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Election 2024 updates: Trump team picks inauguration leads, sources say

Trump picked two top fundraisers to lead his inauguration efforts.

By538 and ABC News via five thirty eight logo
Last Updated: November 8, 2024, 1:17 PM EST

Just days after former President Donald Trump was projected to have won the presidency, Trump's transition team operation has begun, with transition co-chairs confirming that he will be selecting personnel to serve under his leadership in the coming days.

Trump is also the projected winner in Nevada, another vital swing state.

Steve Witkoff and Kelly Loeffler expected to lead Trump's inaugural efforts

Former President Donald Trump's close friend Steve Witkoff and former Georgia Sen. Kelly Loeffler have been tapped to lead the Trump inauguration efforts, sources familiar with the matter told ABC News.

Both Witkoff and Koefller have been among the biggest fundraisers for Trump this election cycle, hosting multiple key campaign fundraisers as well as accompanying him to campaign rallies. Witkoff was also the friend golfing with Trump during the second attempt on his life in West Palm Beach.

Trump's first inaugural committee in 2017 raised a total of $107 million from more than 1,000 individual and corporate donors, and it's expected to be a big operation this time around as well.

Inaugural committees are not bound by federal campaign contribution limits, so it's an opportunity for donors and corporate interests to express their unlimited support for the second Trump administration.

Steve Witkoff and Kelly Loeffler.
AP
12:27 AM EST

Trump projected winner in Nevada

President-elect Donald Trump is the projected winner in Nevada, ABC News reports.
Trump lost in Nevada in both 2016 and 2020.

Nov 07, 2024, 11:57 PM EST

Democrats regain 2 House seats in New York

Democrats have flipped two Republican-held districts in closely watched House races in New York.

ABC News reports that Democratic candidate Laura Gillen is the projected winner in New York’s 4th Congressional District. As of 10:45 p.m. on Thursday, with 94% of the expected vote reporting, Gillen leads with 51% of the vote, while her Republican opponent, Rep. Anthony D’Esposito, follows with 49%.

D’Esposito conceded earlier on Thursday. He had previously won against Gillen in 2022 by 4 points, when he flipped the Long Island-based district held previously by retiring Dem. Rep. Kathleen Rice. In 2020, Joe Biden beat Donald Trump in the same district by over 14 percentage points.

Separately, ABC News reports that Democratic candidate Josh Riley is the projected winner in New York’s 19th Congressional District. As of 10:45 p.m. Thursday, with 95% of the expected vote reporting, Riley leads with 51% of the vote, while GOP incumbent Rep. Marcus Molinaro follows with 49% of the vote.

In 2022, Molinaro defeated Riley by less than 3 percentage points, and Biden won the district in 2020 by around 5 percentage points. Over $40 million was spent by the candidates or groups supporting them in this race, according to an analysis by OpenSecrets.

Cumulatively throughout 2024, Democrats have now flipped 3 of the 4 swing seats they lost in 2022 in New York – the third being New York’s 3rd Congressional district, which Rep. Tom Suozzi won in a special election in February and held onto in the general election.

ABC News reports that incumbent Republican Rep. Mike Lawler is projected to hold onto the fourth, New York’s 17th District.

-ABC News' Emily Chang, Oren Oppenheim and Brittany Shepherd

Nov 07, 2024, 9:56 PM EST

Maine’s 2nd Congressional District faces potential recount

The race for the House seat in Maine’s 2nd Congressional District will go to ranked-choice voting tabulation, the secretary of state's office announced Thursday. There will also be a potential recount, at the request of one of the candidates.

Incumbent Democrat Rep. Jared Golden was leading with 50.9% of the vote as of around 8:45 p.m. on Thursday, while his Republican opponent, Rep. Austin Theriault, followed with 49% of the vote. Less than 7,000 votes separated the two.

Maine uses ranked-choice voting in its federal races, so voters indicate their first, second and third choices, and so on. A candidate wins outright if they get over 50% of the vote initially.

If the race goes to ranked choice voting tabulation, the candidate with the fewest votes is eliminated and the votes from people who voted for that candidate are applied to their second choice. This continues until only two candidates are left; the leading candidate then wins.

Separately, Theriault's campaign announced Thursday plans to request a recount. According to the secretary of state's office, the recount would also use RCV tabulation.

-ABC News' Emily Chang and Oren Oppenheim