A Different Big Accomplishment
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Dr. MB
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« Reply #25 on: January 10, 2018, 03:20:36 AM »

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« Reply #26 on: January 17, 2018, 01:26:23 PM »

October 2010

Pre-Election Polling looks promising for Rs

In the final run up to the election, the Senate looks great for Republicans. Open seats in North Dakota, Indiana, and Delaware look near certain to flip to the GOP, along with the seat of Democratic Sen. Blanche Lincoln in Arkansas. The GOP also appears to be slightly favored to defeat Democratic Sens. Russ Feingold and Michael Bennet, and to pick up open seats in Pennsylvania and Illinois. That alone will narrow the democratic majority from 60-40 to 52-48. Depending on the exact mood of the night, Democratic Sens. Patty Murray, Barbara Boxer, Kirsten Gillibrand, and Harry Reid could also go down, along with open seats in Connecticut and West Virginia, potentially allowing Republicans to pick up the Senate.

In the house, Republicans are widely expected to pick up the 39 seats needed to regain control, and may go far beyond that.

Despite the initial popularity of the immigration bill, Republicans successfully turned it into a big negative for democrats, and Obama's approvals heading into the election are at 44-55. Particularly toxic to democrats was Senator Mary Landrieu's vote against the immigration bill, which has been successfully used to portray the other 59 democratic senators as being out of step with even members of their own party. Hillary's comments about Obama being the worst president since Hoover have also proved troubling throughout the cycle, especially given that her recent visits to Iowa, none of which involved campaigning for Democratic Gubernatorial Nominee Chet Culver, strongly suggest she will primary Obama in 2012.

Single Payer rising in support in the house

The Senate Bill has only gained one additional sponsor since July, Sen. Bob Menendez, who is its 20th supporter. But the house democrats, apparently determined to go out with a bang, have added many names to the bill, and it heads into the election with support from 97 congressional democrats, up from 54 in August.

Democratic Strategist David Axelrod promises everyone that Kirsten Gillibrand, Patty Murray, and Harry Reid will survive re-election

Vowing to shave off his mustache of nearly 40 years if proven wrong, Axelrod says the idea that Patty Murray, Harry Reid, and especially Kirsten Gillibrand are vulnerable is ridiculous, and promises that all three will win, likely by large margins.

------------------------

Next Several Updates will be election night coverage. House Race winners will be announced immediately upon the closing of polls, while Senate and Gubernatorial Results will be done in the same format used for Democratic Revival (my other TL).
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« Reply #27 on: January 17, 2018, 01:56:18 PM »

Could we also get a view on how Governorships look?
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« Reply #28 on: January 17, 2018, 03:05:46 PM »

Could we also get a view on how Governorships look?


https://i.imgur.com/xVf7zD7.png
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« Reply #29 on: January 19, 2018, 02:09:59 PM »

2010 ELECTION NIGHT COVERAGE



Olbermann: Hello and welcome to MSNBC's coverage of the 2010 election. We're here for a night of coverage of the house, senate, and gubernatorial races across the country. On the panel, from left to right, is Lawrence O'Donnell, Eugene Robinson, Chris Matthews, Rachel Maddow, and Al Sharpton. We have Chuck Todd at the analysis board, Lester Holt with our exit polling, and key correspondents including Ed Schultz at Harry Reid headquarters and Andrea Mitchell at Donald Trump headquarters.

As we begin the night, Republicans are expected to get a majority among house seats and governorships, but the Senate is an open question. Democrats promise that they have the votes to retain it, and the polling suggests they are correct, but Republicans are promising to prove them wrong.

So Let's begin. Now, at 7:00, the polls have closed in six states, and let's take a look at the results for the house of representatives.

Kentucky

District 1: Whitfield (R) wins 73-27
District 2: Guthrie (R) wins 70-30
District 3: Yarmuth (D) wins 53-45
District 4: Davis (R) wins 70-30
District 5: Rogers (R) wins 78-22
District 6: Barr (R) wins 51-49 (R PICKUP)

Republicans already with their first pickup in the sixth district of Kentucky, something Democrats fought very very hard to hold. This was considered to be a long shot goal for the republicans, and is certainly troubling for the Democratic party.

Running total of the house so far: 5 Republicans (+1), 1 Democrat (-1)

Indiana

District 1: Visclosky (D) wins 56-38
District 2: Donnelly (D) wins 47.6-47.2
District 3: Stutzman (R) wins 64-31
District 4: Rokita (R) wins 70-25
District 5: Burton (R) wins 64-24
District 6: Pence (R) wins 68-29
District 7: Carson (D) wins 56-40
District 8: Bucshon (R) wins 58-36 (R PICKUP)
District 9: Young (R) wins 52-42 (R PICKUP)

As expected, the republicans picked up the 8th and 9th districts, but a sigh of relief for Democrats as Joe Donnelly barely hangs on.

Running Total of the House so far: 11 Republicans (+3), 4 Democrats (-3)

Virginia

District 1: Wittman (R) wins 65-33
District 2: Rigell (R) wins 54-40 (R PICKUP)
District 3: Scott (D) wins 70-27
District 4: Forbes (R) wins 64-36
District 5: Hurt (R) wins 52-47 (R PICKUP)
District 6: Goodlatte (R) wins 77-15
District 7: Cantor (R) wins 60-35
District 8: Moran (D) wins 60-38
District 9: Griffith (R) wins 52-46 (R PICKUP)
District 10: Wolf (R) wins 64-33
District 11: Fimian (R) wins 49.4-49.1 (R PICKUP)

Republicans sweep the board in Virginia, winning all 4 vulnerable seats, including a particularly tough race in the 11th district.

Running Total of the House so far: 20 Republicans (+7), 6 Democrats (-7)

Georgia

District 1: Kingston (R) wins 73-27
District 2: Bishop (D) wins 50.4-49.6
District 3: Westmoreland (R) wins 70-30
District 4: Johnson (D) wins 74-26
District 5: Lewis (D) wins 70-30
District 6: Price (R) wins unopposed
District 7: Woodall (R) wins 69-31
District 8: Scott (R) wins 54-46 (R PICKUP)
District 9: Graves (R) wins unopposed
District 10: Broun (R) wins 68-32
District 11: Gingrey (R) wins unopposed
District 12: Barrow (D) wins 55-45
District 13: Scott (D) wins 70-30

Mostly a status quo election in Georgia. Democrats do lose the 8th district but have a sigh of relief as they hold the 2nd district.

Running Total of the House so far: 28 Republicans (+8), 11 Democrats (-8)

South Carolina

District 1: Scott (R) wins 67-28
District 2: Wilson (R) wins 54-42
District 3: Duncan (R) wins 64-35
District 4: Gowdy (R) wins 65-28
District 5: Mulvaney (R) wins 55-45 (R PICKUP)
District 6: Clyburn (D) wins 61-37

Democrats aren't going to like that Incumbent John Spratt lost, but people sort of expected that one. Status quo elsewhere.

Running Total of the House so far: 33 Republicans (+9), 12 Democrats (-9)

Vermont

District 1: Welch (D) wins 62-35

And no surprise in Vermont.

Running Total of the House so far: 33 Republicans (+9), 13 Democrats (-9)
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« Reply #30 on: January 20, 2018, 03:38:48 PM »
« Edited: March 23, 2018, 01:36:20 AM by Dwarven Dragon »

Olbermann: And now we'll take a look at the Senate and Governors!

In the state of Kentucky, Rand Paul has been elected to the open seat:

Paul (R): 55.3%
Conway (D): 44.7%

In Indiana, Republican Dan Coats wins in a pickup for the republicans:

Coats (R): 54.2%
Ellsworth (D): 41%
Others: 4.8%

No surprise in South Carolina, where Jim DeMint is the projected winner:

DeMint (R): 64.7%
Green (D): 24.3%
Others: 11%

In Vermont, as expected, the longtime incumbent Pat Leahy wins yet another term:

Leahy (D): 62.5%
Britton (R): 33%
Others: 4.5%

And in Georgia, Senator Johnny Isakson wins another term:

Isakson (R): 60.2%
Thurmond (D): 36.6%
Others: 3.2%



Democrats: 40 (-1)
Republicans: 26 (+1)
Independents: 2

(Count includes seats not up for election)

For the Governors, we do not have any projections to make just yet. It is too close to call in Vermont, and too early to call with Republicans leading in Georgia and South Carolina.




Democrats: 7
Republicans: 6
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« Reply #31 on: January 25, 2018, 03:08:40 AM »
« Edited: December 15, 2023, 03:14:21 PM by PPT Dwarven Dragon »

Olbermann: So, Panel, Republicans with their first gain in the state of Indiana, and Rand Paul will replace Jim Bunning.

Matthews: Yeah, I think with that Kentucky Race Mr. Conway really fouled in the last week here. Attacking Mr. Paul's religion was probably the wrong choice, without that this could have been closer, he was probably told he had to take a risk in hopes he could bring Paul down, pull off an upset and create a surprise democratic pickup here, but looking back it was probably the wrong move. But this isn't his last race, he can run for governor, he can run against McConnell in a few years, he has a future, just not tonight.

Maddow: Looking at Paul, I'm still trying to figure out what he actually believes on the Civil Rights Act. He announced his senate candidacy on my show, and during the primary he said that parts of the Civil Rights Act were wrong. After winning the primary, I had a long, strange interview with him in which he denied ever saying that, but refused to say he supported the Civil Rights Act.  I kept asking him about it because he was quite clear about that prior to the primary, but he denied and denied and denied, but apparently denying worked, because he won.

Robinson: Well, to run away from the media has been the GOP strategy for quite some time. And you look at other candidates, Sharron Angle in Nevada and Jane Norton in Colorado spending the entire campaign just running from the media. In Delaware, Republicans came extremely close to nominating Christine O'Donnell, who compared entire media organizations to the devil. So Rand Paul behaving this way is unfortunately quite typical for his party.

Sharpton: The other question we still have is, to what extent is Rand Paul going to be like Ron Paul. Ron Paul was often the 1 person standing up and forcing the house to actually take a roll call vote on naming a post office rather than doing it by voice vote - well in the Senate, you don't just force a roll call - you can actually stop the action in its tracks. With the talking filibuster, and the almost unlimited time for debate barring a cloture motion, you can avoid naming that post office at all. And if Rand Paul is going to be like that, well, he already has a bad relationship with Mitch McConnell, but it's just going to get worse for the two of them.

