Follow our live updates on Election 2016. We’ll have results as they come in, plus coverage and analysis so you know what’s happening and how it affects you.

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Editor’s note: This is the breaking account of Election Night 2016. Click here to view our full election results page, which will be updated as new tallies come in. You can also see all our local political coverage here.

Key takeaways:



Update, 2:16 a.m.:

The world faces a starkly different America led by a President Donald Trump.

While the billionaire businessman’s election was welcomed in some countries, others saw it as a big shock, as governments will now have to deal with a man who has cozied up to Russian President Vladimir Putin, told NATO allies they would have to pay for their own protection and vowed to make the Mexican government pay for a multibillion-dollar border wall.

Trump’s win was particularly startling in Mexico, where his remarks calling Mexican immigrants criminals and “rapists” were a deep insult to national pride. Financial analysts have predicted a Trump win would threaten billions of dollars in cross-border trade, and government officials say they have drawn up a contingency plan for such a scenario, though without releasing details.

Putin is giving a thumbs-up to Trump’s victory, sending a congratulatory telegram to express “his hope to work together for removing Russian-American relations from their crisis state,” the Kremlin said in a brief statement Wednesday.

— The Associated Press


Update, 1:03 a.m.:

There’s a small group blocking the intersection of 10th and Pine while police stand by. The group is playing horns and drums and chanting “not my president.”

Musician Sari Breznau said she’d come out tonight for a “victory march” but that “one by one, the band members to dropped away.”

This she said was a moment “for people to look into each other’s eyes and see you’re not alone.”

Police are standing by with arms crossed but don’t seem to be actively breaking up the group.

— Brendan Kiley

Brendan O’Connor, a 50-year-old tech executive that considers himself a moderate, said he was “a little numb.”

At the same time he said he was “enthused,” as to him, Trump represented a much better alternative than the “machinations” of the Clinton camp, and he was looking to the future with a sense of “optimism and patriotism.”

He doesn’t think Trump will govern with the vitriol that characterized the campaign, as evidenced by his acceptance speech. “What’s good for America is change,” O’Connor said.

— Angel Gonzalez


Update, 12:51 a.m.:

Trump’s stunning, come-from-behind victory over Hillary Clinton — a far more organized and experienced rival — served as a raised middle finger to the political establishment from his fervent backers.

Trump’s unbounded confidence — and obsession with winning — have been a lifelong constant, evident in ways large and small. Here’s an AP news guide to his stunning win.

As his lead in the U.S. presidential race grew Tuesday, so did anxieties in Mexico, whose currency was steeply declining in international markets. During the campaign, Trump had thrown his weight behind a number of controversial Mexico-related policy plans — notably vowing to build a wall along the entire U.S.-Mexico border — earning him the enmity of many there and in much of Latin America.


Update, 12:05 a.m.:

“While the campaign is over, our work on this movement is now really just beginning,” Trump says to wrap up his victory speech. “… I. Love. This. Country.”

As the president-elect leaves the stage, the crowd again chants, “U-S-A! U-S-A!”


Update, 11:55 p.m.:

Trump says he wants to do for our country what he said he’s done in business: find untapped potential. He promises infrastructure that is “second to none” and says “we will also, finally, take care of our great veterans.”

“We will embark upon a project of national growth and renewal,” Trump says, promising economic growth and “great, great relations with other countries.”


Update, 11:51 p.m.:

President-elect Donald Trump is addressing supporters.

He began by congratulating Hillary Clinton on a hard-fought campaign. “We owe her a major debt of gratitude for her service to our country,” he said.

Trump said he will be a president “for all Americans” and will try to unify the deeply divided nation.


Update, 11:40 p.m.:

Hillary Clinton has reportedly called Donald Trump to concede the election and congratulate him on his victory.


Update, 11:36 p.m.:

The Associated Press is projecting that Donald Trump has won the presidency.


Update, 11:20 p.m.:

The Comet Tavern in Seattle has CNN on TV but is playing the entire audio from Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech.

— Johnny Andrews


Update, 11:08 p.m.:

Seattle Times columnist Danny Westneat writes that he’s “flabbergasted”:

“If Donald Trump wins — which appears very likely — he will be the first president in the nation’s 240-year history with zero experience in either government or the military,” Westneat writes. “In other words, we’ve taken a flyer on the biggest outsider candidate in American history.”


Update, 11:03 p.m.:

Hillary Clinton’s campaign chair is urging supporters to go home and get some sleep, saying “She is not done yet!” Clinton will not speak tonight.


Update, 10:49 p.m.:

“Drain that swamp! Drain that swamp!” is the cheer at the Bellevue Hyatt tonight among the GOP faithful. “There’s weeping and gnashing of teeth in Seattle tonight,” says Susan Hutchinson, the Republican party chair.

— Lynda V. Mapes


Update, 10:45 p.m.:

“I cannot wait to walk into the halls of Congress with this mighty movement behind me,” congressional candidate Pramila Jayapal said during her victory speech. But then she paused to acknowledge the larger context, as giant television screens broadcast Donald Trump winning state after state.

“This is a tough night in many ways,” she said. “We all need to take stock of this moment.” If Trump wins the presidency, Jayapal predicted  “a withering and brutal attack” on social justice and progressive ideals.

“Once again, Seattle shows the rest of the country what progressivism looks like.”

As supporters cheered Jayapal’s decisive victory, the candidate wiped sweat from her brow. “We cannot ignore that our country is riven by race, class and gender,” she said. “Our country has become more diverse, but our politics has not kept pace.”

— Claudia Rowe


Update, 10:39 p.m.:

Donald Trump is projected to win Pennsylvania.

As Trump appears headed toward the presidency in a stunning rebuke to pollsters and political forecasting, what started out as a hopeful, even celebratory night in Democratic-dominated Washington has turned toward despair. Hillary Clinton won our state, but the rest of the country appeared a lot more like Eastern Washington — nearly every county east of the Cascade Mountains voted in lockstep for Trump — than like the deep-blue Puget Sound region.

