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PremiumUS Election 2024 Key Highlights: Donald Trump on Wednesday claimed victory in the US Presidential elections after Fox News projected him as the winner. Other outlets have yet to call the race for Trump, but they note that he is far ahead in the race.
Addressing his supporters from West Palm Beach, Florida, Donald Trump said, “America has given us an unprecedented mandate" and “we have created history". Most of the important people in Trump’s personal and political life joined him on stage as he addressed his supporters in West Palm Beach, Florida.
Trump pushed closer to victory over Kamala Harris on Wednesday, leaving the Democrat the narrowest of remaining paths to stop him scoring a stunning political comeback in America's brutally tense presidential election. In a significant political shift, Republicans have won US Senate majority and seized control of the chamber for the first time in four years, a report by Associated Press stated.
Vice President Kamala Harris is the Democratic candidate in the 2024 U.S. Presidential election, with the goal of making history as the first woman and the first person of Indian descent to become President of the United States.
On the Republican side, Donald Trump, the former President, is seeking a historic comeback to the White House after his contentious loss in 2020. If Trump wins, it would mark the first time in over a century that a president has served two non-consecutive terms.
In the 2016 election, Trump won the presidency by securing 304 electoral votes to 227 against Hillary Clinton, even though he trailed Clinton by more than 2 percentage points and about 2.8 million votes in the popular vote.
However, in the 2020 election, Trump was defeated by Joe Biden, who won with 306 electoral votes to 232 and led Trump by over 700,000 votes in the popular vote. Trump has continued to deny the 2020 election results, claiming widespread voter fraud, a stance that sparked protests by his supporters and culminated in the January 6 Capitol Riots.
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Ronald Jordan was all smiles Tuesday as he entered a polling booth in the US swing state of Georgia, where women voters appeared to outnumber men, but he felt a gnawing concern -- his Black male friends were sitting out the election.
Democratic contender Kamala Harris and Republican nominee Donald Trump are both seeking to win over Black voters in the crucial southern state -- its largest minority voting bloc -- in a race that could be decided by razor-thin margins.
For Jordan, a Black 41-year-old Atlanta resident, the choice is obvious: He favors the Democrat over Trump's divisive "dark rhetoric" that he fears could tear the country apart. (AFP)
49% of voters view Harris favorably, compared to Biden's 50% in 2020 exit poll-Edison Research. (Reuters)
The volatile, dramatic US presidential race between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump headed to an unpredictable finish Tuesday, with millions of Americans casting their votes in one of the tightest elections of modern times.
The result -- which may be known overnight or not for days -- will bring major consequences, either making Harris the first woman in arguably the world's most powerful job or handing power back to Trump and his nationalist "America First" agenda.
As voters formed long lines across the country, several bomb threats were reported at polling stations, while police at the US Capitol -- where Trump's supporters rampaged following his 2020 defeat -- arrested a man who smelled like fuel and was carrying a flare gun. (AFP)
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, the running mate of Vice President Kamala Harris, expressed optimism that former President Donald Trump will accept the election results, even if he loses, CNN reported.
When asked by reporters before Walz boarded his flight from Pennsylvania to Washington, DC, on Tuesday if he believes Trump will concede the election if he loses, Walz said he believes Trump will concede, if "history is ... any indicator." (ANI)
46% of Pennsylvania voters said they had a favourable view of Harris, compared with 50% who said the same of Biden in Edison Research's 2020 exit poll. 53% viewed her unfavourably, compared with 49% who viewed Biden that way in 2020. (Reuters)
47% of voters in Pennsylvania said they had a favorable view of Trump, compared with 47% who said so in Edison Research's 2020 exit poll. (Reuters)
Harris was relying on a large turnout by women voters to compensate for her electoral weakness with men. The exit polls showed women made up 53% of the electorate, largely unchanged from the 52% in 2020 exit polls. (Reuters)
Nearly three-quarters of voters in Tuesday's presidential election say American democracy is under threat, according to preliminary national exit polls from Edison Research, reflecting the deep anxiety the nation faces after a contentious campaign between Democrat Kamala Harris and Republican Donald Trump.
