Following a year of partisan fights, Election Day runs smoothly across Texas
A mostly quiet Election Day in Texas came after a series of pitched partisan battles over how elections should be conducted.
Republican Christi Craddick declares victory for Railroad Commission, the state’s oil regulatory agency
The three-member board oversees Texas’ oil and gas industry. The agency has faced criticism over safety concerns linked to fracking, well blowouts and groundwater protection.
Speaker Mike Johnson wins re-election to House in Louisiana’s 4th Congressional District
House Speaker Mike Johnson was declared the winner Tuesday night in his effort to keep Louisiana’s 4th Congressional District solidly red, according to The Associated Press. The four-term congressman was first elected in 2016 but gained prominence as a leader in the GOP after he was elected by his fellow members of Congress last year to replace former GOP House Speaker Kevin McCarthy of California. Johnson was previously vice chair of the House GOP conference. Johnson’s victory Tuesday in his reliably red district came with little resistance. Democrats did not enter a candidate in the race. Joshua Morott, a Republican substitute teacher with little experience in politics, was Johnson’s only challenger. ‘NO SUCH PROMISE’: JOHNSON BLASTS DEM ACCUSATIONS HE VOWED TO END OBAMACARE AS ‘DISHONEST’ Johnson’s district sits in the northwest corner of the state and is home to Shreveport, Louisiana’s third most populous city. Despite lacking any true competition, Johnson still led his party’s fundraising efforts this election cycle. He brought in more than $19 million for his own campaign and $8 million for other GOP candidates, according to the Louisiana Illuminator. Louisiana has been at the center of a redistricting battle, and earlier this year the state’s congressional map was redrawn to include two Black majority districts. The state is still facing legal challenges over whether the new maps unfairly discriminate against voters. SPEAKER MIKE JOHNSON PREDICTS A ‘DEMOGRAPHIC SHIFT’ FOR TRUMP IN THE 2024 ELECTION Johnson’s future as GOP leader remains uncertain even if Republicans maintain control of the House after Tuesday’s election. Johnson has said he wants to continue in the leadership role if Republicans keep the House. However, he has not indicated anything about his plans if they do not. People close to Johnson have said he would likely step down, according to NBC News. Even if Republicans keep the House, a handful of them have signaled they either will not support Johnson to remain speaker or are unsure whether they would support him. In addition to his duties as speaker, Johnson serves on the House Judiciary Committee and is chair of the Subcommittee on the Constitution and Limited Government.
Fox News Decision Desk projects Bernie Moreno will flip Ohio Senate seat for GOP
The Fox News Decision Desk projected Republican businessman Bernie Moreno will win his race for Senate in Ohio against Democratic incumbent Sen. Sherrod Brown. Brown, who was considered one of the most vulnerable Senate Democrats, is projected to lose in a race that will have significant implications on which party takes control of the Senate. Brown, 71, is a native of Mansfield, Ohio, who has held political office since 1975 and is the chair of the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs. Moreno, 57, is a Cleveland area businessman who was born in Colombia and moved to the United States at the age of five. Brown, facing an uphill battle running as a Democrat in a state that Trump won by eight points in 2020, attempted to distance himself from the Biden-Harris record by running ads touting his efforts at the border. Brown also declined to attend the Democratic National Convention, which drew criticism from Republicans. BIDEN’S ‘GARBAGE’ COMMENT SENDS DEM SENATORS SCRAMBLING IN KEY SWING STATE RACES: ‘STRONGLY DISAGREES’ Brown also has a close relationship with Vice President Kamala Harris, which the Moreno campaign honed in on. “Sherrod Brown and Kamala Harris conspired to pass the most liberal agenda in American history,” the Moreno campaign told Fox News Digital earlier this year. “Brown is in complete lockstep with Harris in her radical views and will help usher in the Green New Deal, Medicare for illegals, and tax hikes on the middle class.” LEAKED VIDEO EXPOSES DEM STAFFER ADMITTING ‘QUIET PART OUT LOUD’ IN FIERY TIRADE: ‘OPEN THE F—ING BORDER’ Moreno’s campaign often pointed out Brown’s long career in Washington, D.C., including his voting record that aligned with the Biden administration nearly 100% of the time. Brown