Meanwhile, Pierce County Executive Pat McCarthy leads in the race for state auditor.


Update, 10:23 p.m.:

Republicans are projected to retain control of the U.S. Senate after a win in Pennsylvania if they hold Louisiana and Alaska as expected, according to The Associated Press.

Trump supporters across the country are cheering the night’s results.


Update, 10:20 p.m.:

Earlier this evening, while looking at a map predicting a Trump victory, Emma Kates-Shaw had a panic attack.

“I just started hyperventilating,” she said, watching the TVs at the Wildrose on Capitol Hill (“women owned and operated since 1984”). “I am not a radical person, but I have friends who are. I have a brother who’s half-black like me, looks like me and I think he’s going to fight this. I’m just scared.”

Kates-Shaw moved to Seattle from New York City two months ago and came to the Wildrose in the face of an increasingly likely-looking Trump victory because, she said, “I wanted to be with people who feel the pain like I do … I’m empty of all my tears.”

Some in the bar looked sad; some shouted at the television; some kept smiling, insisting that “everything is going to be okay”; and others watched currency valuations in Mexico and Canada on their phones, predicting that they were going to “fall over.”

“Take me away from this,” Kates-Shaw said to her friend Olivia Green, also from New York, as MSNBC showed 244 electoral votes for Trump versus Clinton’s 215. “Why am I watching this (expletive) puppet show?”

Kates-Shaw said both her father and stepfather have been Republicans her whole life, “and even they aren’t voting for Trump.” Even though she often disagrees with them politically, she said she’s always been able to have “educated, constructive” conversations with them during past election cycles.

She and Green said they each only know one person who openly supports Trump.

“Look at that map,” she said to Green, gesturing to the TV. “It’s like a blue exterior with a red interior, groups of people who aren’t even talking to each other. We’re so, so divided now we can’t even have a conversation.”

— Brendan Kiley


Update, 10:13 p.m.:

The rising prospect of a Trump presidency has shaken financial markets around the world, sending Dow futures and Asian stock prices sharply lower as investors panicked over uncertainties on trade, immigration and geopolitical tensions.

Locally, The Seattle Times is calling three state Supreme Court races for the incumbent justices Charles Wiggins, Mary Yu and Barbara Madsen.

Re-elected Washington Gov. Jay Inslee took the stage at the Westin in downtown Seattle around 10 p.m.

“We are a confident and optimistic state and we will remain so while I am governor,” Inslee said.

“Look around,” he added, noting that Washington is passing a minimum wage increase and a gun-safety measure. “Washington voted tonight to stay on the path of progress.”

Amid the uncertainty of the presidential race, he said “Washington was, is and will always be a beacon for progressive values.”

Re-elected Washington state Attorney General Bob Ferguson said, “If the truly unthinkable happens… I will do everything in my power to hold the administration accountable.”


Update, 9:59 p.m.

Ruben Ventura came to the United States from Guatemala 17 years ago. Tonight, he was on his dinner break at Rancho Bravo, a restaurant on Capitol Hill, eating a couple of tacos and watching election results on a TV in the restaurant. He said he preferred Hillary Clinton because “she tries to help all the people in this country — all the people. But him? He does not.”

Ventura mentioned the Access Hollywood tape (“he talks disrespectfully about ladies”) and says that if Trump wins and actually tries to make his campaign rhetoric about immigration into a reality, “the U.S. will suffer.”

“Spanish guys do the hard jobs here — jobs like this,” he said, gesturing around the restaurant where he’s worked for several years. “Many American people don’t want to work for $10, $14. I see outside, the guys working construction, and I think: ‘Wow! There are a lot of Spanish guys working hard — in the wind, when it’s hot, when it rains.'”

If Trump gets elected, he suspects U.S. companies will stop hiring people like him, which he thinks will hurt the economy. And he worries that if the federal government starts “grabbing immigrants by force, destroying families,” that there will be far more push-back than Trump supporters suspect.

“I’m worried,” he said, and furrowed his brow.

He declined to have his photo taken and went back to work.

— Brendan Kiley


Update, 9:53 p.m.:

Republican gubernatorial candidate Bill Bryant doesn’t appear ready to concede the governor’s race, despite a huge lead by incumbent Jay Inslee, saying, “We’ll continue to crunch the numbers.”

“We are not where we wanted to be in this moment, but we have well over 1 million votes yet to come in and two-thirds of those are from outside King County,” Bryant told the crowd at the state Republican party’s gathering in Bellevue. “… Let’s see what the sunrise brings.”

The Seattle Times has already called the race for Inslee, and Inslee is celebrating victory.


Update, 9:37 p.m.:

Elation is building along with Trump’s numbers at the state Republican party’s gathering in Bellevue.

“What you are seeing tonight is the anger in the country, the silent majority has spoken up,” said Kay Meyers of Mukilteo, 72.

“All the people who were afraid of saying they were voting for Trump. That’s what we are seeing. It’s the frustration of the country. It’s Brexit, all over again,” Meyers said, referring to the vote in England to separate from the European Union, which took many by surprise. “I am so validated, because I have a lot of family and friends that don’t agree with my views. The right thing to do, though, is to have a major  change. And we will  have a major change with Donald Trump.”

“Holy cow! I have to admit I am kind of excited on one race tonight and I am kind of excited about the way it is going!” Washington Secretary of State Kim Wyman said to the boisterous crowd of GOP faithful gathered at the Bellevue Hyatt. After late bobbles, Wyman leads Democratic challenger Tina Podlodowski in her re-election bid.

The crowd is on pins and needles over the presidential results. “Please be patient,” state party chair Susan Hutchinson told them. “The bars are open.”

— Lynda V. Mapes

“It’s not that surprising,” says a teacher in Seattle, of Trump’s lead. “It’s not like all the people who voted for George Bush just died.”

