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Version 16 Version 17
Glass ceiling watch: will America elect its first woman president? Glass ceiling watch: will America elect its first woman president?
(35 minutes later)
2.55am GMT
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Meanwhile, at the Javits center...
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Razor-thin margins
More results: Trump has won the state of Texas, Nebraska, Wyoming, Kansas, North Dakota and South Dakota and Louisiana. Clinton won Connecticut. Check our live results page here.
2.33am GMT2.33am GMT
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Is this the first Muslim refugee to hold elected office in the US?Is this the first Muslim refugee to hold elected office in the US?
Amanda HolpuchAmanda Holpuch
Ilhan Omar is projected to be the first Somali-American Muslim women to win public office in America. She has been elected a state representative in Minnesota.Ilhan Omar is projected to be the first Somali-American Muslim women to win public office in America. She has been elected a state representative in Minnesota.
Omar, who spent four years in a Kenyan refugee camp after fleeing Somalia as child, is also believed to be the first Muslim refugee to hold elected office in the US and the first Somali-American state legislator.Omar, who spent four years in a Kenyan refugee camp after fleeing Somalia as child, is also believed to be the first Muslim refugee to hold elected office in the US and the first Somali-American state legislator.
Omar told the Guardian in February how being a Muslim woman in office could change how people see the political process:Omar told the Guardian in February how being a Muslim woman in office could change how people see the political process:
For me, this is my country, this is for my future, for my children’s future and for my grandchildren’s future to make our democracy more vibrant, more inclusive, more accessible and transparent which is going to be useful for all of us.For me, this is my country, this is for my future, for my children’s future and for my grandchildren’s future to make our democracy more vibrant, more inclusive, more accessible and transparent which is going to be useful for all of us.
I think we now need to make sure we are ushering in new leaders who are women, who speak to a broader community, and who are intersectional feminists who will empower and engage and pave the way for young women like my daughters.I think we now need to make sure we are ushering in new leaders who are women, who speak to a broader community, and who are intersectional feminists who will empower and engage and pave the way for young women like my daughters.
Read a Guardian profile of Omar from earlier this year:Read a Guardian profile of Omar from earlier this year:
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2.25am GMT2.25am GMT
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Arwa MahdawiArwa Mahdawi
‘I’ve been feeling anxious for a year. All of us have.’‘I’ve been feeling anxious for a year. All of us have.’
I’m at an election watch party in New York’s meatpacking district, jointly hosted by a number of women’s reproductive rights organizations including Planned Parenthood, National Institute for Reproductive Health Action Fund, and Shout Your Abortion NYC.I’m at an election watch party in New York’s meatpacking district, jointly hosted by a number of women’s reproductive rights organizations including Planned Parenthood, National Institute for Reproductive Health Action Fund, and Shout Your Abortion NYC.
With “the Supreme Court nomination and Trump promising to overturn Roe v Wade” there’s a lot at stake for women’s reproductive rights in this election, Alex, a development associate with Planned Parenthood, tells me. Everyone’s feeling nervous. “I’ve been feeling anxious for a year,” Amanda, an activist, says. “I think all of us have.”With “the Supreme Court nomination and Trump promising to overturn Roe v Wade” there’s a lot at stake for women’s reproductive rights in this election, Alex, a development associate with Planned Parenthood, tells me. Everyone’s feeling nervous. “I’ve been feeling anxious for a year,” Amanda, an activist, says. “I think all of us have.”
Despite the frayed nerves, the mood amongst the 200 or so attendees, 80% of whom are millennial women, is upbeat. It’s relatively early in the night; the results are nail-bitingly close but people are cautiously confident. A lot of people have come dressed for the occasion in The Future is Female or Nasty Women T-Shirts. There are a lot of Hillary badges, of course, and a few people have donned pantsuits.Despite the frayed nerves, the mood amongst the 200 or so attendees, 80% of whom are millennial women, is upbeat. It’s relatively early in the night; the results are nail-bitingly close but people are cautiously confident. A lot of people have come dressed for the occasion in The Future is Female or Nasty Women T-Shirts. There are a lot of Hillary badges, of course, and a few people have donned pantsuits.
