csmonitor--2020-11-04--Biden wins Wisconsin as race to 270 continues

The fate of the United States presidency hung in the balance Wednesday as Democratic challenger Joe Biden picked up a win in Wisconsin while fighting President Donald Trump in other battleground states that could prove crucial in determining who wins the White House .
Neither candidate cleared the 270 Electoral College votes needed to win the White House , and the margins were tight in several other battleground states .
Top advisers for both Mr. Biden and Mr. Trump on Wednesday morning expressed confidence that they respectively had the likelier path to victory in the outstanding states .
The AP @ @ @ @ @ @ @ officials in the state said all outstanding ballots had been counted , save for a few hundred in one township and an expected small number of provisional ballots .
It was unclear when or how quickly a national winner could be determined .
The latest vote counts in Michigan gave Mr. Biden a small lead , but it was still too early to call the race .
Trump campaign manager Bill Stepien said the president would formally request a Wisconsin recount , citing “ irregularities in several Wisconsin counties , ” and the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ counting of ballots because it contended it wasn ’ t given “ meaningful access ” to observe the opening of ballots and the counting process .
At the same time , hundreds of thousands of votes were still to be counted in Pennsylvania .
The margins were exceedingly tight in states across the country , with the candidates trading wins in battlegrounds .
Mr. Trump picked up Florida , the largest of the swing states , while Mr. Biden flipped Arizona , a state that has reliably voted Republican in recent elections .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ could still take the state .
With 84 percent of the votes counted at 3 p.m. Wednesday , Biden has a lead of 94,000 votes in Arizona .
The unsettled presidential race came after Democrats entered election night confident not only in Mr. Biden ’ s prospects , but also in the party ’ s chances of taking control of the Senate .
But the GOP held several seats that were considered vulnerable , including in Iowa , Texas , Maine , and Kansas .
Disappointed Democrats lost House seats but were expected @ @ @ @ @ @ @ election was held against the backdrop of a historic pandemic that has killed more than 232,000 Americans and wiped away millions of jobs .
Both candidates spent months pressing dramatically different visions for the nation ’ s future , including on racial justice , and voters responded in huge numbers , with more than 100 million people casting votes ahead of Election Day .
Mr. Trump , in an extraordinary move from the White House , issued premature claims of victory and said he would take the election to the Supreme Court to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ exactly what legal action he could try to pursue .
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell discounted the president ’ s quick claim of victory , saying it would take a while for states to conduct their vote counts .
The Kentucky Republican said Wednesday that “ claiming you ’ ve won the election is different from finishing the counting.
” The president stayed out of the public eye but took to Twitter to suggest , without basis , that the election was being tainted by late-counted ballots .
Twitter flagged a number of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ some of the information shared was “ disputed and might be misleading about an election or other civic process.
” Mr. Biden , briefly appearing in front of supporters in Delaware , urged patience , saying the election “ ain ’ t over until every vote is counted , every ballot is counted.
” “ It ’ s not my place or Donald Trump ’ s place to declare who ’ s won this election , ” Mr. Biden said .
“ That ’ s the decision of the American people.
” Vote @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and states largely set the rules for when the count has to end .
In presidential elections , a key point is the date in December when presidential electors met .
That ’ s set by federal law .
Several states allow mailed-in votes to be accepted after Election Day , as long as they were postmarked by Tuesday .
That includes Pennsylvania , where ballots postmarked by Nov. 3 can be accepted if they arrive up to three days after the election .
Pennsylvania Gov .
Tom Wolf said he had “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ vote and that ’ s what we ’ re going to do.
” Mr. Trump appeared to suggest those ballots should not be counted , and that he would fight for that outcome at the high court .
But legal experts were dubious of Mr. Trump ’ s declaration .
Mr. Trump has appointed three of the high court ’ s nine justices including , most recently , Amy Coney Barrett .
The Trump campaign on Wednesday pushed Republican donors to dig deeper into their pockets to help finance legal challenges .
Republican @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a donor call , spoke plainly : “ The fight ’ s not over .
We ’ re in it.
” Mr. Biden ’ s running mate , Sen. Kamala Harris , made a pitch on Twitter to supporters to pitch in $ 5 to help pay for a fight that could “ stretch on for weeks.
” Democrats typically outperform Republicans in mail voting , while the GOP looks to make up ground in Election Day turnout .
That means the early margins between the candidates could be influenced by which type @ @ @ @ @ @ @ – were being reported by the states .
Throughout the campaign , Mr. Trump cast doubt about the integrity of the election and repeatedly suggested that mail-in ballots should not be counted .
Both campaigns had teams of lawyers at the ready to move into battleground states if there were legal challenges .
Mr. Trump kept several states , including Texas , Iowa , and Ohio , where Mr. Biden had made a strong play in the final stages of the campaign .
But Mr. Biden picked off states where Mr. Trump sought @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Minnesota .
But Florida was the biggest , most fiercely contested battleground on the map , with both campaigns battling over the 29 Electoral College votes that went to Mr. Trump .
The president adopted Florida as his new home state , wooed its Latino community , particularly Cuban-Americans , and held rallies there incessantly .
For his part , Mr. Biden deployed his top surrogate – former President Barack Obama – there twice in the campaign ’ s closing days and benefitted from a $ 100 million pledge in the state from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ voting carried into Election Day , as an energized electorate produced long lines at polling sites throughout the country .
Turnout was higher than in 2016 in numerous counties , including all of Florida , nearly every county in North Carolina and more than 100 counties in both Georgia and Texas .
That tally seemed sure to increase as more counties reported their turnout figures .
Voters braved worries of the coronavirus , threats of polling place intimidation , and expectations of long lines caused by changes to voting systems , but appeared @ @ @ @ @ @ @ surpass the 139 million ballots cast four years ago .
On Wednesday , some awoke to fresh anxiety about an election undecided and what could be ahead .
“ Honestly I ’ m just more concerned about what ’ s gon na happen after we find out , ” said Deion Flan , a voter in Atlanta .
“ I just want everything to just go back to the American way .
It ’ s the tension of what could happen , what may happen , what ’ s going to happen after.
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Associated Press .
AP writers Andrew Taylor in Washington , Kathleen Ronayne in Sacramento , and Sophia Tulp in Atlanta contributed reporting .

Jonathan Lemire, Aamer Madhani, Zeke Miller, Jill Colvin, and Alexandra Jaffe

The fate of the United States presidency hung in the balance Wednesday as Democratic challenger Joe Biden picked up a win in Wisconsin while fighting President Donald Trump in other battleground states that could prove crucial in determining who wins the White House.
Neither candidate cleared the 270 Electoral College votes needed to win the White House, and the margins were tight in several other battleground states. Top advisers for both Mr. Biden and Mr. Trump on Wednesday morning expressed confidence that they respectively had the likelier path to victory in the outstanding states.
The AP called Wisconsin for Mr. Biden after election officials in the state said all outstanding ballots had been counted, save for a few hundred in one township and an expected small number of provisional ballots.
It was unclear when or how quickly a national winner could be determined. The latest vote counts in Michigan gave Mr. Biden a small lead, but it was still too early to call the race.
Trump campaign manager Bill Stepien said the president would formally request a Wisconsin recount, citing “irregularities in several Wisconsin counties,” and the campaign filed suit in Michigan to halt counting of ballots because it contended it wasn’t given “meaningful access” to observe the opening of ballots and the counting process.
At the same time, hundreds of thousands of votes were still to be counted in Pennsylvania.
The margins were exceedingly tight in states across the country, with the candidates trading wins in battlegrounds. Mr. Trump picked up Florida, the largest of the swing states, while Mr. Biden flipped Arizona, a state that has reliably voted Republican in recent elections. But some Trump supporters say the president could still take the state. With 84 percent of the votes counted at 3 p.m. Wednesday, Biden has a lead of 94,000 votes in Arizona.
The unsettled presidential race came after Democrats entered election night confident not only in Mr. Biden’s prospects, but also in the party’s chances of taking control of the Senate. But the GOP held several seats that were considered vulnerable, including in Iowa, Texas, Maine, and Kansas. Disappointed Democrats lost House seats but were expected to retain control there.
The high-stakes election was held against the backdrop of a historic pandemic that has killed more than 232,000 Americans and wiped away millions of jobs. Both candidates spent months pressing dramatically different visions for the nation’s future, including on racial justice, and voters responded in huge numbers, with more than 100 million people casting votes ahead of Election Day.
Mr. Trump, in an extraordinary move from the White House, issued premature claims of victory and said he would take the election to the Supreme Court to stop the counting. It was unclear exactly what legal action he could try to pursue.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell discounted the president’s quick claim of victory, saying it would take a while for states to conduct their vote counts. The Kentucky Republican said Wednesday that “claiming you’ve won the election is different from finishing the counting.”
The president stayed out of the public eye but took to Twitter to suggest, without basis, that the election was being tainted by late-counted ballots. Twitter flagged a number of Mr. Trump’s tweets, noting some of the information shared was “disputed and might be misleading about an election or other civic process.”
Mr. Biden, briefly appearing in front of supporters in Delaware, urged patience, saying the election “ain’t over until every vote is counted, every ballot is counted.”
“It’s not my place or Donald Trump’s place to declare who’s won this election,” Mr. Biden said. “That’s the decision of the American people.”
Vote tabulations routinely continue beyond Election Day, and states largely set the rules for when the count has to end. In presidential elections, a key point is the date in December when presidential electors met. That’s set by federal law.
Several states allow mailed-in votes to be accepted after Election Day, as long as they were postmarked by Tuesday. That includes Pennsylvania, where ballots postmarked by Nov. 3 can be accepted if they arrive up to three days after the election.
Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf said he had “promised Pennsylvanians that we would count every vote and that’s what we’re going to do.”
Mr. Trump appeared to suggest those ballots should not be counted, and that he would fight for that outcome at the high court. But legal experts were dubious of Mr. Trump’s declaration. Mr. Trump has appointed three of the high court’s nine justices including, most recently, Amy Coney Barrett.
The Trump campaign on Wednesday pushed Republican donors to dig deeper into their pockets to help finance legal challenges. Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel, during a donor call, spoke plainly: “The fight’s not over. We’re in it.” Mr. Biden’s running mate, Sen. Kamala Harris, made a pitch on Twitter to supporters to pitch in $5 to help pay for a fight that could “stretch on for weeks.”
Democrats typically outperform Republicans in mail voting, while the GOP looks to make up ground in Election Day turnout. That means the early margins between the candidates could be influenced by which type of votes – early or Election Day – were being reported by the states.
Throughout the campaign, Mr. Trump cast doubt about the integrity of the election and repeatedly suggested that mail-in ballots should not be counted. Both campaigns had teams of lawyers at the ready to move into battleground states if there were legal challenges.
Mr. Trump kept several states, including Texas, Iowa, and Ohio, where Mr. Biden had made a strong play in the final stages of the campaign. But Mr. Biden picked off states where Mr. Trump sought to compete, including New Hampshire and Minnesota. But Florida was the biggest, most fiercely contested battleground on the map, with both campaigns battling over the 29 Electoral College votes that went to Mr. Trump.
The president adopted Florida as his new home state, wooed its Latino community, particularly Cuban-Americans, and held rallies there incessantly. For his part, Mr. Biden deployed his top surrogate – former President Barack Obama – there twice in the campaign’s closing days and benefitted from a $100 million pledge in the state from Michael Bloomberg.
The momentum from early voting carried into Election Day, as an energized electorate produced long lines at polling sites throughout the country. Turnout was higher than in 2016 in numerous counties, including all of Florida, nearly every county in North Carolina and more than 100 counties in both Georgia and Texas. That tally seemed sure to increase as more counties reported their turnout figures.
Voters braved worries of the coronavirus, threats of polling place intimidation, and expectations of long lines caused by changes to voting systems, but appeared undeterred as turnout appeared it would easily surpass the 139 million ballots cast four years ago.
On Wednesday, some awoke to fresh anxiety about an election undecided and what could be ahead.
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“Honestly I’m just more concerned about what’s gonna happen after we find out,” said Deion Flan, a voter in Atlanta. “I just want everything to just go back to the American way. It’s the tension of what could happen, what may happen, what’s going to happen after.”
This story was reported by The Associated Press. AP writers Andrew Taylor in Washington, Kathleen Ronayne in Sacramento, and Sophia Tulp in Atlanta contributed reporting.