Elsewhere in Seattle, Mayor Ed Murray tells Seattle Times reporter Mike Rosenberg he’s “very concerned we may be in for a very rough time for the economy.”

In local results, Washington state Attorney General Bob Ferguson and Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler have won re-election, and state voters have approved a measure declaring support for overturning the U.S. Supreme Court’s ‘Citizens United’ ruling.

Incumbent U.S. Sen. Patty Murray just took the stage at the Westin after getting a concession call from GOP challenger Chris Vance. “This is a difficult moment,” she said referring to the uncertain returns in the presidential race. But she said Washington voted for progress and “I love you for that.”

“I will never stop being your voice.”


Update, 9:02 p.m.:

More local results:

  • Incumbent Washington Gov. Jay Inslee has defeated GOP challenger Bill Bryant.
  • School construction bonds are passing in the Highline and Kent school districts, and trailing in Auburn.
  • King County voters are passing a charter amendment to make the county prosecutor’s position a nonpartisan job.
  • In a race that could help determine the balance of power in the Washington state Senate, voters of the Eastside’s 41st District appeared to be rejecting state Sen. Steve Litzow, R-Mercer Island, in his hard-fought bid against Democrat Lisa Wellman, a former teacher and tech executive.
  • Democrats appear to be holding onto a state legislative seat in the 5th District, where state Sen. Mark Mullet, D-Issaquah, is leading state Rep. Chad Magendanz, R-Issaquah, 53 percent to 47 percent.
  • A Seattle measure to grant new rights and benefits to hotel workers is passing with nearly 77 percent of votes counted so far.
  • A measure seeking to strengthen protections for seniors and vulnerable individuals against identity theft and consumer fraud passed easily.
  • Chris Reykdal and Erin Jones are in a dead heat in the race for State Superintendent of Public Instruction.
  • Cyrus Habib, a Democratic state senator from Bellevue, has won the lieutenant governor’s race, beating Republican Marty McClendon, a talk-show host and conservative pastor from Gig Harbor.
  • Duane Davidson has defeated Michael Waite in the vote for state treasurer. Whatever the result, this race will end Democrats’ hold on the office, after winning every treasurer’s contest since 1952.
  • Pramila Jayapal has defeated Brady Walkinshaw in Washington’s 7th Congressional District.

Update, 8:54 p.m.:

Two transplants from New York, roommates Lorenzo Roberts and Wiley Bashogorn, were on the corner of 11th and Pine on Capitol Hill when they heard what sounded like the entire neighborhood shouting.

They rushed to the large windows of the nearby bar Stout and saw the news on the TV screens: Hillary Clinton had made some electoral-college gains and the screens were calling 209 electoral votes for Clinton and 172 for Trump. “Whoa!” they both shouted and Roberts clapped his hands. “Oh, that makes me feel a lot better, he said … I’ve have been stressed out all day, I couldn’t concentrate.”

“At first I was like, ‘I’m not watching any TVs today” Bashogorn said, holding an ice cream cone. “But then I was driving and started hearing news on the radio.” He gave up his self-imposed media blackout.

The two moved to Seattle from New York two years ago and, Roberts said, he’d been making noises about the proverbial “move to Canada” if Trump won. Locally, he’s watching the Brady Pinero Walkinshaw/Pramila Jayapal contest. (He voted for Jayapal but said he “wouldn’t be upset” if Walkinshaw won.)

Bashogorn is keeping an eye on his home state of New York, where he said he hopes U.S Representative Zephyr Teachout wins over Republican John Faso. “She’s fighting against making the Hudson River a major trafficking center for oil tankers,” he said.

As the two continued up Pine, Faso was leading Teachout 52 percent to 48 percent and the presidential predictions quickly flipped, with Trump taking the lead again.

— Brendan Kiley


Update, 8:48 p.m.:

People are starting to pile into to the grand ballroom  at the Bellevue Hyatt as excitement builds on election night.

GOP faithful sniff victory, says Susan Hutchinson, Washington state’s Republican party chair.

People shouldn’t get too excited yet, Hutchinson cautions, with King County experiencing a glitch and late in reporting.

But she tells merrymakers to keep hopes high as Trump comes on strong. “We are going to win,” she predicted. “What people voted was change. They took a chance on a guy they didn’t know instead of a woman they know all too well.”

It’s loud as a Sounders game at the party as Trump keeps pulling ahead. “Are we having fun yet?” Hutchinson gloats.

“Trump! Trump! Trump!” the crowd cheers.

— Lynda V. Mapes

Terri Davis Smith, a medical researcher who works at Virginia Mason, was in shock at the early presidential results. Earlier on Tuesday, a friend in New York state had told her, “You are definitely in a bubble it there in Seattle. Trump signs are everywhere. This is real.”

— Claudia Rowe

Gina Hook, 36, of Tacoma, and her daughter J’Dyn Hook, 9, are among the eight people at the Trump viewing party at one of the theaters at the AMC Southcenter multiplex.

Every once a while there are some cheers at the stunning results. Mostly it’s a quiet crowd, some also a bit in disbelief at what they’re seeing on CNN.

The daughter has a made a list of traits for each candidate.

Trump: Build a wall. Big mouth. Talks without meaning. Sexual harassment. Learning quickly.

Clinton: Liar. Secret emails.

“I don’t like either of them,” says J’Dyn.

Her mom voted for Trump but it wasn’t with exactly great enthusiasm.

“I’m scared of Trump. He has a big mouth. I’m worried he’ll say things without thinking,” says Hook. “But I’m more scared of Hillary. She smiles and says it’s OK while doing something else.”

Hook is surprised at the results.

“A lot of people don’t want to say they voted for Trump. It’s like a dirty word,” she says.

On the big screen projection of CNN at the theater the news keeps getting worse and worse for Hillary Clinton.

— Erik Lacitis


Update, 8:35 p.m.:

Trump is projected to win Georgia.

