Election Day is here.
Utah released its preliminary results for the 2020 election around 8 p.m. Tuesday, just hours after the state surpassed its 2016 total general election turnout.
It may take days before we know the official results of Utah’s congressional and gubernatorial races. That’s largely because of the surge of mail-in voting in response to the coronavirus pandemic, with more than one million ballots submitted before in-person voting began on Election Day.
However, several races were called by election night by the Associated Press, with some candidates conceding.
The polls closed at 8 p.m., with results trickling in throughout the following days.
Check back here for updates:
Saturday, 4:35 p.m.: Owens reverses tide, taking lead over McAdams in roller coaster race
Salt Lake County updated its ballot numbers Saturday afternoon, putting Burgess Owens back on top over incumbent challenger Rep. Ben McAdams in the race for Utah’s 4th Congressional District. The race has gone back and forth in almost every tally update and it’s unclear when a final call will be made.
As of Friday, Owens leads by 688 votes with a 47.59% majority so far. McAdams is trailing close behind with 47.37%.
More numbers are expected to be released Monday morning.
Saturday, 10 a.m.: AP calls race in Pennsylvania, Biden wins presidency
The Associated Press called Pennsylvania Saturday morning for Joe Biden, pushing the Democrat past the 270 electoral votes needed to clinch the presidency. Several news outlets called the presidential race shortly after.
Hours later, Biden won Nevada — another six electoral votes — putting him at 279 total electoral votes (or 290 if you count Arizona).
Friday, 4 p.m.: McAdams regains lead in re-election bid
Updated numbers show Rep. Ben McAdams has once again taken the lead over Republican challenger Burgess Owens in the race for Utah’s 4th Congressional District.
As of Friday afternoon, McAdams has pulled in 138,699 votes (47.61%) with Owens trailing at 138,289 votes (47.47%).
Thursday, 4:20 p.m.: Owens holds lead in race for Utah’s 4th Congressional District
Updated numbers show Burgess Owens leading Rep. Ben McAdams by a razor-thin margin Thursday: Only 18 votes.
Election officials report there are still thousands of votes to count before the race can be called — but it’s expected to go back-and-forth before an official result is announced.
*Update: Just an hour later, Owens widened his lead over Rep McAdams by a 0.8 point margin. However, both campaigns are displaying optimism in the potential results and are confident in a victory.
Thursday, 12:20 p.m.: Biden increases lead in Nevada while gap narrows in Georgia
Tensions are high on the third day of awaiting election results as Joe Biden widens his lead in Nevada and President Donald Trump files lawsuits in several counties to halt vote counts.
The Associated Press has called the races in Wisconsin and Michigan, reporting that Biden flipped both states — gaining electoral votes in critical swing states. As of Thursday at noon, Biden sits at 253 electoral votes (or 264, if you count Arizona) while Trump trails at 214.
The race in Arizona has been tight, with some news outlets calling the race for Biden and others waiting for official results.
All eyes are on Nevada, however, as the state counts its votes that could guarantee a win for Biden, granting him the 270 electoral votes he needs to win the election. As of Thursday, Biden leads Nevada by 0.9 percentage points.
Voters are also watching Georgia, as President Trump’s lead has narrowed in the days following election night. Trump holds a slim lead of just 0.3 percentage points in a state that could prove crucial for his re-election bid.
As his path to victory narrows, President Trump has filed several lawsuits seeking to halt the count of absentee ballots in Wisconsin and calling foul for what he considers a “mishandling” in Georgia.
As of noon on Thursday, both of those specific lawsuits were either rejected or dismissed.
Wednesday, 12:30 p.m.: Biden wins Wisconsin, Trump campaign calls for recount
The Associated Press called the race in Wisconsin for Joe Biden, giving the Democrat 10 electoral votes in one of the most critical states for the two candidates.
The race was called just hours after the Trump campaign announced it would request a recount — citing concerns about “irregularities.”
“There have been reports about irregularities in several Wisconsin counties which raise serious doubts about the validity of the results,” said Bill Stepien, Trump’s campaign manager, in a statement. “The President is well within the threshold to request a recount and we will immediately do so.”
