Biden wins Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan; presidency hangs on close battleground races

• Biden wins Minn., Wis., Mich., Ariz.; Smith defeats Lewis; Peterson falls in 7th Congressional District
• Trump wins Florida, Texas, Iowa and Ohio
• Electoral vote count: Biden 264, Trump 214 (270 to win)
• Hickenlooper unseats Gardner in Colo.; Kelly sinks McSally in Ariz.
• Tuberville defeats Jones in Alabama Senate race
• Sens. McConnell, Collins, Graham win re-election

MinnesotaPresident

• Biden carried Minnesota, holding the state against a concerted push by Trump to flip its longstanding political preference for Democrats in national elections.

U.S. Senate

• Democratic U.S. Sen. Tina Smith held off former Republican congressman Jason Lewis on Tuesday in a Senate race that could help decide the balance of power in Washington.

U.S. House

• Of Minnesota's eight House districts, only three are widely viewed as competitive this cycle. The Fifth Congressional District was called early for DFL Rep. Ilhan Omar, and the Fourth — which encompasses all of St. Paul plus some inner-ring suburbs — is highly likely to remain in DFL hands. Races have also been called for Democrat DFL Rep. Dean Phillips in the 3rd, DFL Rep. Betty McCollum in the 4th, GOP GOP Rep. Tom Emmer in the 6th, and Republican Rep. Pete Stauber in the 8th. Here's the skinny on the other ones to watch.
• First District: Freshman GOP Rep. Jim Hagedorn has defeated his Democratic opponent Dan Feehan, according to the Associated Press.
• Second District: DFL Rep. Angie Craig defeated her Republican challenger Tyler Kistner.
• Seventh District: Former GOP Lt. Gov. Michelle Fischbach has defeated Rep. Collin Peterson, Minnesota's longest-serving congressman and reputably the most conservative Democrat in the U.S. House, according to the Associated Press.

Minnesota Legislature

• Minnesota voters seemed likely to deliver another two years of divided government in St. Paul as early results from Tuesday's election showed Republicans retaining a narrow majority in the state Senate and Democrats maintaining control in the state House.
• Ballots were still being counted Wednesday with votes outstanding in some key races. Shifting tallies as more votes are processed could still change the balance of power.
• But while both sides secured upsets, initial results showed the Senate on track for a status quo finish, with Republicans keeping their 35-32 majority heading into next session.

PresidentArizona

• Biden has won Arizona and its 11 electoral votes, according to the Associated Press.

Colorado

• Biden has won Colorado and its nine electoral votes, according to the Associated Press.

Florida

• Trump has won Florida and its 29 electoral votes, according to the Associated Press.

Georgia

• One of the more surprising swing states in 2020, Georgia went for Trump by 5 percentage points in 2016 after favoring Sen. Mitt Romney by 8 points in 2012. But with both of the state's U.S. Senate seats on the ballot, public opinion surveys showing close races have given Democrats some hope of turning Georgia blue this year. As of Wednesday afternoon, Trump appeared to hold a small lead over Biden.

Iowa

• Trump has won Iowa and its six electoral votes, according to the Associated Press.

Michigan

• Biden has won Michigan and its 16 electoral votes, according to the Associated Press.

Nevada

• Like Colorado, this former Western swing-state has trended blue in recent elections, though Trump made a campaign stop in Elko in October. Clinton won Nevada by more than two percentage points in 2016, while Obama triumphed by nearly seven points in 2012. Initial results showed a close race in Nevada.

North Carolina

• Home of the most expensive U.S. Senate race in history this year (see below for more on that), recent opinion polls suggest North Carolina could swing again. The state backed Trump by 2.6 percentage points in 2016 and Romney by two points in 2012, after Obama edged out a victory by a 14,000 vote margin in 2008. Like Florida, North Carolina was expected to be a "blue mirage" state, in which early returns appear to favor Democrats while Republicans close the gap as in-person votes are counted. As of Wednesday, afternoon, results showed a close race in North Carolina.

Ohio

• Will Ohio hang on to its cherished status as a presidential "bellwether" state this year? Voters there have only picked the loser twice since 1900 (in 1944 and 1960). Ohio backed Trump by a sturdy 8-percentage-point margin in 2016 after going for Obama by two points in 2012. Trump has won Ohio and its 18 electoral votes, according to the Associated Press.

