In a message sent to AHLA HotelPAC recipients, the PAC shared the following:
"With 171 million votes and counting, Americans made their voices heard at the ballot box.
Former President Trump was elected to a second term, winning the critical states of Georgia, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. Trump will be the second American president to serve two non-consecutive terms.
While many down-ballot races in key state legislative, city, and state elections have yet to be counted, across the country voters ushered in a more business-friendly environment. AHLA will continue to track all the races and bring you updates. As of 9:30 a.m. EST, here’s what we know.
The Senate
Republicans took control of the Senate, winning 52 seats as of this morning. Many AHLA allies were elected and reelected to the Senate. Five HotelPAC-supported Senate candidates will be joining the U.S. Senate for the first time: Adam Schiff (D) of California, Lisa Blunt Rochester (D) of Delaware, Jim Banks (R) of Indiana, Angela Alsobrooks (D) of Maryland, and Jim Justice (R) of West Virginia. Of note, Justice is the owner of The Greenbrier.
Andy Kim (D) of New Jersey, the first Korean American elected to Congress, will fill his state’s empty Senate seat. Montanans elected Tim Sheehy (R) to the Senate, replacing incumbent Sen. Jon Tester (D). Bernie Moreno (R) ousted incumbent Sen. Sherrod Brown (D) in Ohio.
Six contested U.S. Senate elections remain to be called: Arizona, Maine, Michigan, Nevada, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin.
Republicans will elect a new leader as Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY) steps aside. Senators John Cornyn (R-TX), Rick Scott (R-FL), and John Thune (R-SD) are the three candidates in the race.
The House
Of the 435 House seats up for election yesterday, only 55 were rated “battlegrounds.” Going into election day, Republicans held 220 seats to the Democrats’ 212, with three vacancies. This morning, it is not yet clear which party will hold the majority of the chamber. Currently, 377 of 435 races have been called.
State and Local Elections and Ballot Measures
As important as national elections are to our industry, state and local races matter just as much, especially to small businesses. AHLA is monitoring the results of elections across the country. Among last night’s most significant outcomes:
Arizona—Glendale Proposition 449, the Unite Here Local 11-backed measure that would have raised the minimum wage for hotel and event workers to $20/hour, failed. AHLA supported the opposition campaign.
Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego (D) was reelected mayor.
California—In the San Francisco mayoral race, none of the candidates earned the majority threshold to win the election outright. Daniel Lurie, incumbent mayor London Breed, and Aaron Peskin each brought in more than 20% of the vote. Because San Francisco uses ranked-choice voting, there could be multiple rounds of counting.
Proposition 36, a measure that increases penalties for repeat theft offenses and certain drug crimes, passed statewide. Prop 36 would also create a drug court treatment program for people with multiple drug possession convictions.
In Los Angeles, former federal prosecutor Nathan Hochman ousted incumbent District Attorney George Gascon. The business community supported Hochman, who has promised to crack down on crime.
Florida—Republicans retained their supermajorities in both houses of the legislature. Florida Senator Corey Simon (R-03) defeated Democrat challenger Daryl Parks in a closely watched race.
Voters rejected Amendment 3, which would have legalized recreational marijuana use. While the proposal was backed by a majority of voters, support didn’t exceed the 60% threshold required for enactment.
Georgia—Georgia Republicans retained control over the state House and Senate. Incumbent Rep. Deborah Silcox (R-HD-53), a vocal ally in AHLA’s continuing short-term rental policy efforts, defeated her Democratic challenger. In Georgia’s House District 2, Gabriel Sanchez became the first-ever Democratic Socialist elected to the state legislature.
Senator Shawn Still (R-SD-48), author of last year’s anti-human trafficking legislation and another ally of the hospitality industry, won reelection.
Indiana—U.S. Sen. Mike Braun (R) was elected governor.
Louisiana—Republicans retained control over the state House and Senate.
Massachusetts – Voters rejected a ballot measure that would have eliminated the tipped minimum wage.
Michigan—Michigan Republicans are on track to flip the state House. After two years of a Democratic trifecta, this likely chamber flip could make labor-backed policies harder to implement.
Minnesota—Democrats lost their six-seat majority in the state House, leaving the lower chamber split 67D-67R, pending likely recounts in two races.
Missouri—Voters passed Proposition A, a ballot measure that will increase Missouri’s minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2026. After 2026, the minimum wage will continue to increase based on the rate of inflation. Proposition A also requires businesses to provide up to seven days of paid sick leave.
Nebraska—Nebraska voters passed a measure that would give eligible employees at small companies the ability to accrue and use 40 hours of paid sick time per year. Workers at larger companies will get 56 hours per year.
New Hampshire—Kelly Ayotte (R) was elected governor. She will fill the open seat currently held by Republican Governor Chris Sununu.
North Carolina—Josh Stein (D) defeated his scandal-tainted Republican opponent in the race for Governor. In a race of critical importance to the North Carolina Restaurant and Lodging Association, Republican Luke Farley was elected the state’s Commissioner of Labor.
Pennsylvania—The GOP took control of the state Senate. We continue to monitor results in the state House.
South Carolina—Republicans held control of both houses of the state legislature, and Republicans clinched a supermajority in the Senate. State Rep. Matt Leber (R-HD-116) won the race for the Senate seat in District 41, while Republicans Everett Stubbs and Tom Fernandez unseated Democrat incumbents in Senate Districts 17 and 39, respectively.
Tennessee—Republicans maintained their supermajority in the state legislature. Nashville voters approved the “Choose How you Move” ballot referendum, which would levy a half-cent sales tax increase to generate $3.1 billion in funding for infrastructure improvements in Nashville. Mayor Freddie O’Connell, whom AHLA supported during his mayoral run, spearheaded this initiative.
Vermont—Incumbent Gov. Phil Scott (R) was re-elected.
What Comes Next?
We continue to wait for officials to finish counting ballots across the country. Many races, especially on the West Coast and in battleground states, have yet to be called. We’ll keep you informed of the results that matter most to AHLA."