Maddow: I want to quickly turn to Indiana, just to explain what happened here. Republicans have their first senate pickup in Indiana. Evan Bayh, the retiring incumbent, probably the only democrat who could have held that seat, and he knew that, but retired anyway, took all of his various funds with him, didn't give anything to Brad Ellsworth, didn't give anything to any democratic candidate elsewhere in the country, and after he officially leaves the Senate on January 3rd, he's just going to become a lobbyist and essentially float on his wealth. Democrats are going to miss that Senate seat in Indiana, but after his surprise retirement and his stiffing of the party, I cannot believe that they are going to miss Evan Bayh.

Olbermann: Let's go to Howard Fineman at the listening post. Fineman, what's the feeling about Rand Paul from your sources?

Fineman: Well, it's mixed. It's certainly going to matter that McConnell didn't want this candidate, he wanted Trey Grayson, who lost the primary. But at the same time, Rand Paul is who the state choose, and McConnell is going to try his best to put aside his differences and work with him, because everyone is very aware that if Republicans do get the 11 seats they need to pick up the Senate, it's essentially going to be a majority on the backs of Rand Paul, and if he wants to singularly block something, he can definitely do so. But of course, he's not the only interesting candidate who might win tonight. Donald Trump up in New York, if he wins that race, would certainly bring a new dynamic to the Senate. Especially interesting with him is that he essentially ran a pro-choice candidacy despite being a republican. If he holds to that position in the Senate, McConnell isn't going to like it at all......

............

Olbermann: Let's go to Tim Kaine, Chair of the DNC. Mr. Kaine, how are you feeling tonight about the state of things?

Kaine: Well, I'm confident that we can put up some surprising figures. We believe we've seen some good early voting trends, some good turnout patterns in our key areas, and I'm confident we have the votes to hold onto the Senate, and we're not of the running when it comes to the house.

O'Donnell: Mr. Kaine, what is your sense of why you couldn't come up with a strategy to keep the immigration bill a positive for the party?

Kaine: Well, I think some of the polling we've seen around that is just plain wrong and misguided, and we're seeing very different things in our internal polling. But the other thing to remember is that the Congress that President Obama was elected with was never going to stick around, I know it may have been fun to fantasize about the Democrats having a net gain in the Senate this year, but America isn't a 60-40 nation, it's very closely divided, and that's how I see this election, it's really a reversion to the mean. And the immigration bill is I believe part of what's going to allow us to hold onto the Senate, it's the reason why I don't think the house is lost at this point in the night, and I do think we're going to surprise a lot of people.

Sharpton: What's the scenario where Democrats can keep the house?

Kaine: Well, the figure of 39 republican gains for them to get the house has been tossed around, but the actual figure is probably in the mid forties, because we believe we're going to pick up some seats. There's a seat in Delaware that should flip to us, a seat in Louisiana that should flip to us, a seat in Hawaii as well. We've also got a great shot at 2 races in Florida and a race in the northern chicago suburbs, and I think we could surprise in a couple other districts as well. And when you look at a figure of 44, 46, 47 seats that Republicans actually need to get the house, I just don't think they're going to reach that figure.

Next: 7:30 PM Closings
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« Reply #32 on: January 25, 2018, 03:36:54 PM »

Olbermann: It's 7:30 PM, and polls have closed in three more states. Let's go through what has happened in the House:

Ohio

District 1: Chabot (R) wins 51-46 (R PICKUP)
District 2: Schmidt (R) wins 60-35
District 3: Turner (R) wins 67-33
District 4: Jordan (R) wins 70-26
District 5: Latta (R) wins 68-26
District 6: Johnson (R) wins 51-46 (R PICKUP)
District 7: Austria (R) wins 62-33
District 8: Boehner (R) wins 66-30
District 9: Kaptur (D) wins 60-40
District 10: Kucinich (D) wins 53-44
District 11: Fudge (D) wins 82-18
District 12: Tiberi (R) wins 55-41
District 13: Sutton (D) wins 57-43
District 14: LaTourette (R) wins 64-33
District 15: Stivers (R) wins 53-43 (R PICKUP)
District 16: Renacci (R) wins 52-42 (R PICKUP)
District 17: Ryan (D) wins 54-30
District 18: Gibbs (R) wins 53-41 (R PICKUP)

Republicans getting a total of 5 pickups in Ohio, clearly creating a huge change in how this state will be represented in the house.

Running Total of the House so far: 46 Republicans (+14), 18 Democrats (-14)

West Virginia

District 1: Oliverio (D) wins 50.2-49.8
District 2: Capito (R) wins 68-30
District 3: Rahall (D) wins 56-44

Status quo election in West Virginia, including a key democratic hold in the 1st District. The party will be very glad to learn that they have held that seat against a very, very strong challenge.

Running Total of the House so far: 47 Republicans (+14), 20 Democrats (-14)

North Carolina

District 1: Butterfield (D) wins 59-41
District 2: Ellmers (R) wins 50-48 (R PICKUP)
District 3: Jones (R) wins 73-24
District 4: Price (D) wins 56-44
District 5: Foxx (R) wins 66-34
District 6: Coble (R) wins 76-24
District 7: McIntyre (D) wins 53-47
District 8: Kissell (D) wins 52-45
District 9: Myrick (R) wins 70-30
District 10: McHenry (R) wins 70-30
District 11: Shuler (D) wins 53-47
District 12: Watt (D) wins 64-34
District 13: Miller (D) wins 57-43

Republicans get one pickup in the 2nd District, but otherwise, all remains the same.

Running Total of the House so far: 53 Republicans (+15), 27 Democrats (-15)
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« Reply #33 on: January 28, 2018, 04:13:50 PM »
« Edited: March 23, 2018, 01:36:04 AM by Dwarven Dragon »

Looking at the Senate, we can project that the Republican Rob Portman wins in Ohio!

Portman (R): 56.1%
Fisher (D): 39.8%
Others: 4.1%

In West Virginia, it is too early to call with the Democrat Joe Manchin in the lead. In North Carolina, too early to call with the Republican Richard Burr in the lead.



Democrats: 40 (-1)
Republicans: 27 (+1)
Independents: 2

Looking at the Governors, it is too close to call in Ohio, between the incumbent Democrat Ted Strickland and the Republican and Fox News Challenger John Kasich. Let's take a look at the uncalled races from earlier:

Vermont (4% in): Shumlin (D) 57%, Dubie (R) 40%
South Carolina (1% in): Sheheen (D) 62%, Haley (R) 37%
Georgia (1% in): Deal (R) 64%, Barnes (D) 34%



Democrats: 7
Republicans: 6

-----------

Let's now go to Andrea Mitchell, who is live in New York at Donald Trump headquarters. What's the mood like over there?

Mitchell: Well, the crowd is just starting to trickle in, polls still open for an hour and a half here, but I can tell you that the campaign is very confident and they do believe that they are going to defeat Senator Gillibrand and defeat her comfortably. They're very pleased with the turnout patterns they've seen and just the general energy of the last few days, and even though the polling does still show Gillibrand slightly ahead, they feel that the media is completely tank for Gillibrand, they've actually told me that I specifically am in the tank for Gillibrand, and essentially they view this polling as drastically inaccurate.

Robinson: Is there any concern that Schumer's or Cuomo's margin of victory will pull Gillibrand over the line?

Mitchell: No, in fact that's part of their whole appeal. In fact, Trump himself says he voted for Chuck Schumer today in addition to voting for himself. Split-ticket voting has always been a big part of this campaign's strategy, and they've even been sending out mailers to towns that voted heavily for Obama, telling them to support Obama by voting for Schumer in the regular senate race, but put a check on him by voting for Trump in the special. So, however big Schumer's win is, however big Cuomo's win is, they see that as just totally disconnected from what's happening in this race, because their goal was never to get people to vote straight ticket R, but rather to vote for just one Republican - Donald J. Trump.

Sharpton: Trump ran as a pro-choice candidate in this election, saying he has no social agenda and even running ads saying that him and Gillibrand have the same position on abortion. But is he going to actually vote pro-choice in the Senate?

Mitchell: Well, I don't profess to know that. Certainly he'll want to try to honor some of what he said in the campaign, but the Republican whipping operation on that issue is certainly pretty tough. It will certainly be an interesting dynamic to watch.

Olbermann: Now, we do know that Manchin is in the lead in West Virginia, which like New York was viewed as a longer shot for Republicans. Does that tell you anything about how this race might go?

Mitchell: Well, maybe. My understanding of the polling has been that Manchin was a few points ahead of where Gillibrand was, but certainly the Republican party would like to defeat Manchin and would feel a lot more comfortable about this race, and the race out in Washington State, and a couple others if Manchin were to go down. But as far as what the campaign here is saying, they're not concerned about that. Certainly they know it's tough for Republicans to get all 11 of the gains they need to pick up the Senate. But there's been an emphasis that Mr. Trump is prepared to work with a Senate controlled by either party, and that he shouldn't be seen as being in lockstep with anyone's agenda.
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« Reply #34 on: February 10, 2018, 01:59:51 AM »

Olbermann: Thank you, Andrea. Let's go over to Ed Schultz who is live in Nevada at Harry Reid headquarters. So, for the senate, we have Republicans holding Kentucky, picking up Indiana. The Democrat is leading in West Virginia. What do these early signs say about the fight for the Senate?

Schultz: Well, I've always said that West Virginia is a key bellwether. They'll be others later in the night, particularly New York, but West Virginia comes in early, it has perhaps the democrat with the best personal brand in the entire country, and based on the math, if Manchin were to go down, it almost certainly means Democrats are losing the Senate. So him leading is certainly good news for Democrats, it is possible for the Republicans to get the Senate without West Virginia, but it would make the New York race very close to a must win, and I do honestly think Kirsten Gillibrand is positioned to pull it out in a very democratic state.

Robinson: How's Senator Reid feeling right now?

Schultz: Well the campaign is certainly still making calls and doing what they can to get the last bit of the vote out, the polls remain open until 10:00 Eastern. But there is a very quiet confidence here. There was a very strong early vote in Clark County, and it was reportedly underwhelming in Sharron Angle's home county of Washoe. And Sharron Angle is just a really extreme candidate that the Reid campaign ultimately believes Nevada is simply not going to elect. That's not to say it won't be a close race, it certainly will be, but there is a real quiet confidence that Reid has the votes to win.

Olbermann: Thank you, Mr. Schultz, we'll be back later in the night. Let's move over to Lester Holt, who is looking at some of our exit polling. Lester?

Holt: Yes, some interesting early numbers that could give us some signs. We'll start with Obama's numbers:

Do you approve of President Obama's Job Performance?

