2024 election coverage: Live updates from Louisiana

Political newcomer and Republican Sid Edwards received 34% of the vote for mayor-president of East Baton Rouge, while Democratic incumbent Sharon-Weston Broome garnered 31%. The two will face each other in a runoff election on Dec. 7.

Ted James, a favorite to win in many late polling predictions, was eliminated after receiving 28% of votes.

Read the full story here.

Donald Trump was elected as the 47th president of the United States on Wednesday.

He is the first person convicted of a felony to win the White House and the first former president to regain power since 1892.

The victory marks an extraordinary comeback for a former president who refused to accept defeat four years ago, sparked a violent insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, faced dozens of felony charges and survived two assassination attempts.

He will be joined in the new administration by his vice president, Ohio Sen. JD Vance. At 40, Vance will become the highest-ranking member of the millennial generation in government.

Read the latest here.

Baton Rouge residents have voted in favor of two proposals that will provide additional funding for the Baton Rouge Recreation and Commission (BREC), a commission of unelected officials that operate and maintain over 180 parks throughout the parish.

Proposal 1 is 3.253 mills, a 20-year tax that funds “Imagine Your Parks”, BREC’s 10-year master plan. It is a continuation of a 20-year tax passed in 2004 and renewed again in 2014 that was used to finance the creation of 12 large city parks, the city’s zoo, and restoring LSU lakes.

People in Baton Rouge voted in favor of a proposal to add 6 mills to the current 5.56 millage rate to generate more tax revenue to go toward East Baton Rouge firefighter salaries.

The increased property taxes will amount to an additional $50 for every 100,000 of assessed property value.

It's expected to generate $14.5 in revenue in year one, all of which will go towards firefighters' salaries and benefits.

At a starting salary of $33,207 a year, firefighters in East Baton Rouge Parish get paid around 20% less than the industry standard in Louisiana. Union President Jake Morgan said this has caused many of his colleagues to leave for other parishes.

Fifty-nine percent of Baton Rouge residents voted against a proposal that would have made hundreds of changes to the parish’s Plan of Government, a set of governing rules that determine everything from zoning jurisdictions to certain checks and balances for city officials.

The proposal would have made the parish's Chief Administrative Officer (CAO), second in command to the mayor, City-Parish Manager and changed some of their responsibilities.

Now they'll be able to retain those responsibilities, which include managing day-to-day city services, policy advising, and fostering communication between the Mayor-President and Metro Council. And the position will continue to be appointed directly by the Mayor.

The proposal would've also changed residency requirements for elected officials, the budgeting cycle, and would've allowed Metro Council to set its own salary. Instead, council members will receive a fixed stipend of $1,000 a month.

Donald Trump is on the verge of clinching the presidency Wednesday after winning Pennsylvania, putting him just three electoral votes shy of defeating Kamala Harris to secure his return to the White House.

A victory in Alaska or any of the outstanding battleground states — Michigan, Wisconsin, Arizona or Nevada — will send the Republican former president back to the Oval Office.

Read the latest here.

State Sen. Jean-Paul Coussan of Lafayette will become one of Louisiana’s top utility regulators after beating out two other candidates vying for office.

Three candidates ran for the open seat on the Public Service Commission after incumbent Commissioner Craige Green decided not to run for re-election. Green has served on the commission for eight years.

The five-member Louisiana Public Service Commission is charged with ensuring public utilities across the state provide safe, reliable and “reasonably priced” service. The powerful agency is one of the least known across the state, despite how much it shapes residents’ lives.

Read the full story here.

Louisiana voters approved an amendment asking them if revenues from offshore alternative energy should go towards coastal restoration and protection.

The yes vote on the amendment means federal money from the emerging offshore alternative energy industry, which is primarily wind, will go into that same fund for the coast. A no vote would have put the money into the state’s general fund, which is spent how the legislature chooses.

State Sen. Cleo Fields is expected to win Louisiana's 6th Congressional District race.

At midnight Wednesday, Fields had 51% of the vote against fellow Democrat Quinten Anderson and former Opelousas Sen. Elbert Guillory with all precincts reporting, according to the Secretary of State's website. AP has yet to call the race.

Read the full story here.

Republican Rep. Clay Higgins won reelection to a U.S. House seat representing Louisiana on Tuesday.

Higgins has represented southwest Louisiana's 3rd Congressional District, a Republican stronghold, since 2016. He is a member of the staunchly conservative House Freedom Caucus and an avid supporter of Donald Trump.

Higgins objected to certifying the results of the 2020 presidential election based on the false belief that voter fraud cost Trump victory. Before launching his political career, Higgins rose to prominence as an outspoken Louisiana law enforcement officer known for his viral, tough-on-crime videos.

The Associated Press declared Higgins the winner at 9:07 p.m. CT.

Former President Donald Trump is currently leading the presidential race with 120 electoral votes.

As of 8 p.m. CT Tuesday, Trump had won Indiana, Kentucky, West Virginia, Florida, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Mississippi, Alabama, South Carolina, Arkansas, Louisiana, Nebraska , North Dakota, South Dakota and Wyoming, according to AP.

So far, Harris has won Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Maryland, Rhode Island, New Jersey, Delaware, Illinois and New York, picking up 99 electoral votes.

Results are coming in for the race between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump.

As of 7:20 p.m. CT, Trump had 95 electoral votes and Harris had 35.

Both candidates need 270 to win the presidency.

Whenever there's an election, there's one Louisiana political strategist we like to catch up with: James Carville. The “Ragin Cajun” has been keeping a close watch on the 2024 presidential election, and was one of the first well-known Democrats to call for Biden to drop out of the race.

Carville spoke with Louisiana Considered's Alana Schreiber about his thoughts on the race. First, they discussed the recent documentary about his life. "Winning is Everything, Stupid“ digs into Carville's childhood, how he changed the nature of presidential campaigns, and why he has remained loyal to the Democratic party through all its changes.

You can listen to the full interview here.

Election Day is finally here, and voters across Louisiana will decide on a number of key races, including the race for president and one that could shift the balance of power in Congress.

WWNO and WRKF will be following the results closely as they come in, and providing live coverage throughout the night.

We'll have coverage from NPR, starting at 7 p.m. CT and updates from our reporters in New Orleans and Baton Rouge, beginning at 8 p.m. CT Tuesday evening on 89.9 FM and 89.3 FM