2016 and Onward: A New American Century

[LLR]

You are cruel to the Cubs... "whitesox130"

[Coolface Sock #42069]

Lol, it's a long timeline. The Cubs may yet have their day.

[Heisenberg]

Very interesting timeline. I'm looking forward to seeing how the 2018 midterms end up, especially with regards to the primaries. Keep up the good work!

[Coolface Sock #42069]

DECEMBER 2017

A joint congressional Democratic Caucus retreat in Iron Mountain, Michigan, is disrupted by 1,000 protesters bused in from Chicago and Detroit. The protesters are upset that the Democrats have done too much compromising and have not been liberal enough. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) addresses the protesters and asks them to go home, but to no avail. Salon runs an article the next day labeling Sanders as a turncoat to the liberal cause. Rumors of Sanders's frustration and possible retirement begin swirling around.

A coalition of liberal groups led by EMILY's List begins a public search for primary challengers to three additional Democratic senators: Heidi Heitkamp (ND), Tim Kaine (VA), and Joe Manchin (WV). In addition, Rep. Jared Huffman (D-CA), one of the most liberal Members of Congress, is pushed to run for the seat currently held by Dianne Feinstein, who is retiring at the end of her term.

[Coolface Sock #42069]

JANUARY 2018

An aide to Sen. Dianne Feinstein reports that when she was visiting House Speaker John Boehner's (R-OH) office, she stumbled upon a pack of Chantix pills. The Speaker later confirms that he has decided to quit smoking due to health concerns.

The Green Bay Packers cap off an impressive 15-1 regular season, the only loss being to the Pittsburgh Steelers on a last-second field goal. The 1-seed in the NFC playoffs, the Packers are heavily favored to win the Super Bowl.

C-SPAN footage from a hot mic captures two Democratic congressmen talking about possible primary challengers to President Clinton. Names mentioned include Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton and Sens. Tammy Baldwin and Elizabeth Warren.

A brutal snowstorm hits the lower Great Lakes. Sheboygan Falls, Wisconsin, gets hit the hardest, reporting 29 inches of snow. The city of Chicago gains major publicity after going 58 hours without a shooting.

Kicking off what is sure to be a long run of candidacy announcements, US Reps. Jason Chaffetz and Mia Love both announce their candidacies to replace the retiring Sen. Orrin Hatch. Also, EMILY's List founder Ellen Malcolm announces her candidacy for the United States Senate in Virginia while saying her primary opponent, incumbent Tim Kaine, is "bought and paid for" by business interests and lobbying groups and "not serious about lifting the punitive reproductive restrictions this country places on all women of all ages." 

[Coolface Sock #42069]

FEBRUARY 2018

In a joint news conference, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) announces that his current Senate term will be his last and endorses US Rep. Peter Welch (D-VT), who also announces his candidacy at the event, for the seat. Sanders says he will spend his retirement visiting family but will also engage in "continued activism in support of the causes that matter most".

The Green Bay Packers win Super Bowl LII, beating the Pittsburgh Steelers by a score of 42-39. The unusually high-scoring affair raises eyebrows and is the highest-rated Super Bowl in the past five years.

Unemployment ticks up above 8%, continuing a slow, steady climb.

US Sen. Tammy Baldwin's fundraising totals stun observers in her January FEC filing. Baldwin reported $10 million cash on hand in this early stage of the campaign and has been touring her state over the winter, hitting more rural areas than Democrats usually do in Wisconsin. Baldwin is reportedly focusing on disaffected Bernie Sanders supporters.

Citing the need to keep ISIS contained, President Clinton sends 2,000 more soldiers to Syria and Iraq, over the objections of anti-war activists. Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA) drafts a new authorization for use of military force due to his belief that the 2001 AUMF is outdated. The authorization is said to have some support in both parties.

[Coolface Sock #42069]

MARCH 2018

Two unnamed NBA teams are considering moving to Las Vegas due to low ticket sales and the region's lack of a professional sports franchise.