Approve: 45%
Disapprove: 54%

As you can see, a big change from the late summer when Obama had positive approvals, though this does appear to be a slight uptick from the late october polls. Very much within the margin of error though. Of course, a key reason Obama's approvals declined was the immigration bill:

Opinion of the Immigration Bill passed by Congress?

Approve: 42%
Disapprove: 55%

As you can see, the bill is less popular than Obama. We also asked people about Obama's failed health care agenda and Sanders's single payer bill:

Opinion of Obama Health Care Agenda

Favorable: 41%
Unfavorable: 52%

Opinion of the Sanders Single-Payer Legislation

Favorable: 39%
Unfavorable: 53%

As you can see, people are not happy with any of the health care ideas that have been discussed during the Obama Presidency, and may very well vote in Republicans in hopes of getting a better idea on Healthcare. The electorate does see it as an important issue:

Should the next congress attempt to address some form of Health Care Reform:

Yes: 59%
No: 36%

We also asked people about their feelings toward the government, and the negativity shows very clearly:

Opinion towards the Government Overall:

Enthusiastic: 4%
Satisfied: 19%
Average: 20%
Dissatisfied: 38%
Angry: 17%

As you can see, 55% of voters dissatisfied or angry with the government. This next question is even more telling:

Level of Concern regarding the economy

Very Worried: 27%
Worried: 41%
Mildly Concerned: 12%
Satisfied: 16%
Very Satisfied: 3%

A full 68% of voters worried or very worried about the economy, and fully 80% of voters with some level of concern. Finally, we want to look at voters's opinions of both political parties:

Opinion of the Democratic Party:

Favorable: 42%
Unfavorable: 55%

Opinion of the Republican Party:

Favorable: 43%
Unfavorable: 54%

As you can see, voters are not really happy with anyone. The Republicans, if successful tonight, are not winning so much on their ideas but simply on being a vehicle for rapid change, much like Obama two years ago.

Olbermann: Thank you for all that information. We'll now take a short break.

Next: 8:00 Poll Closings


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« Reply #35 on: February 12, 2018, 06:49:42 PM »

Olbermann: It's 8:00 on the east coast, and the polls have closed in an array of states, encompassing lots of interesting races. As always, let's start with the House of Representatives:

Maine

District 1: Pingree (D) wins 55-45
District 2: Michaud (D) wins 54-46

Status quo in Maine. Nothing to see here folks.

Running Total of the House so far: 53 Republicans (+15), 29 Democrats (-15)

New Hampshire

District 1: Guinta (R) wins 54-43 (R PICKUP)
District 2: Bass (R) wins 48-47 (R PICKUP)

Two big pickups for the Republicans in New Hampshire, embarrassing the Democrats in a state that went for Obama by 9%.

Running Total of the House so far: 55 Republicans (+17), 29 Democrats (-17)

Massachusetts

District 1: Oliver (D) wins 60-35
District 2: Neal (D) wins 56-44
District 3: McGovern (D) wins 56-40
District 4: Frank (D) wins 53-43
District 5: Tsongas (D) wins 54-43
District 6: Tierney (D) wins 55-45
District 7: Markey (D) wins 67-33
District 8: Capuano (D) wins unopposed
District 9: Lynch (D) wins 68-26
District 10: Keating (D) wins 46-44

Democrats retain all 10 seats in Massachusetts, although that 10th district race was uncomfortably narrow.

Running Total of the House so far: 55 Republicans (+17), 39 Democrats (-17)

Connecticut

District 1: Larson (D) wins 61-37
District 2: Courtney (D) wins 58-40
District 3: DeLauro (D) wins 65-34
District 4: Himes (D) wins 52-48
District 5: Murphy (D) wins 53-47

Despite strong challenges in the 4th and 5th districts, Democrats retain all five seats in Connecticut.

Running Total of the House so far: 55 Republicans (+17), 44 Democrats (-17)

New Jersey

District 1: Andrews (D) wins 63-35
District 2: LoBiondo (R) wins 66-31
District 3: Runyan (R) wins 51-46 (R PICKUP)
District 4: Smith (R) wins 69-28
District 5: Garrett (R) wins 64-34
District 6: Pallone (D) wins 55-44
District 7: Lance (R) wins 60-40
District 8: Pascrell (D) wins 61-37
District 9: Rothman (D) wins 58-40
District 10: Payne (D) wins 85-13
District 11: Frelinghuysen (R) wins 67-30
District 12: Holt (D) wins 52-47
District 13: Sires (D) wins 74-23

Republicans pick up the 3rd District. Status quo otherwise.

Running Total of the House so far: 61 Republicans (+18), 51 Democrats (-18)

Delaware

District 1: Carney (D) wins 52-45 (D PICKUP)

As most expected, Democrats pick up the lone house seat in Delaware, with the incumbent having retired to run for the Senate.

Running Total of the House so far: 61 Republicans (+17), 52 Democrats (-17)

Maryland

District 1: Harris (R) wins 55-41 (R PICKUP)
District 2: Ruppersberger (D) wins 64-33
District 3: Sarbanes (D) wins 61-36
District 4: Edwards (D) wins 83-17
District 5: Hoyer (D) wins 63-35
District 6: Bartlett (R) wins 60-35
District 7: Cummings (D) wins 75-23
District 8: Van Hollen (D) wins 73-25

As expected, Republicans pick up the first district, and the rest remains the same.

Running Total of the House so far: 63 Republicans (+18), 58 Democrats (-18)

Pennsylvania

District 1: Brady (D) wins unopposed
District 2: Fattah (D) wins 89-11
District 3: Kelly (R) wins 56-44 (R PICKUP)
District 4: Rothfus (R) wins 51-49 (R PICKUP)
District 5: Thompson (R) wins 69-28
District 6: Gerlach (R) wins 58-42
District 7: Meehan (R) wins 55-44 (R PICKUP)
District 8: Fitzpatrick (R) wins 53-47 (R PICKUP)
District 9: Shuster (R) wins 73-27
District 10: Marino (R) wins 55-45 (R PICKUP)
District 11: Barletta (R) wins 54-46 (R PICKUP)
District 12: Burns (R) wins 50.3-49.7 (R PICKUP)
District 13: Schwartz (D) wins 56-44
District 14: Doyle (D) wins 69-28
District 15: Dent (R) wins 53-39
District 16: Pitts (R) wins 65-35
District 17: Holden (D) wins 55-45
District 18: Murphy (R) wins 67-33
District 19: Platts (R) wins 72-23

This state HURTS for the democratic party. Republicans win essentially every competitive race, scoring 7 pickups, radically changing the congressional delegation and imperiling the democratic party in this state.

Running Total of the House so far: 77 Republicans (+25), 63 Democrats (-25)

Illinois

District 1: Rush (D) wins 80-16
District 2: Jackson (D) wins 81-14
District 3: Lipinski (D) wins 70-24
District 4: Guiterrez (D) wins 77-14
District 5: Quigley (D) wins 71-25
District 6: Roskam (R) wins 63-37
District 7: Davis (D) wins 81-16
District 8: Bean (D) wins 48.7-48.2
District 9: Schakowsky (D) wins 66-31
District 10: Dold (R) wins 51-49
District 11: Kinzinger (R) wins 57-43 (R PICKUP)
District 12: Costello (D) wins 60-36
District 13: Biggert (R) wins 64-36
District 14: Hultgren (R) wins 51-45 (R PICKUP)
District 15: Johnson (R) wins 64-36
District 16: Manzullo (R) wins 65-31
District 17: Schilling (R) wins 52-43 (R PICKUP)
District 18: Schock (R) wins 69-26
District 19: Shimkius (R) wins 71-29

3 important pickups for Republicans in Illinois, though they miss a key opportunity in the 8th District. In the 10th, the Democrats missed a rare opportunity to pick up a seat, not getting that will hurt.

Running Total of the House so far: 87 Republicans (+28), 72 Democrats (-28)

Missouri

District 1: Clay (D) wins 74-23
District 2: Akin (R) wins 66-30
District 3: Carnahan (D) wins 49-46
District 4: Hartzler (R) wins 50-45 (R PICKUP)
District 5: Cleaver (D) wins 54-44
District 6: Graves (R) wins 69-30
District 7: Long (R) wins 64-30
District 8: Emerson (R) wins 66-29
District 9: Luetkemeyer (R) wins 77-22

The Democrats split the difference in Missouri, holding the 3rd district but losing the 4th. Not good but not as bad as some of the other states we've seen.

Running Total of the House so far: 93 Republicans (+29), 75 Democrats (-29)

Oklahoma

District 1: Sullivan (R) wins 77-23
District 2: Boren (D) wins 56-44
District 3: Lucas (R) wins 78-22
District 4: Cole (R) wins 77-23
District 5: Lankford (R) wins 63-35

No changes in Oklahoma. Move along folks.

Running Total of the House so far: 97 Republicans (+29), 76 Democrats (-29)

Mississippi

District 1: Nunnelee (R) wins 56-40 (R PICKUP)
District 2: Thompson (D) wins 61-38
District 3: Harper (R) wins 68-31
District 4: Palazzo (R) wins 52-47 (R PICKUP)

Two big republican pickups in Mississippi. Both result in the departure of major members of the blue dog democrat caucus.

Running Total of the House so far: 100 Republicans (+31), 77 Democrats (-31)

Tennessee

District 1: Roe (R) wins 81-17
District 2: Duncan (R) wins 82-15
District 3: Flesichmann (R) wins 57-28
District 4: DesJarlais (R) wins 57-39 (R PICKUP)
District 5: Cooper (D) wins 54-44
District 6: Black (R) wins 68-29 (R PICKUP)
District 7: Blackburn (R) wins 72-24
District 8: Fincher (R) wins 60-37 (R PICKUP)
District 9: Cohen (D) wins 74-25

As expected, Republicans pick up three seats in Tennessee.

Running Total of the House so far: 107 Republicans (+34), 79 Democrats (-34)

Alabama

District 1: Bonner (R) wins 83-17
District 2: Roby (R) wins 53-47 (R PICKUP)
District 3: Rogers (R) wins 60-40
District 4: Aderholt (R) wins unopposed
District 5: Brooks (R) wins 57-43
District 6: Bachus (R) wins unopposed
District 7: Sewell (D) wins 71-29

Republicans win the single competitive race in Alabama. No other districts are remotely notable here.

