With the White House and control of both chambers of Congress hanging in the balance, voters were still lining up across the country to cast their ballots Tuesday afternoon.
In the top-of-the-ticket presidential race, Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump entered the day virtually deadlocked in national polling and surveys of the pivotal battleground states. Senate Democrats and House Republicans were hoping to hang on to thin majorities amid fierce competition.
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In other words, it was possible Tuesday afternoon for each party to end up winning all three of Washington’s policy power centers — a trifecta — or none. The prospects of divided power also loomed.
Harris’ easiest path to winning 270 electoral votes — and becoming the first woman elected president — runs through the “Blue Wall” states of Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, along with Nebraska’s 2nd congressional district. Trump, who would become the first defeated president to reclaim the White House, would hit the magic number by taking Georgia, North Carolina and Pennsylvania.
Trump planned to gather family, friends and staff at Mar-a-Lago, his resort in West Palm Beach, Florida, to monitor returns. If he speaks publicly Tuesday night, his remarks are likely to be delivered at a nearby convention center.
Harris is expected to convene a similar retinue of people close to her at the vice presidential residence for dinner at Washington’s Naval Observatory and travel to Howard University, her alma mater, to address supporters later in the night.
Both candidates and their campaigns expressed confidence in the closing days that they were on track to win.
“The momentum is on our side,” Harris said at her final rally, in Philadelphia, Monday night.
“I think we’re going to have a very big victory today,” Trump said as he cast his ballot in West Palm Beach, Fla., Tuesday afternoon.
Along with the rest of the country, Trump and Harris must now await the judgment of voters in the seven swing states — Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin, Georgia, North Carolina, Arizona and Nevada — to find out who is right. It is not yet clear how long it will take for those states to count their ballots and for the results of the election to be determined.
Polls are due to begin closing in parts of Kentucky at 6 p.m. ET, with that state and several others, including Georgia — one of seven major presidential battlegrounds — wrapping up voting at 7 p.m.
In the other battlegrounds, all polls close by 7:30 p.m. in North Carolina; 8 p.m. in Pennsylvania; 9 p.m. in Arizona, Michigan and Wisconsin; and 10 p.m. in Nevada.
Swing state voters have been inundated with billions of dollars in advertising between the campaigns of the two presidential candidates, Senate and House hopefuls, and outside groups determined to affect the balance of power in Washington.
Senate Democrats held a two-seat edge, 51 to 49, heading into Tuesday, but Republican Gov. Jim Justice is heavily favored to defeat his Democratic opponent in a seat being left open by Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin. Republicans were also favored to beat Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., according to the non-partisan Cook Political Report.
Senate Democrats are also playing defense in Ohio, Pennsylvania, Nevada, Michigan, Wisconsin, Nevada and Maryland.
In the House, Republicans held a four-seat advantage. The Cook Report favored Democrats to take four seats — one in Alabama, two in New York and one in Nebraska — from Republican hands. But one Democratic-held seat in Michigan leaned toward the GOP, according to the Cook report, which rated 12 Republican-held seats and 10 Democratic-held seats as toss-ups.