There’s an immense amount of respect for Clinton in this room. A feeling that she spoke out for women when it wasn’t popular to do so. That she’s spent her whole life working for women. “The important thing is the conversation now is about every woman, no matter your sexuality or race,” Samantha, a 20-something New Yorker tells me. Like many people at this party, Samantha has been doing all she can to get Clinton elected, volunteering for the campaign since the primaries. She’s been canvassing but also doing more unconventional campaigning; last night she was part of a pantsuit dance in Washington Square.There’s an immense amount of respect for Clinton in this room. A feeling that she spoke out for women when it wasn’t popular to do so. That she’s spent her whole life working for women. “The important thing is the conversation now is about every woman, no matter your sexuality or race,” Samantha, a 20-something New Yorker tells me. Like many people at this party, Samantha has been doing all she can to get Clinton elected, volunteering for the campaign since the primaries. She’s been canvassing but also doing more unconventional campaigning; last night she was part of a pantsuit dance in Washington Square.
Whatever happens tonight, there’s a palpable feeling that history is being made in these very minutes. As Samantha told me: “In the words of [hit Broadway musical] Hamilton, history is happening in Manhattan. We just happen to be in the greatest city in the world.”Whatever happens tonight, there’s a palpable feeling that history is being made in these very minutes. As Samantha told me: “In the words of [hit Broadway musical] Hamilton, history is happening in Manhattan. We just happen to be in the greatest city in the world.”
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2.09am GMT2.09am GMT
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Lisa Blunt Rochester, a Democrat, is projected to win her House race in Delaware’s at-large district, making her the first woman and first person of color to represent the state in the US Congress.Lisa Blunt Rochester, a Democrat, is projected to win her House race in Delaware’s at-large district, making her the first woman and first person of color to represent the state in the US Congress.
Before Rochester’s election, Delaware was one of only three states that had never elected a woman to the House or the Senate.Before Rochester’s election, Delaware was one of only three states that had never elected a woman to the House or the Senate.
2.07am GMT2.07am GMT
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Tammy Duckworth is projected as the winner of Illinois’ hard-fought Senate race. Duckworth, a Democrat, beat out incumbent Mark Kirk in a contest that is crucial to the control of the upper chamber.Tammy Duckworth is projected as the winner of Illinois’ hard-fought Senate race. Duckworth, a Democrat, beat out incumbent Mark Kirk in a contest that is crucial to the control of the upper chamber.
Duckworth’s election makes her the third woman of color to be elected to the US Senate. She is a decorated veteran of the Iraq War, having lost both legs when a helicopter she was piloting was shot down. The first woman veteran to serve in the Senate, Republican Joni Ernst, was elected just two years ago.Duckworth’s election makes her the third woman of color to be elected to the US Senate. She is a decorated veteran of the Iraq War, having lost both legs when a helicopter she was piloting was shot down. The first woman veteran to serve in the Senate, Republican Joni Ernst, was elected just two years ago.
Read the Guardian profile of Duckworth from earlier this year:Read the Guardian profile of Duckworth from earlier this year:
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Hillary Clinton thanks 'Pantsuit Nation'Hillary Clinton thanks 'Pantsuit Nation'
You might have heard of Pantsuit Nation, the upbeat, invitation-only Facebook group of Hillary Clinton supporters. The group was created to “celebrate the historic possibility of the first female president”, according to the New York Times.You might have heard of Pantsuit Nation, the upbeat, invitation-only Facebook group of Hillary Clinton supporters. The group was created to “celebrate the historic possibility of the first female president”, according to the New York Times.
Apparently, Clinton has too. She sent a note to the group, thanking them for their support on election day.Apparently, Clinton has too. She sent a note to the group, thanking them for their support on election day.
“I’m honored and humbled to have all of you with me, but I’m even prouder to see this community represent the best of America: people of all backgrounds and beliefs who share a vision for a brighter future for our children, and who have each other’s backs. That’s who we really are, and tonight, we’re going to prove it,” Clinton wrote.“I’m honored and humbled to have all of you with me, but I’m even prouder to see this community represent the best of America: people of all backgrounds and beliefs who share a vision for a brighter future for our children, and who have each other’s backs. That’s who we really are, and tonight, we’re going to prove it,” Clinton wrote.