More local results are coming in as well:

  • A Lynnwood transportation measure is passing.
  • Initiative 1491, known as the extreme risk protection order, has passed.
  • Secretary of State Kim Wyman is leading in her race for re-election.
  • Initiative 1433, to raise Washington state’s minimum wage to $13.50, has passed.
  • State Supreme Court Justice Charlie Wiggins appears to be holding off well-funded challenger Dave Larson.

Update, 8:28 p.m.:

Trump’s strong showing has Seattleites talking about a move to Canada.

Our neighbor to the north seems to be getting in on the fun:


Update, 8:27 p.m.:

King County is experiencing some delays updating their counts online. A spokesperson for King County Elections says they’re “giving IT some space.”


Update, 8:13 p.m.:

Clinton is projected to win Oregon. Trump is projected to win North Carolina.

U.S. Sen. Patty Murray of Washington state has won re-election, beating Republican challenger Chris Vance.

Watch results come in here.


Update, 8:08 p.m.:

At 8 p.m., Marilynn Cooney was sitting on the floor outside the Westin ballroom with her granddaughter Ema Bargeron and a friend.

Her granddaughter had just suggested that they should consider moving to Canada. And she told them that when she was young and Ronald Reagan was elected president, she and her husband also talked about moving to Canada. In the end, they did not, and everything was OK.

Still, she said, “Trump just scares me.” Her biggest worry: That he will be able to select the next Supreme Court justice, and that Roe v. Wade will be overturned. “Who knows what else he’d do,” she said.

Granddaughter Ema said she worries about Trump having access to the nuclear codes, especially in light of the way he has conducted his Twitter feed. She was also concerned what his election would say about American values.

Joanna Bargeron came over and joined her mother and daughter on the floor, rubbing Ema’s back. “They need constant support,” she said, laughing. “It’s going to be OK.”

And, she added, the election is far from over.

— Katherine Long

It’s a rare night off for Tim Eyman, the  initiative machine. With nothing on the ballot this election cycle, he said he’s been enjoying the political junkie’s night off, at the GOP’s gathering in Bellevue. “I’m having a drink every time there is good news. It’s a lot less stressful. I’m having fun.”

— Lynda V. Mapes


Update, 7:59 p.m.:

Trump is projected to win Idaho. Clinton is projected to win California and Hawaii. She is also likely to win Washington state.

In the early hours of Election Day, the prevailing mood among the coterie of popular websites, internet communities and social media users who support Donald Trump was electric. Here’s how pro-Trump media have covered Election Day.

Attention is turning to local results, with Washington state counties expected to release results any minute.

“What do you think of Sound Transit 3?” asked Susan Hutchinson, chair of the state GOP, to deafening boos from the crowd at the state party’s gathering at the Bellevue Hyatt.

— Lynda V. Mapes


Update, 7:53 p.m.:

Big cheer at the GOP’s party at the Bellevue Hyatt as Donald Trump is projected to win North Carolina. “We are in a change election,” said Jigesh Parekh, of Bellevue, a software engineer. “We need to be for the American people and the American dream.”

— Lynda V. Mapes

Donald Trump is also projected to win Florida, a key state with 29 electoral votes. Watch results come in here.


Update, 7:51 p.m.:

Lots of people at the Republican election night party in Bellevue were wearing stickers that identified them as “deplorables.” Angelina C., who declined to give her last name, had a sticker that said “Deplorable Me,” a joking reference to the children’s movie “Despicable Me.” The room erupted in applause when broadcasters announced a Trump victory in Ohio.

“I really think that regardless of who wins, there’s going to be contention on both sides,” said Angelina, who works as a personal assistant to high-net-worth individuals. She says Trump was not her first choice but she supports him. “My vote is for whoever protects the Constitution,” she says.

— Angel Gonzalez

Freelance digital marketer Diana Lighter, attending the Washington State Democrats party Tuesday night at the Westin, said she had a panic attack last week and decided she had to go to Florida to canvas for Hillary Clinton. She asked for help with buying a ticket on gofundme. Overnight, she had the money.

“I burst into tears,” she recalled. “All this from people I never met.”

As returns started coming in, she said she was “scared” but also “hopeful.”

— Nina Shapiro

“Born in Tampa, raised in North Carolina, so no, I’m not surprised,” said Kyle Layman, communications director for the Walkinshaw campaign, as results popped on screen from the Clinton-Trump race in Florida. “What surprises me are the polls. The data seem really skewed. Who was collecting it, is what I want to know. It shouldn’t be this close.”

— Claudia Rowe


Update, 7:45 p.m.:

Trump is projected to win Missouri and the battleground state of Ohio.

Clinton is projected to win New Mexico, Colorado and the key state of Virginia.

Watch results come in here.


Update, 7:37 p.m.:

“Scarily close” and “terrifying” were the most common remarks among voters gathered at the Canterbury Ale House in Seattle’s Capitol Hill neighborhood. They were there ostensibly to monitor the fate of congressional candidate Brady Walkinshaw, but were mesmerized by the big board showing results in the presidential election.

“I feel awful,” said 28-year-old Jabar Ila, as results trickled in indicating an early lead for Donald Trump. As futures reports showed the Dow dropping 500 points, Ila said he’d already invested in gold.

“I expected something like this,” he said.

— Claudia Rowe


Update, 7:35 p.m.:

At the Rendezvous bar in Belltown, people talked about not knowing — or even being able to find — Trump supporters in the past few days.

“I know one,” said Andrea Wagner, a longtime administrator in Seattle’s theater and arts scene. “She’s been staying at the Brookdale retirement community.” (A friend of Wagner’s lives there.) “She wears a red Trump t-shirt, a blue Trump sweatshirt and a Trump button. The staff says she’s been wearing them all week.”

Esther Hoffman, who was sitting nearby and teaches at the King County Juvenile Detention Facility on 12th Ave., says her students have been talking heatedly about the election — but that they’ve become much more passionate about court elections and local issues than the flashy presidential ticket.