csmonitor--2020-11-04--The tales of a culture are encoded in its music

When the pandemic ground everything to a halt , much of the world retreated inward .
Lockdowns drove people into isolation , but something beckoned them onto porches and into courtyards : the call of music .
Videos of Italians singing opera together from their balconies began to sweep social media .
And before long socially distant singalongs were popping up around the world .
Those moments became much more than entertaining diversions .
They were opportunities to come together and breathe collective voice into our hopes , to rejoice in defiance of our fears .
What ’ s more @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , creativity , and joy can , in fact , endure .
When viewed within the gossipy flurry of entertainment news and Top 40 charts , songs , artists , even entire genres seem to rise and fall overnight , mere flashes in the dark .
But take a step back and music becomes transcendent .
Each new star is an amalgam of all who came before ; each song a single snapshot in time .
But more than that , music is a reflection of us .
In our cover story this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ writer , Stephen Humphries , traces the evolution of a uniquely American strain of music : the blues .
Musicians around the world have latched onto the emotion of blues music , which was born in the American South .
And in the early days , it was decidedly female .
In a tale that runs parallel to many threads of American society , the women who pioneered the sound were soon pushed out in favor of men .
But as U.S. society has evolved , so too has the blues .
And @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with a new generation of female artists .
Throughout history , the tales of a culture are encoded in its music .
It is an imperfect record because music influences thought as much as it documents society .
It has fortified revolutions and brought hope – and secret messages – to enslaved people .
That ’ s how great the promise and power of music are : It can be whatever we need it to be .
So this week , I invite you to reconnect with your inner music lover .
Whatever @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to simply listen .
Whether you seek respite , invigoration , or comfort , chances are it ’ s waiting for you in the melody .

When the pandemic ground everything to a halt, much of the world retreated inward. Lockdowns drove people into isolation, but something beckoned them onto porches and into courtyards: the call of music.
Videos of Italians singing opera together from their balconies began to sweep social media. And before long socially distant singalongs were popping up around the world.
Those moments became much more than entertaining diversions. They were opportunities to come together and breathe collective voice into our hopes, to rejoice in defiance of our fears. What’s more, they reminded us all that beauty, creativity, and joy can, in fact, endure.
When viewed within the gossipy flurry of entertainment news and Top 40 charts, songs, artists, even entire genres seem to rise and fall overnight, mere flashes in the dark. But take a step back and music becomes transcendent. Each new star is an amalgam of all who came before; each song a single snapshot in time.
But more than that, music is a reflection of us.
In our cover story this week the Monitor’s chief culture writer, Stephen Humphries, traces the evolution of a uniquely American strain of music: the blues. Musicians around the world have latched onto the emotion of blues music, which was born in the American South. And in the early days, it was decidedly female. In a tale that runs parallel to many threads of American society, the women who pioneered the sound were soon pushed out in favor of men. But as U.S. society has evolved, so too has the blues. And the scene that Stephen encounters is rich with a new generation of female artists.
Get stories that
empower and uplift daily. By signing up, you agree to our Privacy Policy Already a subscriber? Log in to hide ads.
Throughout history, the tales of a culture are encoded in its music. It is an imperfect record because music influences thought as much as it documents society. It has fortified revolutions and brought hope – and secret messages – to enslaved people. That’s how great the promise and power of music are: It can be whatever we need it to be.
So this week, I invite you to reconnect with your inner music lover. Whatever your favorite genre, take some time to simply listen. Whether you seek respite, invigoration, or comfort, chances are it’s waiting for you in the melody.


csmonitor--2020-11-04--Women created the blues. Now they are taking it back.

