LIVEBLOG: Election Day

Polls opened as early as 6 a.m. on Tuesday for voters all over the country. The anxious question many Americans were asking themselves was whether the nation would elect Hillary Clinton, the first woman president, or Donald Trump, the racist demagogue?

Follow our liveblog throughout the day for updates.

11:16 p.m. Pacific: It Turns Out Daniel Hernandez Did Win
Daniel Hernandez, the hero who helped save the life of former Rep. Gabby Giffords, was originally incorrectly reported as losing his bid for a place in the Arizona state house. But each district is represented by two people. And Hernandez finished a strong second.

11:13 p.m. Pacific: Trump Wins Alaska, NBC News Says

10:43 p.m. Pacific: Pat McCrory Appears to Lose in North Carolina
Activists are declaring some good news for LGBT voters amid what has been a night of disappointments. The man leading the charge for what is called "HB 2" -- Republican Governor Pat McCrory -- appears to have lost his bid for reelection. With 100 percent of precincts reporting, Democrat Roy Cooper was ahead by just a few thousand votes. Cooper has 2,280,398 votes compared to 2,276,059 for McCrory. McCrory refused to repeal the discriminatory law, which banned anti-discrimination ordinances that protected LGBT people, while also banning transgender people from using the bathroom in state buildings that matches their gender identity. Chad Griffin, president of the Human Rights Campaign, said on Twitter that McCrory "thought he could get away with attacking LGBTQ people. Tonight he learned otherwise. Now NC must work toward repealing #HB2."

10:40 p.m. Pacific: Trump Wins Pennsylvania, AP Says

10:25 p.m. Pacific: Does GOP Control the Senate?
The Associated Press cited its latest call in Pennsylvania as the moment the Republican Party clinched control of the U.S. Senate. Then it sort of backtracked, saying the GOP would hold the Senate if it wins races in Louisiana and Alaska -- races that haven't yet been called. That comes with tremendous implications for the U.S. Supreme Court, especially if Donald Trump is elected president.

9:46 p.m. Pacific: This Isn't the Year for an Out GOP Member of Congress
Sheriff Paul Babeu didn't win his race to represent Arizona's 1st district in the House of Representatives. And with Clay Cope losing in Connecticut, we now this isn't the year for the first-ever Republican candidate to be elected to Congress while out.

9:33 p.m. Pacific: Clinton Wins Nevada, Says NBC News

9 p.m. Pacific: The Dan Savage Election Party Ends Before the Election
In Seattle, The Stranger was holding an election party that quickly turned sour as the night went on. It's not the night anyone expected. Photos from the evening show the progression of emotion.

8:50 p.m. Pacific: Worries for the Future Spread
The most popular story on The Advocate's website right now, according to our traffic analytics, is a piece warning of "The Right-Wing Plot to Overturn Marriage Equality." It's possible Republicans could win the presidency, the Senate, and the House. So people are worried.

8:46 p.m. Pacific: Trump Wins Georgia, Says NBC News

8:32 p.m. Pacific: Trump Wins Utah and Iowa, Says NBC News. And Clinton Wins Washington, Says AP

8:29 p.m. Pacific: Kate Brown Makes History With Win in Oregon
Kate Brown is already the first openly bisexual governor in history, and now she's the first out LGBT person to ever be elected to a governorship. Brown had become governor when the previous office holder stepped aside, but now she more clearly has the full backing of her state.

8:06 p.m. Pacific: Trump Wins North Carolina, NBC News Says

8:03 p.m. Pacific: According to NBC News, Clinton wins Oregon, California, and Hawaii; Trump wins Idaho.

7:57 p.m. Pacific: Trump Wins Florida, AP Says

7:55 p.m. Pacific: More Good News for LGBT Incumbents
Arizona's Kyrsten Sinema and Wisconsin's Mark Pocan both won reelection, holding onto their seats for LGBT represtation. Sinamea is the only out bisexual person in Congress. And Pocan holds the district vacated when Tammy Baldwin won a Senate seat, where she serves as the only out member.

7:40 p.m. Pacific: Clinton Wins Colorado, Says NBC News

7:32 p.m. Pacific: Another Win for LGBT Incumbent in Congress
Sean Patrick Maloney of the 18th District won reelection to the House of Representatives, helping ensure LGBT people don't backtrack on the number of out representatives.

7:28 p.m. Pacific: Clinton Wins Virginia, Says NBC News
Whew, that took longer than anyone expected.

