITCH’ LEGISLATION Richmond’s indication that Harris would be calling it a night early came roughly an hour before the race was called for President-elect Donald Trump. Republicans also took back control of the Senate early in the night Tuesday, and it still remains possible the GOP wins a supermajority with enough victories in the House of Representatives. Trump is still expected to speak to voters tonight from the Palm Beach County Convention Center as planned.
Democrat Rep. Jahana Hayes projected to defeat GOP challenger for 2nd time in Connecticut
Democratic incumbent Rep. Jahana Hayes is projected to defeat her Republican challenger, George Logan, locking in another term representing Connecticut’s 5th Congressional District, according to the Associated Press. This is the second time Hayes has defeated Logan. The Republican unsuccessfully challenged Hayes during the 2022 midterm elections. CHECK OUT THE LATEST FOX NEWS POWER RANKINGS IN THE 2024 ELECTION It has been 18 years since a Republican has represented Connecticut’s 5th Congressional District. CONNECTICUT CONGRESSWOMAN RIDICULED FOR RESPONSE TO DEADLY FLOODING, LUXURY CAMPAIGN SPENDING Hayes made history as the first Black woman and Black Democrat to represent Connecticut in Congress. She won her 2018 election and her 2020 and 2022 re-election races by double digits. The district extends along Connecticut’s western border with New York. Logan served in the Connecticut state Senate and has been an engineer at Aquarion Water Company for nearly three decades. Logan’s wife is a nurse, and he is the father of a son and a daughter. During his campaign, Logan said he would fix inflation and work to bring down gas prices by working toward clean energy solutions. He also campaigned on veterans issues, providing resources to first responders and securing the border by cracking down on drug cartels. Hayes began her career as a teacher in Connecticut. During the 118th Congress, Hayes served on the House Agriculture Committee and the House Committee on Education and the Workforce, and she is a member of the Congressional Black Caucus and the House Pro-Choice Caucus. Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.
Fox News projects Democrat AG Bob Ferguson to win Washington governor’s race
The Fox News Decision Desk projects Democratic state Attorney General Bob Ferguson will win Washington state’s gubernatorial race, an open race with the retirement of Democratic Gov. Jay Inslee, who decided not to seek a fourth term. The state’s top lawyer since 2013, Ferguson ran on a platform of continuity and reform, and has positioned himself as a defender of progressive values in a state known for its Democratic leanings. He is also known for taking on high-profile lawsuits against the Trump administration and corporations. He won with 74% of the vote in the August primaries. Ferguson’s campaign has been marked by his sharp criticism of his opponent, former U.S. Rep. Dave Reichert, on hot-button issues such as abortion. Ferguson has attacked Reichert for his previous support for a nationwide abortion ban as out of touch with Washington’s values. FERGUSON WINS PRIMARY, ADVANCES TO GENERAL ELECTION IN WASHINGTON GUBERNATORIAL RACE Ferguson’s endorsements include prominent state leaders like Inslee and U.S. Sen. Patty Murray. Washington hasn’t elected a Republican governor in 40 years. Reichert was a congressman from 2005 to 2019, and prior to that was King County sheriff for eight years. He gained national recognition for capturing the “Green River Killer” during his time as sheriff. The 2024 race marks the first open gubernatorial election in Washington since 2012, during which time the state’s political landscape has grown more divided, with progressive policies shaping Seattle and surrounding cities, while rural and suburban regions lean more conservative. The 2024 race marks the first open gubernatorial election in Washington since 2012. Since then, the state’s political landscape has grown more divided, with progressive policies shaping Seattle and surrounding cities, while rural and suburban regions lean more conservative. FERGUSON WINS PRIMARY, ADVANCES TO GENERAL ELECTION IN WASHINGTON GUBERNATORIAL RACE Ferguson was able to capitalize on the popularity of outgoing Gov. Inslee, while also pledging to combat the opioid epidemic and boost law enforcement presence in the state.
Voters in several states projected to approve constitutional amendments forbidding noncitizen voting
Voters in at least 7 states Tuesday are projected to approve constitutional amendments explicitly banning noncitizens from voting in elections. The measure, which was on the ballot in eight states, was approved by voters in Iowa, Missouri, Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina, Oklahoma and Wisconsin. Idaho, where voters have also appeared to approve the amendment, did not have enough votes counted on Wednesday morning to announce an official decision. THOUSANDS OF NONCITIZENS REMOVED FROM VOTER ROLLS, DOZENS OF LAWMAKERS WANT ANSWERS FROM GARLAND Noncitizens are prohibited from voting in federal elections under a U.S. law enacted in 1996, but Washington, D.C., and some municipalities in Maryland, Vermont and California allow them to vote in local elections. Similar amendments have been made to state constitutions in North Dakota, Florida, Colorado, Alabama, Ohio and Louisiana over the past six years after concerns that the language surrounding voter eligibility wasn’t specific enough. The wording in those states was then changed from “every citizen” to “only a citizen” can vote. HEAD HERE FOR THE LATEST FOX NEWS ELECTION RESULTS Despite it being illegal for noncitizens to vote, various states have identified, and removed, ineligible people on voter rolls in recent months. Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin was sued by the DOJ in October after the state removed 6,000 ineligible people from its rolls after their citizenship could not be verified during a two-week grace period. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said in August that more than 6,500 potential noncitizens had been removed from the state’s voter rolls since 2021. Also in August, Ohio Secretary of State Frank La Rose said that he referred 138 apparent noncitizens for prosecution after it was determined they had voted in a recent election. Alabama Secretary of State Wes Allen has said 3,251 people previously identified as noncitizens by the federal government have been deactivated on the state’s voter registration rolls. In October, 73 lawmakers sent a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland stating that they were “deeply concerned” by reports of noncitizens registering to vote and voting in federal elections, adding that the DOJ had not yet responded to lawmakers’ initial inquiry in July. Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub. The Associated Press and Fox News’ Morgan Phillips contributed to this report.