“They talk about justices, light rail, which party will dominate Congress,” Hoffman said. “State government has much more influence on their lives than the federal government.”

Her favorite question to ask when she’s teaching students about the democratic process is: “Government. How does it get its money?” The students, she said, tend to answer along the lines of: “They’re all rich people.”

“What if,” she continues to them, “I told you part of my paycheck goes to pay for this environment you’re in, or the bus you might’ve ridden, or mental-health services? What if I told you that 100 percent of that is paid for by working people and businesses?”

Learning about taxes, she said, tends to get her students to lean forward in their seats.

They want to know why the president gets to make all the decisions if other people are paying the money. “Then we have to break down the branches of government, the difference between federal and state, break down the identity politics of the candidates. It’s not all about who they are and what do they look like and ‘do I like them?’ Then we talk about parties and what’s the difference between a Republican candidate and a Democratic candidate.” At first, most of her students “have no idea.”

As a political issue, Hoffman said, “courts reign supreme in my classroom” since courts have so much influence in their lives and the lives of their families.

“At first, their biggest fear about Donald Trump was that he would throw out all the immigrants or blow up the world with one little red button.” They were, she added with a wry smile, “relieved to learn that martial law was the only way that would happen.”

On a personal level, Hoffman said, she’s more concerned about which party will control the senate and the house — and the fact that even her friends are paying more attention to the presidency than to the rest of their ballots.

Last night, she got five phone calls from educated friends asking her how they should vote on the down-ticket races. “As a teacher, I’m like ‘aaaargh!'” she said. “They’re deferring their democratic right — and some of them have master’s degrees!”

During the “talking circle” portion of one of her classes today, Hoffman said, the entire conversation was about the election.

Local issues aside, who did her students want to be president?

“The majority,” she said with a slight sigh, “said they wished they could vote for Obama. They don’t feel like the others offer them anything.”

— Brendan Kiley


Update, 7:26 p.m.:

They kept the faith, and the pollsters may be proven so wrong. Astoundingly wrong.

The eight people here at the Trump viewing party at one of the theaters at AMC Southcenter let out cheers and clap as the CNN alerts keep showing Trump leading.

Among them are Anthony Catalfamo, 38, and his wife, Alexes Catalfamo, 33, of Auburn.

“So far, so good,” says Anthony.

He works at Boeing in Everett as a materials processor.

“I’m a team leader and a union steward,” says Catalfamo. “Amost everyone I know is for Trump.”

When he got off his shift in the early afternoon, he picked up his wife and waited in the Southcenter parking lot for the doors to open at 4 p.m. for the viewing party.

Says Alexes, “I believe we need a change.”

Is she fed up with present-day politics?

“Basically.”

Says Anthony about Trump, “I believe in every one of his views.”

The couple sat and watched the latest CNN race alert.

“CNN is pro-Democratic and pro-Hillary,” says Anthony. “The numbers will speak for themselves.”

— Erik Lacitis


Update, 7:24 p.m.:

In an interview at his campaign’s election night party at the Hyatt Regency in Bellevue, Bill Bryant said the issues voters are focusing on this election are education, traffic, homelessness and the “collapse” of the state’s mental-health system.

“They want someone who’ll go to Olympia and fix our education system,” Bryant said. As for his prospects, he says late and undecided voters are favoring him. “The polls suggest they’re leaning our way,” he said.

— Angel Gonzalez


Update, 7:19 p.m.:

Tuesday’s election was on track to produce one of the largest gender gaps since 1972, when the first national exit poll was taken.

The gender gap for Clinton — the difference between the number of men who voted for her and the number of women who voted for her — hit 13 percentage points in preliminary results of exit polls conducted for The Associated Press and television networks by Edison Research.

Clinton’s support among women was roughly even with the support that women gave Barack Obama in 2008 and 2012. The bigger factor in this year’s wide gender gap: less-educated white men, who favored Trump far more heavily than they did Republican Mitt Romney in 2012 or GOP nominee John McCain in 2008.

— The Associated Press

With an American flag pin on his lapel, Bellevue developer Kemper Freeman was getting in a little early gloating about Donald Trump on election night at the GOP’s party at the Hyatt Regency hotel in Bellevue.

“It’s starting to feel really good — Florida, Ohio, those are looking like a great start.”

Freeman said he supports Trump because “this thing is such a mess; he’s the only one with the horsepower to do anything about it. Otherwise, it’s just four more years of the same thing.”

He is hoping for an upset on Sound Transit 3, the $54 billion transportation initiative: “I think there may be a surprise vote against it.” Freeman said he opposes the measure because it does not reduce traffic congestion. “If it passes, you’ll never know it happened, except the money is gone.”

— Lynda V. Mapes


Update, 7:12 p.m.:

U.S. stock futures fell as investors assessed media projections that showed a handful of key states leaning toward Republican Donald Trump, a surprise outcome that has the potential to roil global financial markets. Trump is considered less predictable, as his policy positions have not been consistent during the race.

— Bloomberg News

Meanwhile, Seattle-area Twitter users are expressing some anxiety over the early returns.


Update, 7:05 p.m.:

Donald Trump is projected to win Montana. Watch results come in here.

“We thought it would feel different at this point,” said Maggie Carr of Seattle, sitting with three other friends and watching the election results on a big-screen TV in the lobby of the downtown Seattle Westin.

All four women have worked on I-1491 as members of the group Grandmothers Against Gun Violence. They came to the Washington State Democrats’ party at the Westin Tuesday night, hoping to celebrate Clinton’s victory. But a little before 7 p.m., they were all looking nervous.

All three wore pantsuits in honor of the Democratic candidate. “And we’re all about Hillary’s age,” said Jill McKinstry, who pulled out her “woman card,” the card that Clinton distributed to her women supporters earlier in the campaign to highlight such things as the wage gap.

“We were ready to celebrate,” McKinstry said.