A Rasmussen reports poll indicates that President Clinton's favorability among self-identified Republicans is 41%, an all-time high. The president sports an overall favorability rating of 59% but is said to be exceptionally weak among progressives, whom Rasmussen did not poll as a separate group. Pundits suggest reasons for Clinton's unusually high favorability among GOP voters during a time of recession as being due to an abundance of problems with bipartisan solutions and a Congress that has worked to find common ground to solve them. Democratic pundits worry that this may not be the case throughout Clinton's term. National Review runs an editorial praising the president's leadership during the recession, citing her willingness to toss aside progressive preferences in favor of solving pressing problems.

APRIL 2018

J. P. Morgan Chase releases a dismal earnings report on Monday, April 2, sending markets crashing. Rumors swirl about a possible Chapter 11 for the banking giant. Pundits, both liberal and conservative, seem to show little sympathy for Chase, blaming the bank's own lending practices and standards and poor treatment of its depositors. CEO Jamie Dimon is silent about the report.

Larry Sabato's Crystal Ball says that at this time, the Republicans should bet on a three-to-four-seat pickup in the Senate, saying the president is "historically popular across the aisle" but that the Democrats are overextended in the current map and this is still a midterm election, where Democrats typically suffer. Sabato goes into statewide electoral trends and points out the thin margins by which some Democrats skated by in 2012. Republicans currently hold a 53-seat majority in the upper chamber.

[Coolface Sock #42069]

APRIL 2018

With seven months to the election, for the first time, RCP shows a Republican advantage in the generic congressional ballot. The advantage, a paltry 0.6%, comes after months of Democratic leads in that ballot.

A leaked memo from the National Restaurant Association shows the group encouraging restaurant chains and franchise owners to limit the introduction of automated ordering machines and similar front-facing worker-replacing machines to states and localities where the minimum wage has been raised above ten dollars per hour. The group is silent on the matter at this time but clearly plans to leverage the threat of such machines to prevent further minimum wage increases. In a somewhat-related move, the first automated ordering machines arrive in a McDonald's restaurant in Seattle, where the chain hopes to hold down costs amid the city's move toward a $15 minimum wage.

In another restaurant-related story, KFC's earnings report shows the company has delivered an exceptionally strong quarter on the back of a new marketing campaign and new, more cost-competitive, individual meals. The chain had been passed by Chick-fil-A for first place among chicken-centric chains but has begun a comeback by mimicking some of the practices that propelled Chick-fil-A into that position.

John Calipari's Kentucky Wildcats win the NCAA championship.

President Clinton throws the first pitch, a strike, at Major League Baseball's Opening Day, between the Chicago White Sox and Kansas City Royals at Chicago's U.S. Cellular Field. The applause received by Clinton is measurably greater than that received by President Obama when he visited the park. Clinton's form even seems to assuage some concerns about her health. Clinton is nearly hit by a car on her way out of the stadium, however, reigniting concerns about the aptitude of both the Chicago Police and the Secret Service.

[Coolface Sock #42069]

MAY 2018

A coalition of liberal groups searching for someone to challenge incumbent President Hillary Clinton from the left has reportedly found the man (or woman) for the job. The candidate is unnnamed at this tome. Battle lines are beginning to be drawn: the aforementioned coalition is mainly made up of socialist and feminist groups, while business, moderate, and minority-rights groups overwhelmingly support the President.

Wendy Davis announces her intention to challenge Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) for the state's Class 1 Senate seat. Davis, who lost badly in a 2014 gubernatorial run, plans to seek the support of groups like EMILY's List and hopes their hatred for the far-right Cruz will bring in enough outside money to bring him down.

In a move that prompts great geopolitical concern, North Korea reportedly begins to consider diplomatic relations with ISIS.

In the absence of a unifying unpopular figure of the opposing party to run against, the Republican National Committee urges its members to run on a positive, policy-based agenda or against their respective opponents' records.

President Clinton gives a speech at the Planned Parenthood Action Fund, where she is booed for not having pushed for fully-taxpayer-funded abortion for any woman without question and stronger equal-pay laws. In the aftermath, Clinton commits what some consider her biggest gaffe of her presidency so far and some consider the first moment when she confronted the left to its face: Clinton called the "women make 78 cents to the man's dollar" line a myth based on unethical data and journalism practices.