blanketed the airwaves with ads hammering Moreno on his business record and allegiance to Trump, and painted him as a radical on the abortion issue. The Ohio senator has also framed himself on the campaign trail as someone who works with both parties to get things done. “Sherrod works for Ohio, which is why he’s stood up to presidents of both parties to block bad trade deals, worked with Republicans to make sure Border Patrol agents and law enforcement officers have the resources they need, and demanded the Biden administration crack down on Chinese solar products that undercut Ohio manufacturers,” the campaign told Fox News Digital earlier this year. Democrats held a 51-49 majority in the Senate going into election night, which includes independent senators who caucus with the Democrat Party. Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub
College students at Liberty University in Virginia make ‘huge line’ to vote in presidential election: video
College students at a conservative-leaning Christian college in Virginia have shown up in numbers to vote in Tuesday’s presidential election, according to a video shared on social media site X. Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia “develops Christ-centered men and women with the values, knowledge, and skills essential to impact the world,” according to their mission statement. HARRIS HOLDS COMMANDING 10-POINT LEAD OVER TRUMP IN VIRGINIA: POLL Liberty Law student Jesse Hughes shared a video to X earlier on Tuesday which has racked up over 60k views thus far. “Huge line of students to vote at Liberty University,” wrote X user @JesseHugesNC. “Students I talked to say this is the SHORTEST it’s been in a few hours.” The video shows several crowded halls on the Liberty University campus of students waiting to do their patriotic duty for the presidential election. “The turnout at Liberty has big implications,” said Hughes to Fox News Digital. “In 2020, only just over 2,000 students voted on campus.” SUPREME COURT TEMPORARILY HALTS LOWER COURT RULING ORDERING 1,600 VOTERS BACK ON VIRGINIA VOTER ROLLS “Today, we saw at least 4,000-7,000, if not more come out. The hype around this election from GenZ conservatives is strong and people are excited to vote for President Trump. If Virginia remains close, Liberty students play a role in that,” added Hughes. Virginia, which was once considered a battleground state, has been reliably blue since President Obama was elected in 2008. Down-ballot races in the Old Dominion State include tight House races in Virginia’s 2nd and 7th Congressional districts as well as a Senate seat up for grabs between incumbent Tim Kaine and GOP challenger Hung Cao. CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP Liberty University did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
Delaware Democrat Sarah McBride projected to become first transgender member of Congress: AP
Sarah McBride, a Delaware state senator, is projected to become the first openly transgender lawmaker elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, according to The Associated Press. McBride easily defeated Republican John Whalen III Tuesday in the race for Delaware’s lone House seat. Whalen is a retired construction company owner and former state trooper who ran a shoestring campaign in his first bid for public office. “Thank you, Delaware! Because of your votes and your values, I am proud to be your next member of Congress,” McBride wrote on X, formerly Twitter, Tuesday night. “Delaware has sent the message loud and clear that we must be a country that protects reproductive freedom, that guarantees paid leave and affordable child care for all our families, that ensures that housing and health care are available to everyone and that this is a democracy that is big enough for all of us.” FOX NEWS PROJECTS JUSTICE VICTORY IN WEST VIRGINIA AS GOP FLIPS SENATE SEAT McBride has established a national profile as an LGBTQ activist and raised more than $3 million in campaign contributions from around the country. The progressive lawmaker has also taken a firm stance against legislative bans on transgender people in sports. McBride achieved national recognition at the 2016 Democratic National Convention as the first openly transgender person to address a major party convention in the U.S. HEAD HERE FOR THE LATEST FOX NEWS ELECTION RESULTS McBride became the first-ever transgender state senator in the U.S. after winning election to the Delaware Senate in 2020. The activist-turned-politician, 33, has argued there needs to be more diverse representation in Congress. 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.