“ Blues music is born from some pain and suffering and really deeply human experiences of oppression , ” she notes .
“ And yet it ’ s been transfigured into this expression of joy.
” “ There is such a refreshing breath of feminine energy intertwining with the blues yet again ... bringing it back to the masses , ” says Rebecca Lovell of Larkin Poe .
Young female artists like Ms. Venson are emerging as the genre ’ s new leading lights , and they are changing the genre .
When the first gramophone recordings of the blues @ @ @ @ @ @ @ recording artists were Black female singers .
But once the genre started to center around the electric guitar , it became largely dominated by men .
That ’ s now changing .
But while watching a fellow student play guitar , she was struck by how much fun he was having .
Ms. Venson got a guitar and started teaching herself the blues .
In the instrument , she found her voice .
Jackie Venson has never forgotten her first big breakup .
In 2011 , during her senior year at Berklee College @ @ @ @ @ @ @ out of love with music .
A classically trained pianist since childhood , she found herself uninspired and barely playing at all .
When blues legend Buddy Guy headlined one of Asia ’ s signature musical events of 2020 , he invited several other artists on the bill to jam with him onstage for an encore – including two women from Nashville , Tennessee .
For Rebecca and Megan Lovell , who record under the moniker Larkin Poe , appearing at the Mahindra Blues Festival in India was a highlight of a year @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for best contemporary blues album .
The millennial guitarists have been building their reputations since they were teenagers .
( Fun fact : They named their group Larkin Poe after their great-great-great-grandfather , a cousin of Edgar Allan Poe . )
They ’ ve appeared on a solo album by Aerosmith ’ s Steven Tyler .
They opened for Keith Urban ’ s tour in 2019 .
And the sisters blew back Conan O ’ Brien ’ s pompadour when they performed on his talk show .
At the Indian blues festival in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the breakout act as the sisters played tectonic riffs that probably registered on the Richter scale .
“ While Megan raised eyebrows with her ability to shred as skilfully as the more famous axe wielders on the bill , Rebecca showcased a powerful voice , ” wrote a reviewer at Indian news site Firstpost .
Their appearance offered a snapshot of how the blues is evolving .
The music that originated in the late 1800s from Black workers in the American South is becoming increasingly international , multigenerational , and – most strikingly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ recordings of the blues emerged a century ago , its primary recording artists were Black female singers .
But once the genre started to center around the electric guitar , it became largely dominated by men .
That ’ s now changing .
Young female artists such as Samantha Fish , Joanne Shaw Taylor , Jackie Venson , and the sister-led Larkin Poe are emerging as the genre ’ s new leading lights .
To stake out their place , these Generation Z and millennial women have had to uproot a deeply embedded @ @ @ @ @ @ @ play the electric guitar as well as boys .
These contemporary female artists are helping to strip the blues of its “ OK , boomer ” tag by offering fresh musical perspectives .
They are bringing new songs , new lyrics , and greater diversity to a genre that is one of America ’ s original art forms – and a source of cultural expression around the world .
Perhaps most important , by gaining admission to one of the oldest boys clubs in music , they ’ re empowering a new generation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ What ’ s happening is this resurgence of the females of the blues , ” says Sarah Rogo , an up-and-coming , 20-something blues guitarist in Los Angeles whose fans include ZZ Top ’ s Billy Gibbons .
“ A lot of it has to do with the guitar and the resurgence of females in the guitar .
It ’ s like a chain effect.
” A century ago , things looked markedly different for women in the blues .
The nascent music came out of juke joints in the South @ @ @ @ @ @ @ confined to African American venues on what was known as the Chitlin ’ Circuit .
The most popular blues performers in places like Beale Street in Memphis , Tennessee , and Tuxedo Junction in Birmingham , Alabama , were Black women .
Notably , these singers bent their voices to sing something unheard-of in staid European music capitals : minor “ blue ” notes in between major notes over 12-bar shuffles .
The blues drew on the call-and-response of spirituals .
It was a sorrowful sound .
Yet the women who helped pioneer @ @ @ @ @ @ @ recording industry .
Then , in 1920 , vaudeville singer Mamie Smith convinced the Okeh label there would be a huge Black audience for her recordings .
Her second release , which included the song “ Crazy Blues , ” made her the Adele of her era .
“ It ’ s the first song to bring in a million dollars , and it really set a precedent for women taking the stage and starting to become recording artists , ” says Lynn Orman Weiss , head of the Women of the Blues @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Hunter , and Mamie Smith were huge stars.
” In the 1930s , the blues quickly evolved .
The jazzy ragtime style was overtaken by folkier , acoustic guitar variants such as country blues and Delta blues , ushering in the likes of Robert Johnson .
When the big migration of Southern workers to the urban Midwest coincided with the arrival of the electric guitar , it gave birth to the Chicago blues style that predominates to this day .
Ironically , many white Americans and Europeans – the largest audiences for modern @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Black legends of the genre only through British blues guitarists such as Eric Clapton , Jimmy Page , and Keith Richards .
Since then , the blues has been dominated by lead guitar players – and men .
Relatively few women have been prominent stars since the 1950s .
Last year , for instance , guitar slinger Samantha Fish of Kansas City , Missouri , achieved something that the current biggest artist in blues – Generation X virtuoso Joe Bonamassa – has never been able to .
She was reviewed in The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and singer ’ s sixth solo album , “ Kill or Be Kind , ” wasn ’ t just lauded by the Times .
Variety hailed its single “ Bulletproof ” as “ probably the best new rock song we ’ ve heard all year , and maybe for a few years.
” She and other millennials – including Danielle Nicole and Chantel McGregor – are following a path blazed by several Gen Xers .
Chief among them is Susan Tedeschi , who shares guitar duties with husband Derek Trucks in the immensely @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Ana Popović , originally from Serbia , is a regular fixture of the Billboard blues charts and has been praised by USA Today and NPR .
And Carolyn Wonderland ( not her birth certificate name , in case you ’ re wondering ) is now the lead guitarist for John Mayall , the legendary British blues artist .
“ There is such a refreshing breath of feminine energy intertwining with the blues yet again ... bringing it back to the masses , ” says Rebecca Lovell of Larkin Poe .
“ Blues music @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and really deeply human experiences of oppression , ” she notes .
“ And yet it ’ s been transfigured into this expression of joy.
” You won ’ t get an argument about joy from Ms. Taylor , the millennial blues star .
In 2012 , when Annie Lennox performed at the Queen ’ s Diamond Jubilee Concert on a stage outside Buckingham Palace , 17 million television viewers were treated to an uncommon sight .
It wasn ’ t the angel wings that she and her band donned for a bluesy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Must Be an Angel.
” Nor was it Ms. Lennox ’ s rock ’ n ’ roll move of repeatedly twirling her microphone cord over her head as if it were a helicopter rotor .
It was the sight of Ms. Taylor stepping forward to play a wailing guitar solo .
“ It was shortly before my mom passed away , ” says Ms. Taylor , who is from the West Midlands region of England and cracked the top 20 album chart in the United Kingdom with her 2019 album , “ Reckless @ @ @ @ @ @ @ thankful that she got to see something big that she talked about forever.
” Ever since the invention of the electric guitar , there have been women such as Ms. Taylor who have excelled at playing the instrument .
Yet in popular culture , they have largely been an invisible minority .
During the height of the guitar hero era between the 1970s and 1990s , even the most gifted female players were seldom featured on MTV or radio .
Other highly accomplished guitarists such as Joni Mitchell were frequently underrated because they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ played acoustic guitar .
As a result , the guitar came to be widely viewed as a masculine instrument .
Hence the use of terms such as “ ax man.
” “ As a young teenager , I felt kind of out of place when I even contemplated learning how to play lead guitar , ” says Ms .
Fish , whose snarling slide solo on “ Bulletproof ” could blow the cobwebs off a pair of stereo speakers .
“ I felt there was a little bit of even just a psychological @ @ @ @ @ @ @ t sure if that was something that women do.
” Novices on the instrument may have been intimidated by the idea of entering guitar stores that were heavily staffed by men .
Indeed , until recently , the industry hasn ’ t been welcoming to women .
For decades , bikini-clad models posing with fretboards were a regular sight in guitar magazines and trade-show booths .
The sexist message to men : Want to attract women ?
Play guitar .
Yet artists like Ms .
Fish and Ms. Taylor weren ’ t deterred @ @ @ @ @ @ @ re of a generation whose mothers had careers .
Younger women have also been taught to smash glass ceilings , as well as perhaps the occasional guitar .
“ It ’ s not just the mom saying it ; it ’ s the dads saying it as well , ” says Christine Hassler , author of the “ 20 Something Manifesto ” and an expert on millennials .
“ And so they don ’ t really see the gender barrier as much.
” Years before she became a British blues star , Ms. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ would watch VHS tapes of guitar greats .
Other than Bonnie Raitt , there weren ’ t many female role models for her to look up to .
Instead , the self-taught guitarist worked hard to emulate the likes of Stevie Ray Vaughan .
“ We see ourselves reflected in the artists we look up to , don ’ t we ?
I apparently saw myself reflected in a cowboy from Austin , Texas , for some reason , ” she laughs .
The increasing prominence of female artists in the blues mirrors @ @ @ @ @ @ @ music industry .
In 2020 , many of the biggest artists in popular music are millennial and Gen Z women .
One has to take a very deep breath before listing just some of the household names who are topping the charts , winning Grammys , and garnering critical acclaim : Billie Eilish , Dua Lipa , Cardi B , Taylor Swift , Beyoncé , Kacey Musgraves , Lana Del Rey , Ariana Grande , and the Korean group Blackpink .
For all the high-profile success of many of these artists in dominating @ @ @ @ @ @ @ music industry is still dominated by men .
Heavily so .
A 2020 study by the Annenberg Inclusion Initiative at the University of Southern California examined 800 popular songs and found that just 21 % of them were by female artists .
Just 12.5 % of those songs were written by women .
Very few producers are women .
Many female artists aren ’ t taken as seriously as men .
But displays of virtuosity on guitar are helping to change perceptions .
Just look at what happened when Shakira picked up her @ @ @ @ @ @ @ halftime show .
“ As far as women in pop music , they were more traditionally featured without instruments and they were more thought of as pure vocalists .
But the barriers have broken down quite a bit in recent years , ” says Alexx Calise , a journalist for Guitar Girl Magazine and a successful modern-rock artist .
“ There are a lot more female guitarists to look to now.
” In mainstream music , however , the guitar is often not so much a lead instrument as a textural one .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ posed the question , “ Is the guitar solo finished ?
” For young women who wish to stretch out on the fretboard , the blues still represents a haven .
It ’ s a genre of music in which young women can fully explore the instrument ’ s expressive qualities by letting it rip .
Jackie Venson has never forgotten her first big breakup .
In 2011 , during her senior year at the Berklee College of Music in Boston , she fell out of love with music .
A classically trained @ @ @ @ @ @ @ uninspired and barely playing at all .
But while hanging out with some college friends , the young Texan discovered her passion again .
Watching a fellow student play guitar , she was struck by how much fun he was having .
Ms. Venson got a guitar and started teaching herself the blues .
In the instrument , she found her voice .
“ I wish I was a better singer , ” she says .
“ It ’ s not something I ’ ve ever really been able to achieve with the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ But I can achieve it on the guitar ... in the tone and in the speed and the bending .
I can achieve the same excitement that gospel singers achieve when they sing.
” Ms. Venson is now an ascending star of the blues .
In early October , she taped an episode of “ Austin City Limits ” for PBS .
This year , almost a decade after Ms. Venson graduated from Berklee , the college ’ s guitar department registered its highest number of women in the incoming class .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” says Sheryl Bailey , assistant chair of the department , whose female students number between 10 % and 15 % .
By contrast , when Ms. Bailey attended Berklee as a student in the mid-1980s , she was one of just two women in the program of about 1,000 students .
The trend goes beyond music schools .
Two years ago , the Fender guitar company released a study showing that 50 % of new guitar players are female .
“ Do we see the trend that there are more females playing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ than ever ?
Yes , absolutely , ” says Elizabeth Heidt , global head of entertainment relations at Gibson Brands , the manufacturer most famous for making guitars such as Les Pauls .
But she adds that the trend has been building for quite a while , abetted by technology .
Social media has helped encourage more diversity in the industry .
“ We ’ re out there playing and we can find someone else that looks and sounds like us , ” says Ms. Heidt .
“ So we can feel comfortable @ @ @ @ @ @ @ learning how to play by tapping into the thousands of instructional videos on YouTube .
Typical of their generation , Gen Zers also post videos of how they ’ ve mastered tricky hopscotches on the fretboard .
“ I always joked that , you know , the next generation better be far better guitar players than me because I literally had to cycle into my local town and ask for a B.B .
King CD that would be delivered to me in six weeks at my local record shop , ” says Ms. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ know , they ’ ve got every tutorial available to them on YouTube .
So they ’ d better be better and up the game !
” The new generation of blues artists is certainly changing the genre .
They ’ re bringing a broader range of subject matter to an ancient form of music , making it more relevant to the 21st century .
When it comes to lyrics , for instance , they ’ re avoiding lazily regurgitated clichés .
That means no songs about how my baby just left me @ @ @ @ @ @ @ here at the crossroads because someone stole my truck .
And my dog just died .
Instead , younger artists are penning songs that deal with topics such as social justice , domestic issues , equality , and , of course , love , observes Ms. Orman from the Women of the Blues Foundation .
Larkin Poe likes to get playful with words .
The lead single from its most recent album is titled “ She ’ s a Self Made Man.
” “ My sister and I , we have said the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ time again our entire lives and used it as an expression of respect without ever having really cottoned on to the fact that you are qualifying success by gender , ” explains lap-steel guitarist Megan Lovell .
The duo isn ’ t averse to changing up the blues in other ways .
Like many young artists , they draw from a wide range of musical genres .
Their upcoming covers album , “ Kindred Spirits , ” includes rootsy renditions of songs ranging from those by The Moody Blues to Phil Collins to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Ms .
Fish isn ’ t afraid to upset some purists by moving from acoustic country blues to synthesizer textures .
“ Blues fans are definitely a specific demographic , ” says Ms .
Fish .
“ All you have to do is look around at a festival and you ’ re going to see a lot of the 40- to 60-year-old men in the crowd .
I don ’ t think my gender is really so much going to change that .
But ...
I ’ m constantly reaching and trying new @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has cultivated a multigenerational audience by using platforms such as TikTok and Twitter to get her hip-hop-influenced blues music heard .
( Who needs radio anymore ? )
During one three-month period of the pandemic lockdown , her nearly daily live performances on Facebook drew a cumulative audience of 1.5 million , according to the concert industry publication Pollstar .
Despite being a relative latecomer to the guitar , she ’ s put in the requisite practice to overcome sexist skepticism that she wouldn ’ t be able to cut it .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ up against that , ” she says .
“ If I am just genuinely really good , then it doesn ’ t matter that it ’ s there because it doesn ’ t apply to me.
” A common refrain among these artists is their hope that the qualifier “ female ” guitar player will someday vanish from the popular lexicon .
“ If someone just played some music , does that matter to you , the gender ?
” asks Ms. Bailey , the jazz guitar maestro who co-chairs Berklee ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to set it up ?
‘ Listen to this male guitarist or white guitarist or Asian guitarist.
’ No , just , ‘ Listen to this guitarist.
’ ” At the Indian blues festival earlier this year , the final gathering of performers represented a genre of music that is less and less defined by labels .
The players were male , female , young , old , American , and Indian .
For Larkin Poe , it was a moment of just being present in the music .
“ We definitely feel @ @ @ @ @ @ @ It is not prized in the way that it should be , ” says Rebecca Lovell .
“ Just to be a part of the fresh blood who are coming in and attempting to shine light upon these legends of music that certainly don ’ t get the attention and respect that they deserve ... that is gratifying .
”

