World
What happens if there’s a tie in the US presidential election?
A constitutional amendment more than two centuries old determines the choice of winner in case of a draw.
Kamala Harris and Donald Trump are fighting down to the last vote to gain the upper hand in tomorrow’s election. There’s a remote possibility that the US poll could end in a draw, however.
This concerns the machinery of the US Electoral College, the winner-takes-all system that determines which presidential candidate will win the White House.
The Electoral College comprises 538 votes, distributed in varying proportions among the fifty states plus the District of Columbia. A tie between two presidential candidates is therefore theoretically possible.
Harris and Trump could each receive 269 electoral votes, resulting in a complete draw scenario, with both candidates unable to achieve the majority of electoral votes required to become president.
Similar stalemates have occurred twice in US history, in 1800 and 1824.
What happened when there was a tie in the past?
In the 1800 election, Thomas Jefferson’s Democratic-Republicans defeated the incumbent Federalist President John Adams.
At that time, presidential candidates had a “running mate” from a different state, similar to today’s candidates for vice president. The electors had to cast two votes each: the candidate with the most votes would become president, while the candidate with the second-most votes would become vice president.
However, the Democratic-Republicans did not coordinate well, resulting in their candidate for president (Jefferson) receiving the same number of votes as their candidate for vice president (Aaron Burr).
The election was therefore decided by the House of Representatives using a one-state, one-vote rule after a long deadlock that nearly resulted in a military confrontation, as Sanford Levinson, a professor at the University of Texas Law School, has noted.
For this reason, the 12th Amendment was introduced, which still regulates the election of the US president. It clarifies that electors “shall name in their ballots the person voted for as President, and in distinct ballots the person voted for as Vice President,” to avoid any possible tie between candidates from the same party.
However, there remains the possibility that no candidate receives a majority of the total number of electors appointed—currently, that crucial threshold is 270.
This actually happened in 1824, when Andrew Jackson received 99 votes, John Quincy Adams 84, William Crawford 41, and Henry Clay 37. All of these candidates were from the same Democratic-Republican political party, which was split into regional factions.
The 12th Amendment states that in such cases, the House of Representatives shall immediately choose the president by ballot from the top three choices of the electors. Votes are taken by state, with each state having one vote and a simple majority required.
This means that Wyoming, the smallest state in the US with fewer than 600,000 people, would have the same say in choosing a new president as California, which has almost 40 million residents (even though Wyoming appoints only three electors and California 54).
Additionally, the choice of the new president would depend on the composition of the House of Representatives, which is set to be voted on in parallel with the presidential elections.
How likely is a tie?
While a tie is unlikely, it is still a possibility to consider, with various scenarios outlined by the website 270toWin.
One scenario is that Trump wins Pennsylvania and Georgia, while Harris secures victories in Wisconsin, Michigan, Arizona, Nevada, and one electoral vote in Nebraska, which alongside Maine is the only state that splits its allocation of electors.
Another scenario, even more unlikely, is that Harris wins all the states Biden won, plus North Carolina, which current polls indicate could go to Republicans. If Trump then reclaims Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin, and also wins Nevada for the first time, the outcome would be a 269-269 tie.
This would trigger a “contingent election,” with the House of Representatives tasked with deciding the US president for the first time in two centuries, requiring a simple majority of 26 states to elect the new commander-in-chief.
With the country sharply divided, newly sworn-in US congress members would face immense pressure and, in some cases, might have to choose between backing their party candidate or the one who received the most popular votes in their own state (there is no requirement for state delegations to honour the winner of their state’s vote).
This situation would likely unfold on 6 January, right after Congress determines that no candidate has a majority, according to an analysis by the Congressional Research Service.
Even more surprisingly, the tie scenario could lead to cohabitation between a Republican president and a Democratic vice president or vice versa.
Indeed, according to the 12th Amendment, in the event of no majority, the US vice president is chosen by the Senate from the two candidates with the highest number of electoral votes, with each senator entitled to one vote (the US Senate has 100 members, with each state electing two).
Finally, the Senate could select a vice president even if the House is deadlocked in the election of the president. So, if a president is not selected by Inauguration Day, 2o January, the newly chosen vice president would serve as acting president. This is a scenario that no one in the US can envision as of today.
World
Paris Saint-Germain wins the Champions League after penalty shootout victory against Arsenal
Paris Saint-Germain won back-to-back Champions League titles after a 4–3 penalty shootout victory over Arsenal in Budapest. Following a 1–1 draw through extra time, Gabriel Magalhães missed the decisive spot kick to hand PSG the trophy.
World
Box Office: ‘Backrooms’ Scares Up $38 Million on Friday, Already Shattering Record for A24’s Best Opening Weekend
Kane Parsons’ “Backrooms” has already shattered the record for A24’s best opening weekend.