Running Total of the House so far: 113 Republicans (+35), 80 Democrats (-35)

Florida

District 1: Miller (R) wins 81-11
District 2: Southerland (R) wins 53-42 (R PICKUP)
District 3: Brown (D) wins 63-34
District 4: Crenshaw (R) wins 77-23
District 5: Nugent (R) wins 65-35
District 6: Stearns (R) wins 71-29
District 7: Mica (R) wins 69-31
District 8: Webster (R) wins 56-38 (R PICKUP)
District 9: Bilirakis (R) wins 71-29
District 10: Young (R) wins 64-36
District 11: Castor (D) wins 60-40
District 12: Ross (R) wins 48-41
District 13: Buchanan (R) wins 69-31
District 14: Mack (R) wins 66-30
District 15: Posey (R) wins 65-35
District 16: Rooney (R) wins 67-33
District 17: Wilson (D) wins 86-14
District 18: Ros-Lethinen (R) wins 70-30
District 19: Deutch (D) wins 64-36
District 20: Wasserman-Schultz (D) wins 60-38
District 21: Diaz-Balart (R) wins unopposed
District 22: West (R) wins 54-46 (R PICKUP)
District 23: Hastings (D) wins 80-20
District 24: Adams (R) wins 59-41 (R PICKUP)
District 25: Rivera (R) wins 51-45

Running Total of the House so far: 132 Republicans (+39), 86 Democrats (-39)

With 4 pickups in Florida, and two critical holds in the 12th and 25th districts, Republicans now have the exact number of pickups needed to get the house, 39. The race for the house is not quite over - Republicans still have a significant amount of ground to cover before they can actually hit 218, and there are potential democratic pickups left outstanding - but at this point, it would be a major surprise if the Republicans do not take control of the house.
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« Reply #36 on: February 25, 2018, 02:10:16 AM »
« Edited: March 23, 2018, 01:35:41 AM by Dwarven Dragon »

Olbermann: Let's now go to the Senate Races. In the State of Florida, the Republican Marco Rubio easily defeats the Democrat Kendrick Meek:

35% in: Rubio 52-45

Final:

Rubio (R): 54.6%
Meek (D): 42.5%
Others: 2.9%

In New Hampshire, the Republican Kelly Ayotte easily holds the seat, swallowing the Democrat Paul Hodes:

Ayotte (R): 60.6%
Hodes (D): 37%
Others: 2.4%

In the State of Maryland, no surprise, the incumbent senator Mikulski will have another term:

Mikulski (D): 62.2%
Wargotz (R): 36.1%
Others: 1.7%

In Alabama, the incumbent Mr. Shelby will be going back to Washington:

Shelby (R): 65.3%
Barnes (D): 34.7%

In Oklahoma, the incumbent Mr. Coburn has also won another term:

Coburn (R): 70.3%
Rogers (D): 26.2%
Others: 3.5%

In Delaware, it is too early to call, but the Republican Mike Castle is in the lead over the Democrat Chris Coons.

In Missouri, it is too early to call, but the Republican Roy Blunt is in the lead over the Democrat Robin Carnahan.

In Pennsylvania, it is too close to call.

In Illinois, it is too close to call.

In Connecticut, it is too early to call, but the Democrat Richard Blumenthal leads over the Republican Linda McMahon.

Let's look at the uncalled races from earlier:

WV (2% in):

Manchin (D): 53%
Raese (R): 45%

NC (16% in):

Burr (R): 55%
Marshall (D): 44%



Democrats: 41 (-1)
Republicans: 31 (+1)
Independents: 2

Let's take a look at the governors now. In Alabama, the Republican Robert Bentley will hold the seat for his party:

Bentley (R): 59.4%
Sparks (D): 40.6%

In Tennessee, we have the first republican gain among the governorships! The Republican Bill Haslam will replace the retiring Democrat Phil Bredesen:

Haslam (R): 64.8%
McWherter (D): 33.1%
Others: 2.1%

In Oklahoma, another gain for the Republicans! The Republican Mary Fallin will replace the retiring Democrat Brad Henry:

Fallin (R): 60%
Askins (D): 40%

In Florida, it is too close to call. With 35% in:

Scott (R): 50%
Sink (D): 48%

In New Hampshire, it is too early to call, though the incumbent Democrat John Lynch has the lead. With 5% in:

Lynch (D): 57%
Stephen (R): 40%

In Illinois, it is too close to call.

In Pennsylvania, it is too early to call. The Republican Tom Corbett leads the Democrat Dan Onorato.

In Maryland, also too early to call, though the incumbent Democrat Martin O'Malley is in the lead.

In Connecticut, it is too close to call.

In Rhode Island, it is too close to call.

In Massachusetts, it is too close to call.

In Maine, it is too close to call.


Let's take a look at the uncalled races from earlier:

Vermont (8% in): Shumlin (D) 54%, Dubie (R) 43%
South Carolina (5% in): Sheheen (D) 55%, Haley (R) 44%
Georgia (4% in): Deal (R) 63%, Barnes (D) 35%
Ohio (7% in): Strickland (D) 57%, Kasich (R) 39%



Republicans: 9 (+2)
Democrats: 7 (-2)
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« Reply #37 on: March 03, 2018, 09:01:02 PM »

Olbermann: So, initial thoughts from that collection of results?

O'Donnell: Well, certainly a lot of that was expected. But it is a bit saddening to continue to see the Democratic party hit bottom in the south. It was just four years ago that democratic governors of Tennessee and Oklahoma were winning re-election by landslides. But now - nope, not even close. If the Republicans take back the house, I think you're going to look at the map and see that they have a lot of southern states to thank for it. And it's not because they've somehow started running better candidates. With their purge of the moderates, they've ushered in tea party republicans in these districts, and as a result the next congress - whoever controls it - is going to be a lot more polarized.

Maddow: Certainly. But I think it's important to note that we'll be getting sanity in some places outside the south. Delaware voters breathed a sigh of relief on primary night when Christine O'Donnell lost, as did Colorado voters when Ken Buck lost. Whoever wins in those two races, it's not going to be some tea party reactionary. Now we do have Sharron Angle in Nevada, but hopefully the Reid machine can still work one last time.

Robinson: Well, I know Ed Schultz told us there was some quiet confidence at the headquarters, but I have to say the late polls did not inspire great confidence in the Reid campaign. Democrats probably need the Reid seat to keep the senate in their hands, and even if they were to hold the Senate without it, it would still really hurt to lose it, especially because a new majority leader would have to be chosen, and I think that would be a real intraparty fight between Schumer, Durbin, and if she survives tonight, Patty Murray.

O'Donnell: Well, one senator who will survive, because she's not up for re-election, is Louisiana's Mary Landrieu, who was the subject of attack ads across the country, and Ms. Landrieu joins us now. Senator, it must have been a real experience to not be campaigning for office yet be the subject of tons of ads.

Landrieu: Well, I'm disappointed that my vote proved to be an effective strategy for republicans in this election, but the reason why those ads worked is because the democratic party did this bill the wrong way. The immigration bill was originally a bipartisan effort that I believe we could have passed with 52 or 53 democrats and 7 or 8 Republicans. But instead, you had Reid insisting on unifying the democrats at all expense, and as a result it was turned into a partisan effort. Quite frankly, I don't know how it still got 3 republican votes in the Senate, but I sided against it because it ultimately proved too soft on illegal immigration for most of the people that I represent in Congress.

Matthews: Given you voted against this, is it fair to categorize you as an Obama Liberal as the ad does?

Landrieu: Well, I'm certainly still supportive of our President and I do hope there are some real silver linings for us tonight in the results. But ultimately whether the President supports something does not determine whether I support it. In fact, the people who are determining their position on a bill based on the President's position, is nearly every republican, for they often oppose policies solely because Obama supports them. I supported the health care bill last session, and it had a lot of provisions that were from the Mitt Romney plan in Massachusetts, but Republicans are just so deadset on opposing this president that they failed to provide the single vote that was required from their side to pass it.

Sharpton: Is Health Care reform dead?

Landrieu: Well, I want to remain optimistic, but the sad thing is now certain factions of our party have moved on to the idea of single payer health care, which no reasonable american or senator can support, and the idea of any big health care bill passing what should be a very closely divided senate is likely beyond the realm of possibility due to the way the filibuster works. But if the votes somehow pop up at some point on a good bill, I'd certainly like to get back to the issue, yes.

Olbermann: And just briefly, we know that Democrats are trying to pick up a new Orleans seat in Louisiana that they lost in 2008 over some scandals. Chairman Kaine expressed confidence about that race earlier, do you share his confidence?

Landrieu: Well, it was certainly quite a surprise to see that seat flip given the electoral climate that cycle, so I take nothing for granted with that seat, but I do know that the Richmond campaign remains confident with both the early voting numbers and what they've seen on the ground, and I'm certainly very hopeful that the seat will flip and hopefully flip comfortably.

Olbermann: Thank you, Senator. We'll return after a short break.

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« Reply #38 on: March 07, 2018, 02:56:03 AM »

Olbermann: We can now project the North Carolina Senate race, and we do so for the Incumbent Senator Burr:

31% in: Burr 56-43

Final:

Burr: 55.4%
Marshall: 42.9%
Others: 1.7%



Democrats: 41 (-1)
Republicans: 32 (+1)
Independents: 2

Olbermann: Let's now talk with a Democrat in an especially tight race tonight, the appointed senator from Colorado, Democrat Michael Bennett. Mr. Bennett, we know your polls don't close for another 45 minutes, but tell us what you know now.

Bennett: Well, we just feel incredibly privileged to even be where we are. On a night where others in my party will go down heavily, this race has remained incredibly close. And we do feel that we made a strong case against Ms. Norton, and we're ready to see the outcome.

Olbermann: Are you confident that this will be settled tonight, or is this something that may be litigated?

Bennett: Oh, I don't know. Obviously we'd love to win it tonight, but we're ready to wait for as long as it takes to decide the winner, and we fully expect a long night.

Sharpton: Looking back, was it the right decision to pass that immigration bill?

Bennett: Certainly. We achieved real solutions to fix our immigration system and provide reasonable security for our undocumented population. The best solutions aren't always popular - but that doesn't change the fact that it was the right bill to pass. And it's imperative that the democrats who will be in the next congress fight hard to prevent any tearing-apart or repeal of this bill. I think we'll hold the Senate, but even if we don't, we need to use the filibuster effectively, and should it ever become necessary, we need Obama to be prepared to use his veto.

Matthews: Let's say you're a Democrat in Colorado, and you haven't voted yet. What's the one chief reason you should turn off the tv, get out there, and vote before these polls close?

Bennett: Because my opponent has continually made statements on issues from education to women's rights that are simply way out of the mainstream, and are not going to be helpful to the state of Colorado. And this is not a race people can ignore. It's as close as these things get, and we need every single vote.

Matthews: Who's your hero?

