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.”
Fox News projects Gov. Spencer Cox to win Utah governor’s race
The Fox News Decision Desk projects incumbent Utah Gov. Spencer Cox to win re-election, defeating Democratic rival Utah state Rep. Brian King. Cox won his first bid for governor in 2020 by more than 32 percentage points in the reliably red state. King, meanwhile, has served in the Utah House of Representatives since 2009, representing a district in the Salt Lake City area of the state. SPENCER COX WINS UTAH REPUBLICAN PRIMARY FOR GOVERNOR Utah is considered one of the reddest states in the country at both the state and national level, with the Republican Party controlling all statewide executive offices while enjoying a supermajority in both the state House and the state Senate. The state has not elected a Democratic governor since 1976, when the late former Gov. Scott Matheson won and went on to serve two terms in office. TRUMP ENDORSES GOP UTAH SENATE CANDIDATE LOOKING TO REPLACE ROMNEY: ‘HE WILL BE A GREAT SENATOR’ Utah has had a similar outlook in presidential elections, with a Democrat last carrying the state when Lyndon B. Johnson did in 1964. In the two most recent presidential elections, former President Donald Trump defeated former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton by 18 percentage points in 2016 and President Biden by just over 20 percentage points in 2020. The Utah race is one of 11 governor’s races on the ballot in states in 2024, joining Washington, Montana, North Dakota, Missouri, Indiana, West Virginia, North Carolina, Delaware, Vermont and New Hampshire. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Republicans are defending more seats than Democrats in the governor’s races, with Utah being one of eight Republican-held states at risk on election day. Democrats, meanwhile, are only defending three seats; Washington, North Carolina and Delaware. Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.
Republican Gov. Greg Gianforte wins re-election in Montana
The Fox News Decision Desk projects Gov. Greg Gianforte will win re-election in the Montana gubernatorial race, securing a second term in the Big Sky State seat. Gianforte was first elected to serve as governor of Montana in 2020, flipping the seat red and ousting the Democrat who occupied the seat for several years. Before becoming the state’s 25th governor, Gianforte was a businessman and spent decades working in the private sector. While most of Montana’s statewide leadership are currently Republican, the state’s governor’s seat was occupied by a Democrat for nearly a decade before being flipped red in 2020 by Gianforte. MONTANA SENATE RACE SHATTERS SPENDING RECORDS AT $309 PER REGISTERED VOTER Gianforte defeated former senior firearms sales executive and Democratic gubernatorial nominee Ryan Busse on Tuesday night. Busse, who ran with lieutenant governor Raph Graybill, worked as sales executive of a major firearms company for 25 years, saying on his campaign site that he supports gun ownership, but “also saw how unchecked extremism risks all gun owners’ rights—and how that extremism could take away American freedoms and even jeopardize our democracy.” The Governor was backed by former President Donald Trump in his 2020 race, but has not yet received an endorsement from the 2024 GOP presidential nominee at this point in the race.
Fox News Decision Desk projects Dem defeats Larry Hogan in Maryland, keeping Senate seat blue
The Democrats are expected to hold onto a highly contested Senate seat in Maryland, an overwhelmingly blue state, in a very competitive and expensive race that drew plenty of national attention. The Fox News Decision Desk projected on Tuesday that Angela Alsobrooks, the Democrat Senate nominee and Prince George’s County executive, would defeat former two-term Republican Gov. Larry Hogan. Alsobrooks is projected to succeed Democrat Sen. Ben Cardin, who is retiring this year after serving nearly two decades in the Senate and nearly six decades as a state and then federal lawmaker. A former prosecutor and ally of Vice President Kamala Harris, Alsobrooks is expected to make history as Maryland’s first Black senator, in a state where the Black population stands at around a third of the state’s total. CLICK HERE FOR THE LATEST FOX NEWS 2024 ELECTION RESULTS The race was one of a handful across the country that could decide whether Republicans win back the Senate majority in the 2024 elections. With Republicans enjoying a favorable Senate electoral map and Democrats trying to protect their fragile 51-49 Senate majority, Hogan’s late entry into the race in February gave Democrats an unexpected headache in a state previously considered safe territory. Hogan left the governor’s office at the beginning of 2023 with very positive approval and favorable ratings. Hogan, a high-profile GOP critic of former President Trump – the party’s 2024 presidential nominee – made a concerted effort to highlight his ability to work across partisan lines as he aimed to court independent voters and some disgruntled Democrats in Maryland. With a competitive contest, both campaigns, the party committees and outside groups shelled out millions of dollars in the race. Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.