Adapted from Parsons’ viral YouTube series, “Backrooms” earned $38 million domestic on Friday from 3,442 theaters, and is projected to gross $85 million to $90 million through the weekend. That’s more than triple the previous record holder, Alex Garland’s thriller “Civil War,” which earned $25.5 million in 2024 to claim the title of A24’s best debut.
“Backrooms” follows a small-town furniture store owner who discovers a portal to an otherworldly dimension in his showroom. Cast members include Chiwetel Ejiofor, Renate Reinsve and Mark Duplass. James Wan, Shawn Levy and Osgood Perkins serve as producers. Chernin Entertainment was the co-studio and co-financier of “Backrooms.”
This weekend’s other newcomers include Nate Bargatze’s family comedy, “The Breadwinner,” and Focus Features’ war drama, “Pressure.” “The Breadwinner” fared the best of the two, grossing $2.75 million on Friday from 3,525 North American theaters for a fifth-place finish. By Sunday, it should make $7.5 million.
TriStar Pictures’ “The Breadwinner” follows Bargatze as a dad who is forced to take charge of his chaotic household when his wife leaves on a month long buiness trip. Other cast members include Mandy Moore, Stella Grace Fitzgerald, Birdie Borria, Charlotte Ann Tucker, Colin Jost and Zach Cherry.
“Pressure” landed at No. 6 on Friday with $2.46 million domestic from 1,829 screens. It’s expected to pull in $5.4 million by the end of the weekend. The WWII thriller stars Brendan Fraser as Dwight D. Eisenhower, who must decide whether or not to launch D-Day in the face of brutal conditions. Other cast members include Andrew Scott, Kerry Condon, Chris Messina, Damian Lewis and Tamsin Topolski.
Friday’s silver medal went to Curry Barker’s “Obsession,” which made $8.1 million on its third Friday in theaters. After a stellar $28 million over Memorial Day, the indie horror is expected to make another $28 million by Sunday. That’s a 19% uptick from the $22 million it earned over last weekend’s three-day frame.
“Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu” took third with just $6.5 million on its second Friday in North American cinemas, an 70% drop from its opening day. While initial projections saw the Lucasfilm western grossing $40 million by Sunday, that number now looks closer to $25 million, according to rival estimates. That figure would push the film’s domestic total to $136 million through two weekends.
Lionsgate’s “Michael” finished in fourth, adding $3.5 on Friday. It should collect $12.7 million by Sunday, which would bring its domestic earnings to $340 million in six weekends of release.
World
Hamas struggles to fill leadership ranks as Israel hunts Oct 7 terrorists
Gazans react to the killings of Hamas terror leaders
Interviews with Gazans expressing frustration with Hamas leadership after Israel’s killing of senior commanders, as many residents say civilians — not Hamas leaders — have paid the price of the war (Credit: Jusoor News)
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Just before celebrations for Eid al-Adha, a major Muslim holiday, began in Gaza, an Israeli airstrike hit a building in Gaza City, killing Mohammed Odeh, the newly appointed head of Hamas’ military wing, according to Israeli officials and later confirmed by Hamas.
Reports from regional media said members of Odeh’s family were also killed in the strike. Two hours later, Gaza’s markets were full.
Fox News Digital reviewed video filmed in Gaza showing crowded Eid streets, children shopping and families gathering, with little visible reaction to the killing of the Hamas commander Israel described as one of the architects of the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks on Israel.
The contrast underscored what many Gazans and analysts describe as a growing disconnect between Hamas leaders and civilians exhausted by nearly three years of war, which has killed more than 70,000 Palestinians, according to the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry — figures that do not distinguish between civilians and combatants — and displaced most of Gaza’s population.
ISRAEL ANNOUNCES IT KILLED ONE OF THE ARCHITECTS OF THE OCT. 7 ATTACKS
Palestinians shop at a crowded Eid al-Adha market in Gaza hours after Israel announced the killing of Mohammed Odeh, the newly appointed head of Hamas’ military wing, in an airstrike in Gaza. (Jusoor News)
Hadeel Oueis, editor-in-chief of Jusoor News, told Fox News Digital the assassinations are creating “a clear vacuum” inside Hamas and weakening coordination between leaders in Gaza and abroad.
“With the deaths of its leaders and the collapse of strong centralized command, Hamas is turning into a smaller militia competing with other armed groups operating in Gaza,” Oueis said. “Hamas is now fighting for survival.”
In a joint statement issued Tuesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz said Odeh, who had replaced senior commander Izz al-Din al-Haddad only days earlier, was “one of the architects of the October 7 massacre.”