As the far left ramps up its attacks on an insufficiently-progressive Clinton, one progressive voice is conspicuously absent: Senator Elizabeth Warren. In a floor speech, Warren exhorts the left to be patient and support the president's consensus-building efforts during a time of recession.

In a poll, hedge fund managers say Hillary Clinton has been the best economic president since her husband was president 20 years ago.

[Coolface Sock #42069]

JUNE 2018

Heads of state in China and Russia, the two main allies of North Korea, along with most European nations and South Korea, loudly condemn the democratic people's republic's consideration of diplomatic relations with ISIS. In an unprecedented move, China vows to invade North Korea if ISIS begins to establish a footprint there or if North Korea begins sponsoring ISIS's terror in the Middle East and worldwide.

President Clinton gives a speech in front of a joint session of Congress, asking Congressmen to consider a declaration of war against North Korea if the country begins supporting ISIS's mission of worldwide radical jihad.

Meanwhile, a Jordanian airstrike led by King Abdullah II lands a confirmed kill of the second-in-command to Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. Abdullah and his cohort receive a heroes' welcome upon their return to Jordan. al-Baghdadi's whereabouts are unknown at this time, but ISIS's territory is shrinking in Iraq and not growing in Syria. Once frequently cited by Republicans as a "caliphate the size of Indiana", it is now roughly the size of South Carolina.

[Coolface Sock #42069]

JULY 2018

Tim "Eater X" Janus announces that this year's Nathan's Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest will be his last, citing health issues as the main driver of his decision. In the contest itself. Janus begins with a 14-dog first minute and a sizeable early lead, but Joey "Jaws" Chestnut makes things close. Janus and Chestnut are neck and neck for the final five minutes of the contest, but in the end, it is Janus who pulls out the win with 71 HDB to Chestnut's 70. Eric "Badlands" Booker finishes third with 59, a personal best.

A July 4 game between the Washington Nationals and New York Mets goes 21 innings. Fireworks originally scheduled for after the game are postponed for the following night, and all attendees are given free tickets to view them. With the team out of relievers and position players to pinch-hit, Mets starting pitcher Noah Syndergaard gets a pinch-hit home run in the top of the 21st and pitches a scoreless bottom of the inning to finally end a 6-hour, 14-minute marathon of a game.

President Clinton throws a spectacular 4th of July party for all members of Congress on the White House lawn. A group of five far-left radicals approaches the WH on foot with assault rifles but is quickly apprehended.

Tensions continue to mount in east Asia with Japan joining South Korea, the United States, China, and most of Europe in vowing to "utterly destroy" North Korea should it establish any forms of diplomatic relations with the terrorist group ISIS. Russia has been silent up until now, but there are rumors that President Vladimir Putin is also planning to issue a similar declaration soon.

Tens of thousands of American Muslims and Muslim groups, led by CAIR, begin a campaign to "loudly and proudly declare that we are Muslim, and radical terrorists are not". Muslims had been criticized for being too quiet about terrorism and too withdrawn from society for years. The coalition puts together a series of 15-second commercials titled "I Am a Muslim" that highlights several Muslim celebrities as well as ordinary Muslims living in communities throughout the USA.

Amid this international strife, the civil war in the Democratic Party continues to heat up as Hillary Clinton faces unprecedented criticism from within her own party, particularly from feminist and socialist groups. Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) declines Clinton's invitation to her Fourth of July party, fueling rumors of bad blood between the two, but when contacted by CNN, Warren's office insists there was a scheduling conflict.

President Clinton's approval rating hovers around 57/40, with 36% of Republicans approving.

AUGUST 2018

The Supreme Court decides the following cases:

In Fisher v. Texas, the Court rules 5-3 in favor of the plaintiff, dealing a devastating blow to affirmative action by declaring all race-based admissions policies in universities discriminatory and unconstitutional. Brutal protests ensue throughout Washington with some becoming riots. 101 are arrested, of whom 79 are white and under the age of 20.