Republicans hold onto the most highly contested governor’s seat this year
Republicans will hold onto the governor’s office in swing state New Hampshire in what turned into the most highly contested gubernatorial election this year, a showdown that grabbed tons of national attention and outside money. The Fox News Decision Desk projects that former Sen. Kelly Ayotte, the Republican nominee, will defeat Democratic nominee and former Mayor Joyce Craig of Manchester, New Hampshire’s largest city. Ayotte will succeed popular GOP Gov. Chris Sununu, who decided against running for re-election after winning and serving four straight two-year terms as governor. [New Hampshire and neighboring Vermont are the only states in the U.S. that elect governors every two years.] “Thank you, New Hampshire! Ready to hit the ground running to keep our wonderful state safe, prosperous and free. Let’s get to work!,” Ayotte wrote in a social media post after her race was called. Ayotte, a former state attorney general who was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2010 before narrowly losing re-election six years later, easily defeated a crowded field of rivals in early September to win the GOP nomination, while Craig edged out Executive Councilor Cinde Warmington to capture the Democratic nomination. CLICK HERE FOR THE LATEST FOX NEWS 2024 ELECTION RESULTS While New Hampshire traditionally holds the first-in-the-nation presidential primary, its state primary is one of the latest on the electoral calendar, which sets up a mad rush to the general election. National Democrats spent heavily in the race, pouring in millions to target Ayotte for her Senate votes a decade ago on abortion, and for her support this year for former President Trump, whom she had disavowed in her 2016 election defeat. Ayotte and her GOP allies also spent heavily targeting Craig over crime and homelessness during her tenure steering Manchester, which is New Hampshire’s largest city. And pointing to neighboring Massachusetts, where Democrats control the state government and dominate the congressional delegation, Ayotte made her slogan “Don’t Mass UP NH” her campaign’s rallying cry. Ayotte was a rising star in the Republican Party in 2016 with a burgeoning profile on national security. But just ahead of the 2016 election, she withdrew her support for Trump over the “Access Hollywood” controversy, in which Trump in a years-old video made extremely crude comments about grabbing women without their consent. “I cannot and will not support a candidate for president who brags about degrading and assaulting women,” Ayotte said at the time. Ayotte lost re-election by a razor-thin margin of just over 1,000 votes at the hands of then-Democratic Gov. Maggie Hassan. But Ayotte slightly outperformed Trump in New Hampshire, as Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton edged the White House winner by less than 3,000 votes. Before retiring full time to New Hampshire, Ayotte stuck around Washington briefly after the end of her term, shepherding then-Supreme Court nominee Neil Gorsuch (Trump’s first high court nominee) through his successful Senate confirmation process. In her post-Senate career, Ayotte enjoyed a lucrative period as she served on corporate boards and in advisory roles at both public and private companies. Among them was News Corp., which at one time was the parent company of Fox News. Ayotte during the intervening years also kept a close eye on New Hampshire politics, and would occasionally appear at Republican Party events in the state. She also continued to write opinion pieces on major state, national and international issues. Ayotte announced her gubernatorial bid last year, after Sununu announced that he wouldn’t seek re-election in 2024. Ayotte stayed neutral in New Hampshire’s first-in-the-nation presidential primary, but she endorsed Trump in early March, right after he clinched the GOP nomination. He’ll fix the disaster over the southern border, and we’re also seeing it on the northern border, to keep the country safe,” Ayotte told Fox News Digital in a June interview. Ayotte’s main opponent in the GOP primary, former state Senate President Chuck Morse, touted his support for Trump and spotlighted Ayotte’s past criticism of the former president. But Trump stayed neutral in the New Hampshire Senate primary, as Ayotte crushed Morse and the rest of the GOP field. The former president, far behind in the polls in the Granite State, also steered clear of the state in the general election and placed only the bare minimum of resources in New Hampshire. That meant that Ayotte, other than the strong support she received from the Republican Governors Association, was mostly on her own as she battled Craig in the general election. Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.
Fox News Decision Desk projects Ted Cruz wins third term, defeating Dem Colin Allred
The Fox News Decision Desk projected that incumbent Texas Republican Sen. Ted Cruz will defeat his Democratic opponent Rep. Colin Allred on Tuesday, and win a third term in the U.S. Senate. Cruz won his last re-election effort in 2018, beating Democratic challenger Beto O’Rourke. Cruz has represented the Lone Star State in the upper chamber of Congress since 2013. CRUZ INTERRUPTED BY ANTI-ISRAEL AGITATOR WHO YELLED, ‘F—ING JEWS’ DURING HEARING ON ‘HATE’ Allred represents Texas’ 32nd Congressional District in the House. Cruz is a graduate of Princeton University and Harvard Law School. He previously clerked for Chief Justice William Rehnquist and was solicitor general of Texas. Cruz argued nine cases before the Supreme Court. TEXAS DEM’S SENATE AD FEATURES BORDER WALL HE ONCE BLASTED AS ‘RACIST’ Cruz sits on four Senate committees – Foreign Relations, Judiciary, Rules and Commerce, Science, and Transportation. Cruz won his last Senate race by about three points in 2018. Allred, 40, a former NFL player, polled slightly behind Cruz throughout the race, but experts believed it would be close. No Democrat has won a statewide office in Texas in 30 years, the longest losing streak of its kind in the U.S. Allred, though, had ousted a Republican incumbent before – Rep. Pete Sessions in 2018. During his campaign, Allred emphasized his background as the child of a single mother who earned a football scholarship at Baylor University, played in the NFL and worked for the Obama administration before being elected to Congress. Allred made headlines in January when he was among 14 House Democrats who backed a Republican resolution in Congress that criticized President Biden’s handling of the border. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.