GOP Takes Back Congress, Shocks in Governors' Races
Republicans need to win a net of six Senate seats to take back Congress. Stay with Breitbart News throughout the day and evening for live updates from across the country.
If Thom Tillis and Scott Brown win their races in North Carolina and New Hampshire, respectively, it'll be game over early in the night. Republicans can also wrap things up if their candidates win in Iowa and outright in Georgia and Louisiana. But if Tillis, Brown, and Sen. Pat Roberts (R-KS) lose, Republicans may have to wait well into early morning hours until the final votes trickle in from Alaska, the last frontier state. Republicans may even have to wait a month or two until potential runoffs in Louisiana and Georgia are completed to officially take back the Senate.The battle for the future of the GOP and the 2016 jockeying will begin in earnest tomorrow as well.
Stay with Breitbart News for updates on the congressional races and important gubernatorial and state-level contests (newer updates at top).
David Axelrod Recants NBC Analysis: It Is A Wave
On NBC News on Tuesday night, former Obama senior analyst David Axelrod questioned political analysis suggesting that the 2014 midterm elections were a “wave election.”
Axelrod pointed out that the real wave was in 1994, when Republicans swept into the House and didn’t lose any governor or Senate races.
“This isn't what happened tonight,” he said.
But afterwards, Axelrod recanted his previous analysis on Twitter.
“Said on NBC News earlier that this was not a wave,” he wrote. “But the returns since then say otherwise.”
Harry Reid Comms Director: 'We Got Our Butts Kicked Up and Down the Block'
GOP Picked Up 12 House Seats, and Mia Love Is Going to Washington
Republicans won 13 House seats and lost one, creating a historic majority for the lower chamber of Congress. Candidate Mia Love has won a seat in Utah's 4th district; with 100% of polling stations reporting, she garnered 50% of the vote. Among the most notable losers in Tuesday's House races was Clay Aiken, former American Idol contestant, as he failed to unseat Rep. Renee Ellmers (R-NC).
Thom Tillis Celebrates Victory With Thank Yous
CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Senator-elect Thom Tillis thanked his supporters profusely in his victory speech Tuesday evening, after defeating incumbent Sen. Kay Hagan (D-NC).
“This victory is not my victory. This victory is our victory,” Tillis told his supporters here at the Omni Charlotte Hotel.
“We won!” he add to cheers.
Tillis relayed that Kay Hagan and Libertarian candidate Sean Haugh had called to concede.
“I want to thank Sen. Hagan for her service. I also want to thank her for her gracious offer to make sure we do what America does best and that is to effect a smooth transition of power,” he said.
Tillis repeatedly thanked his supporters and his family.
“We’re going to make this country great again,” he said, making the argument that Americans makes the country great, not government.
He reiterated his calls to make America an economic, energy and military superpower again.
“I’m going to Washington and next year I’m going to come back and I’m going to go across this state to the towns and counties I’ve been to and thank all those who voted for me and I’m going to go to those who didn’t vote with us and I’m going to convince them that maybe they should give us a change to make this nation great again,” he said.
--Caroline May
Even in Maryland... Martin O'Malley Protege Concedes...
Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL):
"Tonight the American people dramatically repudiated the policies of President Obama, Senator Reid, and Leader Pelosi. It was also a dramatic affirmation of the policies our GOP candidates campaigned on: controlling spending, balancing the budget, repealing Obamacare, unleashing American energy, and boosting wages through pro-worker reforms.
Republicans in the House and Senate campaigned against the Obama-Senate immigration bill and on the pledge to block President Obama's unlawful executive amnesty. The immediate emergency facing our new majority will be fighting the President's disastrous planned actions, and we will have not only a Constitutional mandate but also a popular mandate to do so.
The last six years of the Obama-Reid majority have been a government of the elites for the elites. Our new GOP Senators will lead the way in returning government to the loyal citizens who sent us here."
Kansas: Governor Sam Brownback (R) Wins Reelection, Prevents Salivating Mainstream Media from Incessantly Promoting More Tax Increases
NBC's Chuck Todd: GOP House Majority Likely Secure Until 2022.... First Time President's Home State (Illinois) Governor Has Lost Reelection in Midterms Since 1892...
Maryland Gov: Republican Larry Hogan Reportedly Waiting for Anthony Brown (D) Concession Call...Race Called for Hogan...
Maine Gov: Republican Paul LePage Wins ReelectionVirginia: Ed Gillespie Not Conceding, Asks Supporters to Get a Good Night's Rest Because He May Be Able to Ask For Recount Given Current Margin
Massachusetts Gov: Republican Charlie Baker Wins
Harry Reid concedes Senate
New Hampshire: Scott Brown reportedly concedes.
NORTH CAROLINA: Thom Tillis Defeats Kay Hagan
By Caroline May, Breitbart News
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The optimism exuded by Republican state House Speaker Thom Tillis’ campaign and supporters Tuesday in the early evening, panned out later that night when the challenger defeated the incumbent Sen. Kay Hagan (D-NC) in one of the tightest, most expensive races of the cycle.
