Good morning. I'm James Holman from the Washington Post and this is the Daily

202 for Wednesday, November 4th. In today's news, Republicans are clinging to

their Senate majority.

Several House Democrats unexpectedly go down from Miami to Minnesota.

An exit polling shows COVID trailed the economy as the number one concern for voters.

But first, the big idea.

President Trump prematurely declared at 2.30 a.m. that he won re-election,

even though Democratic nominee Joe Biden

has several clear paths to victory and key states continue to

tally votes. Democratic hopes for a resounding coast-to-coast repudiation of

Trump did not materialize. Instead, the president was buoyed by victories in

Florida, Ohio, and Texas, while keeping his margins with Biden tight in Georgia

and North Carolina, both of which remained too close for us to call as of 7.30 a.m. Eastern.

Still, Biden showed strength with an early lead in Nevada and Arizona, a traditionally Republican state where Trump was vulnerable.

Biden's clearest path to clinching a majority in the Electoral College remains in sight.

A trio of Rust Belt states that both campaigns have

prioritized Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. These three states were

slow to report returns overnight, especially from cities and suburban areas populated with Democrats.

Both campaigns are prepared for legal challenges over ballots, meaning the results may not be clear for days or even weeks.

Addressing a mostly maskless crowd inside the White House,

Trump challenged the integrity of the vote

to an unprecedented and frankly, breathtaking degree. The president said the vote counting in Georgia, Pennsylvania

...