All eyes were on vote counts in pivotal U.S. House races Thursday as both political parties hoped to seize control of the lower chamber for 2025. It’s a last chance at power for Democrats after Donald Trump claimed the White House early Wednesday while Republicans gained a majority in the Senate.
It will take 218 seats to rule the House, and although neither party had yet to reach the threshold, the numbers appeared to favor the GOP. The Associated Press count put Democrats in 196 seats while Republicans had claimed 209. Dozens of races remained too close to call Thursday afternoon.
Earlier in the day, Democrats locked down two seats. Rep. Val Hoyle, a first-term congresswoman seeking reelection in western Oregon, defeated Republican Monique DeSpain, an Air Force veteran. Hoyle succeeded longtime Democratic Rep. Peter DeFazio in 2022. And in New York state, Laura Gillen ended the reelection bid of Republican Rep. Anthony D’Esposito.
On the Republican side, Pennsylvania Rep. Scott Perry defended his seat, and Ryan MacKenzie defeated incumbent Democratic Rep. Susan Wild in the commonwealth.
You can follow the latest results from coast to coast and check out the races in your state here. Keep up with live coverage from across the USA TODAY Network.
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Republican Dave McCormick ousts incumbent Democratic Sen. Bob Casey in Pennsylvania Senate race
GOP businessman Dave McCormick has ousted Pennsylvania Sen. Bob Casey, toppling a three-term incumbent he’d relentlessly attacked as ineffectual and weak.
He prevailed by chipping away at his opponent’s significant advantages as someone who has campaigned across the commonwealth for decades and whose name has been prominent in Pennsylvania politics for generations.
The race drew national attention for its potential to flip a seat from blue to red in the Senate, where Democrats have enjoyed a slim majority.
– Bethany Rodgers
Fed chair Jerome Powell says he won’t resign if Trump asks him to step down
Federal Reserve chairman Jerome Powell said Thursday he won’t step down if Donald Trump asks him to resign.
“No,” Powell said when posed that question at his first press conference since Trump’s victory this week over Kamala Harris.
Pressed whether he believes he would be legally obligated to step down, Powell responded, “No.” He later clarified that he believes that he would not be obligated to leave under federal law.
Trump, who appointed Powell to his first four-year term in 2017, has regularly criticized Powell’s performance as the head of the nation’s central banking system, with the power to lower and raise interest rates. The Fed lowered its key interest rate by a quarter percentage point Thursday, its second straight rate cut amid easing inflation.
President Joe Biden reappointed Powell to a second four-year term in 2021.
– Joey Garrison
Trump pledges to follow through on mass deportations – and doesn’t say what it might cost
Donald Trump in an interview with NBC News pledged to follow though with mass deportations of migrants who crossed the border illegally – and denied concerns about the cost of his plan.
“It’s not a question of a price tag … we have no choice,” Trump told NBC, claiming that too many criminals and drug lords are in the country illegally. The president-elect has not elaborated on the details of how such a massive undertaking might work.
Vice President-elect JD Vance has estimated Trump’s actions could result in 1 million people being removed from the country each year, a pace the nonpartisan American Immigration Council estimated would cost about $88 billion annually. To deport all the people in the U.S. without authorization would take about a decade and cost nearly a trillion dollars, the council said.
In his chat with NBC, Trump said immigration played a major role in his election win. Trump also confirmed that he had “nice” and “very respectful” calls with Harris and Biden.
Harris “talked about (the) transition, and she said she’d like it to be smooth as can be,” Trump said. “Which I agree with, of course.”
– David Jackson
Biden stands by late departure from 2024 race, White House says
Joe Biden stands by his decision to drop out of the race and the timing of his departure, the White House said Thursday, amid criticism from some Democrats that he should have done so earlier.
“He was very proud of when he made that decision to hand over the torch, pass the torch to the vice president,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said. “He believed it was the right decision to make at that time. He believed that she was ready.”
Some Democrats have criticized Biden for waiting until July 21 before to drop out of the election. Exiting a year earlier would have allowed for an open competitive primary for Democrats to field a nominee.
Asked whether Biden believes he would won had he stayed in the race, Jean-Pierre reiterated the president believes he “made the right decision.”
Jean-Pierre would not not say whether Biden accepts any blame for Vice President Kamala Harris’ election loss to Trump.
“He’s going to respect the will of the people,” she said.
−Joey Garrison
White House blames ‘global headwinds’ after Harris election loss
The White House blamed “global headwinds” facing incumbent political leaders worldwide as an underlying factor in Vice President Kamala Harris’ election loss to President-elect Donald Trump.