The early vote totals showed Hagan leading but as the night wore on Tillis gained ground and as it became apparent that Tillis could win his supporters — convened for an election night event with the candidate here at the Omni Charlotte Hotel — erupted in loud cheers and chants of “Thom! Thom! Thom!”
The Associated Press called the squeaker election for Tillis at 11:25 PM EST.
While Tillis, a Republican, trailed Hagan over the summer the polls tightened through the fall to the point where there was hardly any daylight between the two candidates.
“He’s run an incredible campaign,” Rep. Robert Pittenger (R-NC) said of state House Speaker Thom Tillis Tuesday night as the election results came in a brief interview with Breitbart News.
The Republican businessman from Cornelius ran a nationally focused election, attempting to tie Hagan to an unpopular President Obama. The polls narrowed as Tillis and his surrogates hammered Hagan for her apparent improprieties in office and her record of voting with Obama up to 99 percent of the time.
The incumbent kept her focus on making the election a referendum on Tillis and his job as a state House Speaker slamming him for what she called massive cuts to North Carolina education.
Hagan and her supporters took Tillis to task on Democratic hobby-horse issues such as pay equity, Planned Parenthood, contraception, and minimum wage.
Tillis’ campaign emphasized matters like Hagan’s poor attendance record on the Senate Armed Service Committee — including skipping an ISIS briefing to attend a New York City fundraiser—, flip-flops on an Ebola travel ban, her Obamacare “lies,” and the fact that her family personally benefited from the 2009 stimulus.
While Obama did not appear in the state with Hagan — in fact she spent a good amount of time trying to distance herself from Obama until the last moments of the election when her campaign ran a radio ad featuring an Obama endorsement — she brought in such Democratic powerhouses as Hillary and Bill Clinton to campaign for her.
Tillis, considered by some conservatives during the GOP primary to be an “establishment“ candidate, brought such Republicans in for his general election bid as former president Mitt Romney, Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY), Sen. John McCain (R-AZ), and Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) to the state.
The state’s senior senator, Sen. Richard Burr (R-NC) explained to Breitbart News before the final results came in the importance of Tillis’ election.
“It’s important to me because it means my vote doesn’t get cancelled every time I go to the Senate floor, but from the standpoint of the American people it means that with a majority that’s Republican we can work with the House to put legislation on the president’s desk. And that is what the president hasn’t seen because Harry Reid didn’t allow that process to take place,” Sen. Richard Burr (R-NC) told Breitbart News.
And while Hagan and Tillis were the two headliners there was also a wild card in the mix: Libertarian Sean Haugh, a pizza delivery man, also appeared on the ballot. As a Libertarian who ran to end all wars, legalize marijuana, and reduce the debt, there were question marks as to from who he would pull votes.
Both Tillis and Hagan supporters attempted to use his presence on the ballot as a way to tug votes away from one another — both at times advertising on Haugh's behalf, focusing on those aspects of his candidacy that would appeal to the other side.
Tillis, who watched the returns come in at the Omni Charlotte Hotel with his family, is scheduled to speak later in the evening.
Texas: Greg Abbott Wins 44% of the Hispanic Vote
**ERNST WINS IOWA, PROPELLING GOP TO SENATE CONTROL**
By Jonathan Strong, Breitbart News
DES MOINES, Iowa—State Sen. Joni Ernst defeated Democratic Rep. Bruce Braley (D-IA) here, likely becoming the Republican pickup that handed the GOP control of the Senate.
With 32.6 percent of the vote counted, Fox News called the race for Ernst.
Ernst emerged from relative obscurity in March with a television ad that made her instantly famous, introducing herself as someone who grew up “castrating hogs on an Iowa farm” to make a point about cutting government pork barrel spending.
Alone among Republican primary challengers in the cycle, Ernst threaded the needle between the GOP Establishment and the restive conservative base, receiving the endorsements of both Sarah Palin and Mitt Romney, the Chamber of Commerce and the Senate Conservatives Fund.
Now there is already early speculation that she could become a key messenger for Republicans in the 2016 cycle and comes to Washington as one of the GOP's most senior and impressive female office holders.
Read more here.
**NORTH CAROLINA: AP Calls Race For Thom Tillis in the Most Expensive Senate Race in History**
Maryland: Republican Leading Gubernatorial Race Against Martin O'Malley Protege; Republican Dan Bongino Leading House Race
Dan Bongino is one of the good guys. The conservative and former Service Agent about whom many conservatives are bullish has 70,108 votes (50.4%) while his Democrat opponent has 66,133 (47.6%) votes. Republican gubernatorial candidate Larry Hogan leads Anthony Brown by seven percentage points. Barack Obama, Michelle Obama, and Hillary Clinton campaigned for Brown down the stretch.
ILLINOIS: GOP Picks up two Dem seats in US House for Illinois
12th Dist-Mike Bost Wins
10th Dist-Bob Dold retakes the seat he lost last time.
NBC News saying Republican Bruce Rauner beats incumbent Dem Pat Quinn
--Warner Todd Huston
Pat Roberts Wins In Kansas, Ending Chaotic Race Against Independent Candidate
Another race that inspired late hopes for late Democrat has officially fallen flat.