Pennsylvania

• Another of the "Blue Wall" states that tipped in Trump's favor four years ago, Pennsylvania is also considered a "red mirage" state — because election officials were prohibited from processing early votes before Election Day, the early returns may favor Republicans while the margin could shift toward Democrats later. Some counties may not even start counting early votes until Wednesday. Trump triumphed in Pennsylvania by less than a percentage point in 2016 after Obama won by a 5-point margin in 2012. Initial results showed Trump with a small and shrinking lead as votes continued be counted Wednesday afternoon.

Texas

• Trump has won Texas and its 38 electoral votes, according to the Associated Press.

Wisconsin

• Biden has won Wisconsin and its 10 electoral votes, according to the Associated Press.

U.S. SenateAlabama

• Former Auburn University head football coach and GOP candidate Tommy Tuberville has defeated Democratic Sen. Doug Jones, according to the Associated Press.

Arizona

• Democrat Mark Kelly has defeated GOP Sen. Martha McSally, according to the Associated Press.

Colorado

• Former Colorado governor John Hickenlooper has defeated first-term GOP Sen. Cory Gardner, according to the Associated Press.

Georgia

• First-term GOP Sen. David Perdue is a longtime businessman and the cousin of Agriculture secretary and former Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue. He defeated Michelle Nunn, daughter of popular former senator Sam Nunn, by a margin of 53% to 45% in 2014. His Democratic challenger Jon Ossoff, who is just 33 years old, would become the youngest member of the U.S. Senate if he wins. Ossoff, a former congressional aide and media executive, previously lost to Rep. Karen Handel in a special election runoff in Georgia's Sixth Congressional District in 2017. As of Wednesday afternoon, results showed Perdue held a small lead over Ossoff. If no candidate finishes with more than 50% of the vote, the top two finishers will head for a runoff election.

Georgia (Special)

• Republican Sen. Kelly Loeffler, a former financial executive and co-owner of the WNBA's Atlanta Dream, was appointed by Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp to fill the seat vacated by Sen. Johnny Isakson, who resigned at the end of 2019 for health reasons. Other top candidates include four-term GOP Rep. Doug Collins, the ranking member on the House Judiciary Committee, and Democrat Raphael Warnock, a senior pastor at Atlanta's famed Ebenezer Baptist Church, where the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. formerly preached. After polls closed at 6 p.m., early results showed a close three-way split among the candidates. Loeffler and Warnock have advanced to a runoff, according to the Associated Press.

Iowa

• First-term GOP Sen. Joni Ernst has defeated Democratic challenger Theresa Greenfield, according to the Associated Press.

Kansas

• GOP Rep. Roger Marshall has defeated Democratic State Sen. Barbara Bollier to fill the seat vacated by retiring GOP Sen. Pat Roberts, according to the Associated Press.

Kentucky

• Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has defeated his Democratic challenger Amy McGrath, according to the Associated Press. However, his position as majority leader may be in jeopardy as Democrats vie to retake control of the Senate.

Maine

• Four-term GOP Sen. Susan Collins, the last remaining Republican in Congress from New England, has defeated Democratic challenger Sara Gideon in one of 2020's most closely watched U.S. Senate races, according to the Associated Press.

Michigan

• First-term Democratic Sen. Gary Peters has defeated his Republican opponent, businessman and Iraq War veteran John James, according to the Associated Press.

Montana

• First-term Republican Sen. Steve Daines has defeated Democratic governor Steve Bullock, according to the Associated Press.

North Carolina

• Sen. Thom Tillis, a Republican seeking a second term in the Senate, is one of the Democrats' top pickup targets in 2020. With total spending by both candidates topping $272 million, it is the most expensive Senate race ever. The senator was one of several who tested positive for COVID-19 after Amy Coney Barrett's nomination ceremony at the White House. Democratic challenger Cal Cunningham, a lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army Reserve, has led in the polls for much of the year, but was struck by scandal in early October when text messages surfaced revealing his involvement in an extramarital affair. Cunningham has not taken questions from the press in several weeks, though he continues to lead in recent opinion polls. As of Wednesday afternoon, results showed a close race.

South Carolina

• GOP Sen. Lindsey Graham has been re-elected to a fourth term after defeating his Democratic opponent Jaime Harrison, according to the Associated Press.

Texas

• Sen. John Cornyn, the second-ranking Republican in the Senate, has won a fourth term after defeating his Democratic opponent MJ Hegar, according to the Associated Press.