Bennett: Abraham Lincoln

Matthews: Very safe answer, thank you.

Olbermann: Well, Mr. Bennett, we wish you the best of luck tonight. Let's now go back to our correspondent Ed Schultz at Harry Reid headquarters. Mr. Schultz, your take on the Colorado race?

Schultz: Well, I certainly think Bennett put in a strong performance at the final debate, where he really took it to Norton on some controversial stuff she's said over the years. But it remains the case that Republicans likely dodged a bullet when Ken Buck lost the primary, and I don't know if the votes are there in this sort of republican climate for Bennett to win.

Olbermann: Anything new from the Reid race?

Schultz: Well, you can start to see the crowd starting to fill in, they opened the doors a short while ago, the crowd will continue to grow as these polls actually close here. The Reid people do seem to be pleased with the election day turnout in Clark County, but the Republicans are just as confident with the Turnout in the rural areas. It certainly does look close.

Maddow: Now, when you talk to Democrats about what can get done in what will be a very divided congress, they say it's infrastructure, they say it's energy, weirdly, and they're hoping that they can avoid reauthorizing the Bush Tax Cuts for the wealthiest Americans while still keeping them for the middle class. Is that going to be it?

Schultz: Well, the fact is that many in the republican party seem to be opposing whatever the President supports. Both the immigration bill and the dodd frank banking bill, as well as the stimulus, only narrowly passed filibusters. And now with likely 5 or 6 or 7 fewer senators on the democratic side, getting over that 60 vote threshold is going to be quite tough on all but a few select issues.

Robinson: Looking at 2012, does how bad tonight goes for Democrats have any bearing on whether a Hillary Clinton primary challenge can be successful?

Schultz: Well, I remain unconvinced that she's actually going to run, but the President has a strong donor base and a strong base of support, and can argue powerfully for another term regardless of the success of others in his party. And if she does run, I honestly think Obama will squash her like a bug, winning in every state primary comfortably.

Olbermann: All right. We'll take a quick break before the next poll closing.

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« Reply #39 on: March 07, 2018, 02:16:39 PM »
« Edited: March 23, 2018, 01:35:17 AM by Dwarven Dragon »

Olbermann: The polls have closed in the State of Arkansas. Looking at the House of Representatives:


District 1: Crawford(R) wins 51-45 (R PICKUP)
District 2: Griffin(R) wins 58-38 (R PICKUP)
District 3: Womack(R) wins 72-28
District 4: Ross(D) wins 57-40

Running Total of the House so far: 135 Republicans (+41), 87 Democrats (-41)

Two more Senate Results to announce. First, in Connecticut, the Democrat Mr. Blumenthal will hold the open seat:

1% in: Blumenthal 60-39

Final:

Blumenthal(D) 55.4%
McMahon(R) 43.3%
Others: 1.3%

In Arkansas, we project that the seat will go to the Republican Mr. Boozman, who has defeated the incumbent Democrat Blanche Lincoln!

Boozman (R): 58.5%
Lincoln (D): 39.8%
Others: 1.7%



Democrats: 42 (-2)
Republicans: 33 (+2)
Independents: 2

We can also project the Arkansas Gubernatorial Election for the incumbent Democrat Mr. Beebe:

Beebe (D): 64.4%
Keet (R): 33.5%
Others: 2.1%



Republicans: 9 (+2)
Democrats: 8 (-2)
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« Reply #40 on: March 11, 2018, 07:31:59 PM »

Olbermann: So, a crushing defeat for Blanche Lincoln. Thoughts?

O'Donnell: Well, the purge of moderates from the Senate continues. We saw earlier tonight the election of Rand Paul in Kentucky and the Republican takeover of the Evan Bayh seat in Indiana. Now we have this loss in Arkansas. And there will be probably be other races throughout the night where the elected republican candidate is more partisan than the defeated Democratic candidate.

Sharpton: Looking back, people are going to wonder if it was the right idea for Bill Halter to attempt to primary Blanche Lincoln. Did that hurt her too much? Could she at least have given Boozman a fight without that? As much as the Republicans have foolishly allowed the creation of their tea party, are we creating a Democratic tea party with this race in Arkansas?

Maddow: Well, the moderates in the Democratic party are certainly not going the same way the moderates in the republican party are. Mary Landrieu is not going anywhere anytime soon, in fact that immigration vote is probably a big selling point for her eventual re-election. Ben Nelson claims that since Health Care reform failed, he can win re-election. Some blue dogs are going to be picked off tonight, but the democratic moderate class will remain for the long haul. I can't say the same thing for the republican moderate class.

Robinson: Well, with this Arkansas race, Health Care Reform was actually what nearly got Lincoln primaried. She refused to support the public option and helped tank it. Yes, the ultimate final proposal failed when Ben Nelson voted No, but earlier bills tanked in part due to Blanche Lincoln's opposition and the left was enraged about that, and now they're enraged about the Sanders bill being completely ignored by the leadership, and they may try to primary other incumbents.

Olbermann: Hold on. We have a projection in the State of West Virginia. The Democrat, Joe Manchin, has defeated the Republican John Raese, holding an open seat for the Democrats!

24% in: Manchin 54-44

Final:

Manchin 55.3%
Rossi 42.9%
Others 1.8%



Democrats: 43 (-2)
Republicans: 33 (+2)
Independents: 2

O'Donnell: A pivotal win for the Democrats

Matthews: With that, a Trump win over Gillibrand in New York becomes close to a necessity if we're going to see a republican takeover in the Senate. They will also need two of Washington, California, and Nevada.

Maddow: However, I think it's important we realize that Manchin did not run as a traditional democrat. He ran far to the right of the DNC platform. And in electing him, the Democrats have helped add to the Senate's moderate caucus, while the Republicans are continually detracting from it.

Olbermann: Let's go over to Howard Fineman at the Listening Post. Fineman, while obviously the Democrats are cheering this win in West Virginia, there's certainly a lot of races left to be decided. What are you hearing about the Colorado Race, the New York race, the Pennsylvania race?

Fineman: Well, the Democrats do appear to be encouraged about the turnout in the Democratic leaning areas of all three of those states, and the question becomes, what happens in the Suburbs? And with respect to the New York race, I am being told that there are still very long lines in parts of Long Island even as we are barely 20 minutes away from the poll closing time, and looking at where the lines specifically are, there are some people from the DNC who are telling me very quietly that there is worry that these could be good lines for Mr. Trump. There are also some leaked early exit poll numbers that show anywhere from 15% to 22% of those who are voting for Democratic Senator Chuck Schumer, who is not being seriously challenged, are voting for Trump over Gillibrand. Depending on what Schumer's margin ends up being, that could be enough to imperil Gillibrand.

Olbermann: 15% to 22%, that would be quite a number of crossover voters.

Fineman: It certainly would. And one thing to point out about the Manchin race - in electing him, given how he ran, Democrats may have added to the Senate a vote against any future attempt to have Health Care Reform.

Olbermann: Thank you, Howard. When we come back, we'll talk with Congresswoman Marsha Blackburn, who would welcome that vote. Stay with us.

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« Reply #41 on: March 15, 2018, 09:28:45 PM »
« Edited: March 23, 2018, 01:34:52 AM by Dwarven Dragon »

Olbermann: We continue, and we now have the third republican pickup of the night. The Congressman Mike Castle has defeated the Democrat Chris Coons in the Delaware Senate Race!

43% in: Castle 54-45

Final:

Castle (R) 52.4%
Coons (D) 46.4%
Others 1.2%



Democrats: 43 (-3)
Republicans: 34 (+3)
Independents: 2

Let's now go to Congresswoman Marsha Blackburn. Congresswoman, in terms of the priorities for the next congress, if you can't get the bush tax cuts reauthorized in the lame duck, is that a more important priority than restructuring the immigration bill?

Blackburn: Yes, we need to keep the tax cuts. But we have to also take a very serious look at the immigration bill. We need to get those sanctuary cities provisions that the Democrats took out back in the bill, and keep them there, perhaps even in a stronger form than before. We have to take out the provision allowing citizenship - maybe do some lesser legal status - but we cannot keep citizenship in this bill. And then we have to restructure the Dodd-Frank regulations and deal with this exploding deficit that this administration has allowed to be created.

Sharpton: But isn't that deficit just the result of a recession and two wars that the Bush administration started?

Blackburn: No. In Bush's last full fiscal year in office, our deficit was just $400 Billion. This president comes in, passes a stimulus, passes Dodd-Frank, and just generally wastes money, and then we wonder why the deficit is suddenly 1.2 to 1.3 Trillion. This is why it is so critical that we are taking back the house majority and hopefully the senate majority tonight. We are showing this President that there is a movement against his policies, and we're going to fight them every stretch of the way. And if he thinks he's just going to sit up there and veto everything, well then he can enjoy losing re-election in 2012.

Robinson: One item that the President did not accomplish is Health Care Reform. Is there any form of Health Care Reform that you would accept?

Blackburn: Well, I can't issue a blanket statement on an entire issue, but I can tell you that anything like the Health Care Bill they tried to pass is dead on arrival in this new congress, and so is the Sanders Single Payer Legislation. Anything that does pass is going to have to be a representative of what the american people actually want, because this President already tried to do what America doesn't want, and thanks to the heroic actions of Ben Nelson, he didn't get it done. And now he's going to have at least three fewer votes in the Senate, and hopefully it's at least seven, eight, nine less votes by the end of the night - so nothing like the last attempt is going to pass.

Olbermann: Hold on, we have two gubernatorial projections we want to make here. Democrats have held the governorships of Maryland and New Hampshire!

MD: 13% in: O'Malley 56-43

Final:

O'Malley (D): 55.7%
Ehrlich (R): 43.5%
Others: 0.8%

NH: 22% in: Lynch 55-42

Final:

Lynch (D): 52.6%
Stephen (R): 45.1%
Others: 2.3%



Democrats: 10 (-2)
Republicans: 9 (+2)

The questioning will continue with Chris Matthews.

Matthews: Blackburn, you say the deficit is a huge problem, but how do you actually plan to get rid of it. Are you going to cut medicare, medicaid, social security?

Blackburn: Well, you start with all your discretionary stuff, that is step one.

Matthews: So, you cut defense spending?

Blackburn: I said, step one is discretionary...

Matthews: Defense spending is discretionary. Would you cut defense spending in addition to domestic spending?

Blackburn. No, you have to always support our military. But beyond that, you start with the discretionary spending and do across the board cuts.

Matthews: So you're reducing this to 6, 7, 8 percent of the federal budget.

