Election Night 2016

[Snowstalker Mk. II]

It's 8:30, and we're back to you live from New York. Two more states, North Carolina and Arkansas, have closed, and we have projections from other states. We'll start with the two just mentioned.

Arkansas is too early to call. Obama did very poorly in the state in 2008, and although he improved in 2012, it seems that a state which voted overwhelmingly for Clinton and was competitive for Gore and Kerry has been trending Republican. Romney is expected to win those 6 electoral votes.

North Carolina is the opposite, a state that's been trending Democratic in recent years. Though Romney won it in 2012, it's competitive this year. Still, it remains more Republican than the national average, and Feingold likely won't win these 15 electoral votes unless he wins by a bigger margin than expected.

Alabama and Mississippi, worth 9 and 6 electoral votes apiece, both can now be projected for the President. Not a surprising results, and the projection coming later is more of an indication that these are slower states to release data.

Indiana's 11 electoral votes will also go to President Romney. Even though Obama won the state in 2008, it voted much more Republican in 2012 and won't be going to Feingold for at least this cycle. Still, early returns suggest that Feingold will be slightly improving over Obama's margin in 2012.

We do have a projection for Feingold, and that is that he will win New Jersey and its 14 electoral votes. Not an unexpected result from a lean Democratic state.

[Snowstalker Mk. II]

More states are now closing their polls at 9:00, and we will begin with a big projection. We can call the state of Pennsylvania for Governor Feingold. 20 electoral votes that were closely contested this year, and, although they haven't voted since 1988, have always been in play. This is the first major swing state to fall, and it goes to Feingold.

The other state--well, not really a state--we can give to Feingold is Maine's 2nd congressional district. This means that the governor wins all 4 of Maine's electoral votes.

We can project Arkansas for President Romney. A state expected to go for the president does, albeit by a smaller margin than expected. Still, those 6 electoral votes are going in the Romney pile.

Now we'll begin with the states that just closed. Arizona, worth 11 electoral votes, is too close to call. In 2008, it voted more Republican than it likely would have due to a favorite son, John McCain on the ticket. In 2012, it was among the few states where Obama improved his margin. It's looking about as close tonight, and is leaning towards Romney based on early returns.

Colorado is one of the key states tonight, and its 9 electoral votes are too close to call. Obama won it by fewer than 7,000 votes last time, and Romney, who's been campaigning in the West, is hoping he can win it. Feingold picked Lujan to appeal to Hispanic voters here and in other states, like Nevada, Arizona, and Florida.

No surprise in Kansas, where we can project 6 more electoral votes for the President. Kansas has been a Republican stronghold for nearly a century, and continues that pattern tonight by big margin.

Louisiana's 8 electoral votes go to President Romney tonight as well. He probably wasn't going to lose it anyway, but it's Vice President Jindal's home state, and his presence on the ticket was a boost.

Michigan, a state worth 16 electoral votes, is too close to call. Like a lot of states in the Midwest, it's very competitive, and both candidates have their advantages in the state. Romney's father was a popular governor in the 60's, while Feingold has massive appeal with labor, and Michigan's influence by labor unions is unmatched.

Minnesota is too close to call. It's smaller than Michigan, with 10 electoral votes, but it's a very similar situation as a competitive state in the Midwest. However, if Romney wins here he'd break the longest-running streak of voting Democratic in the country. In every election after 1972, Minnesota voted for the Democratic candidate for president and in 1984 was the only state that didn't vote for Ronald Reagan.

Nebraska goes as expected to Governor Romney. Not a shocker in among the most Republican states, and due to the end of the policy of splitting electoral votes he will win all 5 of the state's electoral votes even if Feingold wins in the 2nd congressional district.

New Mexico goes to Feingold. Once a swing state, it's remained competitive but has trended more Democratic in recent years. Romney lost the state's 5 electoral votes by only 4% last year, but this year it goes Democratic with their popular new senator, Ben Lujan, on the ticket.

New York goes big for Feingold, and with 29 electoral votes it's a valuable centerpiece for a Democratic victory. It's considered a safe Democratic state, and although Romney had fundraisers here he didn't really campaign in the state.

4 more electoral votes for Governor Feingold from Rhode Island. It's a strong state for the Democrats, and, interestingly enough, the only one in the Union where the Republican Party spent absolutely no money for either the presidential or congressional elections. Feingold got an endorsement here from independent governor Lincoln Chafee, who endorsed Obama in 2008 and Romney in 2012.

South Dakota is too early to call right now. It's a relatively Republican state and a small one with 3 electoral votes, and polls had Romney up by around 10 points. But with results slow right now, it's another state where we decide to wait a little longer.