“Blues music is born from some pain and suffering and really deeply human experiences of oppression,” she notes. “And yet it’s been transfigured into this expression of joy.”
“There is such a refreshing breath of feminine energy intertwining with the blues yet again ... bringing it back to the masses,” says Rebecca Lovell of Larkin Poe.
Young female artists like Ms. Venson are emerging as the genre’s new leading lights, and they are changing the genre.
When the first gramophone recordings of the blues emerged a century ago, its primary recording artists were Black female singers. But once the genre started to center around the electric guitar, it became largely dominated by men. That’s now changing.
Many blues pioneers were Black women. But later, with the rise of the electric guitar, the genre was taken over by men. Now young female artists are grabbing Gibsons and reinvigorating the art form.
But while watching a fellow student play guitar, she was struck by how much fun he was having. Ms. Venson got a guitar and started teaching herself the blues. In the instrument, she found her voice.
Jackie Venson has never forgotten her first big breakup. In 2011, during her senior year at Berklee College of Music in Boston, she fell out of love with music. A classically trained pianist since childhood, she found herself uninspired and barely playing at all.
When blues legend Buddy Guy headlined one of Asia’s signature musical events of 2020, he invited several other artists on the bill to jam with him onstage for an encore – including two women from Nashville, Tennessee.
For Rebecca and Megan Lovell, who record under the moniker Larkin Poe, appearing at the Mahindra Blues Festival in India was a highlight of a year that also included earning a Grammy nomination for best contemporary blues album.
The millennial guitarists have been building their reputations since they were teenagers. (Fun fact: They named their group Larkin Poe after their great-great-great-grandfather, a cousin of Edgar Allan Poe.) They’ve appeared on a solo album by Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler. They opened for Keith Urban’s tour in 2019. And the sisters blew back Conan O’Brien’s pompadour when they performed on his talk show.
Why We Wrote This Many blues pioneers were Black women. But later, with the rise of the electric guitar, the genre was taken over by men. Now young female artists are grabbing Gibsons and reinvigorating the art form.
At the Indian blues festival in February, Larkin Poe was hailed as the breakout act as the sisters played tectonic riffs that probably registered on the Richter scale.
“While Megan raised eyebrows with her ability to shred as skilfully as the more famous axe wielders on the bill, Rebecca showcased a powerful voice,” wrote a reviewer at Indian news site Firstpost.
Their appearance offered a snapshot of how the blues is evolving. The music that originated in the late 1800s from Black workers in the American South is becoming increasingly international, multigenerational, and – most strikingly – female.
EMILY BUTLER View caption Hide caption Sisters Rebecca Lovell (left) and Megan Lovell of Larkin Poe, a fast-rising blues group, play at a venue in Atlanta in 2017. The women named the group after their great-great-great-grandfather.
When the first gramophone recordings of the blues emerged a century ago, its primary recording artists were Black female singers. But once the genre started to center around the electric guitar, it became largely dominated by men. That’s now changing. Young female artists such as Samantha Fish, Joanne Shaw Taylor, Jackie Venson, and the sister-led Larkin Poe are emerging as the genre’s new leading lights. To stake out their place, these Generation Z and millennial women have had to uproot a deeply embedded cultural notion: Girls can’t play the electric guitar as well as boys.
These contemporary female artists are helping to strip the blues of its “OK, boomer” tag by offering fresh musical perspectives. They are bringing new songs, new lyrics, and greater diversity to a genre that is one of America’s original art forms – and a source of cultural expression around the world. Perhaps most important, by gaining admission to one of the oldest boys clubs in music, they’re empowering a new generation of young women to start playing music.
“What’s happening is this resurgence of the females of the blues,” says Sarah Rogo, an up-and-coming, 20-something blues guitarist in Los Angeles whose fans include ZZ Top’s Billy Gibbons. “A lot of it has to do with the guitar and the resurgence of females in the guitar. It’s like a chain effect.”
“Blue” notes
A century ago, things looked markedly different for women in the blues. The nascent music came out of juke joints in the South frequented by cotton-field workers. It was confined to African American venues on what was known as the Chitlin’ Circuit.
The most popular blues performers in places like Beale Street in Memphis, Tennessee, and Tuxedo Junction in Birmingham, Alabama, were Black women. Notably, these singers bent their voices to sing something unheard-of in staid European music capitals: minor “blue” notes in between major notes over 12-bar shuffles. The blues drew on the call-and-response of spirituals. It was a sorrowful sound.
Yet the women who helped pioneer the genre were shut out from the recording industry. Then, in 1920, vaudeville singer Mamie Smith convinced the Okeh label there would be a huge Black audience for her recordings. Her second release, which included the song “Crazy Blues,” made her the Adele of her era.
“It’s the first song to bring in a million dollars, and it really set a precedent for women taking the stage and starting to become recording artists,” says Lynn Orman Weiss, head of the Women of the Blues Foundation. “Bessie Smith, Alberta Hunter, and Mamie Smith were huge stars.”
DONALDSON COLLECTION/GETTY IMAGES View caption Hide caption Memphis Minnie, shown here in 1928, was known as “Queen of the Country Blues.” She recorded some 200 songs in the early- to mid-1900s.
In the 1930s, the blues quickly evolved. The jazzy ragtime style was overtaken by folkier, acoustic guitar variants such as country blues and Delta blues, ushering in the likes of Robert Johnson. When the big migration of Southern workers to the urban Midwest coincided with the arrival of the electric guitar, it gave birth to the Chicago blues style that predominates to this day.
Ironically, many white Americans and Europeans – the largest audiences for modern blues – were introduced to some of the Black legends of the genre only through British blues guitarists such as Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page, and Keith Richards.
Since then, the blues has been dominated by lead guitar players – and men. Relatively few women have been prominent stars since the 1950s.
Until now.
Last year, for instance, guitar slinger Samantha Fish of Kansas City, Missouri, achieved something that the current biggest artist in blues – Generation X virtuoso Joe Bonamassa – has never been able to. She was reviewed in The New York Times. And the guitarist and singer’s sixth solo album, “Kill or Be Kind,” wasn’t just lauded by the Times. Variety hailed its single “Bulletproof” as “probably the best new rock song we’ve heard all year, and maybe for a few years.”
She and other millennials – including Danielle Nicole and Chantel McGregor – are following a path blazed by several Gen Xers. Chief among them is Susan Tedeschi, who shares guitar duties with husband Derek Trucks in the immensely popular, Grammy-winning Tedeschi Trucks Band. Ana Popović, originally from Serbia, is a regular fixture of the Billboard blues charts and has been praised by USA Today and NPR. And Carolyn Wonderland (not her birth certificate name, in case you’re wondering) is now the lead guitarist for John Mayall, the legendary British blues artist.
“There is such a refreshing breath of feminine energy intertwining with the blues yet again ... bringing it back to the masses,” says Rebecca Lovell of Larkin Poe.
“Blues music is born from some pain and suffering and really deeply human experiences of oppression,” she notes. “And yet it’s been transfigured into this expression of joy.”
MICHAEL OCHS ARCHIVES/GETTY IMAGES View caption Hide caption R&B singer Big Mama Thornton, whose biggest single, “Hound Dog,” sold more than 2 million copies, performs in 1970.
You won’t get an argument about joy from Ms. Taylor, the millennial blues star. In 2012, when Annie Lennox performed at the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Concert on a stage outside Buckingham Palace, 17 million television viewers were treated to an uncommon sight.
It wasn’t the angel wings that she and her band donned for a bluesy rendition of the Eurythmics hit “There Must Be an Angel.” Nor was it Ms. Lennox’s rock ’n’ roll move of repeatedly twirling her microphone cord over her head as if it were a helicopter rotor. It was the sight of Ms. Taylor stepping forward to play a wailing guitar solo.
“It was shortly before my mom passed away,” says Ms. Taylor, who is from the West Midlands region of England and cracked the top 20 album chart in the United Kingdom with her 2019 album, “Reckless Blues.” “I’m very thankful that she got to see something big that she talked about forever.”
Ever since the invention of the electric guitar, there have been women such as Ms. Taylor who have excelled at playing the instrument. Yet in popular culture, they have largely been an invisible minority. During the height of the guitar hero era between the 1970s and 1990s, even the most gifted female players were seldom featured on MTV or radio. Other highly accomplished guitarists such as Joni Mitchell were frequently underrated because they weren’t as flashy or mostly played acoustic guitar.
As a result, the guitar came to be widely viewed as a masculine instrument. Hence the use of terms such as “ax man.”