7:24 p.m. Pacific: LGBT Candidates Hit With Two Losses in West Virginia
In one of the more underhanded moments of the campaign, an LGBT hopeful in West Virginia, Stephen Skinner, was targeted with robocalls accusing him of wanting men in women's bathrooms. LGBT people are becoming increasingly familiar with that line of scaremongering. Rod Snyder also lost his bid for the state house.

7:22 p.m. Pacific: Trump Wins Ohio and Missouri, Says NBC News
(Don't freak out. This was expected.)

7:05 p.m. Pacific: We Won't Have Our First Transgender U.S. Senator
Misty Snow won the Democratic primary in Utah and launched a long-shot bid to unseat Tea Party favortie Mike Lee. But she wasn't able to pull off a win, which was always unlikely. Her loss also ends the possibility we'd have a new LGBT senator. It's all still on the shoulders of Sen. Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin.

7:04 p.m. Pacific: Clinton Wins New Mexico; Trump Wins Montana, According to NBC News

6:44 p.m. Pacific: Colorado's Jared Polis Wins Reelection
Out congressman Jared Polis, who has represented District 2 in Congress since 2009, easily won a fifth term. Also in Colorado, Leslie Herod is now one of the few African-American lesbian state legislators in the nation, winning her state's heavily Democratic House District 8, which covers portions of Denver. "Her election Tuesday is a sign voters reject the divisive rhetoric championed by Donald Trump and others this campaign season, and instead demand optimistic and thoughtful leaders that can unify communities," said Victory Fund president Aisha C. Moodie-Mills.

6:39 p.m. Pacific: Trump Wins Louisiana, AP Says

6:29 p.m. Pacific: Clinton Wins Connecticut, AP Says

6:18 p.m. Pacific: Races Called by AP
Clinton wins Illinois and New York. Trump wins North Dakota, South Dakota, Wyoming, Kansas, Arkansas and Texas.

6:13 p.m. Pacific: Two LGBT Florida Hopefuls Lose Bid for Legislature
As returns were still being counted on the presidential level, state races are being decided. It didn't end well for Beth Tuura or Jennifer Webb in their bids for the state house.

6:08 p.m. Pacific: Rhode Island Keeps Its Out Congressman
David Cicilline headed into Election Night favored to win reelection to the U.S. House of Representatives. He delivered by winning District 1 and the seat he's held since 2011.

5:42 p.m. Pacific: Trump Wins Alabama, Says AP

5:19 p.m. Pacific: LGBT Activist Wins State House Race in Florida
Carlos Guillermo Smith of Florida has won his race for the Florida House of Representatives in District 49. He's among the 30 races we're watching tonight, and he's a favorite who is endorsed by the Victory Fund in part for his work as policy director of Equality Florida. In other words, Florida's legislature is about to get a very outspoken advocate for our rights.

5:17 p.m. Pacific: Trump Wins Tennessee, Says AP

5:14 p.m. Pacific: Trump Wins South Carolina, Says AP

5:12 p.m. Pacific: Mark Kirk Loses; Marco Rubio Wins
Mark Kirk had run for reelection to the Senate at first with the endorsement of the Human Rights Campaign. Then he made a racist comment during a debate with Democratic challenger Tammy Duckworth and the HRC revoked its endorsement and suddenly endorsed Duckworth. Now, NBC News has called the election for Duckworth, the Iraq War veteran and congresswoman. Then there's Marco Rubio, another Republican but with a much different record on LGBT rights. The Florida incumbent is infamous for his anti-LGBT policies, and now NBC News is calling the Senate race there for Rubio. (Read more about the Florida race.)

5:06 p.m. Pacific: How Will This Gay Bar React to Election Results?
The Advocate is live-streaming on Facebook from a West Hollywood bar holding an election results watch party. Oh, the suspense! Watch it here.

5:03 p.m. Pacific: According to NBC News, Clinton wins Connecticut, Rhode Island, Delaware, District of Columbia, Maryland, New Jersey, and Massachusetts. Trump wins Mississippi and Oklahoma.

4:33 p.m. Pacific: Pro-Marriage Equality Republican Portman Wins in Ohio
The race in Ohio has been called by the Associated Press for incumbent Rob Portman, even as control of the U.S. Senate is in question tonight. Portman made headlines when the Republican announced his support for marriage equality, saying having a gay son had opened his eyes. Portman was able to turn back a challenge from former Ohio governor Ted Strickland. Martine Apodaca of Victory Fund had called the race "a foregone conclusion" but notes that LGBT candidate Tommy Greene is running for state representative in Cuyahoga County, "so the drop-off in Democratic early vote there could affect him."