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre pointed Thursday to global supply chain issues caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, which fueled an increase in inflation in the United States and around the world over the last couple years.
“What we saw two nights ago was not unusual to what we have seen from the incumbents around the world on the global stage,” Jean-Pierre said.
Former British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak lost reelection this year, French President Emmanuel Macron suffered parliamentary losses, and the parties of prime ministers of Japan and South Korea lost majorities in their respective legislative bodies, among several other setbacks for incumbents.
Biden committed to a peaceful transfer of power in a Rose Garden speech Thursday but has not addressed reporters following Trump’s resounding election victory, which saw Biden’s party lose considerable support among Latino men and working-class voters.
“There’s going to be a lot of postmortem analysis of what happened in the coming days, in the coming weeks, even in the coming months,” Jean-Pierre said. “And so, I’m going to leave those questions to the election experts. That is certainly not my role today.”
−Joey Garrison
Trump to donors: What should I do on day one?
The Trump campaign has sent a new text message to donors, but it is asking for advice rather than money.
“I have one more question to ask you before I take back the White House,” Trump said in the message. “WHAT SHOULD BE MY PRIORITY ON DAY ONE OF MY PRESIDENCY?”
Checkoff options include: “Build The Wall,” “Stop Skyrocketing Crime,” “Save The Economy,” “Fix Health Care,” “Protection The Second Amendment,” and “Other.” During the campaign, Trump said he wanted to be a “dictator” on day one when it came to border security and energy production.
– David Jackson
Trump’s win could spell the end of Biden’s higher education policies
Donald Trump’s sweeping election victory likely signals the undoing of much of President Joe Biden’s efforts to reform higher education in the U.S.
In his years at the helm of the federal government, Biden approved billions of dollars in student loan forgiveness, cracked down on colleges that rip students off and worked to codify new protections for LGBTQ+ students. Those efforts – some of which sparked controversies and brought setbacks – are among the key Democratic priorities that Trump’s win threatens.
The rhetoric of the former president on the campaign trail, and his actions while in office, offer ample evidence of his goals. He spent much of his first term dismantling higher education regulations set by former President Barack Obama, who was unusually hawkish on the issue of college oversight.
Tuesday’s election results shined a spotlight on the partisan divide between Americans with college degrees and those without them.
Though it’s unclear what the president-elect will accomplish with another four years in the White House, he will likely capitalize on that mandate from noncollege-educated voters to chart a far different path from Biden for America’s universities, and, by extension, for the millions of people who attend college in hopes of securing the best future for themselves and their families.
– Zachary Schermele
LGBTQ+ hotlines experience influx in crisis calls amid 2024 presidential election
Crisis services for the LGBTQ+ community have seen a sharp uptick in usage during election week, according to a national LGBTQ+ organization.
Since around midnight on Tuesday, The Trevor Project’s classic crisis services, which include a lifeline, chat and text, have experienced an approximately 125% increase in contact compared to normal days, The Trevor Project CEO Jaymes Black said in a statement on Wednesday afternoon.
This influx follows a 200% increase in election-related conversations to The Trevor Project’s classic crisis services reported Nov. 3-4. Key words like “election” and “rights” were used to determine this figure, according to a news release.
Increased rates of outreach to The Trevor Project come after the LGBTQ+ community was commonly thrust into discourse on the presidential campaign trail and as the community feels anxious about future legislation.
– Greta Cross
Biden congratulates Trump, pledges smooth transition
President Joe Biden pledged his administration’s full support Thursday for a smooth transition of power, two days after Vice President Kamala Harris’s run to replace him was ended by Trump’s triumph.
“In a democracy the will of the people always prevails,” said Biden, addressing the nation from the White House Rose Garden. “Yesterday I spoke with President-elect Trump to congratulate him on his victory. And I assured him that I would direct my entire administration to work with his team to ensure a peaceful and orderly transition. That is what the American people deserve.”
Biden’s unifying tone was a sharp contrast to Trump’s furious response to defeat four years ago, when Trump alleged baseless claims of fraud in an unrelenting but ultimately failed effort to overturn Biden’s victory.
Biden also lauded Harris, saying his “partner and public servant” ran an inspiring campaign. Harris, who conceded a day earlier, had claimed the Democratic nomination after Biden dropped out of the race in July amid concerns about his mental acuity.
“Setbacks are unavoidable but giving up is unforgiveable. We all get knocked down,” Biden said. “A defeat does not mean we are defeated.”
Also Thursday, Trump’s campaign said Biden had invited him to meet at the White House at an unspecified time. The White House said last week that Biden would attend his successor’s inauguration in January regardless of who that successor was.