Blackburn: And then after that initial step, you have an adult conversation about the entitlements. And we've done an effective job of this in our states. Our democrat governor in Tennessee worked with the legislature to do this budget school program, where you take an honest look at the state budget, or nationally, the federal budget, and really become educated about what needs to be in there and what doesn't need to be in there, and from there you can reach an adult solution about what to do with the hard to cut items.

Maddow: Are you going to vote for the debt ceiling increase that will come up this spring?

Blackburn: Well, I would hope we do the across the board discretionary cuts early in the congress so we don't have to deal with the ceiling for a while. But when it eventually does come, we have to handle it very carefully, and make sure, before we approve any increase in the ceiling, that we have a plan to really get our deficit under control and restore the economy. And at this juncture, that plan isn't there, so I can't commit to voting for a ceiling increase at this time.

Olbermann: We have to end it there because of the closings at the top of the hour. Ms. Blackburn, thank you for joining us.

Next: 9 ET Closings
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« Reply #42 on: March 18, 2018, 07:59:46 PM »

9 ET Closings

Olbermann: A slew of polls closing across more than a dozen states. Let's take a look at the latest from the House of Representatives:

Rhode Island

District 1: Cicilline (D) wins 50-45
District 2: Langevin (D) wins 60-31

Status quo in Rhode Island. Move along, nothing to see.

Running Total of the House so far: 135 Republicans (+41), 89 Democrats (-41)

New York

District 1: Altschuler (R) wins 49-48 (R PICKUP)
District 2: Israel (D) wins 53-42
District 3: King (R) wins 69-27
District 4: McCarthy (D) wins 50-46
District 5: Ackerman (D) wins 56-36
District 6: Meeks (D) wins 77-20
District 7: Crowley (D) wins 67-28
District 8: Nadler (D) wins 67-30
District 9: Weiner (D) wins 54-45
District 10: Towns (D) wins 84-14
District 11: Clarke (D) wins 86-13
District 12: Velazquez (D) wins 88-12
District 13: Grimm (R) wins 53-45 (R PICKUP)
District 14: Maloney (D) wins 77-21
District 15: Rangel (D) wins 63-30
District 16: Serrano (D) wins 93-6
District 17: Engel (D) wins 72-25
District 18: Lowey (D) wins 58-41
District 19: Hayworth (R) wins 55-44 (R PICKUP)
District 20: Gibson (R) wins 55-44 (R PICKUP)
District 21: Tonko (D) wins 55-45
District 22: Hinchey (D) wins 51-48
District 23: Doheny (R) wins 47-45 (R PICKUP)
District 24: Hanna (R) wins 54-46 (R PICKUP)
District 25: Buerkle (R) wins 52-48 (R PICKUP)
District 26: Lee (R) wins 70-30
District 27: Higgins (D) wins 57-43
District 28: Slaughter (D) wins 56-43
District 29: Reed (R) wins 55-44 (R PICKUP)

A sea change in New York, as the Delegation changes from 27-2 D to 19-10 D. In addition, while the 4th, 9th, 21st, and 22nd Districts were held by the Democrats, it was by a lesser margin than expected. We'll see what this means for the Special Senate Race as the night continues.

Running Total of the House so far: 145 Republicans (+49), 108 Democrats (-49)

Michigan

District 1: Benishek (R) wins 50-43 (R PICKUP)
District 2: Huizenga (R) wins 63-34
District 3: Amash (R) wins 57-40
District 4: Camp (R) wins 64-33
District 5: Kildee (D) wins 55-43
District 6: Upton (R) wins 60-35
District 7: Walberg (R) wins 49-47 (R PICKUP)
District 8: Rogers (R) wins 62-35
District 9: Peters (D) wins 52-46
District 10: Miller (R) wins 69-27
District 11: McCotter (R) wins 57-40
District 12: Levin (D) wins 63-33
District 13: Clarke (D) wins 80-19
District 14: Conyers (D) wins 77-20
District 15: Dingell (D) wins 56-41

Two republican gains in the state of Michigan.

Running Total of the House so far: 154 Republicans (+51), 114 Democrats (-51)

Wisconsin

District 1: Ryan (R) wins 68-30
District 2: Baldwin (D) wins 62-38
District 3: Kind (D) wins 52-45
District 4: Moore (D) wins 67-30
District 5: Sensenbrenner (R) wins 67-31
District 6: Petri (R) wins 66-34
District 7: Duffy (R) wins 51-46 (R PICKUP)
District 8 : Ribble (R) wins 54-46 (R PICKUP)

Republicans pickup the 7th and 8th Districts in Wisconsin, a state hit hard by the recent recession.

Running Total of the House so far: 159 Republicans (+53), 117 Democrats (-53)

Minnesota

District 1: Walz (D) wins 49-45
District 2: Kline (R) wins 61-39
District 3: Paulsen (R) wins 56-40
District 4: McCollum (D) wins 59-35
District 5: Ellison (D) wins 69-26
District 6: Bachmann (R) wins 52-41
District 7: Petersen (D) wins 57-37
District 8: Oberstar (D) wins 48.4%-48.1%

Status quo election in Minnesota, though the 8th District came very close to flipping.

Running Total of the House so far: 162 Republicans (+53), 122 Democrats (-53)

North Dakota

District 1: Berg (R) wins 53-47 (R PICKUP)

Republicans take the the only ND seat, embarrassing the longtime D incumbent.

Running Total of the House so far: 163 Republicans (+54), 122 Democrats (-54)

South Dakota

District 1: Noem (R) wins 48-46 (R PICKUP)

The only SD seat also flips.

Running Total of the House so far: 164 Republicans (+55), 122 Democrats (-55)

Wyoming

District 1: Lummis (R) wins 70-26

No surprise in Wyoming.

Running Total of the House so far: 165 Republicans (+55), 122 Democrats (-55)

Nebraska

District 1: Fortenberry (R) wins 70-30
District 2: Terry (R) wins 59-41
District 3: Smith (R) wins 70-18

Status quo in Nebraska.

Running Total of the House so far: 168 Republicans (+55), 122 Democrats (-55)

Kansas

District 1: Huelskamp (R) wins 74-23
District 2: Jenkins (R) wins 63-32
District 3: Yoder (R) wins 57-39 (R PICKUP)
District 4: Pompeo (R) wins 59-36

As expected, the 3rd district flips due to the retirement of the incumbent.

Running Total of the House so far: 172 Republicans (+56), 122 Democrats (-56)

New Mexico

District 1: Heinrich (D) wins 53-47
District 2: Pearce (R) wins 53-47 (R PICKUP)
District 3: Lujan (D) wins 60-40

New Mexico elects a 2-1 D delegation as expected.

Running Total of the House so far: 173 Republicans (+57), 124 Democrats (-57)

Colorado

District 1: Degette (D) wins 67-28
District 2: Polis (D) wins 57-37
District 3: Tipton (R) wins 52-45 (R PICKUP)
District 4: Gardner (R) wins 53-40 (R PICKUP)
District 5: Lamborn (R) wins 66-30
District 6: Coffman (R) wins 65-31
District 7: Perlmutter (D) wins 51-43

A major shift in Colorado as two seats flip. Democrats do retain the 7th District by a comfortable margin.

Running Total of the House so far: 177 Republicans (+59), 127 Democrats (-59)

Louisiana

District 1: Scalise (R) wins 78-20
District 2: Richmond (D) wins 60-38 (D PICKUP)
District 3: Landry (R) wins 64-36 (R PICKUP)
District 4: Fleming (R) wins 62-32
District 5: Alexander (R) wins 79-21
District 6: Cassidy (R) wins 65-35
District 7: Boustany (R) unopposed

Democrats both gain a seat and lose a seat in Louisiana. Neither outcome is a surprise.

Running Total of the House so far: 183 Republicans (+59), 128 Democrats (-59)

Texas

District 1: Gohmert (R) wins 90-10
District 2: Poe (R) wins 90-10
District 3: Johnson (R) wins 66-31
District 4: Hall (R) wins 74-22
District 5: Hensarling (R) wins 71-27
District 6: Barton (R) wins 66-31
District 7: Culberson (R) wins 82-18
District 8: Brady (R) wins 80-17
District 9: Green, Al (D) wins 76-23
District 10: McCaul (R) wins 65-33
District 11: Conaway (R) wins 81-15
District 12: Granger (R) wins 72-25
District 13: Thornberry (R) wins 87-9
District 14: Paul (R) wins 74-26
District 15: Hinojosa (D) wins 56-41
District 16: Reyes (D) wins 58-37
District 17: Flores (R) wins 59-39 (R PICKUP)
District 18: Jackson-Lee (D) wins 70-27
District 19: Neugebauer (R) wins 78-19
District 20: Gonzalez (D) wins 64-34
District 21: Smith (R) wins 69-28
District 22: Olson (R) wins 68-30
District 23: Canseco (R) wins 48-45 (R PICKUP)
District 24: Marchant (R) wins 80-20
District 25: Doggett (D) wins 54-44
District 26: Burgess (R) wins 67-31
District 27: Ortiz (D) wins 48-47
District 28: Cuellar (D) wins 56-42
District 29: Green, Gene (D) wins 65-34
District 30: Johnson (D) wins 76-22
District 31: Carter (R) wins 82-18
District 32: Sessions (R) wins 63-35

Republicans pick up two seats in Texas, along with holding many seats.

Running Total of the House so far: 205 Republicans (+61), 138 Democrats (-61)

Barring an absolute miracle in the states yet to close, Republicans will take control of the house.

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« Reply #43 on: March 23, 2018, 01:32:02 AM »

Let's move on to the Senate races. In North Dakota, in the 4th Republican Pickup of the night, John Hoeven easily wins the open seat!

Hoeven (R): 73.2%
Potter (D): 24.5%
Others: 2.3%

In Kansas, a hold for the Republicans, as Jerry Moran wins the open seat:

Moran (R): 67.1%
Johnston (D): 30%
Others: 2.9%

In Louisiana, the incumbent Mr. Vitter has been re-elected:

Vitter (R): 58.4%
Melancon (D): 37.4%
Others: 5.2%

In South Dakota, Senator John Thune wins due to the fact that he ran unopposed:

Thune (R): 100%

In the regularly scheduled election for New York, Senator Chuck Schumer is re-elected, though the margin is not nearly as overwhelming as it was in 2004:

Schumer (D): 61.6%
Townsend (R): 36.7%
Others: 1.7%

In the Special Election for New York, it is too close to call. Kirsten Gillibrand and Donald Trump locked in a very tight race.

In Colorado, it is too close to call between the Appointed Democratic Incumbent Michael Bennett and the Republican Jane Norton.