“As a young teenager, I felt kind of out of place when I even contemplated learning how to play lead guitar,” says Ms. Fish, whose snarling slide solo on “Bulletproof” could blow the cobwebs off a pair of stereo speakers. “I felt there was a little bit of even just a psychological thing with me where I wasn’t sure if that was something that women do.”
Novices on the instrument may have been intimidated by the idea of entering guitar stores that were heavily staffed by men. Indeed, until recently, the industry hasn’t been welcoming to women. For decades, bikini-clad models posing with fretboards were a regular sight in guitar magazines and trade-show booths. The sexist message to men: Want to attract women? Play guitar.
Yet artists like Ms. Fish and Ms. Taylor weren’t deterred from plugging in amplifiers. They’re of a generation whose mothers had careers. Younger women have also been taught to smash glass ceilings, as well as perhaps the occasional guitar.
CHASELIFE PHOTOGRAPHY View caption Hide caption Musician Sarah Rogo, an up-and-coming blues guitarist, opens for Jimmie Vaughan at a concert in San Diego in April 2019.
“It’s not just the mom saying it; it’s the dads saying it as well,” says Christine Hassler, author of the “20 Something Manifesto” and an expert on millennials. “And so they don’t really see the gender barrier as much.”
Years before she became a British blues star, Ms. Taylor recalls that she and her father would watch VHS tapes of guitar greats. Other than Bonnie Raitt, there weren’t many female role models for her to look up to. Instead, the self-taught guitarist worked hard to emulate the likes of Stevie Ray Vaughan.
“We see ourselves reflected in the artists we look up to, don’t we? I apparently saw myself reflected in a cowboy from Austin, Texas, for some reason,” she laughs.
The increasing prominence of female artists in the blues mirrors what’s happening elsewhere in the music industry. In 2020, many of the biggest artists in popular music are millennial and Gen Z women. One has to take a very deep breath before listing just some of the household names who are topping the charts, winning Grammys, and garnering critical acclaim: Billie Eilish, Dua Lipa, Cardi B, Taylor Swift, Beyoncé, Kacey Musgraves, Lana Del Rey, Ariana Grande, and the Korean group Blackpink.
For all the high-profile success of many of these artists in dominating popular culture, the totality of the music industry is still dominated by men. Heavily so. A 2020 study by the Annenberg Inclusion Initiative at the University of Southern California examined 800 popular songs and found that just 21% of them were by female artists. Just 12.5% of those songs were written by women. Very few producers are women. Many female artists aren’t taken as seriously as men.
But displays of virtuosity on guitar are helping to change perceptions. Just look at what happened when Shakira picked up her Gibson Firebird and scorched the Super Bowl halftime show.
“As far as women in pop music, they were more traditionally featured without instruments and they were more thought of as pure vocalists. But the barriers have broken down quite a bit in recent years,” says Alexx Calise, a journalist for Guitar Girl Magazine and a successful modern-rock artist. “There are a lot more female guitarists to look to now.”
In mainstream music, however, the guitar is often not so much a lead instrument as a textural one. Last year, Rolling Stone magazine even posed the question, “Is the guitar solo finished?”
For young women who wish to stretch out on the fretboard, the blues still represents a haven. It’s a genre of music in which young women can fully explore the instrument’s expressive qualities by letting it rip.
Rebirth
Jackie Venson has never forgotten her first big breakup. In 2011, during her senior year at the Berklee College of Music in Boston, she fell out of love with music. A classically trained pianist since childhood, she found herself uninspired and barely playing at all.
But while hanging out with some college friends, the young Texan discovered her passion again. Watching a fellow student play guitar, she was struck by how much fun he was having. Ms. Venson got a guitar and started teaching herself the blues. In the instrument, she found her voice.
“I wish I was a better singer,” she says. “It’s not something I’ve ever really been able to achieve with the tools I’ve been given. But I can achieve it on the guitar ... in the tone and in the speed and the bending. I can achieve the same excitement that gospel singers achieve when they sing.”
MITCH CONRAD FOR GIBSON View caption Hide caption Jackie Venson, a classically trained pianist who later took up the guitar and is now an ascending blues star, holds her Gibson Les Paul Studio guitar.
Ms. Venson is now an ascending star of the blues. In early October, she taped an episode of “Austin City Limits” for PBS.
This year, almost a decade after Ms. Venson graduated from Berklee, the college’s guitar department registered its highest number of women in the incoming class. “They’re very high-level players,” says Sheryl Bailey, assistant chair of the department, whose female students number between 10% and 15%. By contrast, when Ms. Bailey attended Berklee as a student in the mid-1980s, she was one of just two women in the program of about 1,000 students.
The trend goes beyond music schools. Two years ago, the Fender guitar company released a study showing that 50% of new guitar players are female.
“Do we see the trend that there are more females playing or within the music industry at large than ever? Yes, absolutely,” says Elizabeth Heidt, global head of entertainment relations at Gibson Brands, the manufacturer most famous for making guitars such as Les Pauls. But she adds that the trend has been building for quite a while, abetted by technology. Social media has helped encourage more diversity in the industry. “We’re out there playing and we can find someone else that looks and sounds like us,” says Ms. Heidt. “So we can feel comfortable and connect.”
Many budding guitarists are learning how to play by tapping into the thousands of instructional videos on YouTube. Typical of their generation, Gen Zers also post videos of how they’ve mastered tricky hopscotches on the fretboard.
“I always joked that, you know, the next generation better be far better guitar players than me because I literally had to cycle into my local town and ask for a B.B. King CD that would be delivered to me in six weeks at my local record shop,” says Ms. Taylor. “And now, you know, they’ve got every tutorial available to them on YouTube. So they’d better be better and up the game!”
“She’s a Self Made Man”
The new generation of blues artists is certainly changing the genre. They’re bringing a broader range of subject matter to an ancient form of music, making it more relevant to the 21st century.
When it comes to lyrics, for instance, they’re avoiding lazily regurgitated clichés.
That means no songs about how my baby just left me on a southbound train, leaving me here at the crossroads because someone stole my truck. And my dog just died. Instead, younger artists are penning songs that deal with topics such as social justice, domestic issues, equality, and, of course, love, observes Ms. Orman from the Women of the Blues Foundation.
Larkin Poe likes to get playful with words. The lead single from its most recent album is titled “She’s a Self Made Man.”
“My sister and I, we have said the phrase ‘self-made man’ time and time again our entire lives and used it as an expression of respect without ever having really cottoned on to the fact that you are qualifying success by gender,” explains lap-steel guitarist Megan Lovell.
The duo isn’t averse to changing up the blues in other ways. Like many young artists, they draw from a wide range of musical genres. Their upcoming covers album, “Kindred Spirits,” includes rootsy renditions of songs ranging from those by The Moody Blues to Phil Collins to hip-hop star Post Malone.
Similarly, Ms. Fish isn’t afraid to upset some purists by moving from acoustic country blues to synthesizer textures.
“Blues fans are definitely a specific demographic,” says Ms. Fish. “All you have to do is look around at a festival and you’re going to see a lot of the 40- to 60-year-old men in the crowd. I don’t think my gender is really so much going to change that. But ... I’m constantly reaching and trying new things with my music.”
Ms. Venson has cultivated a multigenerational audience by using platforms such as TikTok and Twitter to get her hip-hop-influenced blues music heard. (Who needs radio anymore?) During one three-month period of the pandemic lockdown, her nearly daily live performances on Facebook drew a cumulative audience of 1.5 million, according to the concert industry publication Pollstar. Despite being a relative latecomer to the guitar, she’s put in the requisite practice to overcome sexist skepticism that she wouldn’t be able to cut it.
“I knew I was going to come up against that,” she says. “If I am just genuinely really good, then it doesn’t matter that it’s there because it doesn’t apply to me.”
A common refrain among these artists is their hope that the qualifier “female” guitar player will someday vanish from the popular lexicon.
“If someone just played some music, does that matter to you, the gender?” asks Ms. Bailey, the jazz guitar maestro who co-chairs Berklee’s guitar department. “Do they have to set it up? ‘Listen to this male guitarist or white guitarist or Asian guitarist.’ No, just, ‘Listen to this guitarist.’”
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At the Indian blues festival earlier this year, the final gathering of performers represented a genre of music that is less and less defined by labels. The players were male, female, young, old, American, and Indian. For Larkin Poe, it was a moment of just being present in the music.
“We definitely feel that it is an underrated genre. It is not prized in the way that it should be,” says Rebecca Lovell. “Just to be a part of the fresh blood who are coming in and attempting to shine light upon these legends of music that certainly don’t get the attention and respect that they deserve ... that is gratifying.”