Fox News projects state Attorney General Josh Stein will win North Carolina governor’s race
The Fox News Decision Desk projects Democratic North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein to win the state’s gubernatorial election against Republican Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson. The high-stakes election pitted the progressive candidate, Stein, who was backed by term-limited Democrat Gov. Roy Cooper to fill his current seat, and Robinson, whose meteoric political career launched in 2018 after an impassioned speech about the Second Amendment in a viral video. The Robinson campaign was rocked by scandal weeks ago when a local news outlet reported on Sept. 3 that Robinson allegedly routinely visited porn shops, viewing materials in a private booth, according to former employees and customers. Robinson’s alleged visits to adult stores unfolded in the 1990s and 2000s, before his transition into the political sphere, according to the report. Robinson and his campaign denied the report as “complete and total fiction,” but he stayed in the spotlight of scandal when CNN ran a report later that same month claiming Robinson frequented a pornography site called “Nude Africa,” where he allegedly messaged with fellow users about peeping on women in locker rooms as a teenager, describing himself as a “black NAZI” and declaring a fondness for transgender pornography. BATTLEGROUND STATE REPUBLICAN DENIES INVOLVEMENT IN PORN SCANDAL, DISMISSES IT AS ‘TABLOID TRASH’ The alleged use of the chat forums played out between 2008 and 2012, according to CNN, well before Robinson entered the political arena in 2019, when he announced his run for lieutenant governor. Robinson vociferously denied that report, including before its publication, and vowed to stay in the race while calling the then-anticipated report “tabloid trash.” “Let me reassure you, the things that you will see in that story, those are not the words of Mark Robinson. You know my words, you know my character, and you know that I have been completely transparent in this race and before. Folks, this race right now, our opponents are desperate to shift the focus here from the substantive issues and focus on what you are concerned with to salacious trap, tabloid trash,” he said in the X video. NORTH CAROLINA ATTORNEY GENERAL JOSH STEIN HAS RAISED $5.7M SINCE JULY FOR HIS RUN AT GOVERNORSHIP Stein has been North Carolina’s attorney general since 2017 after serving in the state Senate from 2009 to 2016. The progressive attorney and politician campaigned on a platform of lowering the cost of housing, increasing job creation, expanding access to abortion and improving education. The Democrat candidate joined Vice President Harris amid her campaign for the White House this election season and was endorsed by North Carolina Democrat Gov. Roy Cooper. Stein will become the state’s first Jewish governor when he is inaugurated in January. NORTH CAROLINA ATTORNEY GENERAL SEEKS FUNDS TO CREATE FENTANYL, COLD CASE UNITS “I’m excited to endorse Josh Stein to be the next Governor of North Carolina. He’s driven by a steadfast commitment to the people of our great state. That’s why he’ll work to invest in students and public schools, quality health care for hardworking people, and better jobs that make life more affordable for the middle class. With a record of results and a clear-eyed vision for our future, Josh is ready to do this job,” Cooper said in a statement about Stein’s run. North Carolina has a history of electing Democrat governors and Republican presidential candidates, last electing a Democrat presidential candidate in 2008 and last electing a Republican governor in 2012. NRA SUPPORTS GOP CANDIDATE FOR GOVERNOR WHO WENT VIRAL FOR PRO-GUN SPEECH: ‘I’M THE MAJORITY’ Robinson campaigned on a platform of lowering crime, supporting police, growing North Carolina businesses and cutting taxes for families and businesses. He previously worked as a furniture factory employee in North Carolina and is an Army veteran, before climbing the GOP’s political ladder, including earning endorsements from former President Trump and the NRA. Robinson went viral in 2018 when he delivered an impassioned speech about gun laws during a City Council meeting in Greensboro, before he was elected to political office. His speech came in response to local leaders debating whether to cancel a gun show in the wake of the Parkland school shooting in Florida that same year. “I’m a law-abiding citizen who’s never shot anybody,” Robinson said at the meeting, which was viewed 200 million times. “Every time we have one of these shootings, nobody wants to put the blame where it goes, which is at the shooter’s feet. You want to put it at my feet. You want to turn around and restrict my right.” Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.