Sen. Pat Roberts has won in Kansas in spite of dramatic efforts by
Democrats to drop out of the race, remove their candidate from the
ballot in the hopes that independent candidate Greg Orman would help
block the looking threat of a Republican takeover in the Senate.
Roberts campaigned hard in Kansas after early polls showed that Orman was leading.
The Roberts team regrouped by reaching out to grassroots
conservatives who were still less than enthusiastic after Tea Party
Challenger Milton Wolf was defeated in a contentious primary. Sen. Ted
Cruz, Sen. Rand Paul and former Gov. Sarah Palin were also summoned to
help sew up enthusiasm for his race.
More importantly, Kansas Republicans worked to define Orman as a shadow Democrat, who supported abortion and amnesty.
The race doesn’t appear to be closing by a thin margin, otherwise
Orman could point to Vice President Joe Biden’s assertion this morning
that he would caucus with the Democrats.
Orman adamantly denied Biden’s comments which were played heavily on cable news as voters headed to the polls today.
Kansas and Republicans nationwide are still watching the results
coming in for Governor Sam Brownback, a conservative reformer who faced a
hostile challenge from liberal Democrats. --Charlie Spiering
**ILLINOIS: NBC Projects Bruce Rauner (R) wins Illinois Governor's Race**
Election Night: President Obama Making Calls Monitoring Returns
What is President Obama doing tonight? Not re-watching House of Cards, but actually paying attention to the elections.
White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest revealed that Obama is “monitoring returns at the White House” and calling House, Senate, and Governor candidates of both parties tonight.
“More details in the am,” Earnest tweeted.
--Charlie Spiering
Karl Rove Refuses to Give Credit to Sarah Palin, Ted Cruz for Helping Pat Roberts Win Reelection
On Fox News, establishment Republican consultant Karl Rove said five people--Bob Dole, NRSC Chair Sen. Jerry Moran (R-KS), two Republican strategists (Corry Bliss and Chris LaCivita)--and Pat Roberts were responsible for Roberts's victory on Tuesday evening.
He conveniently ignored conservatives Sarah Palin and Ted Cruz, both of whom campaigned for Roberts and urged conservatives to rally around him even after Roberts defeated conservative Milton Wolf in the primary.
**NEW HAMPSHIRE UPDATE: BOSTON GLOBE: Brown, Shaheen Race Too Close To Call**
***GOP PROJECTED TO TAKE BACK SENATE***
**KANSAS: CBS CALLS RACE FOR PAT ROBERTS**
Florida Not A Fan Of Charlie Crist
Charlie Crist, a former Republican turned Democrat, failed to beat Governor Rick Scott in Florida who was facing a tough re-election campaign.
Crist has tied or led recent polls by a few points and Democrats salivated after Scott’s awkward debate tangle over Crist using an electric fan during the debate.
But apparently the fan hullabaloo failed to blow Democrats into the polling stations to vote for the turncoat Republican.
The news combined with the projected win for Governor Scott Walker in Wisconsin was good news for the Republican Governors association.
--Charlie Spiering
**GEORGIA: David Perdue Projected to Win George Senate Race Without Runoff**
**IOWA: WHO Ch. 13 in Des Moines Calls the Iowa Senate Race for Joni Ernst**
FLORIDA: Rick Scott Projected to Win Second Term as Governor
Ted Cruz: Era of Obama Lawlessness is Over
At Greg Abbott's election night party in Texas, Sen. Ted Cruz hailed Abbott’s victory against Democratic candidate Wendy Davis.
Cruz praised Abbott for being “smart, principled, and fearless,” recalling that the Texas Attorney General was one of his mentors.
“Greg Abbott has the heart of a lion and he is our governor!” Cruz said.
Cruz also celebrated the looming Republican takeover of the United States Senate.
“We are fixin’ to to retake the Senate and retire Harry Reid as Majority Leader!” said Cruz, calling the election as “terrific night for conservatives.
“For six years we’ve been trapped in the Obama stagnation and malaise,” Cruz said, calling for a united Republican force for leadership.
"The era of Obama lawlessness is over!” he cried as the crowd cheered wildly. --Charlie Spiering
**WISCONSIN--FOX NEWS PROJECTS GOV. SCOTT WALKER WILL WIN REELECTION**
D.C. Republicans Hoping for Gillespie Shocker
At election night watch parties in Washington D.C., Republicans cheered the performance of former RNC chairman, political consultant, and lobbyist Ed Gillespie against incumbent Senator Mark Warner (D-VA)
Gillespie is well known here, and although many professional Republicans were optimistic about his chances, they did not think he had a chance against Warner, a popular Virginia Governor.
Virginia is infamous, however, for giving Republican candidates an early lead, while the more populated areas in Northern Virginia’s Fairfax county take longer to tally the full results.
The Democratic counties always come in late in Northern Virgina, but if Warner doesn’t get a strong showing there, he might lose.
On Fox News moments ago, Rep. Paul Ryan cited the close race as one to watch as polls continued to close in Western states.
