2008 Election Game: Campaign Thread

[Niemeyerite]

JULIO: Welcome back to 'Election night 2008'. Polls have just closed in:

Alabama
Connecticut
Delaware
Florida
Illinois
Maine
Maryland
Massachusetts
Mississippi
Missouri
New Hampshire
New Jersey
Oklahoma
Pennsylvania
Rhode Island
Tennessee
Washington, DC

Can we call any state, Ted?

TED: let's wait a bit, Julio. They haven't started counting yet! But Governor Joe Manchin (D-WV) has won reelection in a landslide, and democrat Bev Perdue is the projected winner in North Carolina.

SUSAN: What about senate races, Ted? Not that I care, of course. But maybe some random nerd wants to know.

TED: In Georgia we'll have a runoff between incumbent Saxby Chambliss (R) and businessman Vernon Jones, who ran this year as an independent and beat democrat Jim Martin fot the 2nd place. And incumbent Libby Dole has just lost reelection to NC Senator Kay Hagan (D), with Joe Hackney, who ran as an independent democrat thinking Ms. Hagan had no chance, a close third. In a desesperate move, he decided to endorse Michael Bloomberg in October, but it was too little, to late...

North Carolina, Senate (72% reporting):
Kay Hagan 39.34%
Libby Dole 31.45%
Joe Hackney 29.21%

JULIO: And Mark Warner has won in a landslide, over 50% of the vote. The guy is pretty popular, isn't him?

SUSAN: Yes, he is. Remember he was a great Governor. Virginia loves him. He may even help Howard Dean in the state, via coattails.

TED: Now give me a moment because we have many states to call. Some of them were expected to take more time... Specially West Virginia. We can call West Virginia for Governor Dean. Poor John McCain, he deserved to win this state at least.

JULIO: Any other states, Ted? You said "many states", not "one state".

TED: True, sorry. KY, SC, VA, NC and OH are too close to call. Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, Massachusetts, Mississippi, New Hampshire New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Tennessee are either too close or too early to call. But we can call Alabama and Oklahoma for senator McCain, Delaware and Maine for mayor Bloomberg and Maryland, Missouri and DC for Governor Dean, with Nader a strong second in DC and performing better than expected in many states, too.

SUSAN: Wait a moment, can we already call MO for Governor Dean? Oh, that's a surprise.

TED: Yes, we can, Susan. I'm convinced the Governor has won the state. Bloomberg was never strong here and McCain decline has given Dean a large win.

JULIO: That makes sense.

Ohio (38% reporting) 20 EVs:

Michael Bloomberg 32.24%
Howard Dean 29.17%
John McCain 27.32%
Ralph Nader 11.27%

North Carolina (45% reporting) 15 EVs:

Michael Bloomberg 33.41%
Howard Dean 31.98%
John McCain 28%
Ralph Nader 6.61%

West Virginia (99% reporting) 5 EVs:

Howard Dean 35.5%
John McCain 30.33%
Michael Bloomberg 25.45%
Ralph Nader 8.72%

Alabama (98% reporting) 9 EVs:

John McCain 35.01%
Howard Dean 30.36%
Michael Bloomberg 28.91%
Ralph Nader 5.72%

Connecticut (36% reporting) 7 EVs:

Michael Bloomberg 35.94%
Howard Dean 33.76%
John McCain 15.45%
Ralph Nader 14.85%

Delaware (99% reporting) 3 EVs:

Michael Bloomberg 38.87%
Howard Dean 34.68%
John McCain 17.6%
Ralph Nader 8.85%

Florida (54% reporting) 27 EVs:

Michael Bloomberg 30.64%
John McCain 30.62%
Howard Dean 29.84%
Ralph Nader 8.9%

Illinois (3% reporting) 21 EVs:

Michael Bloomberg 36.24%
Howard Dean 31.03%
John McCain 20.42%
Ralph Nader 12.31%

Maine (11% reporting) 4 EVs:

Michael Bloomberg 39.55%
Howard Dean 31.17%
John McCain 15.3%
Ralph Nader 13.98%

Maine 1st CD (13% reporting) 1 EV:

Michael Bloomberg 35.51%
Howard Dean 33.79%
Ralph Nader 15.42%
John McCain 15.28%

Maine 2nd CD (9% reporting) 1 EV:

Michael Bloomberg 43.21%
Howard Dean 28.51%
John McCain 15.57%
Ralph Nader 12.71%

Maryland (98% reporting) 10 EVs:

Howard Dean 37.64%
Michael Bloomberg 35.35%
John McCain 15.11%
Ralph Nader 12%

JULIO: Hey, wait a minute, why the hell did you call Maryland? Haven't you seen the numbers, Ted? Bloomberg seems to have a shot there!

TED: Yeah, but that's coming from outside Baltimore. Once Baltimore is counted, expect Dean to win the state by 3-5 points, Julio.

JULIO: You get all the blame if Dean doesn't win the state, OK?