All quiet on the Trump front
Little has been heard from Trump, who hasn’t even posted on Truth Social since his victory speech early Wednesday. Trump is reportedly spending a lot of time on the phone, including calls with world leaders such as Chinese President Xi Jinping, French President Emmanuel Macron, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Another probable reason for the silence: Team Trump is moving from a political campaign to a government transition. During the campaign, Trump said he didn’t want to talk about the transition because it would be bad luck to do so before Election Day. Now the transition talk is likely dominating his time.
− David Jackson
Top House Democrat congratulates Trump on victory
House Minority Leader Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., released a statement Thursday congratulating Trump on his victory.
“I am proud that the Democratic Party does not believe in election denial. Our Democracy is precious and it involves elevating public trust in our system of free and fair elections, not undermining it,” Jeffries wrote. “We cannot love America only when we win. The American people have spoken. I congratulate President-elect Donald J. Trump.”
He added that Harris and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz are “remarkable public servants who ran an inspired and positive campaign focused on lifting people up.”
− Sudiksha Kochi
Defense Secretary Austin says military will stay out of politics
The Pentagon is committed to an orderly transition to a Trump administration and is ready to carry out “all lawful orders,” Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said. Austin is a Biden appointee whose stint as secretary will end after Trump selects and wins Senate approval for a new secretary.
Trump, during his campaign, talked about facing an “enemy from within,” specifying some Democratic leaders.
Austin, in a memo to U.S. troops sent out on Wednesday night and publicly released Thursday, pledged that the military was ready to “stand apart from the political arena; to stand guard over our republic with principle and professionalism; and to stand together with the valued allies and partners who deepen our security.”
What role will JD Vance play in the Trump administration?
President-elect Donald Trump hasn’t talked much about how his second administration will operate, but Vice President-elect JD Vance appears to have at least two roles locked up: cheerleader and communicator.
“He is a feisty guy, isn’t he?” Trump said of his 40-year-old running mate during his victory speech Wednesday.
After securing the vice presidential nomination, Vance happily played the role of Trump’s attack dog as he barnstormed the 2024 swing states. He maintained an antagonistic presence on social media and called Harris “trash” − a nod to President Joe Biden’s “garbage” gaffe. The freshman Ohio senator also gave more media interviews than anyone at the top of the ticket − 152, according to his campaign − and turned press conferences into part of the show at his rallies.
“I know the president wants me to be involved in everything, and I certainly hope to be,” he told USA TODAY in September.
− David Jackson and Haley BeMiller
What kind of VP will Vance be?Trump’s cheerleader and top fighter
Power ‘trifecta’ could ease path for Trump, GOP
Republicans have won the White House and Senate and appear poised to retain their majority in the House. If that happens, what can voters expect from unified Republican control of all three power centers?
From swift appointments of Trump’s Cabinet choices to major changes in policy, Republicans in Congress are likely to use their leverage to advance Trump‘s priorities and will likely face few roadblocks from the Democratic minority. Trump’s policy priorities include curbing immigration and rolling back regulations on everything from home building to energy production.
− Riley Beggin
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GOP trifecta?What Americans can expect
Sen. Bernie Sanders says Dems ‘abandoned working class people’
Sen. Bernie Sanders is blaming the Democratic Party after Harris lost to Trump and Republicans gained control of the Senate. In a statement shared on social media, the U.S. senator from Vermont said party leadership must have “serious political discussions” about Latino and Black workers voting for Republican candidates.
“It should come as no great surprise that a Democratic Party which has abandoned working class people would find that the working class has abandoned them,” Sanders wrote. “While the Democratic leadership defends the status quo, the American people are angry and want change. And they’re right.”
Sanders, 83, who runs as an independent but routinely aligns with Democrats, won a fourth Senate term on Election Day, defeating Republican challenger Gerald Malloy. He joined the Senate in 2007 after being elected in to the U.S. House in 1991. He unsuccessfully sought the Democratic presidential nomination in in 2016 and 2020.
− Anthony Robledo
What key states did Trump win on Election Day?
Trump won the first swing state called on election night, North Carolina. He also notched victories in Georgia, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.
The former president also picked up Republican strongholds across the country on Tuesday, from Texas to Montana and South Carolina. He won a few states that used to be swing states but have trended further to the right in recent years, including Ohio and Florida.
− Marina Pitofsky
How Harris lost the election:The fatal flaws in a doomed election bid
What states did Harris win on Election Day?
Harris picked up Democratic strongholds across the country, from California to New York and Illinois. She also easily notched several New England states such as Vermont and Massachusetts, as well as the nation’s capital, Washington, D.C.
− Marina Pitofsky
Contributing: Reuters