--Charlie Spiering
NORTH CAROLINA: Republicans Preparing for Recount
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A GOP source here says there are now conversations dealing with possible recount strategies here in NC as the race tightens.
--Caroline May
Georgia: Fox 5 Atlanta displayed a County by county map tonight as well as current vote totals at 9:17PM EST.
Delusional Media: Funny, Jonathan Capehart of the Washington Post insists that Grimes STILL a rock star despite being crushed in Kentucky...
I look forward to seeing what Alison Lundergan Grimes does next! She is still a star .
**New Hampshire: AP Calls race for Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) over Republican Scott Brown.**
Arkansas Senate: Fox News is projecting that Rep. Tom Cotton (R) has defeated incumbent Democratic Senator Mark Pryor (D).
Texas: Greg Abbott projected to crush Wendy Davis
Sen. Richard Burr: ‘Cautiously Optimistic’ Thom Tillis Will Beat Kay Hagan
By Caroline May, Breitbart News
CHARLOTTE, NC — The senior senator from North Carolina, Sen. Richard Burr (R-NC) said Tuesday night before the election results came down that he was “cautiously optimistic” that Sen. Kay Hagan's (D-NC) Republican challenger state House Speaker Thom Tillis would win.
“I think when you look at where the national issue set is for the American people, it’s national security, its economic security, it’s immigration, it’s miss opportunities with energy expansion, those lend themselves to a Thom Tillis or a Scott Brown,” Burr said in an interview with Breitbart News at the Tillis election night event.
“I think for that reason the intensity level that the Republican Party had and continues to have will show in today’s outcomes and I expect Thom Tillis to win. I expect New Hampshire to be very close but I expect Scott Brown to actually win,” he added.
When asked about the late breaking radio ad from the Kay Hagan campaign featuring Obama endorsing Hagan, Burr said he believes that it was an indication that the Hagan campaign was desperate to drive out the vote.
“I was not shocked because I’m sure she was looking at the same numbers I was looking at,” he said in reference to a recent poll which he said he believed indicated a likely victory for Tillis.
”They came to the conclusion they were going to lose this election and the only way they could win it is if they drove turn out. And now if you go by some of the information that we heard today, turn out has not been high in Democrat precincts. If that’s the case, one the ad didn’t work, but two the outcome was already predetermined,” Burr said.
He added that he has not been surprised that the U.S. Senate race has been as close as it has been given the amount of money the Hagan campaign and her supporters have spent against Tillis and her incumbency.
“She spent the lions share of the $100 million. Just her share probably exceeds the cost of any Senate race in the history of the United States, just her side,” he said. “So for this to have maintained a close margin is not a surprised.”
He added that a Tillis victory would have impact beyond amplifying his Republican voice in the Senate.
“Its important to me because it means my vote doesn’t get cancelled every time I go to the Senate floor, but from the standpoint of the American people it means that with a majority that’s Republican we can work with the House to put legislation on the president’s desk. And that is what the president hasn’t seen because Harry Reid didn’t allow that process to take place,” he said, adding that a GOP Senate would be an opportunity to show the American people Republicans can govern.
Report: Judge Rules Against Crist Motion to Extend Voting Hours in Democrat-Rich Broward County
CNN is reporting that a judge has ruled against an emergency motion filed by Charlie Crist the now Democratic candidate challenging incumbent Republican Governor Rick Scott.
Crist sought to extend voting hours in Broward County from 7:00 p.m. until 9:00 p.m.
The campaign says it filed the motion due to "several individual and systemic breakdowns" of the voting process.
--Charlie Spiering
RICHARD VIGUERIE Blasts Karl Rove's 'Content-Free' Playbook, Warns Republicans that Mainstream Media Want Bigger Government When They Push for More 'Compromise'
Richard Viguerie, one of the godfathers of the conservative movement, said Republicans may have left some races on the table by not nationalizing the election against issues like amnesty for illegal immigrants.
Appearing on Breitbart News's five-hour election night special, Viguerie said if Republicans win big, it will be because conservatives and Tea Party voters turned out. Viguerie said that had Thom Tillis nationalized the election earlier, he would be on his way to an easy victory. But Viguerie said establishment Republican consultants like Karl Rove do not want to nationalize elections against amnesty and Obamacare because they want amnesty and do not want a full repeal of Obamacare.
Viguerie said said when the mainstream media talk about "compromise," they are trying to "trap" conservatives into growing government. He said voters are saying they want to "undo" the Obama administration's outrages. Viguerie said conservatives should push for more border security and no amnesty since Democrats are looking for more voters.
He blasted Karl Rove's "content-free" playbook that encourages pastel candidates to not take bold stands on issues.
Mississippi Senate: Thad Cochran Projected Winner
Tennessee Senate: Lamar Alexander Projected Winner
Oklahoma Senate: Jim Inhofe, James Lankford Projected Winners
Virginia House: Dave Brat, who ousted House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA) in a shocking June primary because of Cantor's support for amnesty legislation, is projected to win his seat in Virginia's seventh district.
Jeff Sessions, the only Senator to run unopposed, wins in Alabama. Sessions has been the foremost champion for American workers in the Senate during the amnesty debate.
