2016: The Rise of the Moderate Hero?

[JonathanSwift]

Welcome to our 2016 Election Night Coverage! Oh, what a wacky and wonderful election season it has been! On the Republican side, Texas Senator Ted Cruz won an upset victory in Iowa, knocking Scott Walker out of the race. He was then able to mobilize Tea Party and evangelical support to win Nevada and South Carolina, and finally drove chief rivals Jeb Bush and Marco Rubio out of the race when he won every Southern state on Super Tuesday. He chose Indiana Governor Mike Pence to be his running mate.

On the Democratic side, meanwhile, it was a 2008 redux as Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont was able to narrowly defeat Hillary Clinton by attacking her on foreign policy and economic issues. Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren reluctantly accepted the Vice Presidential slot on the ticket.

That's when former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg jumped in as the head of the newly formed Moderate Party, with Independent Maine Senator Angus King as his running mate. The Moderates are running on a platform of centrism and bipartisanship. Bloomberg likes to boast that his campaign is uniting those on both sides of the aisle, having been endorsed by Democrats like Lincoln Chafee, Andrew Cuomo, and Joe Manchin as well as Republicans like Susan Collins, Jon Huntsman, George Pataki, and Olympia Snowe.

This is a true three-way race, with each candidate polling at about 33% as per the latest RCP average. Truly, anything could happen tonight, so stay tuned.

[JonathanSwift]

It's now 7:00 p.m. The first six states are closing, and we have two calls to make.

We believe that Vermont will go to its native son Bernie Sanders, while Kentucky will be won by Republican Ted Cruz. Georgia, Indiana, South Carolina and Virginia are either too close or too early to call at this hour.

Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) / Governor Mike Pence (R-IN): 8 Electoral Votes
Senator Bernie Sanders (D-VT) / Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA): 3 Electoral Votes
Former Mayor Michael Bloomberg (M-NY) / Senator Angus King (M-ME): 0 Electoral Votes

[JonathanSwift]

It's 7:29 p.m. and we are now calling South Carolina for Ted Cruz.

It's 7:30 p.m. North Carolina, Ohio, and West Virginia have just closed, but we aren't ready to call any of them just yet.

It's 7:40 p.m., and we can now project that Senator Cruz will carry the state of Georgia.

It's 7:56 p.m., and we are now projecting that Republican Vice Presidential nominee's Mike Pence's home state of Indiana will be carried by that ticket.

Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) / Governor Mike Pence (R-IN): 44 Electoral Votes
Senator Bernie Sanders (D-VT) / Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA): 3 Electoral Votes
Former Mayor Michael Bloomberg (M-NY) / Senator Angus King (M-ME): 0 Electoral Votes

[JonathanSwift]

It's now 8:00 p.m.

Ted Cruz has carried Alabama, Mississippi, Oklahoma, and Tennessee.

We project that the District of Columbia and Maryland will be carried by Democrat Bernie Sanders.

Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Illinois, Maine, Massachusetts, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Rhode Island are all too close to call or too early to call.

Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) / Governor Mike Pence (R-IN): 77 Electoral Votes
Senator Bernie Sanders (D-VT) / Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA): 16 Electoral Votes
Former Mayor Michael Bloomberg (M-NY) / Senator Angus King (M-ME): 0 Electoral Votes

[JonathanSwift]

It's 8:16 p.m., and we can now call West Virginia for the Republican ticket.

It's 8:30 p.m., and Arkansas has just closed. We are projecting the state for Ted Cruz.

It's 8:42 p.m., and Delaware can now be projected for Bernie Sanders.

It's 8:45 p.m., and we can now add Illinois to the Democratic column. Still no wins for the Bloomberg-King ticket.

Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) / Governor Mike Pence (R-IN): 88 Electoral Votes
Senator Bernie Sanders (D-VT) / Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA): 39 Electoral Votes
Former Mayor Michael Bloomberg (M-NY) / Senator Angus King (M-ME): 0 Electoral Votes

[/]

The moderates will probably spoil Bernie; Cruz will win.

[Orthogonian Society Treasurer]

#CruzControl

[JonathanSwift]

9:00 p.m.:

Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) / Governor Mike Pence (R-IN): 147 Electoral Votes
Senator Bernie Sanders (D-VT) / Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA): 68 Electoral Votes
Former Mayor Michael Bloomberg (M-NY) / Senator Angus King (M-ME): 0 Electoral Votes

[JonathanSwift]

It's now 9:56 p.m. and we can call South Dakota for the Republican ticket.

It's now 10:00 p.m. Iowa, Montana, and Nevada are all too close to call at this time, but Utah has been won by Ted Cruz.

It's 10:12 p.m. and we can finally call Missouri for Ted Cruz.

It's 10:31 p.m. and we can now project that Bernie Sanders will win Connecticut.

It's 10:46 p.m. and we are now projecting that Ted Cruz has won Nebraska's 2nd District.

It's 10:58 p.m. and we have historic news! We are now projecting that New Hampshire has been won by the Moderate ticket of Michael Bloomberg. We repeat: Bloomberg has won New Hampshire!

Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) / Governor Mike Pence (R-IN): 167 Electoral Votes
Senator Bernie Sanders (D-VT) / Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA): 75 Electoral Votes
Former Mayor Michael Bloomberg (M-NY) / Senator Angus King (M-ME): 4 Electoral Votes

[JonathanSwift]

It's now 11:00 p.m. and five more states have closed their polls.

Idaho has been won by Cruz.

Although it is close, Sanders has enough of a lead in Hawaii that the network feels safe calling the state for him.

California, Oregon, and Washington are too close to call right at the moment.