In Friedrichs vs. California Teachers Association, the Court rules, by a surprising 8-1 margin, that "fair share" fees may continue to be charged to a nonmember of a public-sector union as long as the union can prove that the union is still negotiating employment terms on the nonmember's behalf and the union can prove that all money charged to the nonmember is spent on collective bargaining expenses only. Justice Clarence Thomas, the lone dissenter, is mellow in his critique but calls public-sector closed-shop arrangements an example of government cronyism. The commanding margin in this ruling figures to set precedents for lower courts for centuries to come.

In a true sign of the times, the Socialist Workers Party begins fielding candidates for several House and Senate seats, far more than usual.

As the 2018 campaign prepares to shift into post-Labor Day high gear, POLITICO runs an editorial commenting on the stark contrast between President Hillary Clinton's shockingly high popularity, around 60%, and the increasingly-ominous scenario ahead of her party in November. Democrats of all persuasions begin to brace themselves. Republicans have had a near-perfect recruiting class, while several key Democrats in swing states (and a couple of blue states) have lost their primaries to far-left figures that are unlikely to prevail in a general election, much less a midterm.

New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez schedules the general election for the seat vacated by Vice President Martin Heinrich for the same day as the 2018 general election, November 6, 2018. Martinez also appoints state Sen. Lisa Torraco (R-Albuquerque) to serve in the interim. This gives the Republicans a temporary pickup and 54 seats in the Senate throughout the remainder of the 115th Congress. It is unknown at this time who the major party nominees will be and whether Torraco is interested in running for a full term.

[Coolface Sock #42069]

SEPTEMBER 2018

Ohio Gov. John Kasich signs S. 178 into law. Titled "The Affordable Emergency Care for Ohio Act", the law is the second step in Kasich's plan to make healthcare more affordable in his state. The law creates strict cost controls for types of care for which patients are least likely to shop for the best product at the lowest price, including ambulances, emergency room stays, common emergency room procedures, and common emergency drugs. The Act is derided by the AMA as "government meddling in pricing issues that should be outside its purview". Kasich, in a speech announcing his intention to sign the bill into law, cites the healthcare industry's abuse of the "desperation faced by emergency patients who are more concerned with the life-and-death issues before them than shopping around for costs at five or ten different hospitals". Kasich also mentions reports of ambulance fees over $1,500 and emergency rooms charging in excess of $1,000 per night as further evidence of the need for cost controls. The law is effective January 1, 2019.

The US Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs begins a two-week-long round of testimonies by CEOs of major banking corporations. The most noteworthy portion happens when J. P. Morgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon is grilled by ranking member and Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown (D). Brown asks Dimon why any taxpayer in America should want to bail out Dimon's bank when they have "ripped off so many Americans by lending them money for mortgages you knew they couldn't afford, and beyond that, not only allowing, but incentivizing your bankers to do so through your misguided commission structures, and selling the mortgages to other companies to you didn't have to deal with the consequences."

Senator Rand Paul finishes his last remark to Dimon by saying, "This matter will have to be voted on by the full Senate, but in my opinion, Mr. Dimon, you and your company have made your bed, and now, it's time to lie in it."After this testimony is over, Republicans begin drafting legislation to stop bankers from causing a recession such as this for happening for a third consecutive time, but most adamantly refuse to be part of any bailout for any bank.

A shooter affiliated with the Ku Klux Klan walks into a black church in Chicago and kills 14 people before being subdued by the church's pastor. The pastor subdues the shooter by pulling his own gun out from behind the church's pulpit and shooting him in the leg. Former President Barack Obama delivers the eulogy at a funeral for all 14 people. The shooting prompts most major church bodies to deliver a condemnation of the KKK and declare the KKK a non-Christian organization.

OCTOBER 2018

In a last-ditch effort to limit their losses, the Senate Democrats begin a last-minute ad blitz, pushing their debt higher than it has been in over 10 years. The blitz targets several swing states and a couple of blue states where Democrats believe they can save some of their seats.

110 years after their last world championship, the Chicago Cubs finally win the World Series, besting the Houston Astros in 6 games. The highlight of the series is a walkoff home run in Game 6 by first-baseman Anthony Rizzo.