csmonitor--2020-11-04--Drugs, gerrymandering, and abortion: How Americans voted

A nationwide push to relax drug laws took a significant step forward Tuesday as five more states in the United States legalized marijuana for adults and voters made Oregon the first state to decriminalize the possession of small amounts of street drugs such as cocaine , heroin , and methamphetamine .
The drug measures were among 120 proposed state laws and constitutional amendments that were on the ballot in 32 states .
They touched on an array of issues that have roiled politics in recent years – voting rights , racial inequalities , abortion , taxes , and education , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ directly dealt with the dominant theme of 2020 – the coronavirus pandemic .
That ’ s because the process to put measures on the ballot began , in most cases , before the virus surged to the forefront .
The Oregon drug initiative will allow people arrested with small amounts of hard drugs to avoid going to trial , and possible jail time , by paying a $ 100 fine and attending an addiction recovery program .
The treatment centers will be funded by revenues from legalized marijuana , which was approved in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s victory is a landmark declaration that the time has come to stop criminalizing people for drug use , ” said Kassandra Frederique , executive director of the Drug Policy Alliance , which backed the measure .
The proposal was endorsed by the Oregon Democratic Party , as well as some nurses and physician associations .
The Oregon Republican Party had denounced the drug decriminalization measure as radical , and some prosecutors called it reckless .
Oregon voters also approved a measure making the state the first to legalize the therapeutic use @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Jersey and Arizona approved measures legalizing marijuana for adults age 21 and older .
In New Jersey , the Legislature now will have to pass another measure setting up the new marijuana marketplace .
The Arizona measure also allows people convicted of certain marijuana crimes to seek expungement of their records .
The passage of the measure signaled a change of attitudes , after Arizona voters narrowly defeated a legal pot proposal in 2016 .
South Dakota on Tuesday became the first state where voters authorized both recreational marijuana and medical marijuana via @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The legalization of recreational marijuana was approved by voters in Montana , and medical marijuana won approval in Mississippi .
A decade ago , recreational marijuana was illegal in all 50 states .
Voters allowed it in Colorado and Washington in 2012 , sparking a movement that already included 11 states and Washington , D.C. , heading into Tuesday ’ s elections .
Supporters hope additional victories , especially in conservative states , could build pressure for Congress to legalize marijuana nationwide .
Two states considered anti-abortion amendments with different results .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ is no state constitutional right to abortion – something that could come into play if the U.S. Supreme Court overturns its Roe v. Wade decision that legalized abortion nationwide .
In Colorado , by contrast , voters defeated a measure to prohibit abortions after 22 weeks unless the pregnant woman ’ s life is endangered .
Previous Colorado ballot initiatives to limit abortion also failed in 2008 , 2010 , and 2014 .
Several states also were considering measures affecting voting rights .
Virginia voters passed a constitutional amendment taking power away from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ voting districts for themselves and members of Congress based on census results .
It instead will create a bipartisan commission of lawmakers and citizens to develop a redistricting plan that the Legislature could approve or reject , but not change .
Virginia is the sixth state in the past two general election cycles to pass measures intended to prevent gerrymandering – a process in which politicians draw voting districts to benefit themselves or their political parties .
Voters in Missouri , which passed a redistricting reform measure in 2018 , voted Tuesday on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it before it can be used next year .
The Missouri measure , which remained undecided in a close vote , would repeal a nationally unique model using a nonpartisan demographer to draw state House and Senate districts to achieve “ partisan fairness ” and “ competitiveness.
” Republicans who control the Legislature put forth a new ballot measure this year that would return redistricting duties to a pair of bipartisan commissions and drop “ partisan fairness ” and “ competitiveness ” to the end of the criteria .
In Florida , voters @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wage to $ 15 an hour by 2026 .
The measure puts Florida in line with at least seven other states – California , Connecticut , Illinois , Maryland , Massachusetts , New Jersey , and New York – and Washington , D.C. , which already have enacted laws to gradually boost the minimum wage to $ 15 an hour .
In Mississippi , voters approved a proposal for a new state flag with a magnolia design .
The vote came after legislators in June ended the use of a flag bearing a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , whose official name is “ Rhode Island and Providence Plantations , ” residents in a close vote were deciding whether to eliminate the final three words , which some say evoke a legacy of slavery .
Tax proposals were on the ballot in more than a dozen states .
Tobacco tax hikes passed in Colorado and Oregon .
Colorado voters also approved a slight income tax cut .
Proposals to charge higher income taxes on the wealthy were trailing in Illinois but leading in Arizona , where the new revenue would fund @ @ @ @ @ @ @ personnel .
A California property tax increase on businesses remained close .
In California , Uber , Lyft , and other app-based ride-hailing and delivery services have prevailed in their expensive gamble to keep drivers classified as independent contractors .
Proposition 22 pitted the powerhouses of the so-called gig economy , including DoorDash , Postmates , and Instacart , against labor unions .
It ’ s the most expensive California ballot measure ever – more than $ 220 million was spent , most by the gig companies .
The measure creates an exemption @ @ @ @ @ @ @ made drivers eligible for benefits that come with being company employees .
San Francisco-based Uber and Lyft threatened to pull out of California if they lost .
Among the many California ballot proposals was one to repeal a 1996 initiative that prohibits affirmative action programs granting preferential treatment based on race , sex , color , ethnicity , or national origin in public employment , education , or contracting .
It was trailing in the polls .
This story was reported by The Associated Press .
AP writer Andrew Selsky contributed to this @ @

A nationwide push to relax drug laws took a significant step forward Tuesday as five more states in the United States legalized marijuana for adults and voters made Oregon the first state to decriminalize the possession of small amounts of street drugs such as cocaine, heroin, and methamphetamine.
The drug measures were among 120 proposed state laws and constitutional amendments that were on the ballot in 32 states. They touched on an array of issues that have roiled politics in recent years – voting rights, racial inequalities, abortion, taxes, and education, to name a few.
But none directly dealt with the dominant theme of 2020 – the coronavirus pandemic. That’s because the process to put measures on the ballot began, in most cases, before the virus surged to the forefront.
Marijuana legalization and other drug measures
The Oregon drug initiative will allow people arrested with small amounts of hard drugs to avoid going to trial, and possible jail time, by paying a $100 fine and attending an addiction recovery program. The treatment centers will be funded by revenues from legalized marijuana, which was approved in Oregon several years ago.
“Today’s victory is a landmark declaration that the time has come to stop criminalizing people for drug use,” said Kassandra Frederique, executive director of the Drug Policy Alliance, which backed the measure.
The proposal was endorsed by the Oregon Democratic Party, as well as some nurses and physician associations. The Oregon Republican Party had denounced the drug decriminalization measure as radical, and some prosecutors called it reckless.
Oregon voters also approved a measure making the state the first to legalize the therapeutic use of psychedelic mushrooms.
Voters in New Jersey and Arizona approved measures legalizing marijuana for adults age 21 and older. In New Jersey, the Legislature now will have to pass another measure setting up the new marijuana marketplace. The Arizona measure also allows people convicted of certain marijuana crimes to seek expungement of their records. The passage of the measure signaled a change of attitudes, after Arizona voters narrowly defeated a legal pot proposal in 2016.
South Dakota on Tuesday became the first state where voters authorized both recreational marijuana and medical marijuana via two separate initiatives in the same election. The legalization of recreational marijuana was approved by voters in Montana, and medical marijuana won approval in Mississippi.
A decade ago, recreational marijuana was illegal in all 50 states. Voters allowed it in Colorado and Washington in 2012, sparking a movement that already included 11 states and Washington, D.C., heading into Tuesday’s elections. Supporters hope additional victories, especially in conservative states, could build pressure for Congress to legalize marijuana nationwide.
Abortion rights
Two states considered anti-abortion amendments with different results.
Louisiana voters passed a measure asserting there is no state constitutional right to abortion – something that could come into play if the U.S. Supreme Court overturns its Roe v. Wade decision that legalized abortion nationwide.
In Colorado, by contrast, voters defeated a measure to prohibit abortions after 22 weeks unless the pregnant woman’s life is endangered. Previous Colorado ballot initiatives to limit abortion also failed in 2008, 2010, and 2014.
Voting rights and gerrymandering
Several states also were considering measures affecting voting rights.
Virginia voters passed a constitutional amendment taking power away from members of the Democratic-led Legislature to draw voting districts for themselves and members of Congress based on census results. It instead will create a bipartisan commission of lawmakers and citizens to develop a redistricting plan that the Legislature could approve or reject, but not change.
Virginia is the sixth state in the past two general election cycles to pass measures intended to prevent gerrymandering – a process in which politicians draw voting districts to benefit themselves or their political parties. Voters in Missouri, which passed a redistricting reform measure in 2018, voted Tuesday on whether to roll back key parts of it before it can be used next year.
The Missouri measure, which remained undecided in a close vote, would repeal a nationally unique model using a nonpartisan demographer to draw state House and Senate districts to achieve “partisan fairness” and “competitiveness.” Republicans who control the Legislature put forth a new ballot measure this year that would return redistricting duties to a pair of bipartisan commissions and drop “partisan fairness” and “competitiveness” to the end of the criteria.
Minimum wage
In Florida, voters approved a measure gradually increasing the minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2026. The measure puts Florida in line with at least seven other states – California, Connecticut, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and New York – and Washington, D.C., which already have enacted laws to gradually boost the minimum wage to $15 an hour.
Other matters
In Mississippi, voters approved a proposal for a new state flag with a magnolia design. The vote came after legislators in June ended the use of a flag bearing a Confederate battle emblem. In Rhode Island, whose official name is “Rhode Island and Providence Plantations,” residents in a close vote were deciding whether to eliminate the final three words, which some say evoke a legacy of slavery.
Tax proposals were on the ballot in more than a dozen states. Tobacco tax hikes passed in Colorado and Oregon. Colorado voters also approved a slight income tax cut. Proposals to charge higher income taxes on the wealthy were trailing in Illinois but leading in Arizona, where the new revenue would fund pay raises for teachers and other school personnel. A California property tax increase on businesses remained close.
In California, Uber, Lyft, and other app-based ride-hailing and delivery services have prevailed in their expensive gamble to keep drivers classified as independent contractors.
Proposition 22 pitted the powerhouses of the so-called gig economy, including DoorDash, Postmates, and Instacart, against labor unions. It’s the most expensive California ballot measure ever – more than $220 million was spent, most by the gig companies.
The measure creates an exemption to a state law that would have made drivers eligible for benefits that come with being company employees. San Francisco-based Uber and Lyft threatened to pull out of California if they lost.
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Among the many California ballot proposals was one to repeal a 1996 initiative that prohibits affirmative action programs granting preferential treatment based on race, sex, color, ethnicity, or national origin in public employment, education, or contracting. It was trailing in the polls.
This story was reported by The Associated Press. AP writer Andrew Selsky contributed to this report.