“Sooner or later, Israel will reach all of them,” Netanyahu and Katz said.
Palestinian Hamas terrorists stand guard in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on Feb. 22, 2025, during the handover of hostages held since the Oct. 7, 2023, attack as part of a ceasefire and hostage-prisoner swap deal with Israel. (Hatem Khaled/Reuters)
Inside Gaza, several residents interviewed by Jusoor News said they no longer viewed the deaths of Hamas leaders as personal losses.
“Of course we didn’t feel anything when Haddad, Sinwar, or others were killed,” one Gazan activist and former political prisoner told Jusoor News in an on-camera interview, speaking with his face blurred for safety reasons.
The activist was referring to Izz al-Din al-Haddad, the Hamas military commander Israel said it killed earlier in May, and Yahya Sinwar, the former Hamas leader and chief architect of the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks, who was killed by Israeli forces in southern Gaza in October 2024.
“Ordinary people are the ones who paid the price, not the leaders who made reckless decisions without thinking,” the activist said.
“As a result, Gaza today is almost completely destroyed,” the activist said. “There are families who have lost everything, while the remaining leaders abroad and inside continue to gamble with our lives constantly.”
GRASSROOTS PUSH FOR FREEDOM GROWS IN GAZA AS HAMAS TIGHTENS ITS DEADLY GRIP
Palestinians shop at a crowded Eid al-Adha market in Gaza hours after Israel announced the killing of Mohammed Odeh, the newly appointed head of Hamas’ military wing, in an airstrike in Gaza. (Credit: Jusoor News)
A Gaza-based journalist echoed the frustration.
“When we heard about the killing of Izz al-Din Haddad or others, we were not affected,” the journalist said. “What is even more painful is that the children of the leaders live outside Gaza, in Turkey and Qatar, driving luxury cars and living comfortable lives, while people here have almost gone back to the Stone Age.”
Another Gaza journalist and human rights advocate told Jusoor Hamas had harmed Palestinians as much as Israelis.
“I do not see the deaths of the leaders as losses for the Palestinians, because we ordinary people are the ones who paid the price,” the advocate said. “Honestly, Hamas did not only hurt the Israelis — they hurt us as well.”
At the same time, Israeli analysts caution that the repeated assassinations do not necessarily mean Hamas is close to collapse.
Michael Milshtein, an expert on the Palestinian arena, told Fox News Digital that Hamas unquestionably has suffered severe damage since Oct. 7, 2023, particularly with the deaths of veteran commanders who helped build the organization’s military structure and doctrine.
ISRAEL, HAMAS CEASEFIRE DEAL COULD ENABLE REARMING OF GAZA TERRORISTS
Palestinians shop at a crowded Eid al-Adha market in Gaza. (Jusoor News)
“Almost nobody remains from the core group that planned and led the October 7 attack,” he said.
But he noted that Odeh himself had been viewed largely as a second-tier figure before the war rather than an obvious successor to Hamas’ historic military leadership.
“The people replacing them are far less experienced, less capable and far less charismatic,” Milshtein said.
Still, he argued, Hamas continues to maintain functioning chains of command and ideological cohesion despite the losses.
“People know they are likely going to die, and they still compete for these leadership positions,” he said.
The debate over Hamas’ future comes as international efforts to shape a postwar political framework for Gaza accelerate.
TRUMP-BACKED BOARD OF PEACE, ISRAEL ‘WILL TAKE ACTION’ IF HAMAS REMAINS OUT OF COMPLIANCE: NETANYAHU ADVISOR
Hamas militants carried coffins believed to contain the bodies of four Israeli hostages during a handover to the Red Cross in Khan Yunis, Gaza, on Feb. 20, 2025. (Eyad Baba/AFP)
Nickolay Mladenov, who was appointed High Representative for Gaza under the Board of Peace initiative, published the core elements of a proposed 15-point “Roadmap to Complete the Implementation of President Trump’s Gaza Comprehensive Peace Plan.”
The proposal includes a phased Hamas disarmament process, internationally supervised security reforms and the establishment of “one authority, one law, one weapon” inside Gaza.
“Gaza cannot recover while armed groups simultaneously operate as governing authorities,” Mladenov wrote while outlining the proposal on social media.
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Displaced Palestinians, including families and children, wait in line to receive hot meals distributed by charities ahead of iftar in Khan Yunis, Gaza. (Abed Rahim Khatib/Anadolu)
For many Gazans exhausted by years of war, displacement and destruction, the deaths of Hamas leaders now appear to carry less emotional weight than the hope that the conflict itself could finally end.
“Gaza cannot remain hostage to the idea of permanent war while civilians alone pay the entire price,” one activist said.
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