— Katherine Long


Update, 6:59 p.m.:

Election night is the time for Mike Brewer of Seattle to break out his sequin vest. “It’s kind of Uncle Sammy,” said Brewer, a precinct committee officer for the 47th District and longshoreman at the Seattle waterfront. A Trump supporter, he said, “I think we are going to win.”

Abstinence will  be kinder to the pocket at the GOP’s party in Bellevue. We are talking $9.50 for a drink at the cash bar at party central in the ballroom here at the Hyatt Regency. Even a lowly beer is $7.50. A glass of wine is $11. All the same, business is brisk on this nervous election night, with customers  lined up for drinks as they await returns.

— Lynda V. Mapes


Update, 6:53 p.m.:


Update, 6:40 p.m.:

Hillary Clinton is projected to win Connecticut. Watch results come in here.


Update, 6:18 p.m.:

Trump is projected to win Arkansas.


Update, 6:03 p.m.:

Clinton is projected to win Illinois and New York. Trump is projected to win Kansas, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Texas and Wyoming.

But the big winners on Election Night, regardless of the political outcomes? Pizza purveyors. “Deliveries are booming,” said Angelo Pappas, of Olympia Pizza & Spaghetti House on Queen Anne, breathlessly. “The phone doesn’t stop ringing.”

Here’s a behind-the-scenes look at Seattle Times staffers in a meeting right before those 42 pizzas arrived:


Update, 6 p.m.:


Update, 5:54 p.m.:

Clinton is projected to win Rhode Island. Trump is projected to win Mississippi.

NBC News and ABC News are projecting that Republicans will maintain control of the U.S. House of Representatives.


Update, 5:30 p.m.:

Trump is projected to win South Carolina, Tennessee and Alabama. Watch results come in here.

At Temple Billiards in Seattle’s Pioneer Square, patron Sterling Beard and bartender (and Jet City roller-derby competitor) Maria Coyier talked across the bar, saying they’d both “voted blue” in this election.

“I’m a tree-hugger,” said Beard, an apartment manager in Burien. And he’s not convinced Republicans can make good on their promises to create more jobs for the next generation.

“People who are 17 years old —” he said, and paused. “I envy them their youth, but not their future.”

Beard said he’d just gone to his 30-year high school reunion in Arkansas and “there are no jobs — because of mechanization, automation, a machine can do the work of 50 of us.”

A self-described “nerd,” Beard said he likes the science of mechanics and technology, but is worried about job prospects for younger people in his family. He supports incumbent Washington state Gov. Jay Inslee because of his work on apprenticeship programs to transition students into the labor force. “I like science, I like technology, but we can’t all do technology; we can’t all write code.” If any party is going to fix labor disparities, he added, it’ll be “the blue side, because that’s where our union strength is. The red side is the corporate side — making the numbers smaller, making things more efficient.”

That, he said, won’t help people like his niece and her peers.

Coyier said she had to be a little careful about talking politics because she didn’t want to alienate any of her roller-derby fans, but also admitted to being “blue.”

Most of the patrons were playing pool and laughing over drinks, but Coyier said it’s not unusual to have a few politically minded folks at Temple on election nights.

“This is a sports bar,” she said, gesturing around the room. “Soccer, football, whatever’s going on.”

And politics, Beard and Coyier agreed, is like a sport.

“It’s competitive,” Beard said. Then he nodded, took another sip of his beer and looked toward the television. The sound was off, but the numbers at the bottom of the screen showed that the presidential race was still far too close to call.

— Brendan Kiley


Update, 5 p.m.:

Polls have just closed in several more states.Hillary Clinton is projected to win Delaware, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey and the District of Columbia. Donald Trump is projected to win Oklahoma.

Also, Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida, who lost the Republican nomination to Trump this year, has been re-elected to the U.S. Senate. The outcome was not unexpected since Rubio’s opponent had been abandoned by his own party in the final weeks of the campaign, but polls had tightened heading into Election Day. The seat is key to Republicans’ hopes of protecting their narrow majority.

— The Associated Press


Update, 4:42 p.m.:

Lee Stallman, the owner of Fall City Firearms, voted for Donald Trump because he agrees with the Republican candidate’s views on gun rights, as well as his likely pick of a conservative Supreme Court justice and a push for immigration controls.

“He is obviously boisterous, and crass sometimes,” Stallman said. “But I agree with what he says.” He said he believes Clinton is “corrupt’ and shouldn’t be president.

That said, Stallman says he is anticipating a Clinton victory — and that means, as a merchant, stocking up on high-capacity magazines and guns. The narrow alleys of his shop are cluttered with long boxes containing more than 100 recently acquired rifles; he expects gun lovers to flock to the store as Clinton, who is perceived to be anti-gun ownership, is elected. Stallman’s store is decorated with Trump and Pence signs.

There is a semi-automatic rifle that has a $699 Trump price and a $2,599 Clinton price, a sign of what Stallman says will happen to gun prices under a Clinton administration that might impose tighter controls on weapons.

“I told my wife: either we win politically or we win as a merchant”, he said.

— Angel Gonzalez


Update, 4:36 p.m.:

Former Marine Jack McCoy, who describes himself as “a pretty left-leaning Democrat,” joined the armed forces in 2006 to fight in the Iraq War when George W. Bush was commander-in-chief.

“There was a small contingent of us who felt that way,” he said at the corner of First Avenue and South Jackson Street in Seattle’s Pioneer Square. They joined, despite their lack of support for the war itself, because “it was the right thing to do. We felt duty-bound to serve, even if we didn’t always agree with the politics.”

McCoy is hoping for a Clinton win tonight, especially because of the potential Supreme Court seats at stake.

“There may be three or four seats to fill,” he said, “and maybe the court can overthrow Citizens United, uphold Roe v. Wade, uphold the gay-marriage law — those are all important issues to me.”

Locally, he’s hoping the Sound Transit package passes. Even though McCoy lives in Bremerton now, he’d like to “see this city, this state, this area working towards public transit to ease traffic woes” and “help mobility.”

