Biden guarantees a ‘peaceful transfer of power,’ House control hangs in the balance

Published 2:34 pm Thursday, November 7, 2024

President Joe Biden delivered remarks to the nation midday Thursday in his first appearance on camera in the aftermath of Donald Trump ’s decisive victory over Kamala Harris.

Control over the U.S. House of Representatives hangs in the balance, teetering between a Republican or Democratic majority with dozens of races left to be called.

The Republicans won control of the U.S. Senate early Wednesday.

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Democrat Steven Horsford wins reelection to US House in Nevada’s 4th Congressional District

Democratic Rep. Steven Horsford won reelection to a U.S. House seat representing Nevada on Thursday.

Horsford, a four-term congressman, became the first Black person to represent Nevada in Congress when he was first elected to the House. This year, he defeated former North Las Vegas Mayor John Lee. The district stretches north from Las Vegas, toward Nye County in the west and along the Utah border in the eastern portion of the district. The Associated Press declared Horsford the winner at 2:36 p.m. EST.

Democrat Kim Schrier wins reelection to US House in Washington’s 8th Congressional District

Democratic Rep. Kim Schrier won reelection to a U.S. House seat representing Washington on Thursday.

She defeated Republican Carmen Goers, who works in financial services. Schrier, a pediatrician, first won her seat in 2018, becoming the first Democrat to represent the district. Of the seven Washington state congressional districts Democrat Joe Biden carried in 2020, the 8th district had the smallest margin. The district covers much of the middle of the state, from the eastern suburbs of Seattle to the Columbia River. The Associated Press declared Schrier the winner at 2:10 p.m. EST.

Democrat Don Davis wins reelection to US House in North Carolina’s 1st Congressional District

Democratic Rep. Donald Davis won reelection to a U.S. House seat representing North Carolina on Thursday.

Davis ran in territory that became less favorable to Democrats in 2023 after North Carolina passed new maps that brought more Republican-leaning voters into the 1st District. President Joe Biden still narrowly carried areas in 2020 that make up the district’s current configuration. Davis defeated Army veteran Laurie Buckhout. The Associated Press declared Davis the winner at 2:03 p.m. EST.

Russian President Vladimir Putin congratulates Donald Trump on his election victory

Putin’s congratulations were the Russian leader’s first public comment on the outcome of the U.S. balloting and came after a speech during an international forum conference in the Black Sea resort of Sochi.

″I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate him on his election as president of the United States of America,” Putin said in a question-and-answer session.

Canada’s Trudeau revives a Cabinet-level panel to address concerns about a Trump presidency

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Thursday he is re-establishing a special Cabinet committee on Canada-U.S. relations to address his administration’s concerns about another Donald Trump presidency.

Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland, who is also the country’s finance minister, will chair the committee, which also will include other top officials including ministers of foreign affairs, public safety and industry.

“Following the election of President Donald Trump for a second term, the Cabinet Committee will focus on critical Canada-U.S. issues,” Trudeau’s office said in a statement Thursday.

▶ Read more about what the committee will focus on

White evangelical voters show steadfast support for Donald Trump’s presidency

After Donald Trump gave his victory speech early Wednesday at the Palm Beach Convention Center, dozens of his supporters gathered in a lobby to sing “How Great Thou Art,” reciting from memory the words and harmonies of a classic hymn, popular among evangelical Christians.

It was a fitting coda to an election in which Trump once again won the support of about 8 in 10 white evangelical Christian voters, according to AP VoteCast, a sweeping survey of more than 120,000 voters. That margin — among a group that represented about 20% of the total electorate — repeats similarly staggering margins of evangelical support that Trump received in 2020.

Evangelicals said they believed Trump would implement their policy priorities on religious as well as general issues such as immigration and the economy. But critics fear Trump’s administration will implement Christian nationalist policies that will give Christianity a privileged status in public life, rather than maintaining a separation of church and state and treating people of all beliefs equally.

Republican Scott Perry wins reelection to US House in Pennsylvania’s 10th Congressional District

Republican Rep. Scott Perry won reelection to a U.S. House seat representing Pennsylvania on Thursday.

The former Freedom Caucus chairman found himself in an expensive race against Janelle Stelson, a longtime local TV news anchor, in a Harrisburg district that Republican Donald Trump carried in the 2020 presidential election. Perry, a four-term congressman, was the only lawmaker to have his cellphone seized by FBI agents investigating the web of Trump loyalists who were central to the former president’s bid to remain in power after his 2020 election loss. The Associated Press declared Perry the winner at 1:47 p.m. EST.

Republican Robert Bresnahan wins election to US House in Pennsylvania’s 8th Congressional District, beating incumbent Matt Cartwright

Republican Rob Bresnahan won election to a U.S. House seat representing Pennsylvania on Thursday, defeating Democratic Rep. Matt Cartwright.

Republicans have long sought to unseat Cartwright in this Scranton-based seat that Republican Donald Trump carried in the 2020 presidential election. Bresnahan is a first-time candidate and the CEO of an electrical contracting company founded by his grandfather. Cartwright has represented the district for six terms. The Associated Press declared Bresnahan the winner at 1:46 p.m. EST.

Republican Ryan Mackenzie wins election to US House in Pennsylvania’s 7th Congressional District, beating incumbent Susan Wild

Republican Ryan Mackenzie won election to a U.S. House seat representing Pennsylvania on Thursday, defeating Democratic Rep. Susan Wild in the highly competitive district.

Mackenzie represents parts of Lehigh County in the state House. While Democrat Joe Biden carried the Allentown district in 2020, Republican Donald Trump won it in 2016. Wild, a three-term congresswoman, is a perennial Republican target in her eastern Pennsylvania district and had staved off the challenges until now. The Associated Press declared Mackenzie the winner at 1:44 p.m. EST.

Rioters who stormed the Capitol after Trump’s 2020 defeat toast his White House return

As it became clear Donald Trump was returning to the White House, the Florida man who posed for photos with then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s lectern during the Capitol riot popped a bottle of Trump-branded sparkling wine. “Y’all are in trouble,” he said after taking a sip in a video shared on social media.

Rioters who stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, are celebrating Trump’s victory and hoping he makes good on his campaign trail promise to pardon them.

Trump didn’t mention the Jan. 6 defendants, whom he’s called “hostages” and “patriots,” during his victory speech Wednesday. But his defeat of Vice President Kamala Harris throws into doubt the future of the largest prosecution in Justice Department history over the unprecedented assault on a seat of American democracy.

More than 1,500 people have been charged with federal crimes stemming from the riot that left more than 100 police officers injured and sent lawmakers running into hiding as they met to certify Joe Biden’s 2020 victory.

Trump hasn’t explained how he’ll decide who gets pardoned. But he’s suggested he would consider granting them even for those accused of assault as well as the former Proud Boys leader convicted of orchestrating a violent plot to keep Trump in power.