kristen: thanks for joining us for "getting answers." tonight, breaking news as we come on the air. election night in america. the critical midterm election in a deeply divided country. the first exit polls coming in now. what they reveal already. tonight, control of the house at stake, control of the senate, too. and what this could all mean for president biden's next two years in office. millions of americans across the country heading to the polls. some waiting hours in line to cast their ballots. the senate race in pennsylvania, a dead heat. john fetterman against dr. mehmet oz. in georgia, a razor thin race there, as well. senator raphael warnock against herschel walker. republicans need to gain just one seat to take back control of the senate. they need five seats to flip the house. 45 million americans voting early. elections officials already pointing to a midterm record for

early turnout. eva pilgrim and steve osunsami live in the battlegrounds. rick klein and rachel scott at the big boards tonight. they'll show us what to look for. also the other news this tuesday night. a hurricane warning now in effect for much of florida. mandatory evacuations under way in some areas. nicole gaining strength tonight. expected to make landfall as a hurricane. then moving right up the east coast into the northeast. georgia, the carolinas, washington, d.c., new york, to boston. ginger zee standing by in florida with the timing and the track tonight. the war in ukraine, of course, this is another issue we'll cover on this election. and tonight, what president zelenskyy is now suggesting when it comes to talks with vladimir putin. here at home, the high school shooting in seattle. what authorities have now revealed. also the search at this hour. one person killed, three rescued. reports of others swept away in flooding. and at the end tonight, the powerball mystery. what happened last night? we do have a word of a winner

now. and the store owner we've also learned who won big. what he was given today. and good evening tonight from abc news election headquarters here in new york city. this room will be full just moments from now. election day in america, in a country deeply divided. the final votes are being cast in the crucial midterm elections. one of the most consequential u.s. elections in history. the first exit polls just coming in. the issues driving voters. voter interest very high this year. 45 million americans casting their ballots early. in person or by mail, setting a record. authorities tonight say more than in any midterm election. that also means the ballots could take some time to count, with so many key battleground races so very close. get ready for quite a night here on abc. tonight, those first clues from the preliminary exit polls.

voters who cast ballots today, as well as those who voted early or mailed in their ballots all included here. take a look tonight. voters asked, which of these issues mattered most? 32% said inflation, 27% said abortion. followed by crime, gun policy, and immigration. asked which party they trust to handle inflation, 42% said democrats, 54% said the republicans. and asked whether they approve of president biden's job performance. 45% said they approved, 55% disapprove. and there are two numbers tonight that will you hear again and again during our election night coverage all night long. they are one and five. republicans need a net gain of just one seat to take back control of the senate, a net gain of just five seats to take control of the house. and one of those key senate races, the senate race in pennsylvania tonight. democrat lieutenant governor john fetterman voting this hour in his hometown of brad dock, pennsylvania. republican dr. mehmet oz voting in philadelphia. and abc's eva pilgrim leading us

off tonight in pittsburgh. >> reporter: in the pennsylvania this morning, the democrat in the nation's most watched senate race driving himself to the polls in his pickup truck. how you feeling this morning? >> reporter: john fetterman campaigning as a fighter for little guy, saying his recent stroke has made him a stronger more empathetic candidate. >> this is what recovery from a stroke looks like five months ago. sometimes i'm going to miss some words. sometimes i'm going to mush two words together, but one thing i absolutely will always get right is making sure that we stand for the important things in washington, d.c. >> reporter: his republican rival, dr. mehmet oz, voting in the suburbs of philadelphia, where he moved just about two years ago, and where he's focused his efforts in the home stretch. >> pennsylvania is sending a very clear message to washington. we want less radicalism and more balance. >> reporter: oz won the republican nomination with the strong support of former

president trump, who campaigned here over the weekend. but in the final days, oz pitching himself as a moderate voice. >> so, i'm asking you now to be braver than ever. this is a transformative election. >> reporter: today, many voters we spoke with focused on kitchen table issues, the economy and inflation. >> i walk into the grocery store and i'll walk by something. i'm like, "i can't afford that." you know, and just keep right on walking. >> reporter: but other factors also coming into play. >> reproductive rights to me, obviously, a lot of it just the idea of people that supported the insurrection then being in office, people who don't want to recognize legitimate elections as being actual elections. >> reporter: some voters telling me that this year in pennsylvania, it's been a difficult choice. >> everything is wrong in this country right now. the economy's bad. but the thing that bothers me is that both parties are just so derisive and they're not focusing on helping us. you know, it's all about themselves.