TED: OK, now let me continue:

Massachusetts (6% reporting) 12 EVs:

Michael Bloomberg 39.32%
Howard Dean 38.89%
John McCain 13.12%
Ralph Nader 8.67%

Mississippi (23% reporting) 6 EVs:

John McCain 33.24%
Howard Dean 30.47%
Michael Bloomberg 29.42%
Ralph Nader 6.87%

Missouri (99% reporting) 10 EVs:

Howard Dean 34.82%
Michael Bloomberg 29.33%
John McCain 29.28%
Ralph Nader 6.57%

New Hampshire (7% reporting) 4 EVs:

John McCain 30.62%
Howard Dean 30.47%
Michael Bloomberg 30.32%
Ralph Nader 8.59%

SUSAN: Oh, my. That's what I call a headache, it's a 3-way tie! I've never seen something like that before.

TED: Keep calm and drink coffee, Susan. This will be a long night, but only 7% of NH votes are counted, don't be s sure it'll be tied forever

JULIO: The hack is right this time, my darling.

New Jersey (6% reporting) 15 EVs:

Michael Bloomberg 41.24%
Howard Dean 34.21%
John McCain 17.41%
Ralph Nader 7.14%

Pennsylvania (28% reporting) 21 EVs:

Howard Dean 34.24%
Michael Bloomberg 31.33%
John McCain 25%
Ralph Nader 9.43%

JULIO: Pennsylvania is specially interesting because we don't know how Philadelphia will vote this time. Will they keep voting democrat or will they give their support to the candidate their mayor endorsed?

SUSAN: If I had to bet, I'd say mr. Dean wins by a hair.

TED: I don't think so. While we were releasing state-by-state percentages, we have 98% of votes counted in Kentucky and we have a winner there. A democrat wins Kentucky for the first time since 1996!

Kentucky (98% reporting) 8 EVs:

Howard Dean 34.69%
John McCain 30.87%
Michael Bloomberg 27.96%
Ralph Nader 6.48%

JULIO: Wow, it was not even THAT close at the end. McCain is really screwed!

SUSAN: Yay!

TED: Argh. Let's continue. I think I won't like the map once this sh**t is over.

Oklahoma (15% reporting) 7 EVs:

John McCain 42.11%
Michael Bloomberg 34.52%
Howard Dean 22.95%
Ralph Nader 0.42% (write-in)

Rhode Island (4% reporting) 4 EVs:

Michael Bloomberg 40.22%
Howard Dean 38.58%
John McCain 12.37%
Ralph Nader 8.83%

Tennessee (56% reporting) 11 EVs:

John McCain 32.22%
Howard Dean 31.7%
Michael Bloomberg 29.05%
Ralph Nader 7.03%

TED: Tennessee is a depressing surprise. I thought McCain would win here, but gun to my head, I'd say Dean wins the state by 1-2%. My own state voted for a socialist. Nooo!

Washington, D.C. (14% reporting) 3 EVs:

Howard Dean 56.1%
Ralph Nader 24.14%
Michael Bloomberg 16.21%
John McCain 3.55%

SUSAN: That's why I love D.C. Full of intelligent people.

TED: And we can call yet another state. Ohio goes for Mayor Bloomberg!

Ohio (89% reporting) 20 EVs:

Michael Bloomberg 32.69%
Howard Dean 30.33%
John McCain 25.51%
Ralph Nader 11.47%

JULIO: Yeah, surprising we called the state so early. This time they counted their votes fast. They learned something from 2004, but I think we shouldn't call the state for Bloomberg yet.

TED: Almost impossible for Dean to cut a 2-point lead now... Trust me, Ohio 20 EVs go for mayor Bloomberg. And I'd say that VA is in Dean's column, but I know you are a coward, so I'll wait 15 minutes to call the state.

SUSAN: And here you have my map

Michael Bloomberg/Evan Bayh 52 EVs
Howard Dean/Patty Murray 40 EVs
John McCain/George Pataki 16 EVs
Ralph Nader/Dennis Kucinich 0 EVs

[Sec. of State Superique]

OOC: I completely forgot about Maine CDs! I could have campaigned a lot there and get 1 or 2 EVs

[Niemeyerite]

JULIO: It official now, Governor Dean is the winner in Virginia. He's leading by only 2 points, but we expect his margin to grow, as the remaining votes are from Northeastern VA. We repeat, Governor Dean is the first democrat to win Virginia since 1964. This was expected, but that doesn't mean it's not surprising. A democrat wins Virginia, not even Bill Clinton or Jimmy Carter, both of them Southern Governors, managed to carry the state, Ted.

Virginia (94% reporting) 13 EVs:

Howard Dean 33.53%
Michael Bloomberg 30.97%
John McCain 28.08%
Ralph Nader 7.42%

TED: Certainly, Julio. Virginia has become an awful state in only 4 years. And this means the Vermont liberal has taken the lead in the EV count.
Now let's talk about other races, because we have some calls to make. Well pay attention to House elections later.
New Hampshire will have an independent governor. John Lynch decided to retire last year, he's exploring a Senate run in 2010 against Judd Gregg. And he will be replaced by long-time Secretary of State Bill Gardner, who ran as an independent but decided not to endorse any Presidential candidate.

New Hampshire, Governor (94% reporting):
Bill Gardner (I) 50.87%
Paul Hodes (D) 30.31%
Joe Kenney (R) 13.41%
Kathy Forry (G) 5.41%

JULIO: Not even close, Ted.

TED: And MO Attorney General Jay Nixon is the projected winner in Missouri, too. In Delaware, we can project that demorat Jack Markell will replace Ruth Ann Minner.