Florida’s progressive abortion amendment fails following DeSantis push against ‘bait and switch’ legislation
Abortion on the ballot has been seen as a sticking point for Republicans since the overturning of Roe V Wade, but a major amendment in Florida failed after voters voted “No” on the progressive legislation. The measure needed a 60 percent supermajority to pass, the highest threshold in the country. It failed after 43% voted “No” and 57% voted “Yes.” Florida’s abortion ban has been a contentious topic in the once-swing-state, with proponents of the amendment arguing that the Sunshine State’s current 6-week abortion ban is too restrictive after it was implemented in May. The amendment’s language states, “No law shall prohibit, penalize, delay, or restrict abortion before viability or when necessary to protect the patient’s health, as determined by the patient’s healthcare provider.” DESANTIS CAMPAIGNS AGAINST HIGH-STAKES ABORTION MEASURE ON FLORIDA BALLOT: ‘BAIT AND SWITCH’ LEGISLATION DeSantis used his platform as governor to lead the charge against the high-stakes amendment on the ballot, calling the measure a “bait and switch.” “This amendment, if adopted, would be the first amendment in the history of the state of Florida to actually repeal a right,” the Republican governor said during a “Doctors Against Amendment 4” stop in October. “It will repeal the right of a parent to have to provide consent before their child undergoes an abortion,” he said. “Right now in Florida, we have parental consent, not just for abortion, but for anything involving medical treatment for a minor. They can’t give your kid an aspirin unless you consent.” Florida is one of the nine states with a measure on the Nov. 5 ballot to protect access to abortion. While Florida needed at least 60% endorsement of the initiative, all other states need a simple majority to pass. The majority of these ballot measures seek 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 on Roe. HEAD HERE FOR THE LATEST FOX NEWS ELECTION RESULTS In Florida, the hot-button issue has been the most expensive – with about $150 million in ads, according to the media tracking firm AdImpact. Nearly two years after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, a record number of voters think abortion should be legal, with two-thirds favoring a nationwide law guaranteeing access, according to a Fox News national survey conducted in March 22-25, 2024. Fifty-nine percent think abortion should be legal in all or most cases, up from the previous high of 57% in September 2022 and a record low of 44% in April 2022. Overall, just 7% think abortion should never be permitted, while five times as many say it always should be (35%). Another one-third (32%) say abortion should be illegal except in cases of rape, incest, or to save the life of the mother. Former President Trump has shifted his stance on abortion during the election cycle, with the Republican nominee hoping to attract independents and some disillusioned Democrats, but running the risk of alienating his pro-life base. Trump has countered Democratic attacks on the former president’s abortion stance by stating he would leave abortion access to the states, as determined by the overturning of Roe v. Wade. Trump notably opposes a federal abortion ban, but has remained opposed to late-term abortions. In July, the Republican Party abandoned its long-standing position of advocating for abortions. Throughout Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign, she has argued that Trump — who nominated three conservative justices to the Supreme Court who later voted to overturn Roe v. Wade — is responsible for worsening medical care for women and that he would seek further restrictions. Harris has cast her position on the topic as creating legislation to restore the national abortion right that was eliminated following Roe v. Wade. She has also vowed to protect access to the abortion drug mifepristone, calling the drug “essential medication.” Fox News Digital has reached out to the DeSantis team for comment. Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub. Fox News’ Victoria Balara contributed to this report.