In Wisconsin, where Democrats retain hopes that Russ Feingold can find a way to beat Ron Johnson, it is too close to call.

Here is the latest from the three Senate races from earlier that we cannot call:

MO (2% in):

Blunt (R): 61%
Carnahan (D): 33%
Others: 6%

PA (5% in):

Sestak (D): 61%
Toomey (R): 39%

IL (7% in):

Giannoulias (D): 58%
Kirk (R): 36%
Others: 6%



(Brown = 1 D, 1 Unknown)

Democrats: 44 (-4)
Republicans: 38 (+4)
Independents: 2

Let's move on to the Governors. In Texas, the incumbent Governor Rick Perry has been re-elected!

Perry (R): 55.4%
White (D): 41.9%
Others: 2.7%

In New Mexico, it is too early to call. The Republican Susana Martinez leads the Democrat Diane Denish.

In Colorado, it is too early to call. The Democrat John Hickenlooper leads the Constitution Party's Tom Tancredo. Republican Dan Maes trails.

In Kansas, the Republicans pick up the open seat:

Brownback (R): 62.3%
Holland (D): 35%
Others: 2.7%

In Nebraska, the Republican Dave Heineman has been re-elected!:

Heineman (R): 74.3%
Meister (D): 25.7%

In Wyoming, the Republicans pick up the open seat:

Mead (R): 70.3%
Petersen (D): 26%
Others: 3.7%

In South Dakota, Republicans hold the open seat:

Daugaard (R): 61.5%
Heidepriem (D): 38.5%

In Minnesota, it is too close to call.

In Wisconsin, it is too close to call.

In Michigan, Mr. Snyder picks up the seat for the Republicans!:

Snyder (R): 58.1%
Bernero (D): 40%
Others: 1.9%

In New York, the Democrat Andrew Cuomo is the winner:

Cuomo (D): 60.7%
Paladino (R): 36.9%
Others: 2.4%

Let's look at the uncalled races from earlier:

Vermont (26% in): Shumlin (D) 50%, Dubie (R) 47%
South Carolina (31% in): Sheheen (D) 51%, Haley (R) 48%
Georgia (25% in): Deal (R) 59%, Barnes (D) 39%
Ohio (25% in): Strickland (D) 51%, Kasich (R) 45%
Florida (65% in): Scott (R) 49%, Sink (D) 49%
Illinois (7% in): Quinn (D) 59%, Brady (R) 35%
Pennsylvania (5% in): Onorato (D) 59%, Corbett (R) 41%
Connecticut (6% in): Foley (R) 52%, Malloy (D) 47%
Rhode Island (10% in): Chafee (I) 35%, Robitaille (R) 34%, Caprio (D) 22%, Block (Moderate) 8%
Massachusetts (27% in): Patrick (D) 48%, Baker (R) 41%, Cahill (I) 9%
Maine (16% in): LePage (R) 38%, Cutler (I) 38%, Mitchell (D) 20%



Republicans: 15 (+5)
Democrats: 11 (-5)
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« Reply #44 on: March 29, 2018, 02:41:36 PM »

Olbermann: Let's go right to our Correspondent Andrea Mitchell, at Donald Trump Headquarters. The race is too close to call. What are you hearing now?

Mitchell: Well, the polls may be closed, but the voting is not over. There are still long lines in the upstate cities, and the Trump campaign believes that is good for them. There are also still significant lines in Queens, which could be good for Gillibrand, but that is a borough where Trump has been trying to make some inroads. However, I am hearing a bit of concern, moreso from this crowd than the campaign, when both Schumer and Cuomo's victories were called immediately. Yes, both were widely expected to win regardless of how Trump did, but I think this crowd would have liked to make one of them sweat a bit.

Sharpton: What percent is Trump looking to get in Queens?

Mitchell: They are hopeful they can get as much as 35% of the vote there, and perhaps 30% in Brooklyn. But their key goal is winning every upstate county, and both Suffolk and Nassau Counties on Long Island, and winning the conservative-leaning borough of Staten Island.

Robinson: If this is something that gets litigated for several weeks, does Trump have the resources to fight the democratic machine that would rise up?

Mitchell: They seem to think they would, and they do speak of a stellar legal team. But Trump has been hoping for a clear victory, and in the final days on the trail suggested he could win by as much as five points. Of course, the Gillibrand campaign has rejected it out of hand, suggesting they will defeat Trump by 10 points statewide.

Olbermann: Thank you. Rand Paul is giving his victory speech, and we're going to go to him right now.

Paul: Thank you! Thank you! I'd like to thank my wife (...)

I have a message! A message from the people of Kentucky! A message that rings loud and true! We're here to take our government back! (...)

They say the United States Senate is the world's most deliberative body. I ask them to deliberate on this: Why do we take on so much debt and never pay for it (...)

Why do we let our country be overthrown by special interest groups and be led by a pathetic swamp of corrupt creatures (...)

Why do we let our country become a place of sanctuary cities and Amnesty? We must repeal this immigration monstrosity immediately! (...)

Our government has forced us to be quiet for years, but we're done with that! (...) With my win and hopefully a win by Donald Trump in New York, we will change this country (...) Thank you!

Olbermann: Uh, interesting speech.

Maddow: Kind of daring there. He thinks he has this amazing power over the body he was just elected to. Also, that explicit endorsement of Trump right there at the end - kind of strange - he's been trying to pitch himself as this regular guy, and Trump is a billionaire.

Robinson: I think the implication is they're both outside the swamp, but even that may not exactly be true. Trump has made all sorts of shady deals over the years and you have to wonder how departed from the Swamp he really is.

Sharpton: Well, one thing I have to point out - if Trump wins, presumably he won't be able to do Celebrity Apprentice anymore, which means the end of that stupid show!

Matthews: Hey I kind of liked that! Granted the last season of it was a shortened season because he had to be campaigning, so that was kind of weak.

Olbermann: Let's go to Chuck Todd for an update of how the Republican Path to the Senate Majority is looking.

Todd: Well, we're still at a point in the night where Republicans sort of have to run the table. You look at where they are now, 38 seats. There are some seats still out that they should hold - Iowa, Arizona, Utah, Idaho, Alaska - that gets them to 43. Holding Missouri is 44. Then they have to pick up these battleground seats. Pennsylvania, Illinois, Colorado, Wisconsin - that's 48. Now the Democrats are at 44 currently, if we assume the two independents caucus with them that's 46. They should hold on in Oregon and Hawaii, that's 48 on their side. At that point, the contest comes down to California, Washington, New York, and Nevada. Because Democrats have the Presidency, they need only two of the four, while Republicans need 3. Now what the Democrats tell me is that they are very confident they will hold California, and it is quite the blue state, and Senator Boxer is an incumbent of several terms. So with that, Republicans need to sweep Washington, New York, and Nevada. So it really could all come down to whoever wins the old Hillary Clinton seat.

Maddow: And looking at the governors, do we have a clear sense at this point of if the Republicans can get a majority of Governorships?

Todd: Well, we're waiting on a lot of really close races here, some of which haven't even closed yet, and unlike with the Senate, for the Governors there are some really big democratic pickup opportunities, in California, Vermont, Minnesota. Rhode Island may flip from Republican to Independent. Maine may go away from the Democrats, but still go to an Independent instead of a Republican. There are of course still other Republican pickup opportunities left out here - New Mexico, Iowa, Wisconsin. But still, it's just too early to tell if they can get all the way to 26.

Olbermann: All right. When we come back, we'll speak with Matt Kibbe, President of Freedomworks, a large conservative group.
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« Reply #45 on: April 05, 2018, 10:29:22 AM »

Olbermann: Let's go to Matt Kibble, with the conservative group Freedomworks. Mr. Kibble, we thank you for joining us.

Kibble: Thank you for having me.

O'Donnell: As you know, the next congress will have to deal with an increase to the debt ceiling. For the audience, the debt ceiling is effectively our nation's credit limit. We obviously have a debt in this country, and that debt can be raised up to a legislative limit. It is not something that is raised implicitly by us agreeing to spend more money, raising the limit requires separate legislation. Mr. Kibble, when the debt ceiling increase comes up in this next congress, will it be your organization's position that it should not be raised?

Kibble: Well, I'm not sure, that's a debate that's continuing...

O'Donnell: You're not sure? Really?

Kibble: Well I don't want to get into hypotheticals, this depends on when it happens...

O'Donnell: This is not a hypothetical. The debt ceiling is going to be reached. It is not something we can project exactly as it depends on varying expenses such as interest on the debt, which is not a discretionary spending item. It could be as early as March. It could be as late as June. But we are going to reach it, and if we do not raise it, then it would be the first default in our nation's history and our credit would be hurt badly. Again, is it your position that we should not raise the ceiling?

Kibble: Well, what I mean is, whether it happens early or late in the congress can determine strategy. If it happens early in the congress, no one has time to offer real reforms to our spending, and we may have little choice but to authorize a clean short term raise. But if it happens later in the congress, we would hope that we've taken the time to have some real debate over government spending, so even as we do raise the ceiling when necessary, we're doing it along with a plan to not get into this sort of pickle again.

Sharpton: Would you be willing to support a tax increase as part of this?

Kibble: We do not believe a tax increase would be effective, as it just gives Washington more money to waste. We should be extending the Bush Tax cuts permanently for everyone, and reducing corporate taxes. We should also be teaching Washington to live within its means, and not just keep giving it candy it doesn't deserve, so to speak.

Matthews: Okay, so what gets cut first?

Kibble: The first thing we need to do is drastically restructure this immigration sham bill, and then we need to repeal Dodd-Frank.

Matthews: That's hardly going to make a dent, but okay...

Kibble: Of course, that's only the tip of the iceberg. We're going to have to look at every dollar in every department and figure out if it's being wisely spent. Honestly, these budgets are so big and passed with almost no debate much of the time, and we don't even really know what we spend our money on. It could be lining the pockets of the Chinese Dictator for all we know. Slow down and take some time to read these budgets and educate ourselves on where Washington is wasting money and where it is using money effectively, and then we can make an adult decision about how to balance the budget effectively.

Matthews: So you're willing to cut entitlements?

Kibble: Well, if that's the best way to balance the budget, maybe we can have a conversation about that at some point. But this has to start with yanking all these earmarks and quid pro-quos out of the budget. The budget should be a readable piece of legislation, not a 5,000 page disaster that could take years to read with good comprehension.

Robinson: Who are you going to back in the 2012 presidential race?

