Exit polls: Gender gap among voters over Justice Kavanaugh’s confirmation

President Donald Trump is watching the early election returns roll in like the rest of us.

Which races are the president watching most closely? Not just Florida — where Democrat Andrew Gillum and Republican Ron DeSantis are running neck and neck in the gubernatorial race and where Democrat Bill Nelson and Republican Rick Scott are running neck and neck in the Senate race — but the Senate races in Indiana (which is of high interest to allies) and Missouri, along with Arizona, according to two sources familiar with his thinking.

At the residence, lots of GOP movers and shakers are gathering for the president’s election night reception. That includes Republican mega-donor Sheldon Adelson, among other high-profile donors. Other invitees include 2020-focused friends like Corey Lewandowski and David Bossie.

Most voters in today’s midterm election — 60 percent — support stricter gun control policies, according to early results from the the NBC News Exit Poll. This includes 42 percent of gun owners in addition to 76 percent of those who do not own a gun. 

Gun policy trails other issues as the top concern for midterm voters, the poll found. Just one in 10 voters named it as the most important issue facing the country, according to early results. These voters, though, are proving to be a key voting bloc for Democrats in this year’s House contests. More than seven in 10 voters who put gun policy at the top of their issue list voted for the Democrat today in the House race in their district. Just 28 percent voted for the Republican.

The Florida gubernatorial race between Democratic candidate Andrew Gillum and Republican candidate Ron DeSantis is too close to call, according to NBC News.

Gillum, the mayor of Tallahassee, hopes to become the state’s first black governor in his battle against DeSantis, a former congressman. DeSantis received strong support from President Trump, who held multiple rallies in the state over the course of the campaign.

Polls closed in Florida at 7:00 p.m. ET.

The closely watched Senate races in Tennessee and New Jersey are too early to call, according to NBC News.

In New Jersey, the race between incumbent Democratic Sen. Bob Menendez and GOP challenger Bob Hugin is too early to call, but Menendez is leading, according to NBC News.

In Tennessee, the race between Democrat Phil Bredesen and Republican Marsha Blackburn — for the seat being vacated by retiring GOP Sen. Bob Corker — is too early to call, but Blackburn is leading, according to NBC News.

The Florida Senate race between Democratic incumbent Bill Nelson and Republican Rick Scott, the outgoing governor, is too close to call, according to NBC News. 

Polls closed in Florida at 7:00 p.m. ET.

Nelson, who has served in the Senate since 2000, had cruised to re-election in 2006 and 2012, but this election year faced a challenge in the well-known governor. 

With 59 percent of the vote tallied, Nelson was leading Scott 51.3 percent to 48.7 percent.

About half of voters say President Donald Trump’s approach to foreign policy is making the U.S. less safe, according to early NBC News Exit Poll results. About four in 10 voters disagree, saying the president’s foreign policy is making the country more safe, while 13 percent say Trump’s foreign policy approach has made no difference in the country’s safety. 

This issue tends to play to the GOP base, with 50 percent of white male voters saying Trump’s foreign policy has made the country safer. Fifty-four percent of veteran voters agree. 

Democrat Donna Shalala prevailed over Republican Maria Elvira Salazar to win Florida’s 27th Congressional District, NBC News projects. 

Shalala replaces outgoing Republican Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen in a district that Hillary Clinton won handily in 2016 and includes wealthy areas like Coral Gables, Key Biscayne and Miami Beach, as well as the “Little Havana” neighborhood. Close to 60 percent of registered voters in the district are Latino, and the majority are Cuban-American.

Early results from the NBC News Exit Poll show a stark divide between the parties on the importance of electing more women to public office. Overall, when asked how important it is for more women to be elected, close to half (46 percent) of midterm voters so far say that it is very important and an additional third (32 percent) say it is somewhat important. Smaller shares say that electing more women is either not too (12 percent) or not at all (8 percent) important.

A large majority of Democrats say electing more women to office is very important, but just 18 percent of Republicans and 41 percent of independents agree. 

Sen. Sherrod Brown wins re-election in Ohio, NBC News projects.