Democracy and the economy ranked by far as the most important issues for voters, with around a third of respondents citing each, followed by abortion and immigration at 14% and 11%, the data showed. The poll showed 73% of voters believed democracy was in jeopardy, against just 25% who said it was secure. (Reuters)
Democratic Arizona Rep. Ruben Gallego, an Iraq War veteran, faces well-known former television news anchor and staunch Donald Trump ally Kari Lake in Tuesday's election for U.S. Senate in a state with a recent history of extremely close elections.
The race is one of a handful that will determine the Senate majority. It is a test of the strength of the anti-Trump coalition that has powered the rise of Democrats in Arizona, which was reliably Republican until 2016. Arizona voters have rejected Trump and his favored candidates in every statewide election since then.
Arizona is one of seven battleground states expected to decide the presidency. (AP)
US Election 2024 LIVE Updates: 35% of voters say democracy mattered,, NBC News exit poll
Early trends of Michigan exit poll predicts 45% of voters view Trump favourably, says Edison Research.
Nearly three-quarters of voters in Tuesday's presidential election say American democracy is under threat, according to preliminary national exit polls from Edison Research, reflecting the deep anxiety the nation faces after a contentious campaign between Democrat Kamala Harris and Republican Donald Trump. SOURCE: Reuters
Polling has ended in Georgia. Voters were deciding whether to send Republican Donald Trump back to the White House or elevate Vice President Kamala Harris to the Oval Office.
The US Election 2024 will become the most expensive election in history, with total contributions up to $15.9 billion.
In 2020, $15.1 billion spent was spent in US Presidential election and less than half of it was spent in 2016 at $6.5 billion, according to AFP report citing data from OpenSecrets.
The highest contributions have been received by Kamala Harris with over $1 billion. Out of which 40 per cent is from small donors and an additional $586 million from supporting political action committees.
Donald Trump's campaign received $382 million directly, where 28 per cent is from small donors and $694 million is from affiliated committees.
The largest donor for Trump's campaign was Timothy Mellon, an 82-year-old banking heir who contributed $197 million.
For Harris' campaign, Michael Bloomberg is the biggest donor, contributing about $93 million.
The polling for US Election 2024 has closed in a few states, including Nevada, California, Oregon, Washington, Arizona, Michigan, Wisconsin, Arkansas and North Carolina.
Vice President Kamala Harris visited the Democratic National Committee headquarters in Washington, DC.
Harris was heard speaking to a caller, “I am well……I just wanted to call you and check in and make sure you know where you can go vote today if you haven’t already."
“Thank you so very much and thank you for being active in participating in this very, very important process and this foundation of our democracy … We can’t do it without people like you," she said.
“Remind each other and everyone the power of your voice, your vote, this election is obviously so important," Harris said to another caller.
Due to the late opening of the polling station, the voting time has been extended in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, reported BBC. At the polling location in Laflin Borough, the voting will end at 21:30 local time (02:30 GMT). Previously, the vote timings of two polling stations in Cobb County, Georgia, were extended due to delay in opening.
The oldest survivor of the Tulsa Race Massacre of 1921, Viola Ford Fletcher, at the age of 110, voted for Kamala Harris from Oklahoma.
“I feel good about voting. It is important to vote," reported CNN, quoting Fletcher, one of the oldest voters in the state.
The Tulsa race massacre of 1921 was one of the most severe racial violence incidents in the US. It began on May 31, 1921, and lasted for two days.
According to CNN, over 250 National Guard personnel are providing Election Day support in 15 states.
National Guard personnel are deployed in states such as Alabama, Arizona, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Washington, Wisconsin and West Virginia. Some of them are assisting in cybersecurity missions.
Police arrested a 25-year-old man in Michigan for allegedly threatening to commit an attack if former President Donald Trump wins the election, reported CNN.
“I have a stolen ar15 and a target I refuse to name so I can continue to get away with my plans," it continued. “Without a specific victim or ability to find the place I hid the gun, there’s not a thing the FBI can do until I complete the attack," he said.
US President Joe Biden has requested Americans to vote for Democrat nominees Kamala Harris and Tim Walz.
"Polls are still open, folks.
Don’t sit this election out.
@KamalaHarris
and
@Tim_Walz
are ready to serve on Day One.
Confirm your polling place and go vote: http://IWillVote.com," Biden posted on X.
US Capitol Police have informed that they have arrested a man smelling like fuel with a flare gun at the Capitol visitor centre in Washington DC.