Hillary Clinton left this note in the Pantsuit Nation FB group and now I'll truly never stop crying ✊ ❤️ pic.twitter.com/bP5EK0zd9fHillary Clinton left this note in the Pantsuit Nation FB group and now I'll truly never stop crying ✊ ❤️ pic.twitter.com/bP5EK0zd9f
1.41am GMT1.41am GMT
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Guardian writer Megan Carpentier is reporting from Wellesley, Hillary clinton’s alma mater. This is her favorite T-shirt so far.Guardian writer Megan Carpentier is reporting from Wellesley, Hillary clinton’s alma mater. This is her favorite T-shirt so far.
Favorite Nasty Woman t-shirt so far today. (It was a surprise from her boyfriend, so designer unknown). pic.twitter.com/IDzbphEkuhFavorite Nasty Woman t-shirt so far today. (It was a surprise from her boyfriend, so designer unknown). pic.twitter.com/IDzbphEkuh
1.36am GMT1.36am GMT
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Rose HackmanRose Hackman
‘Do you think Oprah Winfrey could run for president? I don’t think so’‘Do you think Oprah Winfrey could run for president? I don’t think so’
The run up to the presidential elections has sometimes felt so acrimonious, and indeed existentially worrying. But for many women of Hillary Clinton’s generation and older, the momentous and historic nature of this election is impossible to deny.The run up to the presidential elections has sometimes felt so acrimonious, and indeed existentially worrying. But for many women of Hillary Clinton’s generation and older, the momentous and historic nature of this election is impossible to deny.
The Guardian spoke to three older women to get their brief insight into what possibly placing a woman as president in the White House feels like to them, the kinds of struggles they have faced and overcome, and the battles they feel have yet to be won.The Guardian spoke to three older women to get their brief insight into what possibly placing a woman as president in the White House feels like to them, the kinds of struggles they have faced and overcome, and the battles they feel have yet to be won.
Thelma Baxter, whose father was white and whose mother was black and Native American, says she faced discrimination as a woman of color. She is proud to vote for Hillary Clinton in this election while noting that for women of color, more challenges remain.Thelma Baxter, whose father was white and whose mother was black and Native American, says she faced discrimination as a woman of color. She is proud to vote for Hillary Clinton in this election while noting that for women of color, more challenges remain.
“If you are a woman, you have to be better qualified. Do you think Oprah Winfrey could run for president? I don’t think so.”“If you are a woman, you have to be better qualified. Do you think Oprah Winfrey could run for president? I don’t think so.”
1.31am GMT1.31am GMT
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The results are trickling in.The results are trickling in.
Florida is looking very vulnerable for Trump. Trump won Tennessee. Trump is projected to win South Carolina. Clinton won Maryland, Vermont, Massachusetts.Florida is looking very vulnerable for Trump. Trump won Tennessee. Trump is projected to win South Carolina. Clinton won Maryland, Vermont, Massachusetts.
You can explore the live results in our interactive.You can explore the live results in our interactive.
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What are all the famous feminists up to tonight?
Katy Perry was applying extra eyelash glue:
At the Saturday Night Live studio, Leslie Jones has cupcakes:
Padma Lakshmi told the Guardian she was looking forward to sharing tonight with her daughter, and she is expecting Clinton to win.
It is incredibly meaningful to me to see a woman elected to the highest office in the United States. It is a historical moment for all Americans, and indeed all women around the world. It’s been almost 100 years since women got the right to vote with the women’s suffragette movement here in the United States, and it’s taken us that long to get to this point.
Joss Whedon, The Avengers director and creator of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, told the Guardian he would be enjoying a stiff drink at the election party for his pro-Clinton Super PAC:
We’ll drink, we’ll curse, we’ll cheer, we’ll sweat every race and come the big finish we’ll make some noise. I expect it to be a joyful one.
When it’s all done, we’ll dance. When I throw parties, we dance. (If the unthinkable occurs, it’ll probably be one of those Footloose-style anger dances though. Could get out of hand.)
