Cole Welsh, Editor

On Tuesday, Americans went to the polls to cast their ballots in what was already expected to be a high turnout election.

In the most closely watched race of the night, Donald Trump defeated Kamala Harris to become the next president of the United States.

Providing him with the 270 Electoral College votes needed to emerge victorious, Trump won the Rust Belt states of Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Michigan. Trump also notched decisive victories in the key swing states of Georgia and North Carolina.

At the time of this article’s publication, the swing states of Arizona and Nevada have yet to be called for either candidate, although Trump possesses a sizable lead in both states.

Additionally, Trump became the first Republican presidential candidate to win the popular vote since George Bush’s victory in 2004.

In the battle for the U.S. Senate, Republicans won a handful of races, flipping the chamber to the GOP.

In West Virginia, Republican Governor Jim Justice won the race to replace outgoing Senator Joe Manchin, a centrist Democrat.

In Ohio, Republican businessman Bernie Moreno defeated longtime incumbent Sherrod Brown.

In Montana, Democrat John Tester lost re-election to 38-year-old former Navy SEAL Tim Sheehy.

In Pennsylvania, Republican combat veteran Dave McCormick narrowly defeated three-term incumbent Bob Casey.

For the Democrats, incumbent Senator Tammy Baldwin won reelection to retain her seat in Wisconsin.

The race for Arizona’s Senate open seat has yet to be called, although Democrat Ruben Gallego maintains a small lead over Republican Kari Lake.

Likewise, the Senate matchup in Nevada has also not been called, as incumbent Senator Jacky Rosen maintains a slim lead over Republican challenger Sam Brown.

With a razor-thin margin of victory, Democrat Elissa Slotkin, a current congresswoman and former Central Intelligence Agency analyst, bested Republican Mike Rogers to represent Michigan in the U.S. Senate.

In regard to the other chamber of Congress, it is currently too early to determine which party will win control of the US House, as a plethora of competitive congressional seats have yet to be called.

That being said, Republican victories were not just an occurrence at the federal level.

In Pennsylvania, Republicans won the state attorney general’s race and kept the other two statewide row offices. Dave Sunday, a Navy veteran and the current district attorney of York County, defeated Democrat Eugene DePasquale to become PA’s top prosecutor after running on a tough-on-crime platform. Republicans Tim DeFoor and Stacy Garrity won their reelection contests for auditor general and state treasurer, respectively.

As it pertains to the state legislature in Pennsylvania, Republicans are projected to retain control of the State Senate.

In the contest for PA’s 5th Senatorial District, which covers most of Northeast Philadelphia, 29-year-old Republican Joe Picozzi unseated Democratic incumbent Jimmy Dillon. In doing so, Picozzi will become the first Republican state senator to represent Philadelphia in more than two decades.

State House races in Pennsylvania were no less competitive. Currently, Democrats maintain a one-seat majority in the chamber. Due to several close races having yet to be called, control of the State House could still be won by either party.

While Tuesday was certainly a great night for Republicans up and down the ballot, Americans will get a better idea of the election results once the remainder of the votes in several states are counted. However, it is clear that the GOP’s message resonated with voters, as the party made inroads with voters across all demographics and geographical areas.