It's 11:05 p.m. and we are now calling New Jersey for Sanders.

It's 11:09 p.m. and we can now project that Cruz will win North Carolina.

It's 11:26 p.m. and at this time we can call California for the Democrats.

It's 11:34 p.m. and North Dakota can be added to the Republican column.

Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) / Governor Mike Pence (R-IN): 189 Electoral Votes
Senator Bernie Sanders (D-VT) / Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA): 148 Electoral Votes
Former Mayor Michael Bloomberg (M-NY) / Senator Angus King (M-ME): 4 Electoral Votes

[JonathanSwift]

It's 11:47 p.m. We are now able to project that Bloomberg will win Maine's 2nd District. That brings him to 5 electoral votes; he is the first third partier to win electoral votes since George Wallace in 1968.

It's 12:02 a.m. and Bernie Sanders has won Michigan.

It's 12:24 a.m., and we project that Cruz has won Arizona.

Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) / Governor Mike Pence (R-IN): 200 Electoral Votes
Senator Bernie Sanders (D-VT) / Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA): 164 Electoral Votes
Former Mayor Michael Bloomberg (M-NY) / Senator Angus King (M-ME): 5 Electoral Votes

[An American Tail: Fubart Goes West]

Interesting. It will be a long night. Bloomberg isn't doing all that well, but he may pull enough to give a hung electoral college.

[JonathanSwift]

It's 12:50 a.m., and we are now calling Montana for Cruz.

It is now 1:00 a.m. on the East Coast and Alaska has become the last state to close its polls. At this time, the state is too close to call.

It's 2:19 a.m. and the network is now calling Elizabeth Warren's home state of Massachusetts for the Democratic ticket.

It's 3:33 a.m. And we have big news! We can now report that Florida has been won by Ted Cruz, becoming the first Obama state to flip Republican on this election night.

It's 3:40 a.m. and we can finally project that Ted Cruz has won Alaska. It was close but Cruz pulled out a win. Cruz has now won every Romney state as well as Florida. Any further wins by Bloomberg will now come at the expense of the Sanders-Warren ticket.

It's 5:27 a.m. and we now project Washington for Bernie Sanders.

It's 5:54 a.m. and we are now able to call Minnesota for Sanders.

It's 6:00 a.m. and with daylight approaching we must conclude our official election night coverage. Thank you for staying up with us; we will update you on the remaining too close to call states as soon as we can.

Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) / Governor Mike Pence (R-IN): 235 Electoral Votes
Senator Bernie Sanders (D-VT) / Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA): 197 Electoral Votes
Former Mayor Michael Bloomberg (M-NY) / Senator Angus King (M-ME): 5 Electoral Votes

[JonathanSwift]

UPDATE, 6:22 A.M.: The state of Maine has been won by the Moderate ticket. The jury is still out on the 1st District, however.

UPDATE, 8:15 A.M.: Cruz has won Ohio.

UPDATE, 11:31 A.M.: Bloomberg has won Iowa.

Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) / Governor Mike Pence (R-IN): 253 Electoral Votes
Senator Bernie Sanders (D-VT) / Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA): 197 Electoral Votes
Former Mayor Michael Bloomberg (M-NY) / Senator Angus King (M-ME): 13 Electoral Votes

[JonathanSwift]

UPDATE, 4:14 P.M., WEDNESDAY: Nevada has been won by Sanders.

UPDATE, 4:43 P.M., WEDNESDAY: Rhode Island has been won by Sanders.

UPDATE, 7:27 P.M., WEDNESDAY: Colorado has been won by Bloomberg.

UPDATE, 8:08 P.M., WEDNESDAY: Oregon has been won by Sanders.

UPDATE, 12:15 A.M., THURSDAY: Wisconsin has been won by Sanders.

Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) / Governor Mike Pence (R-IN): 253 Electoral Votes
Senator Bernie Sanders (D-VT) / Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA): 224 Electoral Votes
Former Mayor Michael Bloomberg (M-NY) / Senator Angus King (M-ME): 22 Electoral Votes

[JonathanSwift]

UPDATE, 6:39 A.M., THURSDAY: New Mexico has been won by Sanders.

UPDATE, 2:35 P.M., FRIDAY: Pennsylvania has been won by Sanders. With this development, there is no longer any path to an electoral majority for any candidate; the election will be decided by Congress.

UPDATE, 7:44 A.M., SUNDAY: Virginia has been won by Cruz.

UPDATE, 12:47 P.M., NOVEMBER 21: Maine's 1st District has been won by Bernie Sanders.

Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) / Governor Mike Pence (R-IN): 266 Electoral Votes
Senator Bernie Sanders (D-VT) / Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA): 249 Electoral Votes
Former Mayor Michael Bloomberg (M-NY) / Senator Angus King (M-ME): 22 Electoral Votes

[ElectionsGuy]

Looks like President Cruz and an unknown Vice President. Great stuff!

[JonathanSwift]

TED CRUZ ELECTED BY HOUSE!



After winning a plurality of both the electoral and popular votes, Republican Texas Senator Ted Cruz has been resoundingly elected by the Republican-controlled House of Representatives.

Cruz won thirty-three Republican-dominated House delegations, while Democrat Bernie Sanders won fifteen and Moderate Michael Bloomberg won two. Meanwhile, Cruz's running mate, Indiana Governor Mike Pence was chosen as Vice President by the Senate in a 54-46 vote which ran strictly along party lines (with independent Angus King, the Moderate Party Vice Presidential nominee, voting for Elizabeth Warren).

[JonathanSwift]

Looks like President Cruz and an unknown Vice President. Great stuff!

Thanks.