SUSAN: Not a bad night to be a democrat! I'm more optimistic each time this insane conservative tells us that a democrat has won an election! Let's go, Dean! (well, I voted for Nader, actually...).

JULIO: what's going on Senate races, Ted?

TED: Good question, Julio. I don't know yet, but I think democrats will retain their majority. Jay Rockefeller is the winner in WV, Joe Biden in DE, John Kerry in MA, Jeff Sessions in AL, Dick Durbin in IL, Lamar Alexander in TN, Jack Reed in RI, Thad Cochran in MS and Susan Collins in ME. The race is still to close to call in MS special and NH, while we have an independent winner in New Jersey, in the person of CEO Chris Daggett, who managed to run as a conservative independent and got the support of many republicans in the state.He was also helped by a strong green candidate in the race.

New Jersey, Senate (88% reporting):
Chris Daggett 40.8%
Frank Lautenberg 34.31%
Doug Forrester 18.36%
Matthew Thieke 6.53%

JULIO: Thanks, Ted. While you were speaking, Arkansas polls closed and we can't predict a winner yet. We'd like to ask senator Blanche Lincoln who she thinks will win her state. Hi, Blanche! Are you optimistic tonight? Do yoy feel that your candidate will be elected President before tomorrow?

SUSAN: I'd like to ask you, Senator, if you will swith you party affiliation to independent. Or will you stay as a democrat? Thanks, you traitor!

JULIO: Susan, behave!

[JerryArkansas]

Blanche:  Well, to answers Julio's question, I am really confident right now.  Our win in Ga was really surprising to me and to others, and I think we will have a winner by 6 am tomorrow.  Now Susan, I didn't support dean because he is not what I want for our country, and I will not change my party.  I also think that Blomberg can win my state, by about 3 or 4 points.

[Snowstalker Mk. II]

Statement from the Dean Campaign:

We are excited but unsurprised at our wins in the great states of Virginia, Missouri, Kentucky, West Virginia, and Maryland. The first four of these were all considered Republican strongholds at the outset of this campaign, yet tonight they've voted for change in Washington. We remind our supporters in the West that there may still be time to vote if you have not done so.

OOC: Hate to nitpick, but Philly usually comes in first in counting votes.

[Sec. of State Superique]

This is how things are so far =/

Dean 52
Bloombie 51
McCain 25 (Decided to give him Wyoming and Utah)

What about that?

This is with no toss up and no too early too call...

[JerryArkansas]

WY has dean leading by over 3 points.

[tmthforu94]

WY has dean leading by over 3 points.

You mean Bloomberg.

Wyoming is ironically enough one of the states I'm fairly certain ill win.

[Niemeyerite]

JULIO: Hi again, people! Polls are about to close in

Arizona
Colorado
Kansas
Louisiana
Michigan
Minnesota
Nebraska
New Mexico
New York
South Dakota
Texas
Wisconsin
and Wyoming

Ted, can we call any other states?

TED: Yes, we have a winner in many states, actually. Mayor Bloomberg is the winner of CT 7 EVs and he is the projected winner in Maine 1st CD and Arkansas, too. NJ was closer than expected, but the NYC mayor can claim victory there. However, he won't get RI 4 EVs, because Governor Dean is the winner in the state. Mr. Dean has taken the lead in Massachusetts and South Carolina with more than 90% of the vote counted in those states. In NC, we have a tie between Bloomberg and Dean, with 85% of the vote counted. And we have very good news for governor Dean. Tennessee has given him 11 electoral votes.

SUSAN: What a surprise. The state didn't vote for favourite son Al Gore and McCain had a 5% lead in a poll released two weeks ago!

JULIO: True, Susan. Governor Dean is upseting McCain in the South. He might even win in SC and MS.

TED: Right now, John McCain is leading in MS, but he could upset. Depressing... And he is trailing Dean in SC, as I said.

JULIO: Any other state, Ted?

TED: Yes, WOLF News has called New Hampshire for Governor Bloomberg. I think we can, too. He has taken a 2-point lead with 93% of the vote counted.

JULIO: Mayor Bloomberg, Ted. NYC is not a state.
That's good news for him, I suppose. 4 more Electoral Votes for him. It's 9 PM now!

SUSAN: What about Ralph Nader? We haven't talked about him yet!

JULIO: Mr. Nader is one of the big winners tonight. He's getting more than 5% in every state (not Oklahoma) and even more than 10% in many of them. He has a chance in Hawaii, but even if he doesn't win in the state, what he did is just amazing. Now the Green Party is a serious party, one which will decide elections and win elections. Democrats in safe districts may not be safe anymore. And we have to thank Ralph Nader for that. There are 10 or 15 House races where the green candidate has a serious shot at winning.

SUSAN: Yes, it's incredible. No one was expecting this, no one. Not even Ralph was. His goal was to get 5%, and he took part in every debate, some people realy liked him and all America heard his message. Do you think greens can beat Nancy Pelosi?

TED: I'd be the happiest man in the World if that happened.

JULIO: No, I think Mrs. Pelosi is likely to win. But an upset wouldn't surprise me at all. Ted, any other state?