Fox News projects Democrat wins governor’s seat in Biden’s home state of Delaware
The Fox News Decision Desk projects Democrat Matt Meyer has won the governor’s race in Delaware, cementing the left’s control over the small Northeastern state President Biden calls home. Meyer, the New Castle County executive, defeated Mike Ramone, the Republican minority leader of the Delaware state House of Representatives. The small state has long been known as a Democratic stronghold, with liberals serving in all three seats of its congressional delegation and as the majority members of the state legislature. CLUB FOR GROWTH POURS $5M INTO TIGHT HOUSE RACES AS GOP BRACES FOR TOUGH ELECTION Biden served as its U.S. senator from 1973 through 2009. Meyer had won a three-way primary race to advance to the November race, and he was the only one of his fellow Democrats to not have political experience in Dover. Before entering politics, he started “a recycled footwear company that sold environmentally friendly footwear to customers in 17 countries on five continents” while living in Kenya, according to Meyer’s campaign website. FORMER REPUBLICAN US SENATOR ENDORSES KAMALA HARRIS, SAYS ELECTION OFFERS ‘STARK CHOICE’ He then spent 12 months in Iraq as a diplomat embedded with the U.S. military during Operation Enduring Freedom, before returning to his home state of Delaware and working as a teacher. As governor, Meyer has pledged to invest more in the Delaware public school system and vowed to “fund English Language Learners and low-income students more equitably” in a policy book posted to his campaign site. Meyer also promised to invest in innovation to expand jobs in clean energy and to improve walkability and bikeability in Delaware communities. Popular Democratic Gov. John Carney was ineligible to run again after having reached his two-term limit. Meyer’s victory came with little surprise, however. Delaware has not had a GOP governor since January 1993, and registered Democrats significantly outnumber Republicans.
Rick Scott significantly improves his margin of victory with first re-election to Senate
Florida GOP Sen. Rick Scott significantly improved his margin of victory in 2024, compared to his razor-thin victory in 2018, when he first joined the Senate. Scott defeated Democrat Debbie Mucarsel-Powell by 12.76%, the Fox News Decision Desk projected Tuesday. Scott registered a narrow 0.2% margin of victory in 2016, when he beat Democratic incumbent Bill Nelson to join Florida’s senatorial delegation after serving as the state’s governor for several years. In addition to running for re-election, Scott has also been in the running to head the Senate after the exit of Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell. Scott will face other GOP members vying for the job, including Senate Minority Whip John Thune, R-S.D., and Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas. ‘ILL-FATED EFFORT’: MCCONNELL WAS ‘FURIOUS’ AT RICK SCOTT’S 2022 LEADER BID, BOOK SAYS Prior to joining Congress, Scott was the Sunshine State’s 45th governor, an office he held from 2011-2018. Scott’s wider than expected margin of victory comes after Democrats in the state had hoped this election might be a chance for the Democratic Party to flip his seat. “[Floridians] are so ready to retire [Scott] and send someone that’s going to work for them in the U.S. Senate,” Mucarsel-Powell said during her campaign, according to The Daily Beast. “Rick Scott is the most wounded bird of all the birds,” influential Florida Democratic donor John Morgan told The Daily Beast earlier this year. National Democrats, meanwhile, insisted Scott’s Senate seat was “in play,” Politico reported. RICK SCOTT LEADS EFFORT TO UP SECRET SERVICE PROTECTIONS AFTER 2ND ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT ON TRUMP Mucarsel-Powell and Scott raised similar war chests, according to FEC records, but Scott did raise a few million more than his Democratic challenger. Scott, however, had a self-funding advantage, giving his campaign at least $24.5 million. Mucarsel-Powell reportedly raised more than Scott in donations alone. “Our work is not done. Next week, we have another election — Senate Republican leader,” Scott said during his victory rally Tuesday night. “We need the Republican Party to start solving the problems of this country, and we have a significant number of problems. Florida is the center of the Republican Party of this country. Washington could learn a hell of a lot from what we’ve done here in this great state.”