The big prize for Romney, and unless he pulls off an upset in California his biggest prize of the night. Texas's 38 electoral votes go as expected to the President. The Democrats have talked about putting an effort in the Lone Star State, but its sheer size generally leads them to decide to focus on other states where advertising is a bit easier.

Governor Feingold's home state of Wisconsin gives him another 10 electoral votes in the bag. Just 4 years ago, Feingold beat Walker in the Wisconsin recall election, pledging to cut waste while protecting labor rights. Tonight, he runs again on that promise against the President.

Wyoming, the least populated state in the Union and worth the minimum of 3 electoral votes, goes to President Romney as expected. Even though it's a very strong Republican state, it will re-elect its lone Representative, former Democratic governor Dave Freudenthal. However, he is considered one of the more conservative Democrats in Congress.

The current vote total is now a tie, standing at:

Romney: 143
Feingold: 143

[Snowstalker Mk. II]

9:13: Right now we can project another three electoral votes for President Romney. The state of South Dakota will fall in his column. Took a tiny bit longer than expected, but it's still a pretty red state.

9:27: We can project the state of Minnesota, worth 10 electoral votes, to Governor Feingold. Feingold's labor appeal and the fact that he's from neighboring Wisconsin definitely helped to win the state.

9:30: The Romney campaign was worried about these 5 electoral votes tonight, and now they can breathe a little easier. West Virginia is called for the President.

Romney: 151
Feingold:153

(sorry for the short update, but I have to get ready to go back home from vacation)

[Snowstalker Mk. II]

Sorry, I'm deliberately using the traditional TV scheme. Final results will use Atlas colors.

[Snowstalker Mk. II]

9:46: We can project the state of Arizona for President Romney. This state's 11 electoral votes were in no way unexpected for the state, which hasn't voted Democratic since Clinton's re-election.

9:52: We have a MAJOR projection from a major swing state. We can project that, when all votes are in, Governor Russ Feingold will win New Hampshire. It may be only 4 electoral votes, but they voted for Romney in 2012, and tonight will be voting for his opponent.

10:00: A few more states are now closing in the West, and with it we have a bit of good news for the President. First up, we can project that North Dakota, worth 3 electoral votes, will vote for Romney. Major Republican state and the economy there has been surprisingly decent, so no surprise.

Iowa is too close to call. 6 electoral votes, and a major battleground state. Romney narrowly won it in 2012, but Feingold hopes to pick the state up, as it was the one which began his path to victory. Just as a victory in the caucuses helped Obama win the state easily in 2008, Feingold hopes his win in January will be his victory now.

Montana is too early to call. Another 3 electoral votes which tend to lean Republican, but have been close in some elections. Clinton was the last Democrat to win, and based on polling Romney should hold the state. However, nothing is completely certain.

Nevada, a major swing state this year, is too close to call. Since 1980, it's voted with the winner of every presidential election. Obama won it in 2008, and it swung to President Romney in 2012. This year, the Democrats want its 6 electoral votes back without a doubt.

Utah, with 6 electoral votes, goes easily to President Romney. It was his best state in 2012, where he got over 70% of the vote, and it's in his camp again.

[Snowstalker Mk. II]

[Snowstalker Mk. II]

10:04: An important state goes to Feingold. We can project the state of Michigan's 16 electoral votes for the Governor. Romney was pushing to win the state again, but it seems that the candidate of labor has won out in the state. If he wins the very close state of Colorado, and wins the West Coast states he's expected to,

10:22: Good news for President Romney. He will win the state of North Carolina, worth 15 electoral votes. It has trended Democratic in recent years, and for the first time since 1976 went to Obama in 2008. However, it went for Romney in 2012, and will vote for him again this year.

10:30: Another projection for the President. He will win the Show-Me state of Missouri and its 10 electoral votes. If Feingold wins the election overall, he will have to win without Missouri, making him only the second Democrat in history to do so after Barack Obama.

Romney: 196
Feingold: 173

[Snowstalker Mk. II]

10:51: Just 9 minutes until more polls close, but before that we have one more projection, and it's a biggie. We can project that the state of Iowa's 6 electoral votes will go to Governor Feingold. This is an important state, and it looks like Feingold's strategy of leaning on his caucus victory has worked. This makes two states which Romney won in 2012 but lost tonight.

11:00: Polls are now closing in every state except California and Alaska. Now, usually California would be closing now as well. However, a federal judge has responded to problems of very high turnout in the state, which will remain open until midnight to give voters there a little extra time. In fact, there have been discussions tonight about having all states close their precincts an hour later than they did this year. However, other states have closed, and we have projections out of them.