This should be the most meaningful political event in my life. Yet I feel oddly unmoved, and I’m just now confronting why. I think it’s because I can hear my Mom rolling her eyes from beyond the grave and saying, “It took THIS LONG?” To me it’s not a sea change, it’s a book report handed in too late to get full credit. I know I’m wrong, it IS a sea change, and at some point I’ll see a little girl having an Obama-hair moment and I’ll cry for an hour. But for now, I just want the shit-show to end so the lady can get to work.
Lena Dunham spent the last day of the election phone banking for Clinton:
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Women all over the world wonder: who will win?
Germany
France
El Salvador
Scotland
Senegal
England
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Shirley Chisholm: the first woman to run for president as a Democrat
Molly Redden
Hillary Clinton was the first woman to succeed in winning the Democratic nomination for president — but she wasn’t the first woman to try. That honor goes to Rep. Shirley Chisholm, a progressive fighter from the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn and the first black woman elected to Congress.
Chisholm died in 2005. The Guardian asked California’s Rep. Barbara Lee, her friend and mentee, what Chisholm’s historic run meant to her. Here’s what Lee said:
Shirley Chisholm faced many, many obstacles and barriers related to sexism and racism, in a very big way. It was related to what she stood for. She was a progressive woman. She spoke out against the Vietnam War, she was pro-choice, she spoke fluent Spanish, she was for immigration rights. She was a clear-thinking, focused woman who did not want to just tinker around the edges of the system. She wanted to change it, to revolutionize it. To shatter it.
Shirley always said, “If you’re a woman, you’re not elected to play by the rules but to change the rules, because those rules weren’t crafted by women.” And, “If you don’t have a seat at the table, bring a folding chair.”
She had a hard time being taken seriously, especially by men. I saw her, on many occasions, working hard to convince people that they should support her, and they would say, “Why are you doing this? A woman will never be president, an African American person will never be president.” She really paved the way for Rev. Jesse Jackson’s run, for President Barack Obama’s run.
On election night, I’ll be thinking about her legacy, and how Hillary is such a part of that. It worked. All that hard work, all that criticism, you took, how you stood firm? We learned a lot from that, and you paved the way.
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And now for some exit polls news. According to Bloomberg, voters reported being troubled by Trump’s treatment of women.
Exit poll results released earlier in the evening showed 51% of voters were bothered a lot by Trump’s treatment of women, while Clinton use of private e-mail while secretary of state was troubling to 44%, according to preliminary exit polling published as voting ended in some states.
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Amber Jamieson
‘I voted for Trump because he’s a pro-life advocate’
All day we’ve been bringing you vox pops of women at the polls – most of whom have talked about voting for Clinton. The last one we spoke to, however, is not #withHer.
“I was delighted to vote for Donald Trump, because he’s a pro-life advocate,” said Laurie Jones, 45, who was with her seven year-old daughter Juliet at a polling station in downtown Manhattan.
“If you’re pro women and pro girls, you’ve got to support baby girls,” said Jones. She hoped that Trump’s selection of Supreme Court Justices would be able to overturn Roe v Wade and return abortion rights to the state.
She noted that years ago Trump, like her, had been pro-choice. “It’s a life journey for each of us,” said the nutritionist who lives in downtown Manhattan.
“He’s an imperfect person, like all of us. I do believe he does like women, he cares for his daughters and wife and female employees, he does respect women,” she said.
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Catching up with Macy Friday - the girl in that 'Hillary Clintaaaaaan!!!!’ picture
Arwa Mahdawi
When Macy Friday met Hillary Clinton at a campaign stop in Denver back in 2014 she was very, very, VERY excited.
So excited, in fact, that the picture of the then 10-year-old Macy clutching Hillary’s hand took the internet by storm.
Two years after that photo, with just hours to go before we know if Hillary Clinton is going to be the first female president of the US, how’s Macy feeling? Is she still as excited, or has the 12 year old been jaded by age?
I gave her a call in Colorado (she’d just finished school) to find out.
So how was it meeting Hillary? You were clearly very excited!
