Danica Roem, Virginia's first openly transgender lawmaker, claims victory in reelection bid
Danica Roem
Danica Roem, Virginia's first openly transgender candidate, is claiming victory tonight.
Roem thanked voters for reelecting her and having the confidence they've shown in her team.
Roem rose to prominence in 2017 after she defeated incumbent delegate Bob Marshall, who had been elected 13 times over 26 years, according to Marshall's website.
More on Roem: She is the first openly transgender person elected to a state legislature in the US, according to Monica Roberts of the TransGriot blog, which covers issues in the transgender community. Althea Garrison, elected in Massachusetts, was the first openly transgender person to serve in a state legislature, but did not campaign as an openly transgender person during her race in 1992.
11:37 p.m. ET, November 5, 2019
Virginia woman who lost glass-bowl election projected to win seat over incumbent
From CNN's Connor Spielmaker
Shelly Simonds. WTKR
Shelly Simonds, who lost a “lot draw” in the 2017 race for Virginia’s House of Delegates, ousted incumbent David Yancey tonight, CNN projects.
The 2017 quirk stemmed from a 1705 Virginia law, which the Virginia Board of Elections used to settle the 11,608-to-11,608 tie between Yancey and Simonds for the seat.
“I think the most important thing here is that every vote counts, and I hope everyone in Newport News writes that on their heart…and remembers that for 2020," Simonds said, according CNN affiliate WTKR.
11:31 p.m. ET, November 5, 2019
Candidates in Mississippi governor's race remain upbeat
From CNN's Jason Morris
The atmosphere at Attorney General Jim Hood's headquarters in Jackson, Mississippi, remains upbeat as they wait for results.
The Democratic candidate is currently mingling with supporters in a small ballroom area at the King Edward hotel. The crowd, much like at Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves' headquarters, is eating and drinking while the results crawl in.
Hood is currently behind Reeves, but several large counties are still not in.
10:57 p.m. ET, November 5, 2019
Elizabeth Warren congratulates people of Virginia on election results
From CNN's Rashard Rose
Democratic presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren tweeted congratulations to Democrats in Virginia tonight.
CNN is projecting that Democrats will flip both chambers of the Virginia legislature. They will likely take control of the state Senate and the House of Delegates.
Read Warren's tweet below:
10:52 p.m. ET, November 5, 2019
Trump campaign manager on Kentucky elections: "The President just about dragged Gov. Matt Bevin across the finish line"
From CNN's Betsy Klein
President Trump's campaign manager Brad Parscale issued a statement on the Kentucky governor’s race tonight, saying that "the President just about dragged Gov. Matt Bevin across the finish line, helping him run stronger than expected in what turned into a very close race at the end.“
“President Trump’s rally helped five of six Kentucky Republicans win clear statewide victories, including Attorney General-elect Daniel Cameron, who will be the first black A.G. in Kentucky history and the first Republican to hold the office since 1948. The President just about dragged Gov. Matt Bevin across the finish line, helping him run stronger than expected in what turned into a very close race at the end. A final outcome remains to be seen," Parscale said.
Earlier tonight: Democrat Andy Beshear has claimed victory in the Kentucky Governor’s race, but Bevin said he is not conceding. As of 10:45 p.m. ET with 99% of precincts reporting, Beshear led Bevin with 49.2% of the vote compared to 48.8%, according to CNN's election tracker.
Beshear was elected attorney general of Kentucky in 2015, and is the son of Steve Beshear, who was the 61st governor of Kentucky, serving from 2007 to 2015.
11:05 p.m. ET, November 5, 2019
State GOP files emergency injunction to address alleged voting irregularities
From CNN's Laura Ly and Patrick Cornell
Rebecca Warren Credit: WHP
The Pennsylvania Republican Party filed an emergency request for injunctive relief to address alleged voting irregularities reported across the state, according to the party's counsel Rebecca Warren.
Warren, speaking at a news conference Tuesday night, said they received multiple reports of voting irregularities across the state via their election hotline and they have pursued legal action against the Pennsylvania Department of State and the York County election board, which received the most complaints.
They are asking that all ballots be secured, that they be transported appropriately, and that they be properly counted.��
“We want to ensure that no voter was disenfranchised and that every vote was being properly cast and counted,” Warren said.
Warren said that there was “chaos” reported at voting stations across the state as a result of the new election voting machines that were implemented by Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf, adding that the new election machines do not appear capable of handling the volume of votes that citizens were trying to cast.
Warren said today that Wolf’s mandate to use the new machines was “unfunded” and did not give the counties enough time for countries to ensure that machines would be working properly.
"We will not concede the fundamental rights of our citizens to the short sighted whims of our Governor," the Pennsylvania GOP said in a statement. "We will exhaust all available remedies — including litigation if necessary — to ensure that every voter that intended to cast a ballot in Pennsylvania today was able to do so, and that every ballot cast was counted and can be accounted for — because all voters must be able to trust the electoral process."
10:43 p.m. ET, November 5, 2019
Passage of Equal Rights Amendment likely in Virginia thanks to Democrats now controlling state Senate
Following news that Democrats will win at least 21 seats in the Virginia state Senate to take control of the chamber, Twitter has been flooded with messages of hope that the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) will pass in the state.
The amendment declares that "equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or any State on account of sex." Supported by the #MeToo movement and a body politic filled with women energized about making their constitutional equality a reality, support for the ERA has seen a revival in the past two years across the country.
Democrats poured a record-breaking amount of money into Virginia's state Legislature races. Virginia has long been a bellwether for national wins but has drifted left in recent years.
Republicans controlled Virginia's Senate with 20 seats to Democrats' 19. Republicans have held on to the Senate since 2014 and House since 1999 by slim margins.
More on ERA: The ERA is a simple concept: enshrining the idea that women and men should not receive different treatment under the law. Federal laws such as Title IX and the Equal Pay Act prohibit sex discrimination in schools and workplaces, while some states have adopted their own versions of the ERA.
Here's some of the reaction on Twitter:
11:05 p.m. ET, November 5, 2019
Democrats will flip control of both chambers of Virginia legislature, CNN projects
The Virginia House of Delegates Credit: Drew Angerer/Getty Images
Democrats will flip both chambers of the Virginia legislature, taking control of the state Senate and the House of Delegates, CNN projects.
Some background: Republicans controlled the House of Delegates with 51 seats to Democrats' 48, and the state Senate with 20 seats to Democrats' 19, with one vacancy in each chamber. All 140 seats were on the ballot today. Republicans have not won a statewide race since 2009, but they have held on to the Senate since 2014 and House since 1999 by slim margins.
12:02 p.m. ET, November 6, 2019
Andy Beshear claims victory while Matt Bevin says he is not conceding race
From CNN's Steve Brusk and Rashard Rose
Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin Credit: Timothy D. Easley/AP
Democrat Andy Beshear has claimed victory in the Kentucky Governor’s race, but Republican Gov. Matt Bevin said he is not conceding.
"With respect to our race, would it be a Bevin race if it wasn't a squeaker I mean come on. I mean really and truly, this is a close close race. We are not conceding this race by any stretch," Bevin told supporters in Louisville, Kentucky.
Beshear was elected attorney general of Kentucky in 2015, and is the son of Steve Beshear, who was the 61st governor of Kentucky, serving from 2007 to 2015.