TED: We don't have a winner in FL and IL yet, but Mr. Bloomberg is leading in both states, while Dean is leading the mayor by 10,000 votes in PA. And Massachusetts has 100% of its votes counted, and Dean is the winner. Mayor Bloomberg was confident that he'd win the state, but Massachusetts is still too progressive for that to happen. Maybe if Nader had campaigned more in the state.... One thing for sure, Kerryslide helped Dean. We were talking about Mississippi, right? We said Dean could win there. Well, McCain took MS 6 Electoral Votes by just over 0.5%. The state may need a recount.
In Missouri, mayor Bloomberg takes 2nd place, and Ralph Nader gets more votes than McCain in Connecticut! Now let me give the audience what they want:

Arkansas (100% reporting) 6 EVs:

Michael Bloomberg 34.61%
Howard Dean 29.63%
John McCain 27.19%
Ralph Nader 8.57%

Connecticut (99% reporting) 7 EVs:

Michael Bloomberg 36.5%
Howard Dean 33.57%
Ralph Nader 15.15%
John McCain 14.78

Maine 1st CD (95% reporting) 1 EV:

Michael Bloomberg 36.34%
Howard Dean 32.77%
Ralph Nader 15.83%
John McCain 15.06%

Massachusetts (100% reporting) 12 EVs:

Howard Dean 40.03%
Michael Bloomberg 38.2%
John McCain 12.11%
Ralph Nader 9.65%

New Hampshire (93% reporting) 4 EVs:

Michael Bloomberg 32.43%
Howard Dean 30.27%
John McCain 29.22%
Ralph Nader 8.08%

New Jersey (98% reporting) 15 EVs:

Michael Bloomberg 38.91%
Howard Dean 36.03%
John McCain 16.52%
Ralph Nader 8.54%

Rhode Island (100% reporting) 4 EVs:

Howard Dean 40.44%
Michael Bloomberg 39.2%
John McCain 11.36%
Ralph Nader 9%

Tennessee (100% reporting) 11 EVs:

Howard Dean 32.58%
John McCain 31.92%
Michael Bloomberg 28.75%
Ralph Nader 6.75%

Mississippi (100% reporting) 6 EVs:

John McCain 32.44%
Howard Dean 31.71%
Michael Bloomberg 28.74%
Ralph Nader 7.11%

Pennsylvania (99% reporting) 21 EVs:

Howard Dean 33.4%
Michael Bloomberg 33.32%
John McCain 23.79%
Ralph Nader 9.49%

North Carolina (96% reporting) 15 EVs:

Michael Bloomberg 33.02%
Howard Dean 32.97%
John McCain 27.41%
Ralph Nader 6.6%

Florida (90% reporting) 27 EVs:

Michael Bloomberg 32.23%
Howard Dean 30.88%
John McCain 28.2%
Ralph Nader 8.69%

Illinois (96% reporting) 21 EVs:

Michael Bloomberg 34.81%
Howard Dean 33.69%
John McCain 19.82%
Ralph Nader 11.68%

South Carolina (98% reporting) 8 EVs:

Howard Dean 33.32%
John McCain 33.24%
Michael Bloomberg 27%
Ralph Nader 6.44%

JULIO: What a crazy election, I don't see how any candidate can get 270 EVs without the need of a recount. But right now this looks like a good night for Governor Dean. He has to thank McCain for it, because the South is giving him some electoral votes he didn't deserve, as he didn't even visit states like NC, SC, KY or TN after the primaries.

SUSAN: What's helping Dean in the South could help Bloomberg in the West. Remember he was trailing McCain in states like Nebraska or North Dakota by less than Dean was trailing the republican in Tennessee or South Carolina. Anyway, I feel very optimistic today.

TED: What if Governor Bloo...

JULIO Mayor.

TED: What if he wins Texas? Because with 12% of the vote counted, he's leading. Do you think he can win?

JULIO: To be honest, I think he can't. Dean seems to have the momentum on his side on the South. And Texas is part of the South, you know. So that momentum could give McCain Texas
34 Electoral Votes.

SUSAN: I think your analysis is wrong, Julio. I'm not saying Bloomberg will be declared the winner in Texas, but he has a chance. One of his advisers told me their internal polling had him leading by 3... It could be a push poll, of course. But it could be a reliable poll, too. Hahaha...

TED: OK, Susan. But remember Bloomberg leads the "Mayors against ilegal guns" communist organization. Do you think a guy like him could win in Texas? I don't. And Dean is less radical on that issue.

JULIO: Oh, that. That could be crucial.

TED: With 21% of the vote counted there, Bloomberg keeps his lead in Texas. Maybe Susan is right after all. And we have many states to call, some of them may surprise you!

JULIO: Stay tuned

SUSAN: Wait a minute! Here's my map!:

Michael Bloomberg/Evan Bayh 85 EVs
Howard Dean/Patty Murray 80 EVs
John McCain/George Pataki 22 EVs
Ralph Nader/Dennis Kucinich 0 EVs

[Snowstalker Mk. II]

OOC: Guess Clinton wasn't enough for AR...Congrats to Bloomberg and Lincoln there. Still, pleasantly surprised at Tennessee and relieved that I held onto my half of New England. Now hopefully PA and IL can deliver.

[Warren 4 Secretary of Everything]

OOC: How's New York looking? We're counting on Pennsylvania and Illinois, so come on. To piggyback on what Snowstalker said, I'm also surprised at the South. Oldiesfreak seriously dropped the ball in the election. I wonder what the ramifications will be for the Republican Party in 2012. I'm pretty sure the seats that the Greens pick up this year in Congress will go back to the Democrats in 2010 though.

