• Trump and Harris secure initial wins in the U.S. presidential election, with the race undecided due to critical battleground states.
• Control of Congress is also contested, with deep polarization marking the election and voters feeling democracy is under threat.
• Trump stokes unfounded fears of election fraud, while Harris warns of threats to democracy under a second Trump term.
• Regardless of the outcome, history will be made, highlighting the deep divisions within the nation and the importance of every vote.

The U.S. presidential election, marked by deep polarization and fierce competition, saw Republican Donald Trump and Democrat Kamala Harris secure their first statewide victories. As of 9:30 p.m. ET on Election Day, polls had closed in 41 states and Washington, D.C.

Trump had won 15 states, amassing 162 electoral votes, while Harris had captured seven states and Washington, D.C., garnering 81 electoral votes. However, the race remained undecided with critical battleground states such as Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin yet to be called.

The early results were as anticipated, with the contest expected to come down to these seven swing states. Opinion polls showed the rivals neck and neck in all seven going into Election Day. Both candidates still had multiple paths to victory, with a candidate needing a total of 270 votes in the state-by-state Electoral College to claim the presidency.

In Georgia, Trump had opened up a 52.3% to 47.1% lead with 77% percent of the estimated vote tallied, according to Edison. Decision Desk HQ projected Trump would win North Carolina, but other media outlets and Edison had yet to call the race.

The Battle for Congress and the State of Democracy

The control of both chambers of Congress was also up for grabs. Democrats had only a narrow path to defend their Senate majority after Republican Jim Justice flipped a West Virginia seat. The House of Representatives looked like a toss-up. In Florida, a ballot measure that would have guaranteed abortion rights failed to reach the 60% threshold needed to pass, leaving a six-week ban in place.

The election was marked by deep polarization, with nearly three-quarters of voters saying American democracy is under threat, according to national exit polls from Edison. Trump employed increasingly apocalyptic rhetoric while stoking unfounded fears that the election system cannot be trusted. Harris warned that a second Trump term would threaten the underpinnings of American democracy.

Hours before polls closed, Trump claimed on his Truth Social site without evidence that there was a lot of talk about massive CHEATING in Philadelphia, echoing his false claims in 2020 that fraud had occurred in large, Democratic-dominated cities. In a subsequent post, he also asserted there was fraud in Detroit. These allegations were swiftly refuted by Detroit City Clerk Janice Winfrey and Philadelphia city commissioner, Seth Bluestein.

The Candidates and Their Supporters

Trump, whose supporters attacked the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, after he claimed the 2020 election was rigged, voted earlier near his home in Palm Beach, Florida. He stated, "If I lose an election, if it's a fair election, I'm gonna be the first one to acknowledge it." His campaign has suggested he may declare victory on election night even while millions of ballots have yet to be counted, as he did four years ago. The winner may not be known for days if the margins in battleground states are as slim as expected.

Harris, who had previously mailed her ballot to her home state of California, spent some of Tuesday in radio interviews encouraging listeners to vote. Later, she was due to address students at Howard University, a historically Black college in Washington where Harris was an undergraduate. "To go back tonight to Howard University, my beloved alma mater, and be able to hopefully recognize this day for what it is, is really full circle for me," Harris said in a radio interview.

No matter who wins, history will be made. Harris, 60, the first female vice president, would become the first woman, Black woman, and South Asian American to win the presidency. Trump, 78, the only president to be impeached twice and the first former president to be criminally convicted, would also become the first president to win non-consecutive terms in more than a century.