csmonitor--2020-11-04--For second time, Donald Trump scores critical win in Ohio

President Donald Trump has again carried Ohio , historically a must-win state for Republicans .
No Republican has reached the White House without carrying Ohio .
The last Democrat to do so was John F. Kennedy in 1960 , when Richard Nixon won the state .
Mr. Trump reaps Ohio ’ s 18 electoral votes for a second time , beating Democrat former Vice President Joe Biden after his 2016 victory over Hillary Clinton , the former United States secretary of state .
Meanwhile , the state ’ s congressional seats remained unchanged , with all 16 incumbents winning .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the state ’ s U.S. House delegation since the GOP-drawn map took effect in 2012 .
GOP legislators will keep “ supermajorities ” in the Statehouse , even after a federal bribery scandal involving their former House speaker .
But a Democrat won one of two Supreme Court positions being contested , narrowing the GOP edge to 4-3 .
Ohio has been trending Republican in recent statewide elections .
Mr. Biden , from neighboring Pennsylvania , mounted a late but strong challenge .
He stepped up media spending as early voting began @ @ @ @ @ @ @ found that 3 in 5 Ohio voters said the U.S. is on the wrong track , while 2 in 5 said the nation is headed in the right direction .
The survey included 3,767 voters and 700 nonvoters in Ohio , and was conducted for The Associated Press by NORC at the University of Chicago .
About half of Ohio voters think the coronavirus is not at all under control in this country .
The state is among those experiencing new increases in cases and deaths .
Secretary of State Frank LaRose touted @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of glitches and other incidents on Election Day as the state set voter turnout records .
The day began with an issue when election officials in Franklin County , the state ’ s most populous , made the decision to shift to paper pollbooks system-wide to check-in voters when officials were unable to fully upload voter data into the electronic versions .
The decision led to an increase in wait times for voters but did not appear to impact the actual vote count , according to Mr. LaRose ’ s office .
Several @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the U.S. House , but all fell short .
Republican Rep. Steve Chabot clinched his 13th term in Congress , defeating first-time Democratic candidate Kate Schroder , a public health professional .
She had been seen by Democrats as their best shot for finally flipping a House seat in the last election before Census-triggered redistricting .
However , Mr. Chabot ’ s strength in GOP-dominated Warren County , which became part of his district in the 2012 map , helped carry him through .
Republican Rep .
Troy Balderson , first elected in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ against Democrat Alaina Shearer , like Ms. Schroder , a first-time candidate .
Republican Rep. Mike Turner of Dayton won his 10th term , defeating first-time Democratic candidate Desiree Tims .
Four-term Republican Rep. Dave Joyce was reelected after facing a spirited challenge in northeast Ohio from Democrat Hillary O ’ Connor Mueri , a first-time candidate and former naval flight officer .
The nation ’ s longest-serving woman in Congress led the way as all four of Ohio ’ s Democratic House incumbents won reelection .
Rep. Marcy Kaptur won her 19th @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Fudge her sixth from the Cleveland area , Rep. Tim Ryan his fifth from the Youngstown area , and Rep. Joyce Beatty her fourth from the Columbus area .
On the Republican side , Rep. Jim Jordan , a fiery conservative supporter of Mr. Trump , won his eighth term from northwest-central Ohio , and Rep. Warren Davidson , who succeeded former House Speaker John Boehner in his western Ohio district by winning a 2016 special election , won his third full term .
Rep. Brad Wenstrup , who served in the Iraq @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a fifth term from southern Ohio .
Former Ohio State University football player Anthony Gonzalez won his second term in northeast Ohio .
Democrat Jennifer Brunner defeated incumbent Ohio Supreme Court Justice Judi French in one of two contested races on the state high court .
Republican Justice Sharon Kennedy turned back Democrat John O ’ Donnell to leave the GOP with a 4-3 majority on the court .
Judge Brunner is a state appeals court judge and a former Ohio secretary of state .
She made an unsuccessful run for U.S. Senate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ former assistant Ohio attorney general , was running for her second full six-year term on the court .
She won election in 2014 after being appointed to the court a year earlier .
Republicans retained their supermajorities in both chambers of Ohio ’ s Legislature despite a federal bribery scandal involving the former speaker , Larry Householder .
The outcome gives the GOP enough votes to override a governor ’ s vetoes and to more easily place constitutional amendments before voters .
Mr. Householder ’ s reelection bid was unclear early Wednesday , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ running against him had not yet been counted .
This story was reported by The Associated Press .
AP writers Mark Gillispie in Cleveland , Andrew Welsh-Huggins in Columbus , John Seewer in Toledo , and Farnoush Amiri contributed to this report .

President Donald Trump has again carried Ohio, historically a must-win state for Republicans.
No Republican has reached the White House without carrying Ohio. The last Democrat to do so was John F. Kennedy in 1960, when Richard Nixon won the state. Mr. Trump reaps Ohio’s 18 electoral votes for a second time, beating Democrat former Vice President Joe Biden after his 2016 victory over Hillary Clinton, the former United States secretary of state.
Meanwhile, the state’s congressional seats remained unchanged, with all 16 incumbents winning. The Republicans have held a 12-4 majority in the state’s U.S. House delegation since the GOP-drawn map took effect in 2012.
GOP legislators will keep “supermajorities” in the Statehouse, even after a federal bribery scandal involving their former House speaker.
But a Democrat won one of two Supreme Court positions being contested, narrowing the GOP edge to 4-3.
Ohio has been trending Republican in recent statewide elections. Mr. Biden, from neighboring Pennsylvania, mounted a late but strong challenge. He stepped up media spending as early voting began in October.
The AP VoteCast survey found that 3 in 5 Ohio voters said the U.S. is on the wrong track, while 2 in 5 said the nation is headed in the right direction. The survey included 3,767 voters and 700 nonvoters in Ohio, and was conducted for The Associated Press by NORC at the University of Chicago.
About half of Ohio voters think the coronavirus is not at all under control in this country. The state is among those experiencing new increases in cases and deaths.
Secretary of State Frank LaRose touted Ohio’s response to a variety of glitches and other incidents on Election Day as the state set voter turnout records.
The day began with an issue when election officials in Franklin County, the state’s most populous, made the decision to shift to paper pollbooks system-wide to check-in voters when officials were unable to fully upload voter data into the electronic versions. The decision led to an increase in wait times for voters but did not appear to impact the actual vote count, according to Mr. LaRose’s office.
Several first-time female candidates challenged Republican incumbents in the U.S. House, but all fell short.
Republican Rep. Steve Chabot clinched his 13th term in Congress, defeating first-time Democratic candidate Kate Schroder, a public health professional. She had been seen by Democrats as their best shot for finally flipping a House seat in the last election before Census-triggered redistricting. However, Mr. Chabot’s strength in GOP-dominated Warren County, which became part of his district in the 2012 map, helped carry him through.
Republican Rep. Troy Balderson, first elected in 2018, held his central Ohio seat against Democrat Alaina Shearer, like Ms. Schroder, a first-time candidate. Republican Rep. Mike Turner of Dayton won his 10th term, defeating first-time Democratic candidate Desiree Tims.
Four-term Republican Rep. Dave Joyce was reelected after facing a spirited challenge in northeast Ohio from Democrat Hillary O’Connor Mueri, a first-time candidate and former naval flight officer.
The nation’s longest-serving woman in Congress led the way as all four of Ohio’s Democratic House incumbents won reelection. Rep. Marcy Kaptur won her 19th term from northern Ohio, Rep. Marcia Fudge her sixth from the Cleveland area, Rep. Tim Ryan his fifth from the Youngstown area, and Rep. Joyce Beatty her fourth from the Columbus area.
On the Republican side, Rep. Jim Jordan, a fiery conservative supporter of Mr. Trump, won his eighth term from northwest-central Ohio, and Rep. Warren Davidson, who succeeded former House Speaker John Boehner in his western Ohio district by winning a 2016 special election, won his third full term. Rep. Brad Wenstrup, who served in the Iraq War as a combat surgeon, won a fifth term from southern Ohio. Former Ohio State University football player Anthony Gonzalez won his second term in northeast Ohio.
Veteran Reps. Steve Stivers, Bob Gibbs, Bill Johnson, and Bob Latta also won reelection.
Democrat Jennifer Brunner defeated incumbent Ohio Supreme Court Justice Judi French in one of two contested races on the state high court. Republican Justice Sharon Kennedy turned back Democrat John O’Donnell to leave the GOP with a 4-3 majority on the court.
Judge Brunner is a state appeals court judge and a former Ohio secretary of state. She made an unsuccessful run for U.S. Senate in 2010. Justice French, a former assistant Ohio attorney general, was running for her second full six-year term on the court. She won election in 2014 after being appointed to the court a year earlier.
Republicans retained their supermajorities in both chambers of Ohio’s Legislature despite a federal bribery scandal involving the former speaker, Larry Householder.
The outcome gives the GOP enough votes to override a governor’s vetoes and to more easily place constitutional amendments before voters.
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Mr. Householder’s reelection bid was unclear early Wednesday, because votes cast for four write-in candidates running against him had not yet been counted.
This story was reported by The Associated Press. AP writers Mark Gillispie in Cleveland, Andrew Welsh-Huggins in Columbus, John Seewer in Toledo, and Farnoush Amiri contributed to this report.