"Our officers just arrested a man who was stopped during our screening process at the Capitol Visitor Center (CVC). The man smelled like fuel, had a torch & a flare gun.
The CVC is closed for tours for the day, while we investigate. We will provide more information when we can," US Capitol Police posted on X.
In the previous election, Trump’s supporters violently stormed the US Capitol on January 6, 2021, in an attempt to stop the certification of the results of the 2020 election after Trump lost the election and refused to concede.
Astronauts Sunita Williams, Butch Wilmore and Don Pettit voted for the presidential election.
The NASA astronauts page posted a photo on Instagram.
According to CNN, astronauts can vote from space as ballots cast in space get beamed to Earth via the Near Space Network of NASA.
voting polls live: Georgia reported bomb threats in some polling places. All these threats were non-credible, reported CNN, citing Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger. “We’ve heard some threats that were of Russian origin," he said. “In the interest of public safety, we always check that out, and we’ll just continue to be very responsible when we hear about stuff like that," he added.
Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris's campaign has informed that the election results will take many days to know. This is because vote tallies come at different times across states, and close results may delay the final outcome to know who has won the election.
Voters can register on the same day in most states. However, states such as Connecticut, Illinois, and Rhode Island permit registration at locations allotted by a town or another election authority.
Voters in Michigan will have to register at a clerk's office in the city or township clerk, whereas voters in Montana will have to register in the county election office. Same-day registration in Alaska and Rhode Island is restricted to presidential and vice-presidential contests.
Places that allow to register on election day are Alaska, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Rhode Island, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington State, Washington DC, Wisconsin and Wyoming.
Here are some important dates for the US Election 2024.
On November 5 2024, Americans will vote for their preferred candidates.
On December 17 2024, the electoral college will cast their official votes.
On January 6 2025, the Congress will count and confirm the votes.
On January 21 2025, the new President of America will be sworn in.
Former President Donald Trump said he is “very confident" about his victory. He claimed “it won’t even be close" between him and his opponent Kamala Harris, CNN reported
“I feel very confident…..I hear we’re doing very well everywhere," Trump said.
He said this was the “best" of his three campaigns.
“It won’t even be close," Trump said. “But it’s gonna take a long time to certify," he added.
Former US President and Republican nominee Donald Trump and his wife, Melania Trump, have cast their ballots in Florida.
The election results of Florida will be known by the time “you go to bed tonight," reported CNN citing Florida Secretary of State Cord Byrd.
On Monday, 8.3 million people voted in Florida by early voting and by mail, Byrd said. More than 5,60,000 people in Florida have already voted on Tuesday morning, Byrd added.
A Pennsylvania judge has ruled that Elon Musk’s $1 million giveaway daily to voters can continue.
Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas Judge Angelo Foglietta rejected Larry Krasner's arguments. Krasner said that the giveaway was an illegal lottery that violated state law and should be stopped.
Polling has opened for all the states in the United States.
"Today, we vote for a brighter future.
Polling locations across the country are open. Find yours at http://IWillVote.com," Kamala Harris wrote on X.
According to BBC, polling began in Alaska at 7 am local time and in Washington at 8 am local time. Hawaii is the final state to open its polling booth at 7 am local time.
India's relationship with the United States has seen "steady progress" in the last five presidencies and despite the outcome of the US Election, “relationship with the US will only grow," External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said on Tuesday as reported by PTI.
Jaishankar also indicated his optimism about the Quad. Responding to a question during a joint press briefing with his Australian counterpart Penny Wong , Jaishankar expressed optimism about the future of the Quad. The grouping comprises of the US, India, Australia, and Japan.
More than 4,000 mail ballot applications have been challenged in Pennsylvania; the election officials will decide voter eligibility during hearings after Election Day, reported AP.
According to officials, the challenged applications belonged to two groups, people who may have sent their mail without changing voter registration and nonmilitary US voters from overseas.
Polls are now open in California, Idaho, Nevada, and Oregon. The states of Alaska and Hawaii are left to start voting, reported BBC.
California has the highest number of electoral votes at 54. It is considered a Democrat state because it last voted for a Republican candidate in 1988.
Nevada is the last of the seven swing states to open for voting. It has six electoral votes.
According to BBC, Donald Trump's campaign has alleged that four Republican election workers appointed by the court were illegally kicked out at a polling station in Philadelphia.