Crying Jordan afficionados create a few notable memes mocking the Astros for losing to the Cubs and for still not having won a World Series in 70+ years of existence. They gear up for the midterm elections. The USA Today editorial board writes a column wondering if Crying Jordan will ever go away.

Next up: a recap of the 2018 primaries!

[Mike Thick]

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d4nk m3m3s n3v3r d13

[Former Senator Haslam2020]

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d4nk m3m3s n3v3r d13

rip qq dank memes mak3 w37 dweamz

[Coolface Sock #42069]

2018 PRIMARY RECAP

The Democrats faced two basic obstacles in their fight to keep their large majority in the 2012 Senate class, the only class where they had a majority. They had a daunting map, in which they had to defend six seats in red states as well as four seats in swing states, and it was a midterm election. In addition to this, Democrats faced a schism in the party the likes of which the party had not seen since World War II. Voters who supported Bernie Sanders in the 2016 primary as well as many who had supported President Clinton were now disappointed that Clinton was compromising with Republicans instead of pushing for the enactment of progressive principles.

To compound their problems, several incumbent Democrats had to contend with well-funded, far-left challengers who were angry about Hillary Clinton and her failure to pass or champion any significant progressive reforms since her inauguration. This put several additional seats in jeopardy.

Arizona

Jeff Flake, elected with a plurality of 49.2% in 2012, faced a difficult potential  primary challenge from conservative radio host Laura Ingraham, who called Flake a RINO who sides with Democrats on too many issues, most notably immigration. He also faced a strong challenge from the left when former US Rep. Gabrielle Giffords declared her candidacy for the seat. Giffords challenged Flake on the basis of his vote against the Manchin-Toomey gun control amendment in 2013. In a sign of her incredible popularity, Hillary Clinton campaigned with Giffords in Arizona. However, Ingraham ultimately declined to run, Giffords's campaign was poorly-run and focused on only one issue, and in a midterm election, it was simply a bridge too far. Flake prevailed, 53/43, over Giffords. R Hold

California
85-year-old Dianne Feinstein announced her retirement, setting off a firestorm in her home state of California. Rep. Loretta Sanchez announced her candidacy for the seat mere hours after Feinstein's announcement. She was followed shortly afterward by Rep. Xavier Bacerra. Also announcing their candidacies were Democrats Rep. Ted Lieu, a former colonel in the Air Force Reserve, Rep. Jackie Speier, and Rep. Karen Bass. Frustrated by a lack of sufficiently liberal options, the far-left mostly remained neutral early on, though a few liberals from other states openly encouraged several liberal celebrities to run. However, the strong candidacies of Rep. Ed Royce and Rep. Doug LaMalfa forced liberals to reconsider, and ultimately, they got behind Sanchez to avoid a scenario where two Republicans advanced to the runoff. Sanchez and Royce made it out of an extremely bloody jungle primary, and Sanchez defeated Royce, but by an unimpressive margin of 53/47. D Hold

Connecticut

45-year-old Sen. Chris Murphy did not draw attention from the NRSC due to his youth and impressive war chest. In the end, Murphy ran unopposed and cruised to reelection, though he did draw the ire of some environmentalist groups for his prior support for increased drilling for oil. D Hold

Delaware

The popular 71-year-old Sen. Tom Carper, respected on both sides of the aisle, was one of the targets of disaffected far-left groups that were upset about Hillary Clinton's insufficiently-liberal administration. Carper, especially known for working across the aisle, was a natural choice for defeat. He was mainly criticized for his prior support for tort reform, federal funding for charter schools, reducing the budget deficit through spending cuts, and free trade, as well as his opposition to a bill that would raise the federal minimum wage to $10.10 per hour. The primary challenger turned out to be Robert Reich, a former Carter and Clinton cabinet member and leader of MoveOn.org who was born in Philadelphia and moved to Delaware from California to take on Carper. Reich attacked Carper from the left on the aforementioned issues, but Delaware, the state with the highest percentage of moderates in the country, chose Carper in the primary, and Carper went on to crush the comeback bid of Christine O'Donnell, 61/37. D Hold

[wjx987]

How long do you intend this TL to go?