>> always good to hear from the voters. eva pilgrim live from pittsburgh tonight. and eva, another key race in pennsylvania, the race for governor. the democrat in that race, josh shapiro, going into election day with a very strong lead in the polls. and? a question we're going to be discussing on election night coverage here, you know, will that help his fellow democrat, john fetterman, get over the finish line or will some there in pennsylvania decide to split their vote, maybe go for a democrat for governor, but then a republican for senate, we just have to wait and see. >> reporter: that's right, david. we're at the fetterman campaign event tonight here in pittsburgh and we have heard from voters across the state that they are going to split their vote. some republicans that we talked to say they're voting for shapiro, saying that the republican candidate is just too extreme. but then others tell us that they are voting straight ticket. this dynamic between these two races and how tight this senate race is really adds an element that is unknown. >> all right, eva pilgrim, counting on you a lot tonight in pennsylvania, the key state of

pennsylvania, as always. thank you. in the meantime, to georgia. the state that determines control of congress two years ago, this time, they could do it again. tonight, that race for the senate and a dead heat, as well. senator rafael warnock campaigning for re-election there. the republican, herschel walker, of course, battling to unseat him. and another heated georgia race we're watching, the rematch between governor brian kemp and his challenger, stacey abrams. steve osunsami in atlanta tonight. >> reporter: there were no lines at this polling place this morning outside the governor's hometown of athens, georgia, where republican brian kemp and ficials say it's looking or his this way across the state, that it's only taking minutes to vote, but that turnout is still very strong. like millions of georgians, democrat stacey abrams voted early. if she wins tonight, she'd become the first black woman in america ever elected governor. in the u.s. senate race, both republican herschel walker and congressman raphael warnock also voted early. they join more than 2.5 million georgians who voted before

election day, a record for a midterm election here. what's your feeling on this election? >> i'm going to be very, very close one. >> crime is my number one issue. >> i would say the economy is a bit more important. >> i'm concerned about families, the seniors, cost of living, things like that. >> i think the biggest thing is just the economy. you know, a lot of people in the last year or so have dealt with inflation, rising costs, wages aren't really keeping up. >> reporter: georgia voters told us they were voting for both democrats and republicans. >> so, let's bring in steve live in atlanta again tonight. and steve, for folks at home, this senate race between herschel walker and raphael warnock, one of them has to hit 50% to prevent a runoff, but there could be a runoff given how close the race is today. >> reporter: that's right, 50% plus one. both campaigns are preparing for this. and it's one of the things that both campaigns are watching tonight. and it's different from 2020, in

2020, when there was a runoff election during the presidential election, that runoff didn't happen until january, in fact, the night before the attack on the u.s. capitol. but this time, the law has changed. if there's a runoff in either of these races tonight, that runoff will happen four weeks from tonight, on december 6th. david? >> but here's the really interesting thing, steve. we know georgia closes fairly early tonight, so, we'll have early results from georgia, at least the first wave of data coming in quite early, so, we'll be coming to you very soon on our election coverage. steve, thank you. in the meantime, to arizona tonight. a very close senate race there, as well. also, the race for governor being watched by the nation. abc's whit johnson in arizona tonight. >> don't forget to vote! >> reporter: in one of the country's most pivotal senate races, tonight, democrat mark kelly, a former astronaut and combat pilot, is fighting to keep his seat in arizona. >> i expect to win this election. and we've worked really hard, and i feel i've earned the votes. >> reporter: but polls showing his republican opponent blake masters closing in. a political newcomer endorsed by former president trump, who's

been hammering democrats on issues like crime, immigration, and the economy, while phoenix is seeing the nation's highest inflation rate at 13%. >> look at what they've done to destroy our economy. >> reporter: and in the race for governor, republican and former tv news anchor kari lake, taking on arizona secretary of state katie hobbs, a democrat who made a name for herself defending the 2020 election results. >> this race for governor isn't about democrats or republicans. it is about sanity over chaos. >> reporter: but lake with a slight negligent the polls. she's one of 199 republican candidates running for statewide office for congress who fully denied the legitimacy of the 2020 election. another 61 have raised doubts about the results. and just last night, hours before polls opened, lake was already casting doubt on the integrity of this election. >> i'm worried about tomorrow. who's worried about tomorrow? and these bastards back there don't want us talking about stolen elections.

>> reporter: kari lake, a trump favorite and already considered a potential running mate in 2024. and on the eve of the midterm election, the former president putting the focus on himself, all but declaring he's running, with plans to make it official next tuesday. >> i'm going to be making a very big announcement on tuesday, november 15th at mar-a-lago in palm beach, florida. >> reporter: and david, here in arizona, this new maga movement with carry lake at the forecast will be put to the test tonight to see if they can beat democrats in these tight races and turn this purple state red once again. david? >> whit johnson tonight, thank you. donald trump making headlines again. whit, we'll see you shortly. let's go over to the big boards. rick klein, rachel scott with us. and i just wanted to give folks at home sort of an early viewers guide to some signals that might

say, well, this is the way the mi night might go. >> the two battlegrounds we've been covering, both pennsylvania and georgia, they are relatively early poll closings, we're goinn in the night where it's going, even if we don't necessarily get final results for a couple more hours. and then looking at some key bell weathers, up in new hampshire, the democrat, maggie hassan, trying to hold on. that would be a disaster for democrats if she were to lose to her maga-aligned challenger. and north carolina, where sherry beasley has kept things closer than people expected for a democrat. and ohio, where tim ryan has run a very strong campaign against j.d. vance. the question, is that just too red a state to overcome? but the democrats actually have some chances to pick up a seat or two. >> very early in the night, we'll have the first data from all these states. new hampshire, if that ends up being a lot closer than we thought, that could be trouble for the democrats. thank you, rick. right over to rachel scott, who covers congress, and you always