Kibble: (laughs) Well, that's something that can't be answered yet, it's still too early. We hope to have a wide berth of candidates running on the republican side, the last thing we should do is try to coronate somebody. And I hope that Hillary Clinton gives President Obama a real challenge in the Democratic Primary to create real doubts about his leadership even within the core liberal constituencies across this country.

Olbermann: Thank you. Let's go to Lester Holt for more from our exit polling.

Holt: Thank you, we're going to look at some key questions from our New York exit poll and then look at some more national data. First off, straight candidate favorable numbers from New York:

Cuomo 64-33 favorable
Schumer 65-29 favorable
Trump 47-52 unfavorable
Gillibrand 45-54 unfavorable

First off, no surprise that the two democrats who won easy re-elections tonight are viewed strongly favorably, Donald Trump himself said he likes Schumer and voted for him. But the big numbers here, Gillibrand viewed more unfavorably than Trump. Both candidates came into election day with an unfavorable image, but Gillibrand's is worse than Trump.

Next, Trump spent the campaign arguing for border walls for both the US border with Canada and the US border with Mexico. We asked about support for both walls.

Wall With Mexico: 39-57 Oppose
Wall With Canada: 46-52 Oppose

As you can see, while the Mexico idea is unpopular, the Canada idea enjoys healthy support for a Republican proposal in deeply blue New York. Trump's framing of the two issues together seemed to have helped it go over as best as he could hope it could in a deep blue state:

Approve of Trump's immigration views: 44-52 Disapprove

But where the best signs for Mr. Trump are on the honesty and integrity issue, the issue that he ran on the most. 52% of the state believes that Trump is the more ethical candidate, while 45% of the state believes Gillibrand is. The question that will determine the results tonight is what was most on voters minds - if it's immigration, Gillibrand should survive. if it's Ethics, she may lose in what is normally a deep blue state.

Looking back at the national numbers, we wanted to take a look at some other issues that Obama has pushed and see how they polled. Here we go:

Close Guantanamo Bay Prison: 42-51 (Oppose with 51)
Repeal Don't Ask, Don't Tell: 53-42
Defense of Marriage Act should be declared unconstitutional: 44-51
Equal Pay: 55-40
Minimum Wage Increase to $9: 65-32
Minimum Wage Increase to $11: 56-41
Reinstate Assault Weapons Ban: 42-55

The President can look at this and take some victories out of it. They're going to particularly like support for DADT repeal at 53-42, that is a goal in the lame duck and this conservative electorate wanting it repealed is a great mandate line for the President to use. As we've always seen, support for a minimum wage increase is strong despite Washington inaction on the issue. And closing Gitmo is still not really resonating, though don't expect the president to give up anytime soon.

Olbermann: Thank you, Lester. When we come back, we'll speak with our correspondents at the Patty Murray and Dino Rossi headquarters in Washington State.



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« Reply #46 on: April 11, 2018, 05:38:18 PM »

Olbermann: Welcome back. First order of Business is a Governor's race call. In the State of Colorado, the Democrat John Hickenlooper is the winner:

14% in: Hickenlooper 53, Tancredo 34, Maes 12

Final:
Hickenlooper (D): 50.3%
Tancredo  (Constitution): 37.6%
Maes (R): 11.4%
Others: 1.3%



Republicans: 15 (+5)
Democrats: 12 (-5)

Let's now go to Craig Melvin, who is standing by at Patty Murray headquarters, where the polls close in an hour and change. Craig, what are you hearing about this potentially critical senate race?

Melvin: Well, I can tell you that they are still trying to get out a few last votes even at this late hour, they're making sure that everyone in this crowd here has actually voted as well, and they are casting this as the race that will decide the Senate Majority. Senator Murray voted this morning, and she did her best to put on a very confident face, but within the campaign there is certainly some concern, particularly given how close the race in New York appears to be, many within the campaign were expecting Gillibrand to win easily, and that clearly is not happening. But at the end of the day, they say there are a lot of votes, a lot of votes to count in Seattle, and that that should put Murray over the top at the end of the day.

Sharpton: If this ends up being like the 2004 Governors race in the state, are they prepared for a recount?

Melvin: Well certainly the reality they would prefer is to win by several points, but they do have a legal team in place should such a scenario arise. Obviously no one expects Rossi to concede this race easily after all the money he has put in it, but I think there is real confidence here that this race will not stretch on as long as the 2004 Governor's race.

O'Donnell: Now, Murray is one of the major committee leaders in the Senate. Should she hold on, have you gotten any indication of what she believes a narrowly Democratic Senate can still achieve with what we presume will be a Republican House?

Melvin: At this time, No. They are just trying to win this race, and hoping that other Democrats around the country also win, particularly Majority Leader Harry Reid, who is fighting hard for re-election in Nevada as we speak.

Olbermann: Thank you. Peter Alexander is at Dino Rossi Headquarters. Mr. Alexander, what's the mood there?

Alexander: It is clear. This is a campaign that believes it is going to win. They are talking a big game about the massive turnout they think is out for them in swing areas across the state, and they have also stated that if King County tries to steal the election from them, they are prepared to fight. Clearly prepared for a remarkably close race if that's what this is going to be.

Robinson: So they believe their victory is inevitable?

Alexander: Well, that's not a view that I share, but the campaign certainly wants to believe that. Maybe they're right, maybe they're wrong. They are going to have to override a very democratic King County and surrounding counties, but they believe they have the turnout in Spokane and Vancouver and elsewhere to do it.

Olbermann: Thank you, Mr. Alexander. We now want to put up the first figures for the Trump-Gillibrand race. 3% of the vote is in, we are told this is mostly from New York City. Here's what we have for you:

Gillibrand: 64.7%
Trump: 33.3%
Others: 2%

Again, just three percent of the vote is in, that will narrow as the night continues. When we return, we'll speak with RNC chair Michael Steele about how the night is going so far.
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« Reply #47 on: April 25, 2018, 04:46:54 PM »

Olbermann: We can call the Senate Race in Missouri now. Mr. Blunt takes the open seat.

14% in: Blunt 60-34

Final:

Blunt(R): 54.2%
Carnahan(D): 41.5%
Others: 4.3%




Democrats: 44 (-4)
Republicans: 39 (+4)
Independents: 2

Let's now bring in RNC chair Michael Steele to talk about the night so far. As you can see, Democrats with a Senate Plurality of 44-39 with 2 independents, and Republicans with a Gubernatorial Plurality of 15-12. What do those numbers tell you about how the night is going so far?

Steele: Well, it's encouraging. With the Senate, we're tied 44-44 if you count the seats we already hold where the polls have not yet closed, and I think we can get Independent Joe Lieberman to caucus with us, so with Senator Sanders of course caucusing with the Democrats, it's a tie at 45-45. From there, we have to win some important contests in Wisconsin and Pennsylvania and Illinois and Colorado and New York and hopefully in Nevada, and then we would have a slim majority. And that path remains very much open right now and I've seen nothing to suggest we can't achieve it.

Olbermann: and regarding the governors?

Steele: It's very early still and I don't want to jinx anything here, but I think there are encouraging numbers in several races around the country and hopefully we can take some of them. As far as if we can get to a majority of governorships, we're very hopeful but we'll just have to see. There's lots of outstanding races out there.

Maddow: One thing that looks clear, barring a big surprise in the outstanding seats, is that you will take a majority in the house. Are you surprised that that has become clear this early in the evening?

Steele: No, I think we've seen throughout this cycle that we have strong candidates running for the house, in some cases, even stronger than the candidates running for the governorships or the senate seats. And when we get the final number in several hours, it could be north of 250 seats, which I think would really send a powerful voice for change and show that the American people are tired of this presidency.

Robinson: How do you get the President to sign on to a weakening of his signature immigration legislation?

Steele: Well, you have to show the president what his legislation is doing to this country. Show him all the illegals who are flooding in to this country now to get the amnesty that he is providing. Show him the sanctuary cities that are developing anew. Remember, we got Mary Landrieu to oppose this bill, an extremely liberal individual. Now it still passed, but she voted No. No one is out of reach here. And if we're not successful in the congress, some have suggested a challenge to the law's constitutionality, and we'll look at that route as well.

Sharpton: Will you be opposed to raising the debt ceiling?

Steele: Well, I think Matt Kibble was very clear earlier - the position that is taken depends on the exact time that that comes up and the proposals that exist to reform our system so that this is the last time we have to do a ceiling increase. And that is where we have to be. The ceiling likely has to be increased no matter what thanks to the policies of this presidency, but let's make sure that this is the absolute last time we have to raise it.

Olbermann: Thank you, Mr. Steele. We'll be back at the top of the hour with more poll closings.

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« Reply #48 on: May 03, 2018, 08:50:41 PM »

10 ET Poll Closings

Olbermann: Welcome to another set of poll closings. As always, we start with the house:

Iowa

District 1: Braley (D) wins 49-48
District 2: Loebsack (D) wins 51-45
District 3: Boswell (D) wins 50-48
District 4: Latham (R) wins 66-31
District 5: King (R) wins 66-32

In a disappointment for the Republicans, status quo in Iowa.

Running Total of the House so far: 207 Republicans (+61), 141 Democrats (-61)

Montana

District 1: Rehberg (R) wins 60-34

Nothing to see here folks. Move along.

Running Total of the House so far: 208 Republicans (+61), 141 Democrats (-61)

Utah

District 1: Bishop (R) wins 69-24
District 2: Matheson (D) wins 50-47
District 3: Chaffetz (R) wins 72-23

Another status quo election in Utah.

Running Total of the House so far: 210 Republicans (+61), 142 Democrats (-61)

Nevada

District 1: Berkeley (D) wins 58-37
District 2: Heller (R) wins 63-33
District 3: Heck wins 51-46 (R PICKUP)

Nevada's 3rd district flips to the Republicans in a big blow to the Democratic Party.

Running Total of the House so far: 212 Republicans (+62), 143 Democrats (-62)

Arizona

Under State Law, full results are not available for an hour, so only uncompetitive races can be shown at this point.

District 1: UNAVAILABLE
District 2: Franks (R) wins 65-31
District 3: UNAVAILABLE
District 4: Pastor (D) wins 67-28
District 5: UNAVAILABLE
District 6: Flake (R) wins 66-29
District 7: UNAVAILABLE
District 8: UNAVAILABLE

Two republicans and a Democrat easily re-elected. Among the competitive seats, all but the 3rd district are additional pickup opportunities for republicans. Stay tuned.

Running Total of the House so far: 214 Republicans (+62), 144 Democrats (-62)



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« Reply #49 on: May 03, 2018, 09:11:19 PM »

Ooooooh...
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