[tmthforu94]

OOC: Pleasantly surprised with how the night is going - the only state I haven't won that I was banking on is Rhode Island, though I wasn't really expecting to win New Hampshire, so it evens out. Pennsylvania looks razor-thin - hopefully Philadelphia will put me over the top. If I can win Texas and California, which I think I stand a reasonable chance of doing, I think it's very realistic that I reach 270 still.

Speaking of Pennsylvania...how exactly would a recount go? Since this is all done by formula, would it just be you going back through the posts to see if there is anything that happened there you may have overlooked? Thanks!

[Niemeyerite]

OOC: Pleasantly surprised with how the night is going - the only state I haven't won that I was banking on is Rhode Island, though I wasn't really expecting to win New Hampshire, so it evens out. Pennsylvania looks razor-thin - hopefully Philadelphia will put me over the top. If I can win Texas and California, which I think I stand a reasonable chance of doing, I think it's very realistic that I reach 270 still.

Speaking of Pennsylvania...how exactly would a recount go? Since this is all done by formula, would it just be you going back through the posts to see if there is anything that happened there you may have overlooked? Thanks!

Exactly, that and what you do while I post the Election results. For example, in SC it seems obvious to me now that even if McCain wants a recount, Gov. Dean will win the state, just because he's been more active "tonight". But to be honest, there are some states where any of you may ask for a recount and I already have a winner, even if he wins by 0.01%
I'll be even more honest. I have decided on 47 states. In some of those 47, the winner has won by less than 1 point, even by less than 0.5 in 2 or 3. There will be some surprise winners. The map I posted last week doesn't tell us if the states were a tie between Bloomberg and Dean, Dean and McCain, McCain and Bloomberg or Dean, McCain and Bloomberg, so I'll play with that in states that haven't been polled for a long time (I'm trying my best to be coherent with polls, visits, ads and momentum).

[Warren 4 Secretary of Everything]

OOC: Pleasantly surprised with how the night is going - the only state I haven't won that I was banking on is Rhode Island, though I wasn't really expecting to win New Hampshire, so it evens out. Pennsylvania looks razor-thin - hopefully Philadelphia will put me over the top. If I can win Texas and California, which I think I stand a reasonable chance of doing, I think it's very realistic that I reach 270 still.

Speaking of Pennsylvania...how exactly would a recount go? Since this is all done by formula, would it just be you going back through the posts to see if there is anything that happened there you may have overlooked? Thanks!

Exactly, that and what you do while I post the Election results. For example, in SC it seems obvious to me now that even if McCain wants a recount, Gov. Dean will win the state, just because he's been more active "tonight". But to be honest, there are some states where any of you may ask for a recount and I already have a winner, even if he wins by 0.01%
I'll be even more honest. I have decided on 47 states. In some of those 47, the winner has won by less than 1 point, even by less than 0.5 in 2 or 3. There will be some surprise winners. The map I posted last week doesn't tell us if the states were a tie between Bloomberg and Dean, Dean and McCain, McCain and Bloomberg or Dean, McCain and Bloomberg, so I'll play with that in states that haven't been polled for a long time (I'm trying my best to be coherent with polls, visits, ads and momentum).

This is gonna be a long night then.

[Lumine]

OOC: The biggest irony of this entire general election is that even without the financial crash and Palin, McCain did worse than IRL.

[Niemeyerite]

OOC: The biggest irony of this entire general election is that even without the financial crash and Palin, McCain did worse than IRL.

Because campaign matters .

[Niemeyerite]

I'm sorry, people. I've been very busy today. Tomorrow you'll get a big update.

[Sec. of State Superique]

I'm sorry, people. I've been very busy today. Tomorrow you'll get a big update.

Looking for results in HI, OR, AK, MN and CA =)

[tmthforu94]

Inside the Bloomberg Victory Rally

The Bloomberg Campaign holds it's Victory Rally in Madison Square Garden (New York City)

Good evening! My name is Bradley Tusk, and I have had the privilege of serving as Campaign Manager for Michael Bloomberg!

Months of hard work by countless volunteers have led us to where we are tonight, and from the bottom of the heart, I want to express my gratitude to all you have done. This election is about choices, and Michael Bloomberg offers a different choice for Americans - a choice that ends the partisanship in Washington, and gets a government in there that people can once again trust. It's a shame that, since Watergate, there hasn't been one poll that shows a majority of Americans trust the government. We have a long way to go, but I know with pragmatic solutions and a transparent government, it can be done.

Polls have now closed in most of America, and other than a few volunteers out West and the legal staff, our job on the campaign has nearly come to an end. But regardless of the outcome, this is only the beginning. A high percentage of Americans voted third-party this election, more than the Republicans or Democrats. A third-party candidate is poised to win the popular vote, and will hopefully snag a majority in the Electoral College. That is incredible, and regardless of who is elected, this should show that a large percentage of Americans are truly fed up with the stagnation of Washington D.C. We must press forth, demand transparency, and get real, bi-partisan leaders in Washington.