Gillespie Outpacing Romney, Cuccinelli
The only county to fully report in Virginia so far is Culpepper County, in Northern Virginia. Gillespie won the county, 64.5% to Warner’s 32%. Gillespie’s 32 point margin is double Romney’s 17-point win in 2012. Gillespie’s percentage is also a couple points higher than Ken Cuccinelli received in the very close gubernatorial election last year. Turn out this year is similar to that of the governor’s race. Extrapolating to the entire state suggests a very close election in Virginia. Gillespie has also exceeded Romney in Harrisonburg City, which just reported its full results.
--Mike Flynn
More Reports of 'Defiant' Obama:
CNN reporting word from the White House tonight is - Obama sounds defiant. It’s up to the GOP to compromise with him, now. As for immigration, “Boehner had his chance” and Obama will move forward with executive action to fulfill his promise.
--Dan Riehl
Georgia: Michelle Nunn Only getting 27% of white vote, according to exit polling.
--Dan Riehl
North Carolina, Florida: Sen. Kay Hagan (D-NC) and Charlie Crist have slight leads over Thom Tillis and Gov. Rick Scott (R), respectively.
**Virginia: Ace of Spades Decision Desk Projects Sen. Mark Warner over Ed Gillespie**
The Ace of Spades Decision Desk is
already calling the winner for the Virginia Senate Race with Sen. Mark
Warner winning over Republican candidate Ed Gillespie, a former lobbyist
and political strategist.
Warner was favored to win the race, but the Gillespie camp was
still bullish about their chances as the election came to a close.
The Warner/Gillespie race was considered a sign of a “wave election”
if Gillespie produced a stronger than expected Republican voter tally in
Virginia.--Charlie Spiering
**West Virginia: Republican Shelly Moore Capito Projected to Win. GOP Takes Seat Held by Democrat Sen. Jay Rockefeller. Republicans Now Need FIVE More Seats to Take Back the Senate **
Ohio: GOP Gov. John Kasich Projected Winner. He could consider a potential long-shot 2016 candidacy.
Georgia: At least one precinct in Atlanta extending polling times. petitions filed for 3-4 more
--Mike Flynn
Florida: Charlie Crist petitioned to keep polls in Broward County, where he has to run up the score among Democrats, open late.
--Dan Riehl
Virginia: Exit Polls: Mark Warner 50, Ed Gillespie 47
--Warner Todd Huston
GA GOP Chair: Democrats Crossing Over to Vote for Republicans
Henry County, GA GOP Chair Joye Hinton told Breitbart News on Monday that a number of Democrats said they would cross over and vote GOP this election cycle.
The GOP has been using the RNC's Victory 365 smart phone apps to find "soft Democrats" or dissatisfied Democrats to bring over to the GOP side. Republicans are hoping these "crossovers" make a difference for them not just in GA but in other states as well.
--Kerry Picket
Two Connecticut Precincts In Harford to Stay Open Late
CNBC reported that a Connecticut judge ruled that two Hartford precincts would stay open for voting an extra half-hour after complaints that polling places were not opened on time.
Democratic Governor Dannel Malloy filed a lawsuit earlier asking to keep polling locations in Hartford open an extra hour—until 9 p.m.
Malloy said that at "a substantial number of people who were not allowed to vote left the polling places involved before the polling places eventually opened, and a substantial number of people who wished to vote were discouraged from voting by lengthy lines at those polling places."
Harford historically votes Democrat and a loss of strategic voters in Harford area could spell doom for Malloy. “People were denied their right to vote because they were not offered alternatives to vote in the absence of voter lists,” Superior Court Judge Carl Schuman said.
--Robert Wilde
**Georgia, Virginia Senate Races Too Close to Call Based on Exit Polls**
**Mitch McConnell Projected Winner in Kentucky**
The Associated Press and CNN have projected that Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) will defeat Democrat Alison Lundergan Grimes, whom the mainstream media hyped to no avail. McConnell will have to wait to see if he is on his way to becoming Majority Leader, which has been a career goal of his.
South Carolina: Republican Governor Nikki Haley and Republican Sens. Lindsey Graham and Tim Scott projected to be reelected based on exit polls.
White House: Obama Will Be ‘Aggressive’ and ‘Defiant’ If Democrats Lose The Senate
ABC’s Jon Karl reported moments ago that President Obama will be “aggressive” and “defiant” if Democrats lose the Senate tonight.
“What White House officials are saying, you can expect the president to set an aggressive, defiant tone tomorrow,” Karl explained on ABC's election coverage. “You're not going to see any mea culpas, no big firings, no change in direction.”
Karl said that Obama would continue to aggressively pursue his agenda using executive power, if Congress wouldn’t cooperate, especially on immigration.
“White House officials tell me that the president will move forward with an executive order on immigration reform no matter how big a shellacking Democrats get tonight,” Karl said.
--Charlie Spiering
Bad Numbers on Ebola and Terrorism in CNN Exit Polls
Early exit polls from CNN showed that 72 percent of voters today were somewhat or very worried about a terrorist attack in the United States. Fifty percent disapproved of the federal government's response to the Ebola crisis.
