US election: Everything you missed from Trump v Biden overnight

From key state results to notable Senate and House seats, here’s a breakdown of the major news so far

If you are just joining us this morning, results from the US election have been coming in thick and fast through the night, with many states already declared but still no clear indication of whether Donald Trump or Joe Biden will be claiming the presidency.

Indeed, both candidates have separately argued that they are winning the count. A tweet by Mr Trump complaining about the late counting of mail-in and early votes has been flagged as potentially misleading by Twitter, and Facebook has put a notice on a Biden post that said: “We are gonna win this.” 

The roller coaster ride with the results count so far was encapsulated in Virginia, where CNN called the state for Biden before having to retract that declaration. It eventually was given to the Democrats, with AP sticking by its projection.

Here we give you a breakdown of all the key developments so far in states, Senate races and fights for House of Representative seats.

State results

Most states declared so far have been along expected lines, with Biden projected to take the likes of California, New York, Illinois, New Mexico and Colorado while the states called for Trump include Kansas, Missouri, South Carolina, Louisiana and Alabama. None have formally flipped from their 2016 result.

The first nominal swing state declared was New Hampshire for Biden, however, with the Democrat taking the state’s four electoral college votes. It’s considered a swing state after voting Bush in 2000, though Clinton took New Hampshire in 2016.

Florida and Texas have now been projected as going to Trump, two states which carry large numbers of electoral votes and which were seen as must-ins for the Republican. While both were targets for some Democrat campaigning, realistically they would only have turned for Biden in the event of a serious “blue wave” – something which certainly hasn’t materialised.

Meanwhile, Fox has declared Arizona for Biden - though no other outlet is yet to do so. The battleground state carries 11 electoral college votes.

With many states now more or less decided, the other key results to look out for are Wisconsin, Michigan, Pennsylvania, North Carolina and Georgia.

Key Senate seats

Republican Lindsey Graham held on to his South Carolina seat as he defeated Democratic challenger Jaime Harrison, whose fundraising broke records to make it the most expensive Senate contest in history.

Mr Graham, already a well-known Republican figure nationally, drew the ire of Democrats as he chaired the confirmation hearings for Donald Trump’s Supreme Court pick Amy Coney Barrett in recent weeks.

Democrat John Hickenlooper is projected to win Colorado, beating the incumbent Republican Sen Cory Gardner. The former two-term governor has a solid 10 points lead over his opponent. He had joined the race for the Senate after dropping out of the 2020 Democratic presidential primary.

But the Republicans flipped back, with Democrat senator Doug Jones unable to defend Alabama and losing out to challenger Tommy Tuberville, a former Auburn University football coach. During the campaign, Mr Jones had raised $27m, compared to $8m by his opponent.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell recalled his childhood battle with polio in an acceptance speech, saying the US will likewise overcome Covid-19, as he held his seat against Democratic challenger Amy McGrath.

Notable House seats

Democrat favourite Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez won her New York congressional seat by a large margin, despite huge fundraising efforts from her Republican challenger.

Republican Marjorie Taylor Greene won in Georgia. She becomes the first member of Congress to openly support the QAnon conspiracy theory, has publicly expressed racist views, attacked the Black Lives Matter movement and spoken against using face masks during the Covid-19 pandemic.

And Madison Cawthorn, a 25-year-old Republican accused of white supremacy and sexual misconduct, has become the youngest member of Congress after winning his fight for a North Carolina seat.

Plus, New Jersey has voted to legalise recreational cannabis use. Advocates say the move will boost revenue, thanks to a sales tax, at a time when coronavirus has hit government finances hard.

For the full results and reaction live as it all comes in, follow our live blog here.