Now, let's look at what's coming in - you know what? I'm very optimistic and excited with the results. Pennsylvania is down to the wire, but it appears we're going to pull out upsets in North Carolina and Illinois. We've won the Garden State, and I feel very confident that we will take New York! (loud cheers) All eyes are on Texas and California, and I believe all the momentum was in our corner there. We are finishing higher than expected in almost every state, and it appears a majority of the undecided voters have broke our way. I'm confident we will win the popular vote, and will come very close to 270, if not over it. At that point, it will be up to the House of Representatives, and in the case of not reaching 270, I'd encourage you all to contact your lawmakers and press them to vote for the real winner of this election - Michael Bloomberg. We still have work to do, my friends!

Your future President, Michael Bloomberg, will address the crowd tonight, regardless of if a winner has been declared.

[Snowstalker Mk. II]

OOC: Burlington's not the grandest of cities, so I'm not entirely sure where our rally takes place. And is it okay if I say Jim Jeffords was my campaign manager this whole time?



Hello Burlington!

It's great being here. This city may not be as grand and flashy as New York or even Phoenix, but it's always been a hotbed of progressive politics. It's no surprise that it's the kind of place that would propel a great guy like Howard Dean into politics! And tonight, the eyes of the world will be on Burlington, home of the next President of the United States!

It's been an honor to serve as campaign manager for my great former governor. I saw firsthand his fantastic work in Montpelier. We balanced eleven budgets while expanding health care access to low-income Vermont children in one of the most praised state health programs ever. Now America has a choice. Will the next four years be like the last four under McCain or Bloomberg? Or will we move forward and elected a principled progressive with stellar experience and who recognized from Day 1 the folly that was Iraq? Much of the nation has already voted, but to anyone listening from home where the polls are still open, go out and vote for change, for Howard Dean, for Patty Murray!

I'm confident we can hit 270 tonight. But no matter what happens, Howard Dean will come out tonight to address you here in Burlington and everyone watching from their televisions.

[tmthforu94]

Arnold Schwarzenegger: America Wins Tonight!

Let me just say, it's been a pleasure touring this great state for the past week on behalf of our next President, Michael Bloomberg! To the few left to vote, I urge you to vote with your heart, vote for real change. Michael Bloomberg is offering the change we need in Washington D.C. - he's a pragmatic leader, ready to take conservative and liberal ideas to put our house in fiscal order.

In an everyday family home, tough decisions have to be made, and you have to pull back. Washington hasn't done that - it has a spending problem, and it's a result of the both parties. I find it hilarious that Dean keeps making this pathetic attempt at tying Bush to Bloomberg - these two couldn't be further apart on economics. President Bush - I have great respect for the man, but under his leadership, we've gone from a surplus to a large deficit and multi-trillion dollar debt. Michael Bloomberg, as Mayor, brought a deficit into a surplus. Howard Dean is trying to run a populist message, saying he'll bring real change, but look at his plan: cut government revenue and increase spending. How's that going to bring fiscal responsibility? It won't!

We need a real leader in these tough times, and Michael Bloomberg is the only one to provide that. I pray that the Golden State votes for Mike tonight! Tonight, I am confident that the real winner will be America, as we will finally elect a leader who's ready to get down to business and implement positive changes in our country!

[tmthforu94]

Interview on Hannity


Campaign Spokesperson Elizabeth Archuleta talks with Fox News

Hannity: Good evening, Ms. Archuleta. How are you feeling tonight?
Archuleta: Well, Sean, thank you for having me. I've feeling great - I think we've ran a great campaign - it's extraordinary that a third-party candidate will likely win the popular vote. It's never happened before.
Hannity: What do you think of the results thus far? Any surprises, good or bad?
Archuleta: Tonight has been a great night - our internal polling had us up by three points nationally, which appears to mostly be in line with what's happening tonight. Our internal polling had us over 270, and so far, it appears to be almost spot on.
Hannity: You say almost spot on - what were the surprises?
Archuleta: Well, our final poll in Rhode Island had us up by a couple points, but Dean's Northeastern appeal ultimately pulled through in the end. On the flip side, our final poll actually had us in a tie with McCain for second, so winning there tonight was a very pleasant surprise. Our final poll also had us winning Pennsylvania - all precincts have yet to report, so it's still to early to say whether or not we were right on that!
Hannity: Texas is shaping up to be a battle, a surprise to many. Your thoughts?
Archuleta: Our campaign started investing early in Texas - I think Senator McCain knew that if he had to defend Texas, his campaign was over. Therefore, despite it's large electoral amount and the polls showing a close race there, throughout the summer and fall, our campaign is the only campaign that has had a strong presence in the state - we've spent almost as much time and money there as any other state, and our ground game is terrific. We're really hoping to score and upset there tonight - if we can win Texas and California, I feel confident that Mike will reach 270!
Hannity: And if he doesn't?
Archuleta: We'll take our case to Congress - I think it's apparent that Mayor Bloomberg will win the Popular Vote tonight, and will likely win more electoral votes than any other candidate. Pressure needs to be placed on members of the House to respect the people's will, and I have faith they'll do that.
Hannity: It was good talking to you tonight, Elizabeth. Best of luck!
Archuleta: Thank you, Sean!

[Niemeyerite]

OOC: People count votes really fast in this TL.