President Obama has worked hard to portray competence on these issues in the remaining weeks before the election.
This afternoon, the White House announced a previously unscheduled meeting on Ebola with President Obama, and members of his cabinet together with his top national security and medical advisors.
--Charlie Spiering
7 PM EST: Polls will close in Kentucky and Georgia, and the first projections and results will start to trickle in.
Exit Polls: Throw Them All Out: Voters Angry at Obama, Establishment Republicans
The exit polls are very preliminary and the numbers will change later on in the night, but initial reports show that voters are disgusted with Washington's permanent political class. Exit polls reveal anti-Obama and anti-incumbent sentiments. Nearly 70% of voters do not think the economy is headed in the right direction:
Most of the Americans voting Tuesday were unhappy or even angry with the Obama administration, exit polls show. But most weren't pleased with Republican congressional leaders, either.Californians Vote In Style
Just 1 in 5 voters say they trust the government to do what is right most or all of the time, even fewer than in the 1994 midterms, when Republicans seized control of the House and Senate, and the last time the exit poll asked that question.
Republicans were getting some of the blame, however. About a quarter of voters say they are dissatisfied or angry with both Obama and GOP leaders in Congress. Another 6 in 10 are unhappy with one or the other of them.
If you are
lucky enough to live in voting precincts 9001354A and 9001364—Bel Air,
Ca along Sunset Blvd.--you will get more than a simple I voted sticker,
you also get to feast onChinese chicken salad, brownies, cookies,
coffee, orange juice, tea, and the "soothing" sounds of harpist Jill
Flomenhoft.
NBC4 just reported that the polling station for the two precincts is the Luxe Sunset Boulevard Hotel nestled
in the high rent area of Brentwood and Bel Air. Flomenhoft will be
serenading voters with soothing music as they pull the levers, the hotel
says. "These voters will get to vote in scrumptious style and comfort,"
a hotel rep added.
The party starts at 7 a.m. and goes until 8 p.m. according to the L.A. Weekly,and, instead of an "I voted" sticker, people who mark their ballots here will get an "I gloated" sticker.
Of course, your parking will be validated.
--Robert Wilde
Jay Carney: Gerrymandered Districts Biggest Problem in PoliticsOn CNN, former White House Press Secretary Jay Carney lamented at the gerrymandered congressional districts designed to keep House Republican incumbents safe.
Republicans, he said, only feared a challenger from the right,
making them “beholden to the right wing” while Democrats often eyed a
challenger from the left wing.
“This is the biggest problem in our politics, I think and it cries out for political reform,” he said.--Charlie Spiering
Obama Calls 'The 3 Live Crew,' 'Artie and Fly Ty in the Afternoon,' and 'Rick Party in the Afternoon'
President Barack Obama, who is seen as a liability on the campaign trail, did a series of local radio interviews (14 total) on Monday and Tuesday, according to the White House.
Tuesday, November 4, 2014
Reggie Brown in the Afternoon - WKKV (Milwaukee)Monday, November 3, 2013
Frankie Darcell WXMD (Detroit)/WDAS (Philadelphia)
Rick Party in the Afternoon WHQT (Miami)
The Colin McEnroe Show- WNPR (Hartford)
The Frank Ski Show-WHUR (DC/MD/VA)Perdue Campaign: Ferguson Flyers May Have Hurt Michelle Nunn at Polls
Earl Stokes in the Afternoon- WJMR (Milwaukee)
The Konan Show- WERQ (Baltimore)
UB Rodriguez- WGCI (Chicago)
No Limit Larry in the Morning- WPEG (Charlotte)
Mildred Gaddis Show- WCHB (Detroit)
Artie and Fly Ty in the Afternoon WBAV (Charlotte)
Mike and Friends in the Morning WFMI (Elizabeth City, NC)
The 3 Live Crew- WJMH (Greensboro, NC)
The Larry Young Morning Show- WOLB (Baltimore)
Perdue campaign spokeswoman Megan Whittmore told Breitbart News that it appears the Ferguson shooting themed flyers may have hurt their opponent Georgia Democratic nominee Michelle Nunn at the polls today.
The flyers, which were mailed by the Georgia Democratic Party to black voters in the state, were never denounced by Nunn and conveyed the message that not voting for the Democrat would result in another deadly Ferguson, Missouri shooting.
The New York Times previously reported that
while Nunn is likely to get a strong showing of black voters, she needs
at least 30 percent of the white vote to win this election cycle.
--Kerry Picket'CNN Analyst' Jay Carney Still Spinning: Potential GOP Gains Just 'Average'
Former White House Press Secretary Jay Carney explained on CNN that members of the media should “resist” calling the mid-term election results historic, suggesting that the Republican party would only pick up six seats.
Carney criticized RNC chairman Reince Priebus for suggesting that the night's election results would be "historic."
“It won’t be historic if the Republicans pick up six seats because the average number of seats that the out-party has picked up in the sixth year of the presidency is six. Instead, it will be average, it won’t be a wave.”
--Charlie Spiering
KANSAS: Voting Machines Changing Votes from Roberts to Orman?