“This is a crime, and should not happen in a fair and and secure election as promised ……This is an unacceptable breach of public trust, undermining transparency and Philadelphia's election," the report said.
However, three of the election workers were added back.
“We demand [District Attorney] Larry Krasner and election officials to immediately act and allow our poll observers into precincts…..Refusing to allow Republicans into the room threatens the integrity and security of Pennsylvania's elections," it added.
Republican vice-presidential nominee JD Vance cast his vote in person at a polling centre in Cincinnati, Ohio Vance arrived at St Anthony of Padua Church with his wife and children, reported CNN.
“I felt good about my own race a couple years ago when I voted in this exact same spot. Hopefully it goes as well for President Trump and me as it went for me a couple years ago in the state of Ohio," Vance said while addressing the reporters.
Barack Obama encourages Americans to vote for Democrat candidate Kamala Harris and her running mate Tim Walz.
"Today is Election Day.
Millions of Americans will be going to the polls to show the world who we are and what we stand for. Find out where and when you can vote today at http://IWillVote.com.
And once you do, I want to see your voting sticker. I’ll be sharing your posts throughout the day. Let’s get out there and win this thing!" Barack Obama wrote on X.
According to BBC, polls have opened across 30 states including Arkansas.
It has six electoral college votes, in comparison to states such as California with 54 and New York with 28.
The total number of votes that a state gets is determined by its population size. In addition to Arkansas, states such as Mississippi and North Dakota have opened for polls.
On Tuesday, gold prices saw little change as the market looked forward to the results of the US Election 2024. According to opinion polls, it is a close call between Democrat candidate Kamala Harris and Republican candidate Donald Trump.
Spot gold moved a little at $2,739.79 an ounce by 1231 GMT after hitting a record high of $2,790.15 last week. US gold futures moved up 0.1% to $2,749.20, reported Reuters.
If Harris wins, gold prices are expected to rise as her policies support low interest rates, however, a spike in the dollar may lead to lower prices of gold if Trump wins, the report cited Exinity Group chief market analyst Han Tan.
Voters from the eastern state of Maryland have queued up at the polling stations to cast their votes as polling for the US presidential elections 2024 opened for 25 states on Tuesday, reported ANI.
Voters have called this election very important and are voting for change in the country.
"I'm from Maryland. I'm here first thing in the morning. I think it's very important to whatever you're doing today; if you haven't voted, get out and vote. It's a right that not everybody in the world gets, so you have to take advantage of it and it does matter. It will change your life. You never know what kind of legislation is going to happen," ANI quoted a voter.
American singer Mary Millben has extended her support to Republican candidate Donald Trump for US Elections 2024.
“The president has had tremendous support and response this election from a diversity of communities across the country, specifically in the African-American community," she said while speaking to ANI.
"I certainly want to see the President victorious tonight and serving again as our 47th President," Millben said.
"My work certainly continues. I have the great privilege of being in a profession that doesn't necessarily depend on who's in the White House," she added.
Democratic nominee Kamala Harris and Republican candidate Donald Trump spent the final hours of the election campaigns in the swing states of Pennsylvania and Michigan.
Lady Gaga sang “God Bless America", and Oprah Winfrey appeared on the stage with first-time voters as Harris ended her day in Philadelphia. Ricky Martin from Puerto Rico was there to attract voters from his land. This comes after a comedian called Puerto Rico a “floating island of garbage" at a Trump rally, reported AP.
Meanwhile, Trump was at Grand Rapids and called out Harris for campaigning with celebrities.
“We don’t need a star because we have policy. We have great policy," Trump said. “So many celebrities here, it’s incredible: Mike Pompeo, please stand up," he added.
US Treasuries and the dollar fall as the voting goes on for US Elections 2024, reported Bloomberg.
The yield on 10-year Treasuries jumped by three basis points to 4.31%, off from a three-month high reached last week.
Due to the neck-to-neck race between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris, the market is volatile.
“With an exceptionally close US election upon us, the outcome likely to deliver a binary impact on currency markets," Bloomberg quoted Chris Turner, head of FX strategy at ING. “Only a red sweep outcome can probably add to the dollar’s upside."
According to CNN, polls have opened across more than 20 states to elect the 47th President. Here’s the states that have just opened their polls:
Alabama (Some polls observe Eastern Time and will open at 7 am ET, however most polls operate in Central Time and will open at 8 am ET).