[Coolface Sock #42069]

How long do you intend this TL to go?

At least through 2020 if not longer. I'm also studying for an actuarial exam right now that I really need to pass (it's in November), though, so updates will be sparse for a while.

[Coolface Sock #42069]

Florida

2016 Senate nominee and former Rep. Alan Grayson was at it again, challenging incumbent Bill Nelson, again to the dismay of the DSCC and Florida Democrats. Nelson, known as something of a moderate in the Senate, also had a tough challenge looming in November when former presidential candidate and former Sen. Marco Rubio, now 47 years old, announced his candidacy for the seat along with sitting Gov. Rick Scott. Through two long, painful, bloody primaries, Rubio and Nelson ultimately prevailed, but with the overwhelming support of Cuban-American immigrants and their descendents in south Florida and in a midterm year, Rubio surprised political analysts and won by a margin of 51/46. R + 1

Hawaii

What was initially expected too be an easy race got more interesting when former Rep. Charles Djou challenged Mazie Hirono for this seat. Djou's announcement immediately had the race on most media outlets' radar, and for a while, Stuart Rothenberg and Larry Sabato both considered the race a Toss-Up. But, as opposition-party candidates in safe states often do, Djou faded down the stretch and lost to Hirono,  54/45. D Hold

[Coolface Sock #42069]

Indiana

Democrats scored a major coup in 2012 when Sen. Richard Lugar was primaried out by Richard Mourdock, who proceeded to completely implode and hand the election to Rep. Joe Donnelley.

This time, however, Republicans would not make the same mistake. Also, Sierra Club Hoosier Chapter chair Richard Hill challenged the incumbent in the primary, upset over Donnelley's support for the Keystone Pipeline and what he called "general indifference toward the state of our environment". Hill also ran to Donnelley's left on many other "gentry liberal" issues such as single-payer health care, abortion, and LGBT rights.

Donnelley made an issue of Hill's age and lack of legislative experience and asserted that Hill's policies would be DOA in Washington. Though Hill made a race of it, Donnelley ultimately prevailed due to concerns about Hill's ability to win in November and overwhelming support from blacks.

But Donnelley's weakness and the tough primary drew a strong Republican challenger, former Indianapolis mayor Greg Ballard. Ballard's connection with Indianapolis pushed down Donnelley's margin there, and Ballard became Senator-elect in November, 52/47. R + 1

Maine

Pundits had watched this race for more than two years since term-limited Gov. Paul LePage declared his candidacy for the seat in early 2016. LePage had initially been expected to be competitive for the seat against incumbent Sen. Angus King, but after a nasty voice mail he left for a state senator containing an anti-gay slur was leaked, he fell far behind. Rush Limbaugh, on his show the next day, said LePage's antics were exactly what liberals wanted to see out of a Republican and predicted they would try to tar and feather every Republican running for office in 2018 with them. He was later quoted as saying it was time for LePage to "get a real job", a quote that ended up being featured in numerous liberal groups' ads backing King. 2014 Democratic nominee Shenna Bellows also made a bid for this seat, but LePage's implosion locked this one up for King, who won with 65% of the vote. I Hold

[Coolface Sock #42069]

Maryland

Ben Cardin was 75, a baby in Senate years, so few were surprised when he said he would run for re-election. But many were surprised by the margin by which he defeated his opponent, Rep. Andy Harris, who announced his candidacy believing that Cardin could lose his primary. Cardin handily defeated his token primary opposition and, on the back of the popularity of Hillary Clinton, exceeded his 2012 margin of victory and took 58% of the vote in a a November rout.

Massachusetts

Elizabeth Warren was a polarizing, but well-liked, figure in her home state. She did not draw a top-tier challenger, but perennial candidate Richard Tisei was no slouch, and neither was 2013 special election nominee Gabriel Gomez. Facing no significant primary opposition herself, Warren watched the two Republicans duke it out in the primary but still won an uninspiring victory with 53% of the vote. The margin would later be blamed on Warren's halfhearted campaign in her home state (several loyal supporters reported never receiving their lawn signs, and she cancelled a significant percentage of her campaign events) and exit polling showing her views were more extreme than those of the Massachusetts electorate. Exit polls showed Hillary Clinton's approval at a staggering 74% in the Bay State, compared with her numbers in the mid-sixties nationwide.

