US election: BBC correspondents on the ground in key states
- Published
It's been a night of mixed fortunes for Democrats and Republicans in the US. Our correspondents were in key battleground states across the country to witness the results and find out how voters felt.
Pennsylvania win is good news for Democrats - John Sudworth
Democratic Senator-elect John Fetterman is celebrating in Pennsylvania
A predicted win for John Fetterman is about as good a piece of news as Democrats could have hoped for on a night widely expected to offer very little to cheer about. And this result will be cheered to the rafters in the White House.
Against the odds, and in the face of a debilitating stroke that left him struggling for words on the campaign trail, Mr Fetterman appears to have triumphed over the slick celebrity of the TV doctor Mehmet Oz.
What made the difference in such a tight race? Was it Dr Oz's anti-abortion stance - something opinion polls suggested may have rallied the female vote in support of his opponent?
Or was it those blue collar voters returning to the Democrat fold, having grown weary of the conspiracy theories on offer from the Republican field? The analysts and pundits will have plenty to chew over.
While one result does not an election make, Pennsylvania has just brightened Democrat spirits considerably.
A red wave, but only in Florida - Nada Tawfik
The word historic is being used to describe Republicans' gains in Florida, a state where races are often decided by a few points.
The story of this election was one of conservative enthusiasm, but also low turnout from Democratic voters. That allowed Republicans to take blue strongholds such as Miami Dade, Palm Beach and Broward counties.
Now that Florida has cemented its status as a red state, re-elected Governor Ron DeSantis has bragging rights. His victory speech sure sounded like a play for the presidency - he declared that Florida had rewritten the political map and that he'd only begun to fight.
Republicans in Florida disagree about whether Mr DeSantis would take on Donald Trump in a bid to run for president in 2024.
As one party official here told me, going up against a juggernaut like Mr Trump would be a very different race and Mr DeSantis has never faced that type of opposition.
Trump-backed candidate loses in New Hampshire - Jane O'Brien
Despite a history of denying the results of the 2020 presidential election, Republican Senate candidate Don Bolduc said he would accept his own defeat. "The experts have called it. But this is not a loss. We woke a lot of people up," he told supporters.
He was always in a tight race against Democratic Senator Maggie Hassan, but in the end he didn't come close to beating her.
After an optimistic campaign, the party has a lot of questions to answer. "Instead of a red wave we got a blue wave," says Chris Ager, who represents New Hampshire on the National Republican Committee.
It's been a bad night for Republicans in the state, who are also losing seats in the state government.
Mr Ager said Mr Bolduc was out-matched financially by Democrats, and that the defeat would have no bearing on 2024.
"That is going to be a completely new dynamic because it will be a presidential election and the focus will be on the presidential candidates and their issues," he said.
Kentucky votes to protect abortion choice - Holly Honderich
Voters in Kentucky rejected a proposal that would have explicitly removed abortion rights from the state's constitution.
At a pro-choice election night event in Louisville, party-goers were celebrating. "Kentucky voters made it clear: We won't back down when politicians try to come for our right to control our own bodies and our futures," said Tamarra Wieder, Kentucky state director for Planned Parenthood Alliance Advocates.
This is a major victory for pro-choice activists in a solidly conservative state, and suggests Kentucky voters crossed the usual religious and party lines.
The result won't automatically reverse the state's current legislation, which almost entirely prohibits abortion. But the pro-choice vote will strengthen the case for looming legal challenges to the state's two bans.
The results come on the heels of another abortion access win in Vermont, now projected to be first US state to formally enshrine the right to an abortion in its own constitution.
California, Montana and Michigan also held abortion-related ballots, where votes are still being counted.
Georgia heads for a run-off - Kayla Epstein
Political watchers here are all talking about "split-ticket" voters - people who voted Republican for governor, but Democrat for the Senate.
I met quite a few Republican voters who said they hesitated to punch a ballot for the party's US Senate nominee, Herschel Walker. It looks likely his contest with Democrat Raphael Warnock will end up in a run-off vote if neither candidate gets more than 50% of the vote.
One voter on the fence was Yeni Tran, 42, of Clark County. She was a staunch supporter of the Republican Governor Brian Kemp. But of Mr Walker, she said: "I'm torn. I heard some of his speeches, and it's not the most intellectual."
Jennifer Almond, 48, also supported Mr Kemp but for the Senate race was put off by allegations from Mr Walker's ex-wife that he'd once threatened her with a gun.
Adam Smart, 49, was going to vote for Mr Kemp, but had decided against Mr Walker. "He's out of his league a little bit," he said. Democrat Raphael Warnock, he believed, was more experienced.