4:33 p.m. Pacific: Trump Wins West Virginia

4:03 p.m. Pacific: U.S. Senate Will Not Have an Out Gay Man
Hillary Clinton wins Vermont. Trump wins Indiana and Kentucky. Clinton has three electoral votes while Trump now has 19. Jim Gray lost his bid to become Senator of Kentucky to Republican incumbent Rand Paul. Read our full story here.

3:56 p.m. Pacific: Florida! Florida! Florida!
The outpouring of early voting reported in Florida could have far-reaching effect, starting with how long we have to wait for results. "With so many Floridians voting early this year -- at least 6.5 million -- we may have a strong sense of who is the favorite to win the race as soon as polls close at 8 p.m. ET," said Martine Apodaca of Victory Fund. By all tallies, Democrats are benefiting greatest from early voting. "That Democratic early vote lead has translated down-ballot. This includes the five openly LGBT candidates running for state representative. Carlos Guillermo Smith is widely expected to win his House district seat. David Richardson is expected to retain his Miami-based House seat. The races to watch are in Orlando (Beth Tuura), Tampa (Jennifer Webb) and in Broward County Ft. Lauderdale (Ken Keechl)." If we're lucky, it could also mean anti-LGBT Republican incumbent Sen. Marco Rubio could also be facing a wave of Democratic voters. Rep. Patrick Murphy is challenging.

3:42 p.m. Pacific: Who Will Trump Blame?
From our friends at the Victory Fund, Martine Apodaca offers this insight:

If it's true that Conway is already playing the blame game, then Republicans are in for a long night. "We didn't have the full support of the Republican infrastructure," she told MSNBC (see an earlier liveblog entry), then added, "We had former presidents not voting for us. We had former nominees not voting for us." The most prominent "unsupporter" of Donald Trump is easily Governor John Kasich, who told reporters he wrote in John McCain. Trump's candidacy has made us forget how unusual it is for a sitting governor of a major battleground state not to support his party's nominee for president. Ohio is must-win for Trump (like all the other battleground states), and Kasich's defection is a serious body-blow. On top of Trump's apparent lack of infrastructure in Ohio and elsewhere, Kasich's reticence could make a difference. Of course, polls show Trump leading Ohio - but polls don't vote and GOTV is what field offices are for.

3:04 p.m. Pacific: First Polls Are Closing!
Polls closed in Kentucky and Indiana. The New York Times is reporting that Trump is ahead in Kentucky. Indiana has 11 electoral votes, while Kentucky has eight. Mike Pence, Trump's VP, who hails from Indiana, is known for being one of the most anti-LGBT governors in the country. Pence passed the Religious Freedom Restoration Act in Indiana that allowed businesses and individuals the right to discriminate against LGBT people based on religious grounds. The law was eventually "fixed" so that it would not allow for people to discriminate against LGBT people. Indiana lost around $60 million dollars in business after passing the anti-LGBT bill. Martine Apodaca of Victory Fund sees Indiana as a potential harbinger of which party controls the U.S. Senate. "In Indiana, polls will close everywhere except for a few western Indiana counties that won't close until 7 p.m. ET. If either party is going to have a good night or a bad night, this U.S. Senate seat may be a good bellwether. Former U.S. Senator Evan Bayh is running for his old seat, but facing a strong challenge from Rep. Todd Young. Recent polls show Young leading after trailing all summer - but if the race is called early, it may point challenges ahead, depending on which party wins."

2:59 p.m. Pacific: Why LGBT People Are Watching Florida and North Carolina
The Victory Fund tonight is watching key LGBT candidates and marquee races in both Florida and North Carolina. But Martine Apodaca is also following Governor "Pat HB2 McCrory" in a race against Democratic challenger Roy Cooper. "Down ballot, openly LGBT candidate Jane Campbell is taking on one of the original sponsors of North Carolina's 'bathroom bill' in a race for state representative," he said. Imse notes that Campbell was recently endorsed by the Charlotte Observer: "We prefer Campbell, a Davidson graduate who is unaffiliated but backed by Democrats. She helped supervise multimillion-dollar military departments in the Navy, honing leadership and consensus-building skills. She would bring a much-needed new LGBT voice to the General Assembly." Meanwhile, in Florida, Imse notes that "Florida voters have the opportunity to quintuple the number of openly LGBT leaders in the Florida legislature. In early vote returns we've seen, every single one of these LGBT candidates for state representative currently leads their opponent in early vote returns - including Beth Tuura, running to represent the district where the Pulse nightclub shooting took place."