New Mexico Democratic Rep. Gabriel Vasquez projected to beat Trump-backed GOP challenger
New Mexico Democratic Rep. Gabriel Vasquez is projected to defeat Republican challenger Yvette Herrell, holding on to his seat for a second term. Vasquez and Herrell previously squared off in the 2022 election cycle, when Vasquez won by less than 1%. Vasquez has represented New Mexico’s 2nd Congressional District, which encompasses Las Cruces and a southern portion of Albuquerque, since 2023. The race was considered a toss-up, with the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) identifying the district as vulnerable for defeat against Republican challengers this election cycle. Vasquez touted expanding the economy, protecting abortion access, combating climate change and passing “comprehensive” immigration laws as his campaign platforms. PRO-DEFUND POLICE DEM IN KEY RACE ONCE THREATENED TO ‘KILL’ AND ‘BURY’ MAN OVER THE PHONE: POLICE RECORDS The congressman came under fire from conservatives in the lead-up to the election, including for his previous comments supporting defunding the police. Vasquez appeared on a local news station seemingly dressed in disguise during the 2020 George Floyd unrest and said, “It’s not just about defunding police, it’s about defunding a system that privileges White people over everyone else.” Vasquez previously vowed he would “fully support” cutting in half the police budget of Las Cruces, where he served on the city council, Fox News Digital previously reported. BALANCE OF POWER: FIVE RACES THAT COULD DECIDE CONTROL OF THE HOUSE IN NOVEMBER “I wholeheartedly and absolutely support police reform and the #blacklivesmatter movement, and will not be stopping short of transformational reform that brings justice to our city and to people of color in our community. You can count on my support,” Vasquez wrote to a constituent demanding “at least” a 50% reduction of the Las Cruces police department budget. He has since said he opposes defunding the police. VULNERABLE DEMS WON’T SAY WHETHER BIDEN SHOULD BE NOMINEE: ‘PRESIDENT CAN MAKE HIS OWN DECISIONS’ Vasquez served on the Las Cruces City Council from 2017 to 2021 before launching his career in the U.S. House. Herrell campaigned on a platform of securing the border, bucking the “political class in Washington” that has “forgotten about the hardworking, middle-class of America,” building the economy and “putting New Mexico first.” Former President Trump endorsed Herrell earlier this year, when she won the Republican primary. “A successful entrepreneur, Yvette knows how to Expand our Economy, Fight Inflation, and Create High-Paying Jobs,” Trump wrote. “She will work hard to Lower Gas Prices, Support our Vets, Strengthen our Military, Secure our Border, and Defend the Second Amendment.” Herrell served in New Mexico House of Representatives from 2011 to 2019, and in Congress from 2021 to 2023. Fox News Digital’s Andrew Mark Miller contributed to this report.
Progressive prosecutor in county where Laken Riley was found dead at hands of illegal migrant loses reelection
A progressive prosecutor in the Georgia county where Laken Riley was found murdered by an illegal immigrant lost her reelection bid. District Attorney of Athens-Clarke and Oconee counties, Deborah Gonzalez, lost by a landslide on Tuesday. The incumbent lost to Republican Kalki Yalamanchili by 75% of the vote. Gonzalez was elected in 2020 in an election bid funded by progressive donors pushing for criminal justice reform in the wake of the Black Lives Matter protests and the defund the police movement. Riley was a nursing student at Augusta University who was found dead near a lake on the University of Georgia campus on Feb. 22. An illegal immigrant has been charged with her murder. LAKEN RILEY MURDER: ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT SUSPECT IN GEORGIA COLLEGE STUDENT SLAYING ASKS TO HIDE CERTAIN EVIDENCE At the time of her election to the top criminal justice spot, Gonzalez championed that she was “unapologetically” progressive. “I think part of it is because I’m outspoken, and I am unapologetically a Democrat, and I consider myself a progressive prosecutor,” Gonzalez said of the criticism. SUSPECT IN LAKEN RILEY’S MURDER IS INDICTED “There are many prosecutors who don’t like that word — progressive — but to me, what it means is that we need to look at this differently. … We need to always ask ourselves, ‘Is this in the interest of justice?’” she said. After Jose Ibarra, an illegal migrant from Venezuela, was charged with her murder, residents turned to elected officials for answers. The Georgia legislature proposed HB 1105 following her death, with Republican Gov. Brian Kemp signing it into law in May 2024. HEAD HERE FOR THE LATEST FOX NEWS ELECTION RESULTS “Georgians have witnessed the disastrous impact lawlessness is having on communities across the country,” Kemp said during the signing. “Thanks to the work of our legislative partners in the General Assembly, we are able to once again send the message that such lawlessness will find no safe haven in Georgia,” he said. “I am proud to sign legislation that boosts our recruitment of law enforcement officers, makes our communities safer, and provides our judicial system with even tougher tools to bring violent offenders to justice.” Former President Donald Trump blamed the Biden-Harris administration and their border policies for the Augusta University student’s homicide. In turn, Harris has criticized Republicans for turning against the bipartisan border security deal after Trump decried it. Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.