[Coolface Sock #42069]

Michigan

A popular president Clinton spent a fair amount of time campaigning with Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D), but Stabenow was considered fairly safe from the beginning, and although there were enough rural and gentry suburban Democrats to make the state seem like fertile ground for a progressive uprising, no champion for the far left emerged, and Republicans were unable to find a strong challenger, either. The end result was a big win for Stabenow with 57% of the vote.

Minnesota

Sen. Amy Klobuchar was initially thought to be vulnerable due to her lagging popularity, but the state Republican Party was evicted from its headquarters in September due to non-payment on its mortgage, and that, combined with Clinton's popularity (which was strong in Minnesota, but behind the national average at 58% due to progressive discontent), was all the ammunition Democrats needed to push Klobuchar over the finish line against former Rep. Chip Cravaack, 55/43. President Clinton didn't waste much time here due to Klobuchar's steady and commanding margin in the polls.

Mississippi

Abnormally high Democratic turnout due to Hillary Clinton's popularity and numerous visits to the state kept this race on the board for a long time, and 2014 gubernatorial nominee and truck driver Robert Gray was the envy of all major Democrats in the state when he pushed to within 5 points of incumbent Roger Wicker in the RCP average in October, but Wicker still pulled 90% of Republicans and defeated Gray in what would be one of the latest calls of the night, 52/47. The race was rated a Toss-up by Larry J. Sabato until about a week before the election, when it was moved to Leans R.

A complete lack of early fundraising for Gray as well as weak fundraising throughout the campaign would later be blamed for his defeat when the national party did a post-mortem on the race, for Gray was thought to have no chance when the campaign began. This created another round of criticism against Rahm Emanuel's "competitive-only" mantra.

Missouri

Republicans had been licking their chops to defeat Sen. Claire McCaskill since her 2012 meddling in the Republican primary cost them a chance to knock off the Obamacare-supporting liberal, whose voting record was more liberal than many Democrats in safe states, including both senators from Maryland. In addition, McCaskill garnered a reputation as a gaffe machine. Many of these gaffes were played over and over again on NRSC ads. Unsurprisingly, McCaskill quickly drew a strong challenger, Rep. Ann Wagner, who announced her candidacy in April 2017. All three major ratings organizations quickly moved the race to Leans Republican upon Wagner's announcement. The DSCC largely stayed out of this race, but Wagner kept buying ad space due to surprising fundraising totals. One ad, featuring McCaskill telling men to "shut the hell up" alongside hate speech from radical feminists, was later called one of the five best political ads of the 2018 Senate campaign and drove up Wagner's margin with male voters. Larry Sabato called the race Safe Republican in mid-August due to Wagner's commanding margin in the polls.

One iconic moment in this race came when the United Auto Workers Local 249 threw its endorsement to Ann Wagner. Standing in front of a fleet of Ford F-150s, which are the union's largest product, Local 249 President Eric Hall told McCaskill, "Blue-collar men, alongside women, keep this country moving every day. Men fight and die for our freedom overseas every day. So, please, don't tell us to shut the hell up. We deserve your respect." Hall indicated that the local intended to remain committed to the Democratic Party, just not to McCaskill. Wagner pledged not to be a union-buster in the Senate.

Due to the early polls showing McCaskill losing big, President Clinton largely stayed out of Missouri, opting instead to shore up incumbents in other states who were facing primary challenges and to try to win in Mississippi. 

In the end, Wagner won by a margin not seen since incumbent Sen. John Danforth won reelection over state Sen. and eventual governor Jay Nixon in 1988, pulling 60% of the vote, winning every county in the state except Jackson and the city of St. Louis, and pulling 50% in St. Louis County. She also won 65% of the male vote and drove male turnout to exceed female turnout, a rare happening in contemporary American politics. Also, her 30% showing in the city of St. Louis was 11 points better than Mitt Romney's in 2012 and came mainly from an increased level of support among blacks and men. R + 1