give us the context which we so appreciate. any president who in the party in power in the white house faces a very difficult midterm election. >> exactly, david. we did some homework to see how former presidents gid in their first midterm election. starts in 2010, you may remember former president barack obama, he called this a shellacking, 44%eos 63 streets. donald trump in 2018, he lost 40 seats in the house. president biden, not sitting too far from where former president trump was in 2018. >> we'll see where the numbers are. quickly, show us virginia, because i know there's a district there that you're watching closely, which could be real bell weathers for the rest of the night to see how democrats or republicans are doing. >> david, i have my eyes on a district near washington, d.c. these are two democrats who flipped these seats in 2018. president biden won in both of these districts and one year later, the republican governor glenn youngkin won here, as

well. this will give us an early indicator into how republicans are doing. if they can flip both, they are off to a good start. >> going to be a challenge for democrats to hold onto those seats. rachel, thank you. of course, rachel, rick, the entire team will be here. and standing by off to the side, jon karl, cecilia vega, martha raddatz, we'll all be here live all night long. we begin at:00 p.m. eastern on the network, as the first results come in. we'll be right here to guide you throw it. expect the unexpected. there are always surprises. rick clientelek klein tells us single day here. as voters go to the polls, a hurricane bearing down on florida. mandatory evacuations ordered in two counties already. nicole is gaining strength tonight. expected to make landfall as a hurricane, then moving up into the east, in fact, right into the northeast. our chief meteorologist ginger zee with the timing and the track. she's in cocoa beach, florida, tonight.

>> reporter: david, we are in a hurricane warning here from the space coast up to daytona beach, down to west palm. so, i want to take you to the map so you can see the timing of this. this is a thursday, early thursday landfall. and the impact is going to be wide. not just what you see in the cone, but well beyond it. it's going to take a sharp turn into georgia, south and north carolina and up the east coast. i'm most concerned about beach erosion, surge up to five feet, isolated tornadoes, and that 600 miles wide, where you could see t tropical storm force winds. this is very late in the season to have a hurricane making landfall, david. >> all right, ginger zee live in florida tonight, where the wind is already picking up. ginger, we'll see you on "gma" in the morning. we turn now to the war in ukraine tonight. tonight, what president zell ben ski is now suggesting when it comes to talks with russian president vladimir putin. james longman in kyiv again tonight. >> reporter: tonight, ukrainian president zelenskyy softening his tone slightly on the possibility of negotiations with

russia. in the fall, with drones and missionals raining down on his country, zelenskyy signed a decree ruling out talks with vladimir putin. he told david why he told it was impossible. >> translator: it's a question of dialogue with terrorists. you cannot discuss anything with terrorists. >> reporter: but after recent reports the u.s. is privately asking ukraine to show it is open to talks, even with putin in power -- zelenskyy told a u.n. climate summit he wants the international community to force russia into genuine peace negotiations. but seouzelenzelenskyy's condit remain the same. return all occupied lands, prose posecution of war crimes and reparations. >> we have midterms coming, the midterm elections, are you at all concerned about the balance of power and the continuing support from the u.s.? >> we -- of course. all the details will have influence on ukraine. yes, i follow, but that is a decision of american people and

i don't want to -- even if i can, even if i can -- even if i could, i don't want to have any influence on this decision. >> reporter: david, the reality is that negotiations with russian are still a long way off. and tonight, ukrainians will be watching the american elections very closely to see what impact they might have on future u.s. help for this country. david? >> all right, james longman in kyiv tonight. james, we'll see you for our election coverage, as well, a little later tonight. when we come back here in the meantime, the high school shooting in seattle tonight. what authorities have now revealed. and the search under way at this hour, one person killed, three rescued, reports of others swept away

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joe's service center in california. we've learned the store's owner received a $1 million check for selling that ticket. he says he's going to spend it now on his children and on his 11 grandchildren and as for the unknown winner, the owner said somebody's lucky. he said, we're happy for them. we're a little envious, too. by the way, as you know, election night is here. so is the team. everyone here ready to jump into their seats. keep it right here on abc. our live coverage begins just a short time from now. a big night ahead. election night in america. we'll see you in just a moment. good night.

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announcer: building a better bay area, moving forward, finding solutions, this is abc7 news. anchor: good afternoon. kristen: you have a few more hours to cast your ballot. we have a live team coverage across the bay area. larry: we are also on storm watch. we will tell you what to expect. kristen: the powerball numbers are in after a long delay, and a ticket worth $2 billion was sold in california. there is a one million-dollar winner in san francisco. larry: we begin live in sacramento, checking in on the governors race. reporter: yeah, we are at democratic headquarters, where governor newsom is poised to claim second term as california governor. it is a low-key