2:55 p.m. Pacific: Kellyanne Conway Has Fantasy of Path to Trump Victory
Kellyanne Conway sounded like the campaign manager for the losing campaign while on MSNBC today just before 6 p.m. ET with Chuck Todd. Conway said the Trump campaign tonight will be watching her "core four" states: Iowa, Ohio, Florida and North Carolina. "If we can hold on" to those, she said, "then we just we have to pick off a blue state like Michigan or Pennsylvania." Conway claimed "We've scrambled the map in the last few days or weeks" by barnstorming the country and upsetting the polls. Yet, she's already assigning blame for the potential Trump loss, pointing out "We didn't have the full support of the Republican infrastructure." Conway added, "We had former presidents not voting for us. We had former nominees not voting for us." Well, and a lot of other folks.

2:17 p.m. Pacific: Does Anyone Fear Sarah Palin's Powers of Prediction?
Martine Apodaca, vice president of political operations and communications at Victory Fund, notes that "half-term quitter governor and failed VP candidate Sarah Palin" says Trump is going to win Michigan: "Polls aren't only good for strippers and cross country skiers... not when they look like this! Yesterday was a spectacular day in Michigan; the many Reagan Democrats we met are coming home! They can Make America Great Again. Go Michigan!" This reminds Apodaca of the last time Palin "went rogue" on Michigan.

1:42 p.m. Pacific: What's It All Mean, Cindy McCain?
Cindy McCain joined her husband John McCain at their local polling place. Cindy wore an all-white pantsuit. Many women are wearing white as they cast their vote today to honor women's suffragists such as Susan B. Anthony.

1:19 p.m. Pacific: Donald Trump's Trump Tower in New York City is surrounded by dump trucks filled with sand, reports TMZ. It was allegedly done to prevent terrorist attacks on the building.

12:54 p.m. Pacific: A reporter for The Houston Chronicle tweeted out a photo from a polling place in Spring, Texas. The photo shows a man next to a sign that reads "FAGGOTS VOTE DEMOCRAT." A police officer is speaking to the man in the photo.

11:58 a.m. Pacific: Lady Gaga wore a jacket previously worn by Micheal Jackson to a Hillary Clinton rally last night, where Gaga performed.

11:50 a.m. Pacific: Eric Trump and his father both peeked at their wives when they were casting their ballots. Several people online speculated that the men were double-checking to make sure their wives were voting Trump.

10:52 a.m. Pacific: The plaintiffs in one of California's first marriage equality cases, Robin Tyler (center) and Diane Olson (right), showed up to cast their vote in Los Angeles wearing white pantsuits in honor of Hillary Clinton and the suffragettes. They're joined by their friend Pat Harrison. Women and men around the country are placing "I Voted" stickers on the grave of women's rights leader Susan B. Anthony. The cemetery in Rochester, N.Y., will be open until polls close in New York, at 9 p.m. Eastern.

10:22 a.m. Pacific: Topless protestors showed up at Trump's polling place in Manhattan this morning. The women were escorted out. One woman had written "Trump, grab your balls," across her chest. The other woman's chest read "Hate out of my polls." The women are in police custody, reported The New York Daily News.

10:18 a.m. Pacific: Hillary Clinton has "overwhelmingly won the vote" in Guam, reports USA Today. The small U.S. island has historically predicted the election winner each year for the last 32 years. Could Hillary's win Guam mean she will win the election?

9:10 a.m. Pacific: The city of Orlando bought Pulse nightclub and has plans to turn it into a permanent memorial.

9:03 a.m. Pacific: Madonna performed a secret, surprise concert in support of Hillary Clinton last night.

8:23 a.m. Pacific: Donald Trump was booed by a crowd as he arrived to his polling place.

8:15 a.m. Pacific: Eric Trump, Donald Trump's son, posted a photo of his ballot on Twitter. Eric has since deleted his tweet, but not before it was picked up by several media outlets. Posting a photo of a ballot violates New York election laws, reports BuzzFeed News.

7:57 a.m. Pacific: Hundreds are flocking to put "I Voted" stickers on Susan B. Anthony's New York headstone. Anthony died before being granted the right to vote, but she played a pivotal role in fighting for women's suffrage.

7:31 a.m. Pacific: Senator Tim Kaine and presidential candidate Hillary Clinton cast their ballots this morning.

7:23 a.m. Pacific: Hillary Clinton started off the day by winning Dixville Notch, New Hampshire.