JULIO: We are back and ready to call more states! It's 21:40 and in 20 minutes Iowa, Montana, Nevada and Utah start the vote counting. Ted, tell us something about Senate races!

TED: Carl Levin, Mark Pryor and Mary Landrieu keep their seats for democrats... Pat Roberts,  and John Cornyn for republicans. And incumbents have been defeated in Mississippi and Oklahoma.

Mississippi Special, Senate, Senate (100% reporting):
Ronnie Musgrove (D) 43.34%
Roger Wicker (R) 41.21%
Theresa M. Gabriel (I) 15.45%

Oklahoma, Senate (79% reporting):
Dan Boren (I) 44.56%
Jim Inhofe (R) 39.93%
Andrew Rice (D) 11.19%
Jim Rogers (G) 4.32%

SUSAN: Bad news for republicans, they weren't able to keep two seats in states where even McCain won!

TED: Yes, Susan. But we had a former republicans running in MS as an independent and a very strong democrat. In Oklahoma, former democrat Dan Boren ran as an independent and was able to upset mr. Inhofe, who's not used to close races. Dan Boren got the democratic vote and was able to win over a huge majority of independents. Polls indicated that Inhofe and Boren were tied with Rice getting over 15% of the vote. I think those who were going to vote for Rice realized that this was an unique oportunity to defeat a republican in OK.

JULIO: True, Ted. But this is big news no matter what. Oklahoma voted independent!

TED: And we can now call the NH senate election for former Governor Jeanne Shaheen. Bad news for America

SUSAN: Oh, yes! This is such a great night!

TED: In Wisconsin, Herb Kohl wins, and so does Mike Enzi in Wyoming. Tim Johnson is the winner in South Dakota, and Mike Johanns in Nebraska. We have yet another independent pick up, this time in Minnesota.

SUSAN: Really? I thought Al Franken would win...

TED: No, the clown was 3rd, actually.

Minnesota, Senate (91% reporting):
Dean Barkley (I) 29.35%
Norm Coleman (R) 24.58%
Al Franken (DFL) 23.95%
Elaine Fleming (G) 22.12%

SUSAN: That's crazy! The winner didn't even manage to get 30% of the vote.

TED: Really interesting, yes. So, yo can win an election with 29% of the vote now. Disgusting.

JULIO: What about Colorado and New Mexico?

TED: We don't have winners yet. but the socialist cousins are leading in both states. In New Mexico, we have a strong green candidate, who may finish 2nd. Disgusting, too.

JULIO: Now tell the audience what they want to hear. Any other state can be called?

TED: Yes, and I have to tell you something, Julio. You were wrong. Michael Bloomberg is the winner in Texas! And in Florida!

JULIO: Oh, my. This was unexpected.

TED: And Dean can claim victory in South Carolina. But the state may need a recount.

SUSAN: What about North Carolina, Illinois and Pennsylvania?

TED: I'd wait a bit, but I'd say that Bloomberg has taken Illinois and Dean North Carolina, but we don't know yet. There are some precints to report their votes and that could change everything. In Pennsylvania, Bloomberg has closed the gap even more, but Dean has a 0.02% lead.

Pennsylvania (99.7% reporting) 21 EVs:

Howard Dean 33.37%
Michael Bloomberg 33.35%
John McCain 23.77%
Ralph Nader 9.51%

North Carolina (99% reporting) 15 EVs:

Howard Dean 33.03%
Michael Bloomberg 32.98%
John McCain 27.38%
Ralph Nader 6.61%

Florida (99% reporting) 27 EVs:

Michael Bloomberg 32.31%
Howard Dean 31%
John McCain 28.03%
Ralph Nader 8.66%

Illinois (96% reporting) 21 EVs:

Michael Bloomberg 34.81%
Howard Dean 33.69%
John McCain 19.82%
Ralph Nader 11.68%

South Carolina (100% reporting) 8 EVs:

Howard Dean 33.4%
John McCain 33.12%
Michael Bloomberg 27.02%
Ralph Nader 6.46%

TED: We don't have a winner in the state McCain represents in the Senate. Impressive.

Arizona (44% reporting) 10 EVs:
John McCain 33.57%
Michael Bloomberg 32.24%
Howard Dean 27.25%
Ralph Nader 6.94%

In Colorado and New Mexico, Governor Dean wins. The DNC took place in Denver, that probably helped a lot. Colorado hasn't voted democrat since 1992.

New Mexico (67% reporting) 5 EVs:

Howard Dean 34.87%
Michael Bloomberg 29.45%
John McCain 23.67%
Ralph Nader 12.01%

Colorado (68% reporting) 9 EVs:

Howard Dean 33.4%
Michael Bloomberg 30%
John McCain 28.57%
Ralph Nader 8.03%

JULIO: Surprising? Not really. But good news for Dean, Colorado was called sooner than expected. But Bloomberg may take AZ, so he has reasons to be happy, too.

TED: Let's continue, because we have more states to call. In Kansas, McCain wins, as expected. But in Louisiana, we don't have a winner yet. Dean could upset McCain there!

SUSAN: I heard Cajun people actually liked Howard Dean. That could give him the victory, but Ralph Nader campaigned hard there with the help of Buddy Roemer. He was very strong in polls in Louisiana, that could give McCain the state's 9 Electoral Votes.

