Polls are closing across the nation — here’s an early look at some of the key races, including presidential, congressional and Dallas elections:
TRUMP AHEAD AS PRESIDENTIAL RACE GOES LATE INTO THE NIGHT
Buckle up for a long night. The White House race between former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris was billed as a razor-thin contest in the polls — and voting tallies appear to bearing this out.
Trump carried Texas and every other so-called “Red State” breaking his way. Harris countered with quick wins in the expected “Blue States.”
All eyes are on seven swing states, with Pennsylvania viewed as the potential decider. Trump appeared to be in the lead in all of the key swing states as the clock moved toward midnight with votes still being tallied.
“It took several days to count every ballot in 2020, and it’s very likely we won’t know the outcome tonight either,” former President Barack Obama tweeted as polls began to close.
He added: “Let the process run its course. It takes time to count every ballot.”
TED CRUZ PROJECTED TO WIN REELECTION
Incumbent Sen. Ted Cruz is projected to win his competitive Senate race against Colin Allred, Fox News projected shortly after 8:30 p.m.
Cruz, who has held the position since 2013, was locked in a tough battle against Democratic challenger Allred, a former NFL linebacker and current member of the U.S. House of Representatives.
Cruz (R-TX) faced a monsoon of out-of-state cash supporting his Democratic opponent.
“Chuck Schumer has been explicit that I’m his No. 1 target in the country. And Schumer and George Soros are flooding over $100 million into the state of Texas to try to beat me,” Cruz told DX.
Allred has focused much of his campaign on criticizing Cruz’s stance on a few key issues, including abortion.
“He’s responsible, this abortion ban that we have here in Texas. And that’s what he doesn’t want to talk about. So he’s trying to distract folks,” Allred told Fox News prior to Election Day.
DALLAS HERO
Early voting showed competitive referendums on the public-safety themed “HERO” amendments.
Amendments S, T, and U were added to the ballot after more than 170,000 city residents stepped up and signed a petition to get them included on the ballot.
These amendments called for creating performance incentives for the City manager, increase pay for police officers, require the city to hire roughly 1,000 additional officers, improve the Dallas Police & Fire Pension System, and enable citizens to file lawsuits against City officials who do not abide by the Dallas City Charter, Dallas City Code, or state laws.
Amendment S, which allows residents to sue the city if officials don’t comply with local ordinances and charter amendments, was trending toward passage.
The amendments related to the City Manager and police staffing were competitive with 45% of the county vote tallied.
With the fate of the amendments undecided as the calendar crept toward Wednesday, Dallas city officials, including five council members and at least four staffers, are planning to travel. to Tokyo to study Japan’s high-speed rail system, a trip expected to cost around $50,000, funded partly through hotel occupancy taxes, WFAA reported.
The trip’s purpose is to gather insights on rail infrastructure to inform future plans for a proposed Dallas-Houston high-speed rail.
Delegates will meet with Japanese rail officials, government leaders, and American diplomats, focusing on economic development around stations.
REPUBLICANS GAIN CONTROL OF SENATE, HOUSE HANGS IN BALANCE
Republicans appeared to regain control of the Senate by flipping flipping the needed two seats. In West Virginia, Republican Jim Justice won the seat of retiring Democrat Joe Manchin. And in Ohio, Republican challenger Bernie Moreno is projected to defeat incumbent Democrat Sherrod Brown. Several other Democratic incumbents facing tough reelections in swing states.
The 2024 battle for control of the House is close, with all 435 House seats up for grabs and key races determining the majority. Republicans aim to retain their House majority, while Democrats work to gain seats, especially in two dozen competitive races. There were no surprising seat flips in early returns.