Has the acrimonious tone of this presidential cycle bothered him?

“There seems to be more mud-slinging than the norm,” McCoy said, “but I’m not particularly worried about it. It’s obviously good to move towards more civil discourse in politics, but it doesn’t seem that much worse or better than it did in 2004, the first time I could vote.”

Tonight, McCoy said, he’s heading up to Capitol Hill to meet friends and watch the results unfold at a to-be-decided bar.

If you’re still looking for a place to watch, too, here’s a list of election-night parties.

— Brendan Kiley


Update, 4:33 p.m.:

The Associated Press is projecting Trump to win West Virginia. Check out a map of the states that have been called so far.


Update, 4:17 p.m.:

Donald Trump is projected to win Kentucky and Indiana. Hillary Clinton is projected to win Vermont. Watch results as they come in here.


Update, 4:06 p.m.:

Authorities say one person is dead and three are injured following reports of a shooting near a Los Angeles-area polling site.


Update, 3:56 p.m.:

Gabriela Quintana, of Tukwila, immigrated from Mexico three decades ago. Quintana, 48, a consultant to nonprofits, has been volunteering for Clinton’s campaign because she thinks Clinton shares her values on women’s and immigrant issues.

She noted that the wage gap for Latinas — they make only 56 cents for each dollar that a white man makes, according to White House estimates — is the largest for any gender or ethnicity, something she hopes Clinton will make progress on.

“Then I won’t feel like I’m just constantly running faster, trying to catch up,” she said.

Trump, Quintana said, doesn’t recognize the work that immigrants do day in and day out.

“Imagine what would happen if all the farm workers or the cleaning ladies at his hotels went on strike for one day,” she said. “It’s just appalling that he thinks it’s OK to treat people this way.”

— David Gutman

Meanwhile, in downtown Seattle, one young voter says today could be more important than 9/11.

“This is one of the defining days of the 21st century,” said 24 year-old Israeli-American Shahar Golan. “Until today, 9/11 was the most important day of the 21st century.”

And today is as important — or more important?

“I think so.”

Golan was on the corner of Seventh Avenue and Pine Street, near his workplace, where he says he’s been “thinking about the election all day. I’m really hoping for an absolute Clinton victory.”

Does he think he’ll get one? “Nate Silver says so,” Golan smiled, “and his crystal ball is better than mine.”

Golan works in international development, but asked that The Times not report who he works for because he’s “not supposed to talk politics” while he’s on the clock. “But I wore a blue shirt today,” he said, pointing at his chest. He was wearing a blue jersey for an Argentinian soccer team. “I don’t normally wear an Argentina shirt, but I wanted to say something today, so I wore blue.”

Golan thinks the Trump campaign has brought “a rise of xenophobia, creeping out of the shadows, a rise of Islamophobia, a rise of anti-African American talk, a rise of sexist talk.”

If Trump wins, Golan said, “I think there will be a recession of true democracy … Whatever happens (in this election), it will affect the fate of democracy worldwide.”

— Brendan Kiley


Update, 3:45 p.m.:

ICYMI, dozens of women wore pantsuits for a photo shoot Tuesday morning at Gas Works Park in a show of support for Hillary Clinton.

The #pantsuitnation movement, of course, is a nod to Clinton’s style. The nationwide movement grew out of a Facebook group of Clinton fans, the Washington Post reports.

Meanwhile, in New York, people flocked to the gravestone of feminist icon Susan B. Anthony, a leader in the suffrage movement.

— Evan Bush


Update, 3:04 p.m.:

Our very own Seattle Sketcher, Gabriel Campanario, is celebrating his first Election Day as a U.S. citizen. He checked out one of the accessible voting centers King County sets up for people to vote in person:

Read his full dispatch here.


Update, 2:53 p.m.:

In non-presidential news: The movement to legalize marijuana is facing its biggest test yet as voters in nine states, including the nation’s most populous, consider proposals to expand legal access to the drug, which is still forbidden by the federal government.

Pot is already legal for recreational use in Washington and three other states, plus the District of Columbia. Twenty-five states allow medical marijuana.


Update, 2:50 p.m.:

The U.S. presidential election is getting wall-to-wall coverage on Russian TV, which has led to more than a little grumbling that Kremlin-managed news media is devoting more time and energy to the American elections than it paid to a national parliamentary vote in Russia less than two months ago.


Update, 2:41 p.m.:

“I’ll admit it, I’m anxious,” said Mary Ellen Kearney, who recently started working at the free-banana stand on Amazon.com’s South Lake Union campus. “I’m sure it’s a sentiment many of us share,” she added, after stacking a few more mini-bunches of bananas in their crates. “I can’t wait until tomorrow.”

Kearney, who described herself as “a reluctant Hillary voter,” said that, despite her anxiety, “it’s good to be this close to it all being over.”

When asked if The Seattle Times could take a photo of Kearney with her bananas, one of her colleagues, who did not want to be interviewed, intervened. “No, no,” he said. “Let’s not affiliate the banana stand.”

Passers-by on the sidewalk discussed the best place to watch tonight’s election results. One man in a green sweater declared: “I usually watch politics at Cafe Presse.”

Cafe Presse will begin showing the night’s election results on its front-room TV starting at 5 p.m. Find other election-night parties here.

— Brendan Kiley


Update, 2:30 p.m.:

U.S. stocks closed broadly higher Tuesday, building on big gains a day earlier as the market looked ahead to the outcome of the U.S. presidential election.


Update, 2:04 p.m.:

Spotted in Shoreline:


Update, 1:35 p.m.:

Supporters of Hillary Clinton gathered at Gas Works Park Tuesday to have their photo taken as part of the Pantsuit Nation movement. The only requirement for participation was to wear a pantsuit, one of Clinton’s go-to ensembles.