“Voters from two polling locations in Overland Park, KS reported that voting machines changed votes from Pat Roberts to Greg Orman. A call to the Johnson County Election Office confirmed that they were aware of at least one of the reports. They claimed that the voter was allowed to vote on another machine and the broken machine was re-calibrated and put back into service.”
--Dan Riehl
Mary Matalin Praises Rob Maness:
On "Ringside Politics" in New Orleans:
"I am for what Rob Maness is for, and that is looking towards the future. I've had the blessing to meet with him and why I so admire people who want to get in the arena. There's nothing in it for him. He's retired. He loves Louisiana. His wife is a breast cancer survivor. He's got kids. You look around and say, 'If not me, who?' And he's put his heart and soul into it, and he's the real deal. Rob Maness is emblematic of restraining runaway government and all that that implies. And he's not, you can't label him left or right or anything. I read a piece in Mother Jones this morning, and he's the only politician quote-unquote who's cared about this sinkhole up there [Bayou Corne] and I love what he's doing with juvenile justice. He's an outcome-based solution-maker. He's a consensus maker, not a compromiser."She was also bullish on Maness's chances to pull off an upset in today's jungle primary:
"Today vote your conscience...I really do believe he's going to make it. He is not taking votes from Cassidy. He is gaining votes from disgruntled, common sense, everyday, mainstream, Louisianans. They're not right, they're not left, they're not red. They're not blue. They're just trying to live their lives, and they see everything that they grew up on dissipating before their eyes, and they want to save it for their kids and their grandkids. Politically, strategically, tactically -- Maness is not taking votes away from Cassidy. And Maness's message tests better against Mary's than Cassidy's does on the December 6th vote. So vote your conscience. Vote what you're for. Don't hold your nose...If you vote for Maness, you've not just sent a message, but you've sent a potential champion for your values. It's kind of stupid to say you're going to vote for something you don't believe in because it stops a vote from her. That's not true. It's not realistic."Karl Rove Gave Bad Obamacare Advice
For months Karl Rove has been telling anyone who would listen, Obamacare would be the key to this election. The GOP establishment squandered millions of dollars across multiple states on ineffective ads based upon that advice. As ABC Radio’s Steven Portnoy points out based upon an early look at exit poll data, Karl Rove was wrong:
Preliminary Exit Poll:--Dan Riehl
What’s the most important issue motivating voters in #KYSEN? Half say the economy,
1-in-4 say health care.
RNC Chair Reince Priebus to CNN's Dana Bash: Obama United Country Against Executive Amnesty for Illegals
“As far as governing is concerned, the problem that we’ve got right now with this president has so much, I think, messed up the message on immigration by threatening an executive amnesty action that he's got the entire country unified against his plans on immigration. And so I think the first thing is, we're going to have to look at securing the border and making sure that we do that first and make sure that people are comfortable with the border secured before we can move on to major immigration reform plans.”
--Charlie Spiering
Scott Brown: Next Congress Can Override Obama Veto, Defund Executive Amnesty
Brown, who may win his race tonight in a state Obama won twice because he focused on illegal immigration, said on Fox News that a GOP-led Senate could "go after the funding stream" to stop Obama's executive amnesty. He said Obama would veto the legislation but Congress "can override it." Brown said that is why it is important that Republicans can take back the Senate. He said turnout so far is "far exceeding" the campaign's model. Brown also said he would support Mitch McConnell as Majority Leader and blasted Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) for being "one of the worst Majority Leaders in the history of the country." Brown said Reid ended up "stifling democracy" in the world's greatest deliberative body by "making the Senate a non-functioning body."
Atlanta Mayor: Ferguson Race-Baiting Backfired on Democrat Michelle Nunn
Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed to the Washington Post on the Ferguson pamphlets and mailers Georgia Democrats used to try to gin up turnout:
I didn’t agree with that approach, and I had nothing to do with it. I don’t think the Ferguson reference was handled with the appropriate level of sophistication. You can talk about Trayvon (Martin) and Ferguson, but you can do it in a way that is more aspirational than threatening. I don’t think that piece should have been sent. I do believe that Ferguson and Trayvon and how black people are treated by the criminal justice is an appropriate conversation in an election, but when you are trying to hold on to a regional share of the white electorate, those kinds of pieces have to be handled very delicately. It was not helpful in the final stretch in a race where Michelle Nunn was surging and ahead. That piece changed the conversation from outsourcing to Ferguson, when outsourcing was a message that was resonating with white and black voters and the black turnout was already performing at the levels that we needed to have a successful Election Day.Nunn, who is running for Senate against David Perdue, refused to denounce the mailers and pamphlets.
Georgia: Voter Registration Website Crashes
Civil Rights groups are slamming state officials in Georgia this election day after the Secretary of State’s website hosting one of the key Senate races crashed, reports say.
Officials from the organization Election Protection, one of the country's largest nonpartisan voter protection coalitions, told The Hill on Tuesday that reports of voters being unable to access the state-run website to verify their voter registration status had happened.
The website crash, according to the report, led to busy phone lines as voters try to reach their county board of elections to verify their status.
