Election Night 2016

[Yelnoc]

You wouldn't happen to have a delegate count handy, would you?

[Snowstalker Mk. II]

I suck at delegate stuff, but I'll try. Don't expect it soon, though.

[Yelnoc]

I suck at delegate stuff, but I'll try. Don't expect it soon, though.

I can help if you'd like

[Snowstalker Mk. II]

I'll do my research, but I'll keep you in mind.

[Snowstalker Mk. II]

THE DEMOCRATIC PRIMARIES-PART 3

After Super Tuesday, the race seemed to be between Governors Feingold and Cuomo. Each took home victories, with Cuomo's strength in the Deep South and the West while Feingold's campaign centered in the Midwest. The final major confrontation came in the Pennsylvania primary. Feingold campaigned for support from the blue-collar workers in Pittsburgh, Allentown, and Scranton, while Cuomo built his campaign in the Philly suburbs (as well as the city itself). Eventually, however, Feingold's Rustbelt appeal combined with a slightly more conservative position on guns gave him victory in the state. Though the Cuomo campaign continued, it clearly was winding down, only winning the Oregon primary after its loss in Pennsylvania.

Governor Russ Feingold of Wisconsin was the presumptive nominee of the Democratic Party, and now it was time to attack Romney. However, Governor Feingold still needed a running mate, and had decided on a shortlist:

*Governor Edward M. Kennedy Jr. of Connecticut-Ideologically similar to Feingold, and with a very powerful last name. However, the ticket would not be balanced.
*Senator Vincent Sheheen of South Carolina-A young, moderate Southerner, but he had done little in the Senate thus far.
*Senator Ben Ray Lujan of New Mexico-A young, charismatic figure, not only with a strong record but from a potentially competitive state. However, from an ideological standpoint he faces the same problems as Kennedy.
*Governor Martin O'Malley of Maryland-A former rival in the primaries, O'Malley could help with his record on urban redevelopment, but Feingold felt that he may not be enough for the ticket.

[Snowstalker Mk. II]

THE CAMPAIGN-PART 1

"I am proud to announce my choice to be the next Vice President of the United States. Senator Lujan has a proven record in representing his constituents in New Mexico, and making his voice heard in Washington."


Hoping to appeal to the Hispanic vote, as well as to provide a younger star as a possible heir, Feingold chose Senator Ben R. Lujan of New Mexico (2015-present) as his running mate. The Romney campaign of course already had Jindal, and many were excited about the vice presidential debates, featuring two young, fiery minorities, contrasting the elders dueling in the presidential debates.

The Democratic National Convention was held from August 26th to 28th, 2016, in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Headed by keynote speaker Gavin Newsom, governor of California, he emphasized his and Jerry Brown's record in improving California's heavy deficit and higher than average unemployment rates; California had once again become one of the fastest growing states in the country.

The third day opened with a deafening round of applause, as former President Barack Obama gave a speech, criticizing President Romney's policies and "failure to deliver on the promise he used to defeat me". After an on-stage appearance with his wife Michelle, who was running for Senate against incumbent Mark Kirk, he introduced the main speaker, Governor Feingold. Now on stage, Feingold began by praising the former president, before delivering his message, the most watched in convention history. Feingold outlined a return to New Deal policies to improve the economy, finishing the job Obama started on health care, and cutting government spending and pork while protecting entitlements and ending the Bush-era tax cuts on the top 2% of earners.

[Snowstalker Mk. II]

THE CAMPAIGN-PART 2

Meanwhile, the Republican Convention was held a week later in Phoenix, Arizona. The keynote speaker was Marco Rubio of Florida, who focused his speech on uniting the conservative base back with Romney. As a figure popular with the Tea Party, this was considered a perfect role for the young Senator, who was also up for re-election that year. On the second day, Vice President Jindal spoke, touting the administration's success, and like any attack dog, chewing into Feingold's "radically misguided" policies.

After an appearance from First Lady Ann Romney, the President appeared. At 69 years old but looking younger, the old warrior knew that he would have to fight for this election, just as he did in 2012. While emphasizing the struggles with the economic recovery, he remained surprisingly optimistic in his speech, focusing more on feel-good words of confidence than attacks on the Democratic party; he had left that to Jindal for a reason.

In September, the first of three debates (two presidential, one vice-presidential) were held, this one focused entirely on the economy. As opposed to the 2008 or 2012 debates, neither Romney nor Feingold were particularly charismatic, and therefore there was somewhat of a perceived tie; neither succeeded with a knockout blow. Feingold built his defense around a repeat of several New Deal-style policies while promising a return to stronger industry. Meanwhile, Romney continued to preach economic conservatism, while alleging that Governor Feingold's policies would only worsen the problem with government spending.

Polling as of October 1st, 2016:

Romney: 47%
Feingold: 46%

Map as of October 1st:

Feingold: 217
Romney: 201
Toss-up: 120

[Snowstalker Mk. II]

THE CAMPAIGN-PART 3

The vice presidential debate had high expectations--two younger, charismatic figures representing opposite sides of the spectrum, and each popular with their respective bases. Those expectations were delivered, though not necessarily in a positive way. With both exchanging attacks throughout the debate, many felt that the debate had become too negative, and after the debate many pundits openly condemned both figures. However, the debate results did relatively little to hurt the favorable numbers of either candidate.