Delaware
Washington, DC
Florida (Polls in Central Time open at 8 am ET)
Georgia
Illinois
Kansas (Some polls open at 8 am because of time zones)
Maryland
Massachusetts (Cities or towns can choose to open as early as 5:45 am ET)
Michigan (Some polls open at 8 am ET because of time zones)
Missouri
Pennsylvania
Rhode Island
South Carolina
Tennessee (Polling places with a population of more than 120,000 must open by 7 am ET)
US is heading to the polls to vote for their next president. Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump each need at least 270 electoral votes to win. The battleground states of Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin are expected to be pivotal to the path to victory.
The Presidential candidates held their final campaign events in battleground states last night. Kamala Harris ended her 107-day campaign in Pennsylvania, while Donald Trump spoke in Michigan — where he has ended three of his presidential campaigns.
According to CNN, eight states’ polling locations opened at 6 am ET, including those in Connecticut, New Jersey, New York, New Hampshire and Virginia.
In Indiana and Kentucky, polls began opening at 6 am ET, but some in the central time zone will open at 7 am ET.
In Maine, nearly all polls opened at 6 am ET, but municipalities with less than 500 people can open as late as 10 am ET.
The village's sudden fame has helped bring money into the village. Recently, construction began on a water storage tank with funds donated by a local bank. Village residents say it will carry a plaque with Harris’ name.
Harris’ late mother, Shyamala Gopalan, was born in India. After moving to the US to study, she married a Jamaican man, and they named their daughter Kamala, a Sanskrit word for “lotus flower."
Other than trips during her childhood, Harris hasn’t visited India much — particularly not since becoming vice president — but she has often spoken emotionally about her ties to her late mother’s country of birth. On Tuesday, she released a campaign video highlighting her mother, who arrived in the US at age 19 and became a cancer researcher.
Titled “Mother," the video ends with a narrator saying: “This daughter of Shyamala, this daughter of the American story, is ready to lead us forward."
Harris has often talked about how she was guided by the values of her Indian-born grandfather and mother. She has also spoken of her love of south Indian food, especially idli.
Harris’ name is engraved in a list of donors — her aunt Sarala Gopalan gave money to the temple in her name — along with that of her grandfather. Outside, a large banner wishes “the daughter of the land" success in the election.
On Tuesday, the village temple also received rare international visitors: two American tourists and one from the UK all wearing black t-shirts that said “Kamala Freakin Harris."
Village residents also prayed for Harris’ victory in 2020, and set off firecrackers when she became the US Vice President.
For women of the village, the candidate's journey is a source of inspiration. Politician Arulmozhi Sudhakar said Harris embodies a significant step toward female empowerment in places like Thulasendrapuram, where a majority of women continue to face discrimination and gender inequality.
“From the time when women were not even allowed to step out of their house, to now a woman from our village contesting in the US presidential election — this brings happiness for us," Sudhakar said. “The coming generations will see her as a role model to succeed in life."
A small South Indian village in Tamil Nadu, Thulasendrapuram, gathered to pray for Kamala Harris' success against Donald Trump in US Presidential Elections 2024. As millions of Americans vote, Harris has people rooting for her from thousands of miles away in a village surrounded by rice paddies and coconut trees, where her mother's family has ancestral ties. They talk about her at the local tea shop. Banners and billboards bearing her face are seen throughout the community.
“Our deity is a very powerful God. If we pray well to him, he will make her victorious," said M. Natarajan, the temple priest that led the prayers in front of the image of Hindu deity Ayyanar, a form of Lord Shiva. “Our village ancestors' granddaughter is running as a U.S. presidential candidate. Her victory will be happy news for every one of us," Natarajan said.
Harris’ maternal grandfather was born in the village, about 350 kilometers (215 miles) from the southern coastal city of Chennai, more than 100 years ago. As an adult, he moved to Chennai, where he worked as a high-ranking government official until his retirement. Harris has never visited Thulasendrapuram and she has no living relatives in the village, but people here still venerate the family that made it big in the US
The United States of America went to polling on November 5 as the high-stakes neck-to-neck race between Democratic candidate and Vice President Kamala Harris and Republican former President Donald Trump. The results will be declared once the counting of votes conclude in the next 1-2 days across all states and ballots.