[There is a tweenage squeal of confirmation.] I knew she was the first lady and I’ve never met anyone famous. And I knew a lot of her because my brother did a research project about her in fourth grade.
Have you been as excited since?
When I got an iPhone 6 for Christmas.
What do you admire about Hillary?
I think she’s a good sport. She knows what she’s talking about. She’s really inspirational and kind.
And how do you feel about her potentially being president?
I knew she was thinking about running [when I met her] but she hadn’t announced. I was really happy when she did. I’ve been rooting for her the whole time.
What would a female president mean to you?
It would make me feel really happy. There’s never been a female president in all these years. She’s a great girl role model [for equality]… like if girls are worried about playing a sport because they think it’s only for boys. She’s a role model for everyone.
What would you say to people who think women can’t be president?
I would tell them to go do something better with their time than disgrace women.
I feel like Trump’s been very disrespectful to women. It’s a cool fact that he’s running against a woman when he’s said so many mean things about them. He’s neck and neck with a gender that he’s been very mean about.
Any plans to go into politics yourself?
I don’t know if I want to go into politics. It’s a hard job. [But Hillary’s] inspired me, not necessarily to go into politics, but that girls are as equal.
Anything to say to Donald Trump?
Good luck. Best wishes. Go back to reality TV.
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11.45pm GMT
23:45
1975: what was Hillary like when she was in charge of a classroom?
A lot of analysis this election has centered on both candidates’ differing speaking styles. Donald Trump was heavily criticized for interrupting his opponent during debates, as well as looming over her in a somewhat arresting fashion. Hillary Clinton was equally criticized for being a lackluster speaker who is better at formulating policies than she is at selling them to the public.
But has her demeanor changed over the years?
An appraisal from a class she taught in 1975 at the University of Arkansas – criminal law – suggests that, at least as far as how she occupies physical space, not a lot has changed: she was a “limited pacer” then, and is a limited pacer now.
Prof Rodham is a good manager of the classroom situation; she controls the students well, seems to know many of them by name, handles their questions in the time-tested manner of turning them back on the students, and keeps the class moving in a spirited fashion.
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11.35pm GMT
23:35
Some voters will stop at nothing to cast their vote – even giving birth can’t stand in their way. The Telegraph reports:
Sosha Adelstein knew she was due to give birth on election day - but that did not stop her from doing her civic duty. The first-time voter, who is from Boulder, Colorado, started having contractions a day early and was rushed to hospital.
But in an impressive display of citizenship, the 31-year-old insisted on stopping at the local polling station along the way so she could cast a vote for Hillary Clinton.
Voter, we salute you.
11.14pm GMT
23:14
Other “firsts” on the ballot today
The first Native American woman to serve in Congress. The first South Asian American woman to serve in Congress. The first Latina to serve in the Senate. The first out trans woman in either chamber. The first Muslim refugee and first Somali American woman to hold elected office anywhere in America.
All of these firsts are on the table tonight as voting wraps up across the country.
While we wait for results, you can read the Guardian’s profile of Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, a House candidate who, if elected, would be the first Somali American and first Muslim refugee elected to political office in America. And read our profile of Denise Juneau, a Montana candidate who hopes to become the first Native American elected to the House.
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11.03pm GMT
23:03
These states could finally elect their first woman to the Senate or House
Molly Redden
Hillary Clinton isn’t the only candidate whose election would shatter the glass ceiling. To date, 29 states have never elected a woman to either the US House or the US Senate. And three states – Delaware, Mississippi, and Vermont – have never sent a woman to either chamber.
That may change tonight. In six states, there are women on the ballot whose election would break new barriers. The Senate candidates are: Ann Kirkpatrick of Arizona, Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada, Katie McGinty of Pennsylvania, and Misty Snow of Utah. The House candidates are: Lisa Blunt Rochester of Delaware, and Monica Vernon and Kim Weaver of Iowa.
Masto, McGinty, and Vernon are in tight races. Rochester is projected to win. Kirkpatrick, Snow, and Weaver are all considered longshots. But Snow, if elected, would make history as the first transgender person to serve in either chamber of US Congress.
We’ll update this map tonight once results come in.
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