The final presidential debate between Romney and Feingold would, like the first, center around the economy but also devote about half the time to various other issues. Eventually, the question came to the issue most important to Governor Feingold--campaign finance reform. As Romney gave his explanation of the importance of "allowing fuller participation in campaigns, and not limiting one's right to support a candidate", the governor had already prepared his comeback.

"The fact is that you are equating money as speech and corporations as persons. When the First Amendment was written, the Founding Fathers never thought about a giant corporation donating millions to a campaign, effectively nullifying money from popular support and putting politicians as servants, not to the people but to these mega-rich corporations. The fact is, that without campaign finance reform, something I have fought for throughout my career, elections will be decided by GE and Wal-Mart, not by the voters. For the sake of democracy, we cannot let non-human entities gain this sort of power. Thank you."

The rampage at the end of the debate, combined with a Feingold campaign seemingly gaining traction every day, seemed to be the end for the president. In late October, his numbers began to drop, with some polls putting him down by up to 9 points.

Nationwide polling as of October 30th, 2016:

Feingold 51%
Romney 44%

State polling averages as of October 30th, 2016:

OCTOBER 2016 JOB REPORTS: 120,000 NEW JOBS CREATED, UNEMPLOYMENT DROPS TO 8.1%

"It's taken a while, but I think we have a winner."-President Romney to advisors

"The fact that it's taken 4 long years to even begin a real economic recovery really says something about this presidency. The fact is that with so many Americans out of work, and with millions more with jobs but still struggling, we need real change in Washington."-Governor Feingold, at a final campaign stop in Cedar Rapids, Iowa

Final Polling Average (November 8th, 2016):

Feingold: 48%
Romney: 45%

After all these months of sleepless nights and multiple campaign stops, it was finally over for the President. Whether he won or lost, Romney could finally rest to watch the returns with Ann from the White House.

[Snowstalker Mk. II]

BRIAN WILLIAMS: It is 7:00 here in New York and polls are closed in 6 states-Vermont, Kentucky, Indiana, Georgia, South Carolina, and Virginia. We do have some projections from those states.

In Georgia, a usually Republican state with 16 electoral votes, the race there is right now too close to call. It hasn't gone for a Democrat since Bill Clinton in 1992, and although it's expected to vote for Romney we cannot officially make that projection yet.

Indiana, 11 electoral votes, too close to call. A Republican winning streak held since 1968 was broken when it voted for Obama in 2008, only to go back to the Republicans in 2012. Like in Georgia, Romney was ahead in polling. In that race, we can also project that governor Mike Pence and Senator Dan Coats, both Republicans, have won re-election.

We do have a projection in Kentucky, where 8 electoral votes will go to the President tonight. Not a shocker, it's a generally Republican state which Democrats haven't won since the Clinton era. However, Kentucky is a lot more Democratic outside of presidential elections, and Senator Rand Paul, who unsuccessfully challenged Romney for the Republican nomination, is locked in a tight race with former Lieutenant governor Dan Mongiardo, and that race is too close to call.

South Carolina's 9 electoral votes will also go to President Romney tonight. Another state which tends to vote Republican, and it will also elect a Republican, Mick Mulvaney, to the Senate tonight to replace retiring Republican Jim DeMint.

The other state we can project is the state of Vermont, where Governor Feingold will get his first three electoral votes. Once among the most Republican states in the Union, today Vermont has become a Democratic stronghold. In addition, Governor Peter Shumlin will win re-election, and Tim Ashe will succeed retiring Democrat Patrick Leahy. Ashe is a member not of the Democratic Party, but of Vermont's Progressive Party. However, he ran with support from the Democrats and will caucus with them when he goes to Washington.

Finally, we go to Virginia, where 13 electoral votes are too close to call. The state voted for Obama in 2008 and Romney in 2012, and this year is considered one of the key swing states. No projection yet, but we'll be keeping an eye out.

Romney: 17
Feingold: 3

[Snowstalker Mk. II]

It's 7:30 right now, and two more states have had their polls close, the states of Ohio and West Virginia. At this point, we cannot make projections in the presidential races of either of those states. Now, Ohio could easily be the deciding state in this race, and few others have been fought over violently. It's 18 electoral votes that can easily make the difference. The senate race between Republican Rob Portman and Congresswoman Betty Sutton. West Virginia is leaning towards President Romney, but the state's 5 electoral votes are a bit closer than they have been in some other recent elections. Feingold made an effort in the state, and he's hoping that his appeal with labor can at least put pressure on Romney. Like Kentucky, it's a Democratic state that votes for Republicans in presidential elections.

7:48: Hold on, we can make a presidential projection. Georgia's 16 electoral votes will go to President Romney tonight. Not a big surprise, and that brings the count to Romney 33, Feingold 3. Remember that if the polls are still open where you live, get to your station as fast as you can and help make your voice heard if you haven't already. More states will be closing in just a few minutes, and hopefully we can get some numbers when they're ready.