csmonitor--2020-11-04--Historic shift: Why Arizona went to the Democrats

A changing electorate in Arizona handed historic victories to Democrats in the former Republican stronghold , with Joe Biden becoming only the second Democratic presidential candidate since 1948 to win the state and retired astronaut Mark Kelly giving the party both Senate seats for the first time in nearly 70 years .
The extraordinary turn of events had been building for some time in a state long associated with late Sens .
Barry Goldwater and John McCain , who were the Republican nominees for president in 1964 and 2008 , respectively .
Democrats benefited from Arizona ’ s changing demographics @ @ @ @ @ @ @ registering to vote , an influx of new residents and unease among some suburban women about President Donald Trump .
Mr. Trump and his allies made an aggressive , but ultimately futile , push to hold on to Arizona , which he won by 3.5 percentage points in 2016 .
In a narrowing presidential contest , Mr. Biden collected Arizona 's 11 electoral votes by winning over swing voters who split their tickets two years ago to elect a Republican governor and a Democrat to the U.S. Senate .
Meanwhile , Kelly beat @ @ @ @ @ @ @ once held by Mr. McCain , a popular senator who often sparred with Mr. Trump .
The senator 's wife , Cindy McCain , threw her support behind Mr. Biden , citing the president 's disparagement of her husband .
Ms. McSally was appointed to Mr. McCain 's seat following his death two years ago .
She had lost in 2018 to Kyrsten Sinema , who became the first Democrat to win a U.S. Senate seat in Arizona in 30 years – a race that illustrated the changing nature of the state .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ senators since Earnest McFarland lost his reelection bid in 1952 .
Tuesday 's win by Mr. Kelly , who will join Ms. Sinema in Washington , could prove crucial in determining which party controls the Senate .
Mr. Kelly is perhaps best known in Arizona for being married to former U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords , who was shot in the head in 2011 in an assassination attempt in Tucson .
Before the race was called , Mr. Kelly said he was “ confident that when all the votes are counted , we ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mission.
” The state was in play down the ballot , giving Democrats a realistic shot even at winning control of the state Legislature .
Voters also approved an initiative allowing Arizona to join other states that have legalized recreational marijuana .
Arizona voters were in a negative mood as they chose their president , according to AP VoteCast , a survey of more than 132,000 voters and nonvoters nationwide conducted for The Associated Press by NORC at the University of Chicago .
The survey shows that 61 % of Arizona voters said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ track , while 39 % said it is headed in the right direction .
But they also were motivated .
Election officials in Maricopa County , the state ’ s most populous , said multiple voting locations with people still in line when they were set to close at 7 p.m. remained open as required by state law .
Carla Retana , who turned 18 on Election Day , called it “ amazing ” to cast a ballot on her birthday .
She was with her cousin , Anthony Medina , who turned @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , they both voted for Mr. Biden .
“ Our current president has said so many bad things about Hispanic people , Black people , calling our current virus the ‘ Chinese virus.
’ I couldn ’ t really side with him , ” Medina said .
Brandon Ross , 27 , a financial adviser and Republican , said he voted for Mr. Trump as he did in 2016 .
He said he understands Mr. Trump ’ s demeanor rubs people the wrong way but said his policies on the economy and civil @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he supports is by and large what I support , ” Ross said .
Statewide participation was high , with nearly 62 % of voters casting their ballots either by mail or in-person by Monday morning .
Speaking early Wednesday from the White House , Mr. Trump said many votes were outstanding and “ there ’ s a possibility , maybe even a good possibility ” that he could win despite the deficit .
Bill Clinton was the most recent Democratic presidential candidate to take Arizona , winning with 46 % of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Perot ’ s strong third-party bid .
Before that , the last time Arizona selected a Democrat for president was in 1948 with Harry Truman .
The makeup of the state ’ s U.S. House delegation also had been on the line , with all nine incumbents facing challenges .
But reelected were Republicans Debbie Lesko in the 8th Congressional District , Paul Gosar in the 4th District , and Andy Biggs in the 5th .
Democrats Ann Kirkpatrick in the 2nd District , Raul Grijalva in the 3rd , Ruben Gallego in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the 9th kept their seats .
However , Republican Rep. David Schweikert , haunted by an ethics probe , was in a close race against Democrat Hiral Tipirneni in a district that has historically favored the GOP .
Republicans hoped to topple Democratic Rep. Tom O ’ Halleran in the 1st District .
This story was reported by The Associated Press .
Associated Press writers Terry Tang , Bob Christie , Jacques Billeaud and Felicia Fonseca contributed to this report .

A changing electorate in Arizona handed historic victories to Democrats in the former Republican stronghold, with Joe Biden becoming only the second Democratic presidential candidate since 1948 to win the state and retired astronaut Mark Kelly giving the party both Senate seats for the first time in nearly 70 years.
The extraordinary turn of events had been building for some time in a state long associated with late Sens. Barry Goldwater and John McCain, who were the Republican nominees for president in 1964 and 2008, respectively.
Democrats benefited from Arizona’s changing demographics, with more young people and Latinos registering to vote, an influx of new residents and unease among some suburban women about President Donald Trump.
Mr. Trump and his allies made an aggressive, but ultimately futile, push to hold on to Arizona, which he won by 3.5 percentage points in 2016.
In a narrowing presidential contest, Mr. Biden collected Arizona's 11 electoral votes by winning over swing voters who split their tickets two years ago to elect a Republican governor and a Democrat to the U.S. Senate.
Meanwhile, Kelly beat Republican Sen. Martha McSally for the seat once held by Mr. McCain, a popular senator who often sparred with Mr. Trump. The senator's wife, Cindy McCain, threw her support behind Mr. Biden, citing the president's disparagement of her husband.
Ms. McSally was appointed to Mr. McCain's seat following his death two years ago. She had lost in 2018 to Kyrsten Sinema, who became the first Democrat to win a U.S. Senate seat in Arizona in 30 years – a race that illustrated the changing nature of the state.
Arizona hasn’t had two Democratic senators since Earnest McFarland lost his reelection bid in 1952. Tuesday's win by Mr. Kelly, who will join Ms. Sinema in Washington, could prove crucial in determining which party controls the Senate.
Mr. Kelly is perhaps best known in Arizona for being married to former U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, who was shot in the head in 2011 in an assassination attempt in Tucson.
Before the race was called, Mr. Kelly said he was “confident that when all the votes are counted, we’re going to be successful in this mission.”
The state was in play down the ballot, giving Democrats a realistic shot even at winning control of the state Legislature. Voters also approved an initiative allowing Arizona to join other states that have legalized recreational marijuana.
Arizona voters were in a negative mood as they chose their president, according to AP VoteCast, a survey of more than 132,000 voters and nonvoters nationwide conducted for The Associated Press by NORC at the University of Chicago. The survey shows that 61% of Arizona voters said the United States is on the wrong track, while 39% said it is headed in the right direction.
But they also were motivated. Election officials in Maricopa County, the state’s most populous, said multiple voting locations with people still in line when they were set to close at 7 p.m. remained open as required by state law.
Carla Retana, who turned 18 on Election Day, called it “amazing” to cast a ballot on her birthday.
She was with her cousin, Anthony Medina, who turned 18 four months ago. Registered independents, they both voted for Mr. Biden.
“Our current president has said so many bad things about Hispanic people, Black people, calling our current virus the ‘Chinese virus.’ I couldn’t really side with him,” Medina said.
Brandon Ross, 27, a financial adviser and Republican, said he voted for Mr. Trump as he did in 2016. He said he understands Mr. Trump’s demeanor rubs people the wrong way but said his policies on the economy and civil liberties are what matter.
“What he supports is by and large what I support,” Ross said.
Statewide participation was high, with nearly 62% of voters casting their ballots either by mail or in-person by Monday morning.
Speaking early Wednesday from the White House, Mr. Trump said many votes were outstanding and “there’s a possibility, maybe even a good possibility” that he could win despite the deficit.
Bill Clinton was the most recent Democratic presidential candidate to take Arizona, winning with 46% of the vote in 1996, helped by Ross Perot’s strong third-party bid. Before that, the last time Arizona selected a Democrat for president was in 1948 with Harry Truman.
The makeup of the state’s U.S. House delegation also had been on the line, with all nine incumbents facing challenges. But reelected were Republicans Debbie Lesko in the 8th Congressional District, Paul Gosar in the 4th District, and Andy Biggs in the 5th.
Democrats Ann Kirkpatrick in the 2nd District, Raul Grijalva in the 3rd, Ruben Gallego in the 7th, and Greg Stanton in the 9th kept their seats.
However, Republican Rep. David Schweikert, haunted by an ethics probe, was in a close race against Democrat Hiral Tipirneni in a district that has historically favored the GOP.
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Republicans hoped to topple Democratic Rep. Tom O’Halleran in the 1st District.
This story was reported by The Associated Press. Associated Press writers Terry Tang, Bob Christie, Jacques Billeaud and Felicia Fonseca contributed to this report.