We begin with Hawaii. 4 electoral votes, we can project the state to Governor Feingold. Not an upset in the slightest, and although Obama did better than usual due to his favorite son status, it looks like the Aloha State will be going hard for the Governor.

Idaho, also 4 electoral votes, goes to Romney. Strong Republican state, and since Romney is still popular there it's no surprise that this state is in his camp.

Oregon's 7 electoral votes are in the Feingold column. Though arguably the closest of the West Coast states, having voted for Obama by about 9% in 2012, it's still a relatively strong state for the Democrats, and not one seriously contested this year.

Going just up north, Washington also goes to Feingold. 12 electoral votes, and generally considered to be a bit more Democratic than Oregon, especially due to Seattle.

That puts the current standings at Romney with 200 electoral votes, and Feingold just ahead of him with 203. It's very close ri--hold on. I'm getting word that the AP has made a major projection that could very well be Romney's lifesaver. He will win the state of Virginia, worth 13 electoral votes. Romney's victory in the Old Dominion is a major victory, and brings him to 213 electoral votes. If he can win Ohio, Florida, and either Nevada or Colorado, he will win re-election.

[Snowstalker Mk. II]

11:05: And just as soon, the big states fall into place, and this one really hurts for Romney. We can project that the state of Ohio's 18 electoral votes will fall for Governor Feingold. It's voted with every winner of every election since 1960, and now it's close to impossible for Romney to catch up. He probably needs to win every state that's closed, and he'll have to win the strongly Democratic state of California. Unless it's a miracle, the president is on thin ice. Correspondents around the Romney campaign headquarters are saying that these results are just beginning to sink in for the President's team.

11:15: We said that Romney is going to need almost every state to win, and so far he at least has 3 more electoral votes. Montana will vote for the President, but that still only brings him to 216 electoral votes to Feingold's 220.

11:39: We do have good news for the President's last hopes of winning re-election. Florida, a massive state in this campaign, and the fourth most populated in the country, will vote for President Romney. Looking at the numbers there, he will win the state by about 1.5%. He made an effort here in the final days with a focus on Central Florida, and it's finally paid off.

MIDNIGHT: Polls have closed in California and Alaska, and as you may have guessed by now we finally have a projection for the final winner of the presidential election. Governor Russell Dana Feingold of Wisconsin will be the 46th President of the United States based on victory in the state of California. We have no official word from the Feingold campaign, but according to our sources the Romney team is awaiting the very final results in the state of Ohio. However, based on current returns we will keep our projection that the Buckeye state has voted for Feingold, but we will keep you updated on any events as well as results that are still outstanding in the Senate, as well as the two states where we still cannot make a projection, Nevada and Colorado.

Next update is the final results (as well as in the Senate and Gubernatorial races)

[Snowstalker Mk. II]

I just noticed this:

Secretary of Labor: Scott Walker

Is that supposed to be a joke?

Romney was trollin'.

[Snowstalker Mk. II]

Russell Dana Feingold of Wisconsin/Ben Ray Lujan of New Mexico-50.7%, 290 electoral votes
Willard Mitt Romney of Massachusetts/Piyush "Bobby" Jindal of Louisiana-48.3%, 248 electoral votes

Senate results:

Democrats: 62 (+8)
Republicans: 38 (-8)

Current Majority Leader: Harry Reid (D-NV)
Incoming Majority Leader: Chuck Schumer (D-NY)

Pick-ups:

Arkansas: Bill Halter (D) beats John Boozman (R)
Illinois: Michelle Obama (D) beats Mark Kirk (R)
Iowa: Bruce Baley (D) beats Steve King (R)
Kentucky: Dan Mongiardo (D) beats Rand Paul (R)
Missouri: Robin Carnahan (D) beats Jim Talent (R)
North Carolina: Heath Shuler (D) beats Richard Burr (R)
Pennsylvania: Patrick Murphy (D) beats Pat Toomey (R)
Wisconsin: Ron Kind (D) beats Ron Johnson (R)

Other notable elections:

Arizona: John McCain retired, while his daughter Meghan McCain (R) narrowly won against Rodney Glassman, who faced John McCain in 2010.

Nevada: Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid opted not to run for another term. He was replaced by his son Rory Reid (D), who defeated former Senator Dean Heller (R).

New Jersey: Senator Frank Lautenberg (D) retired in 2015 due to health reasons. Governor Cory Booker appointed former governor Jon Corzine to fill out the rest of his term. In the open senate race, Governor Booker defeated Congressman Jon Runyan.

House of Representatives:

D: 252 (+27)
R: 183 (-27)

Incumbent Speaker: Chris Van Hollen (D-MD)

[Snowstalker Mk. II]

Yeah, this timeline is over. It was meant to finish with the final results.