[Snowstalker Mk. II]

I'd like a bit of feedback.

It's 8:00 now, and polls have closed in a huge clump of states, including some to watch tonight. We begin with Alabama. It's a solid Republican state with 9 electoral votes that's expected to go for President Feingold tonight, but it's usually slow to report and we can't yet make an official projection.

In Connecticut, 7 electoral votes will be going to Feingold. It's not a surprise, since the state is very Democratic and since governor Ted Kennedy Jr. was an early supporter of Feingold.

Delaware's 3 electoral votes will also go to Feingold. It used to be a bellwether state, and from 1960 to 2000 it voted for every winner of every presidential election. However, in recent years it's gone Democratic, and Feingold is projected to have an easy win in the First State.

No shock in the District of Columbia, where 3 electoral votes go for Governor Feingold. It's the ultimate Democratic stronghold, and it looks like Feingold will win over 90% of the vote in the district.

Now here's a big state to watch. Florida, with 29 electoral votes, is a vital state in this race and it could keep us up all night. Feingold and Romney have both campaigned hard here, and Romney has appealed to upper-middle class suburbs near Orlando while Feingold is gathering support from the elderly who are afraid of potential cuts to Medicare and Social Security.

Illinois, home state of former president Barack Obama, will be yet another state to add to the Governor's column. 20 electoral votes, a strong Democratic state. Interestingly enough, what we've seen from some early returns in the state is that some of the Chicago suburbs have swung towards President Romney. It's speculation, but it likely has to do with Obama not being on the ticket. However, there is an Obama, former First Lady Michelle Obama, who is running for Senate in a very close race with incumbent Mark Kirk.

An interesting situation in Maine, where we can project 3 of the state's 4 electoral votes to Feingold. Maine is the only state that splits its electoral votes, but Nebraska did it until before the 2012 elections. Essentially, you get 2 electoral votes for winning the state overall, as Feingold has done. But the other two come from winning the state's two congressional districts. Governor Feingold has won at least one of those two.

Maryland will also be voting for Governor Feingold tonight. Due especially to both Baltimore and the DC suburbs, it's a heavily Democratic state, and it's 10 pretty safe electoral votes for the Governor.

The rest are coming later.

[Snowstalker Mk. II]

Anyone here? Wouldn't like to be the only poster on this page!

[GLPman]

It's great so far. Can't wait to see how the election turns out.

Romney '16!

[Snowstalker Mk. II]

Here's a tough blow for the President, but not unexpected. His home state of Massachusetts, worth 10 electoral votes, will be voting for Governor Feingold. It's not an upset, since the state is very Democratic.

Mississippi, like Alabama, is too early to call. Just like Alabama, Romney is expected to win, but the state is slow to release its results, and we can't give him those 6 electoral votes just yet. Mississipi is considered a bit more Democratic than Alabama due to a higher African-American population, but it's still definitely a Republican state.

Missouri, the Show-Me state, is too close to call. Until 2008, it voted with the winner of every election, but in 2008 narrowly voted for Senator McCain. Romney won it in 2012, and this year it's once again considered a battleground state. Expect this state to take a while to project.

Another major swing state is New Hampshire. It generally leans Democratic, but Romney has close ties with the state, and narrowly beat Obama there in 2012. It's small-4 electoral votes-but it could make the difference in a tight race.

New Jersey is too early to call. Feingold was leading here, and is expected to win the state with some help from a couple campaign stops with Governor Cory Booker. However, it's just close enough that we're going to avoid projecting its 14 electoral votes too early for the Governor.

The first 8:00 projection for President Romney is from the state of Oklahoma. Although they just recently elected a Democrat, former Governor Brad Henry, to the Senate, it's a very Republican state, and those 7 electoral votes were never really in doubt for the President.

Pennsylvania's another big one to keep an eye on. Some have called it fool's gold--the Republicans always make a big effort in the state, but they haven't won it since George Bush Sr's landslide victory in 1988. 20 major electoral votes that both sides are still hoping to win, and it's too close to call at this hour.

The final state to close at 8:00 is Tennessee. It voted for Clinton twice, but it's voted Republican ever since, and it looks like that streak will continue. 11 electoral votes for the President.

Romney: 51
Feingold: 60

[MAINEiac4434]

I'd be very proud to have Russ Feingold as my President. Here's hoping he takes out Romney.

[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.

[FEMA Camp Administrator]

I have a feeling I know who's gonna win. I also have a prediction regarding possible victory by the less likely to win candidate.

[Mechaman]

DAMN YOUR NETWORK TV COLOR SCHEMES!
DAMN IT!

Otherwise, good TL.

[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)

[RIP Robert H Bork]

Wait a minute! You're using red for Republicans and blue for Democrats!?

[The world will shine with light in our nightmare]

Wait a minute! You're using red for Republicans and blue for Democrats!?

The little rascal.

[tmthforu94]

Off with his fingers!

[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.