Update, 12:50 p.m.:

Do you make more than $13.50 an hour? See how your wage compares to the rest of the state. Initiative 1433 proposes to increase the state minimum wage from $9.53 to $13.50 in 2020.


Update, 12:20 p.m.:

Ballots are being counted, and turnout should top 80 percent (and possibly break 2008’s record of 84.6 percent), according to Secretary of State Kim Wyman.


Update, 11:34 a.m.:

Defiant into the 2016 election’s last day, Donald Trump raised doubts about the integrity of the U.S. election system on Tuesday as he cast his own ballot for president.

The Republican White House contender refused to say whether he would concede defeat if he loses and continued to voice concerns about voter fraud, two statements that challenged bedrock principles of American democracy: fair and free elections and the clean transfer of power.

Trump offered an optimistic outlook about his chances, citing evidence of “tremendous enthusiasm” from his supporters.

But Trump said only, “We’ll see what happens,” when reporters at his polling place asked whether he would concede defeat should media organizations ultimately project Democrat Hillary Clinton as the winner. He also noted he’s “always concerned” about voter fraud when asked about the issue.

— The Associated Press


Update, 10:11 a.m.:

Of course, the presidential race is top of mind today. But there are some big local races and initiatives on the ballot in Washington. Here are five to watch as we await results (and here’s our complete guide):

Congress

Nine of 10 Washington congressional districts are considered safe seats for incumbents, so most attention will be focused on the 7th District, where Pramila Jayapal and Brady Walkinshaw are running for the seat being vacated by Democratic Rep. Jim McDermott.

What looked to be a friendly battle to out-progressive each other became testy after Walkinshaw went after Jayapal’s voting record and effectiveness as a state senator. Jayapal and allies accused Walkinshaw of dog-whistle politics and misogyny.

Former GOP state attorney general and 2012 gubernatorial candidate Rob McKenna is backing Walkinshaw.

Governor

In the governor’s race, both candidates are treating the election as a referendum on incumbent Jay Inslee’s four-year term.

Bill Bryant, a former Port of Seattle commissioner, has called the state government “rudderless” and says Inslee has not displayed leadership on homelessness, mental-health care and education. Inslee says the state is making good progress and points to billions more in education funding, a robust economy and a $16 billion transportation package hammered out last year, among other things.

Secretary of state 

Former Seattle City Councilmember Tina Podlodowski, a Democrat, is challenging incumbent Republican Kim Wyman to serve as secretary of state, leading the office that oversees state elections and registration of voters, businesses and nonprofits.

Podlodowski argues Wyman has not done enough to improve election turnout or voter registration. Wyman says she would modernize voter-registration systems and boost accessibility to state archives. Wyman also says she could wrangle Democratic and Republican lawmakers to pass a bipartisan voting-rights act.

Sound Transit 3

Known as Sound Transit 3 (ST3), voters will decide whether to approve $54 billion in projects that would build 62 more miles of light rail, provide additional park-and-ride spaces, add more bus-rapid transit and expand commuter train service. Sound Transit estimates the average adult will pay $169 in taxes each year to fund the project. How much would you pay and what would you get? Take a look. Construction on the proposed light-rail system would likely stretch until 2041.

Large companies, labor unions and contractors have bankrolled the “yes” vote. Bellevue developer Kemper Freeman, who has long opposed light rail, is the top contributor to the “no” campaign.

Proponents say the fast-growing region needs more transportation capacity and a full ST3 network would provide 695,000 daily trips. Opponents balk at higher taxes and say self-driving cars and ride-hailing services like Uber and Lyft could make light-rail obsolete.

Initiative 1433

I-1433 would raise the minimum wage in Washington to $13.50 by 2020. It also would require employers to pay for sick leave. Labor unions and workers’-rights groups say the $9.47 minimum wage does not give people enough to live on. Business groups say Seattle might be able to support that wage, but other parts of the state are not faring well enough economically, and the wage increase could lead to higher prices as well as cuts to low-paid workers’ hours.


Update, 9:17 a.m.:

The pollsters and pundits have spoken, now you get to have your say. Guess which states Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton will win today.

Fill out our interactive map below by clicking on each state or district and telling us who you think will win the popular vote in that state. Click once for blue (Clinton), twice for red (Trump) and three times for yellow (other candidate). Once you’re finished, remember to fill out the form at the bottom and hit “submit.”

The Washington resident who guesses the most correct outcomes will win a $100 gift certificate from Wasabi in Belltown and the choice of one candidate coloring book.

One entry per person. (Read entry rules here.) In the event of a tie, a drawing will determine the winner.

Entries must be received by 11 a.m. today.


Update, 8:30 a.m.:

Voters are flocking to the grave of women’s suffragist Susan B. Anthony in Rochester, N.Y., to honor her legacy. The cemetery is extending its hours on Election Day so more people can visit on a day in which the first female president could be elected to office.

Rochester Mayor Lovely Warren says visiting Anthony’s gravesite has become an Election Day “rite of passage for many citizens.” She says with Democrat Hillary Clinton as the first woman nominated by a major political party to run for president, it’s appropriate to keep Mount Hope Cemetery open later Tuesday.

The cemetery usually closes at 5:30 p.m. An entrance near Anthony’s grave is being kept open until 9 p.m. Temporary lights are being installed, but visitors are encouraged to bring flashlights.

 

— The Associated Press


Update, 8:10 a.m.:

It’s finally here — Election Day: A polarized, angry and distrustful nation (but can’t we have a little hope too?) finally goes to the polls to choose our next president. Hillary Clinton has multiple paths to victory, while Donald Trump must prevail in most battleground states to reach 270 Electoral College votes. After weeks of competing claims of fraud and intimidation, it has been smooth sailing this morning, though the day is young. And a record number of Americans have already voted, driven by soaring turnout from Latino voters.

In Washington, more than half of all 4,271,911 registered voters have returned their ballots. All ballots must be returned by 8 p.m., and the secretary of state expects to release the first batch of results shortly after.