Wednesday, 9 a.m.: Biden, Trump hold tight race as candidates fight for key battleground states
The presidential race between President Donald Trump and Democrat Joe Biden was still a nail biter by Wednesday morning, with electoral votes remaining unchanged from late election night.
As of 9 a.m., Biden sat with 227 electoral votes with Trump close behind at 213. However, it could be days before all votes are counted in critical states for an official result.
As of Wednesday morning, Biden reversed the tide in some key states holding tight leads in Wisconsin, Michigan, Nevada and Arizona (some news outlets reported he flipped Arizona to blue Tuesday night).
Both candidates took the stage Tuesday night to address supporters after a suspenseful Election Day. While Biden offered optimism and a hopeful message, President Trump falsely declared a premature victory — noting he would petition the Supreme Court to halt counting votes.
However, there is no declared winner of the presidential race as millions of votes are still to be counted.
Wednesday, 8:45 a.m.: Sean Reyes wins attorney general as challenger concedes
Utah Attorney General Sean Reyes was re-elected to his seat after his Democratic challenger Greg Skordas conceded late Tuesday.
Reyes coasted to victory with 60.58% majority vote, with Skordas trailing at 34.49%. Now, the incumbent will serve in his second full term as attorney general after being appointed to the position in 2013.
Wednesday, 8:45 a.m.: Rep. McAdams holds tight lead
Rep. Ben McAdams (D-UT) holds a lead over Republican challenger Burgess Owens in the polls, according to preliminary results released Tuesday night.
As of 8:45 a.m., McAdams leads with 49.50% with Owens trailing at 46.01%.
It’s the most hotly-contested congressional race in Utah, as Rep. McAdams — the sole Democrat in Utah’s Congress — seeks to defend his seat.
Wednesday, 8:45 a.m.: Rep. Stewart defeats Weston, defends seat
Democratic challenger Kael Weston conceded from the race for Utah’s 2nd Congressional District late Tuesday, giving Rep. Chris Stewart the victory. The incumbent will go on to serve his fifth term in office.
Stewart led Weston by 27 percentage points as of Wednesday morning, easily granting him the victory.
Election Day: Governor’s race — Lt. Gov. Cox wins
Lt. Gov. Spencer Cox won the election for Utah’s governor, the Associated Press called minutes after polls closed. Cox won with 62% of the votes against Democrat opponent Chris Peterson who garnered 33% of the vote.
Utah was guaranteed a new state leader in 2021, after Gov. Gary Herbert announced in 2019 he would not run for re-election — making this one of the more high-profile races in the state.
Election Day: Utah’s 3rd Congressional District — Rep. Curtis defends seat
John Curtis defended his seat in Congress after Democrat challenger Devin Thorpe conceded Tuesday night. Curtis won with 68.3% of the votes as of 9 p.m. Tuesday.
“Minutes ago, I called John Curtis to congratulate him on his victory,” Thorpe posted on Twitter. “While I am disappointed with the outcome, I am grateful to everyone who supported our campaign in any way.”
Election Day: Utah’s 2nd Congressional District — Rep, Stewart holds initial lead
Preliminary results show incumbent Rep. Chris Stewart with an early lead over Democrat Kael Weston in the race for Utah’s 2nd Congressional District. As of 9 p.m., Stewrat is leading with 58.24% over Weston (37.96%).
Election Day: Utah’s 1st Congressional District — Blake Moore wins race
The Associated Press called the race for Utah’s 1st Congressional District, naming Republican Blake Moore the winner with 67.3% of the votes. Democrat Darren Parry was defeated after receiving 32.7% of the vote.
Moore will fill the only open seat in Utah’s Congress for the 2020 election, replacing incumbent Rep. Rob Bishop.
Election Day: Attorney general’s race — Sean Reyes expected to win
Preliminary results show incumbent Sean Reyes with an early lead over Democrat Greg Skordas in the race for Utah’s attorney general. As of 9 p.m., Reyes is leading with 59% over Skordas (36.26%).
Skordas is expected to concede from the race Tuesday night, but has not released a statement as of 9 p.m.