TED: And Michigan is a 3-way tie. Another headache for Dean and Bloomberg, the 4th after Pennsylvania, Illinois and North Carolina.

JULIO: McCain is overperforming in Michigan, that's ironic.

SUSAN: It may be because he campaigned in the state every damn week. He has a strong grassroots campaign in the state. The guy seemed to think that Michigan was the key to the Presidency.

TED: And that's why he has a chance to win the state, right.

Kansas (46% reporting) 6 EVs:
John McCain 38.56%
Michael Bloomberg 31.87%
Howard Dean 24.48%
Ralph Nader 4.77%

Louisiana (61% reporting) 9 EVs:
John McCain 29.17%
Howard Dean 28.91%
Michael Bloomberg 27.23%
Ralph Nader 14.69%

SUSAN: LoL, that's crazy, too. Minnesota senate and Louisiana are astonishing.

TED: And Michigan:

Michigan (78% reporting) 17 EVs:
John McCain 31.46%
Michael Bloomberg 30.51%
Howard Dean 30.36%
Ralph Nader 7.67%

TED: Let's go to Minnesota and South Dakota now, because we have winner there, too. Dean and Bloomberg. Big win for mr. Bloomberg in SD, a state with only 3 EV. But a win is a win. SD counted its votes really, really fast. As usual, the more conservative, the more competent.
Big news for mr. Nader in Minnesota, BTW.

Minnesota (82% reporting) 10 EVs:
Howard Dean 29.85%
Michael Bloomberg 26.56%
John McCain 24.87%
Ralph Nader 18.72%

South Dakota (97% reporting) 3 EVs:
Michael Bloomberg 35.5%
John McCain 34.02%
Howard Dean 21.92%
Ralph Nader 8.56%

TED: And in Nebraska... 1 EV for McCain and 1 for Bloomberg for the moment. Bloomberg is leading in Nebraska 1st CD. And we can't call Nebraska as a whole yet. Bloomberg and McCain are essentially tied.

Nebraska (76% reporting) 2 EVs:
John McCain 36.1%
Michael Bloomberg 35.72%
Howard Dean 21.17%
Ralph Nader 7.01%

Nebraska 1st CD (76% reporting) 1 EV:
Michael Bloomberg 36.57%
John McCain 35.23%
Howard Dean 21.54%
Ralph Nader 6.66%

Nebraska 2nd CD (74% reporting) 1 EV:
Michael Bloomberg 40.1%
John McCain 28.78%
Howard Dean 24.01%
Ralph Nader 7.11%

Nebraska 3rd CD (78% reporting) 1 EV:
John McCain 45.07%
Michael Bloomberg 32.12%
Howard Dean 18.41%
Ralph Nader 4.4%

JULIO; Now that's surprising. I'm almost sure Bloomberg will win at least 2 EVs in Nebraska.

TED: Not so fast. That's with only 76% of the vote counted. It could change. But I understand what you say, even if he doesn't win it, Bloomberg should feel like a winner, because he managed to close the gap in less than a month here.

SUSAN: Not to say that he may even get 4 of NE 5 Electoral Votes. Poor McCain (no, bot really!).

TED: Shut up, b****. Now, let's see what's happening in Wyoming and Wisconsin. We can call Wyoming for mr. Bloomberg, and we have another big call in the state. Democrat Dave Freudenthal, who ran with the support of both Dean and Bloomberg but who said he would campaign for Bloomberg in the state, has beaten John Barrasso. We don't have a winner in Wisconsin for the moment.

Wyoming Special, Senate (94% reporting):
Dave Freudenthal 52.4%
John Barrasso 47.6%

Wyoming (95% reporting) 3 EVs:
Michael Bloomberg 43.42%
John McCain 37.12%
Howard Dean 11.4%
Ralph Nader 8.06%

Wisconsin (52% reporting) 10 EVs:
Michael Bloomberg 32.92%
Howard Dean 31.52%
John McCain 27.1%
Ralph Nader 8.46%

JULIO: Now, some ads. After that, we'll release Texas and New York. Texas has voted for mayor Bloomberg, but, what about NY? In 5 minutes, you will have the answer to it. Stay tuned. And polls have finally closed in
Iowa
Montana
Nevada
and Utah

SUSAN: And my map:

Michael Bloomberg/Evan Bayh 153 EVs
Howard Dean/Patty Murray 112 EVs
John McCain/George Pataki 29 EVs
Ralph Nader/Dennis Kucinich 0 EVs

[tmthforu94]

Statement by the Bloomberg Campaign

After major victories in Texas and Florida, our campaign remains very optimistic about our chances, especially in New York, the home state of the Mayor. We are finishing in the top two in almost every state, and we think it's safe to say at this point that Michael Bloomberg will win the popular vote. We have even closed the gap in Senator McCain's homestate of Arizona, and are hoping for an upset there. We've continued to close the gap in Pennsylvania, and North Carolina is down to the wire. We expect all three states to vote with the Mayor.

The American people are speaking loud and clear this election - they're ready for real, bi-partisan change in Washington. And we're ready to give them that!

[Sec. of State Superique]

OOC: It's funny that Bloomberg - McCain split in the South is creating a comeback from the Deep South =) Maybe that is a little bit Clintonian as well... I hope that I haven't destroyed Dean chances on Michigan, Pennsylvania, Illnois and Louisiana though =/