Nevada Democrats cheer national wins while Lombardo tells Republicans to stay upbeat as local results wait

What happened

Nevada Democrats and Republicans held separate election night parties in Las Vegas on Tuesday, Nov. 3, while the state's own results were still pending, the Las Vegas Sun reported. Democrats gathered at MEET Las Vegas. Republicans gathered at Durango Resort.

According to the Sun, local results would not be released until the last in-person voters across the state had cast their ballots. U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto told the Democratic crowd, "There are over 105 polling locations still open in Clark County because people are exercising their right to vote." Our earlier report covers longer Election Day wait times in Clark County.

The national results Democrats were celebrating

The Sun reported that Democrats will flip control of both the U.S. Senate and the U.S. House, with wins that include Senate seats in South Carolina, North Carolina and Texas. In Texas, James Talarico defeated Ken Paxton. In South Carolina, Annie Andrews beat Darline Graham in an upset. In Ohio, Democrat Sherrod Brown defeated Republican Sen. Jon Husted.

Democrats had already flipped North Carolina and held competitive seats in New Hampshire and Georgia, according to the Sun. The crowd at MEET Las Vegas cheered when Texas Republican Gov. Greg Abbott conceded his reelection bid to Gina Hinojosa, the outlet reported.

Trump's role in the races

The Sun described the results as a rebuke of President Donald Trump, who had backed the losing candidates. Trump endorsed Paxton over incumbent Sen. John Cornyn in the Texas Republican primary. He backed Graham for the South Carolina seat of her brother, Lindsey Graham, who died unexpectedly, and he repeatedly visited Ohio to campaign for Husted.

Before polls on the West Coast closed, Trump wrote on his social media site, "I wasn't on the Ballot and if I was, we would have won IN A LANDSLIDE!" according to the Sun.

What Nevada Democrats said

U.S. Sen. Jacky Rosen spoke at the MEET Las Vegas party. "Tonight, we just took back the Senate," she said, adding, "We're going to run the table here, too." The Sun reported that Nevada appeared poised to mirror the national results, but no local results had been released at that point.

Cortez Masto's message

Cortez Masto offered a similar outlook. "The blue wave is coming," she told the group of local Democrats, according to the Sun. She also pointed to the Clark County polling locations that were still open as voters waited to cast ballots.

What Republicans said at Durango Resort

The mood at the Republican party was more guarded, the Sun reported. Gov. Joe Lombardo is seeking a second term against Democratic Attorney General Aaron Ford. He told supporters he had "No idea what's going to happen" and reminded them that four years ago Republicans had their heads down before winning. For background, see our guide to Nevada's governor and House races.

Lombardo on early results and nonpartisan voters

Lombardo said Nevada would be "the unique state in this national picture" and predicted success within a couple of hours. He warned that the first batch of results would likely favor Democrats. "I don't want anybody to lose any enthusiasm when the first dump comes," he said. "Republicans come late to the process."

He also said the choices of nonpartisan voters were uncertain. "We still have no idea what the nonpartisans are going to do in this endeavor," Lombardo said, according to the Sun. "I anticipate success, and I want everybody to remain upbeat."

What to watch next

• Release of Nevada's results, which the Sun reported would come only after the last in-person voters statewide had cast ballots.
• The outcome of the governor's race between Gov. Joe Lombardo and Attorney General Aaron Ford.
• How nonpartisan voters broke, which Lombardo said was still unknown on election night.
• Whether later counts differ from the first batch of results, which Lombardo said would likely favor Democrats.