Polls have closed in some states and the first results are coming in in the high-stakes presidential match-up between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump. According to
538's forecast, both candidates have a roughly equal chance to win.
Voters are still at polling places around the country, casting ballots to decide who controls not only the White House, but also Congress, state and local governments.
Reporters from 538 and ABC News will be following along every step of the way with live updates, analysis and commentary on the results. Keep up to date with our full live blog below!
Sen. Ted Cruz performing well in Texas Senate race
Ted Cruz looks like he’s on his way to a third term in Washington, D.C. Polls ahead of tonight predicted a close, single-digit race in the Senate contest, where Cruz faced a challenge from Rep. Colin Allred. But the results we have now suggest a win will be more squarely in Cruz’s lane: He currently leads Allred 54% to 44%, according to vote returns. Political prognosticators followed this race, in part, because Cruz only narrowly won his reelection bid in 2018, against former Rep. Beto O’Rourke. While Allred generated a lot of fanfare for out-raising O’Rourke, the evidence we have so far shows that Allred significantly underperformed him in key parts of the state, including Tarrant County, home to Fort Worth. While O’Rourke and Biden carried this county in 2018 and 2020, respectively, Cruz is currently winning the purple enclave this year by about 2 percentage points.
Democrats retain control of Maryland’s U.S. Senate seat
ABC News projects that Democrat Angela Alsobrooks will win the open U.S. Senate seat in Maryland. She faced off against Republican Larry Hogan, the former governor in the state. Alsobrooks will replace Sen. Ben Cardin, who retired in May after five decades in politics. With roughly 53% of the expected vote in, Alsobrooks led Hogan 60% to 39%. The Democrat’s victory makes her the first Black U.S. senator in Maryland’s history.
Polls are closed in swing state Nevada, but we probably won't see results for awhile
Polls closed in an important swing state -- Nevada -- 20 minutes ago. But let this be your reminder that it could be an hour or two before we see any results and possibly days before we know the results of the presidential election there. The state is very close and many voters vote by mail. Historically, it has taken Clark County, where the vast majority of the states' voters live, several days to finish counting.
The polls are having another good night
The results from the Southeastern states are looking good for Trump, as Nathaniel mentioned earlier, and that seems like a win for polling this cycle. As we saw in 2022, we've had a cacophony of complaints about the polls this year: that they were too Republican-leaning, or that they underestimated Trump twice before and might do it again. But everything so far tonight seems to validate that the death of the polling industry, once again, may have been greatly exaggerated.
Polls closing at 8:30 p.m.
It's now 8:30 p.m. Eastern, and polls are fully closed in Arkansas. Here are our forecasts for races in the Natural State.