"This is completely unacceptable," said Lawyers' Committee President Barbara Arnwine, who leads Election Protection. "The state of Georgia had a responsibility to ensure that their websites and phone resources were operational and available to voters at all times, yet the website continues to have ongoing problems."
A Fulton County judge recently ruled against civil right organizations in Georgia over 40,000 voter registrations that groups claimed were “lost” by the Secretary’s office. The Polls in Georgia close at 7pm EST.
--Kerry Picket
Connecticut Capital Ridden with Voting delays
President Obama called into a local NPR affiliate in Hartford and asked voters to return to the polls after polling glitches prevented many from voting during the opening hours.
A representative for Connecticut’s Secretary of State Denise Merill, said that local voting officials failed to deliver voter lists to several polling places in Hartford on Tuesday morning preventing an untold number of voters from casting their ballots. “Obviously for somebody who is planning to vote before they go to work, and they get there, and they are unable to do it, that’s frustrating,” said WNPR's president. “But the main thing I just want to emphasize is we’ve got to make sure that those folks have the chance to vote. And I want to encourage everyone who is listening to not be deterred by what is an inconvenience.”
The Los Angeles times reported that Harris called the problem “fairly wide spread,” and that it was not corrected until 7:45 a.m.. The polls normally close at 8 p.m., but Gov. Dannel Malloy has filed a legal challenge, according to Harris, asking a Superior Court judge to keep polls open in Hartford until 9 p.m.
--Robert Wilde
Can GOP Gain 13 House Seats?
The magic number for the GOP in the Senate is six.
In the House, the GOP has 233 seats. According to the Cook Political Report, if Republicans gain nine seats, "they would earn their largest House majority since 1946." As Wall Street Journal noted, "a pickup of 12 seats would match the Republican Party’s post-World War II record of 246 seats set in 1947." If Republicans can win a net of 13 seats, "they would win their largest majority since 1928." Republicans gained a record 63 House seats in 2010 because of the Tea Party movement, which GOP leaders failed to embrace in subsequent years.
North Carolina Senate Race Most Expensive in History:
North Carolina's Senate race between Republican Thom Tillis and Democrat incumbent Kay Hagan has cost nearly $114 million.
Obama: 'Worst Possible Group of States for Democrats Since Dwight Eisenhower'
President Barack Obama, who said his policies were on the ballot, continues to spin what may be a potentially disastrous midterms.
Obama: It's not about me:
There's no doubt that when you look at the Senate races, because of the fact that only a third of the Senate is up at any given time it tends to be a little arbitrary which seats are really going to be contested, which aren't. So, for example, in this election cycle this is probably the worst possible group of states for Democrats since Dwight Eisenhower. There are a lot of states that are being contested where they just tend to tilt Republican and Democrats are competitive but they tend to tilt that way.Yawn. California's Don't Care: Field Poll Predicts Record Low Voter Participation:
Since California is a harbinger of what will occur across the nation, this may be a sign that voters are just fed up with politicians they think represent two sides of the same coin:
The Field Poll estimates that only 8.2 million Californians will be participating in today’s statewide general election. If this estimate is realized, this would represent a turnout of just 46.1% of the state’s 17.8 million registered voters and just 33.8% of the state’s 24.3 million adult citizens who are eligible to register and vote. Both would represent record lows for a statewide general election in California in the modern era.TEXAS: Are Some Voting Machines Omitting Greg Abbott's Name on Ballots?
The poll also projects that the proportion of voters choosing to cast their ballot by mail will reach another new high, with 60% of all ballots cast by mail and just 40% participating at their local polling precinct.
Abbott asked voters to report any "ballot irregularities" to state officials. Abbott is on his way to defeating Wendy Davis, the pro-late-term abortion one-trick pony whom the mainstream media and out-of-state liberals desperately and breathlessly tried to build up, essentially attempting to force-feed Texans something they refused to eat. Davis has gotten more nasty and spiteful as her poll numbers plummeted, even after she was resoundingly mocked and condemned for her "wheelchair" ad attacking the disabled Abbott.
VIRGINIA: Voting Machines Malfunction & Democrats Getting 'Nervous'
The Republican Party of Virginia informed the Virginia Department of Elections that, “Voters have difficulty selecting the candidate of their choice using the touch screen because the screen’s touch sensor is not properly aligned with the text that appears on the screen."
Meanwhile, Democrats are reportedly getting "nervous" about Sen. Mark Warner's (D-VA) race against Ed Gillespie.
Election Officials Worried 'Absolutely Nothing Stopping' Non-Citizens from Voting:
Old Dominion professors determined that non-citizens may have tipped elections for Democrats like Sen. Al Franken (D-MN) in the past. And elections officials told Fox News that there is nothing stopping non-citizens from casting illegal ballots.
"In terms of
a check and balance that would prevent an individual who is a non U.S.
citizen from registering to vote, that doesn't exist. There's absolutely
nothing stopping them," Neal Kelley, the Orange County registrar of
voters and chairman of the California Association of Election Officials,
told Fox News:
Non-citizen voters have already been found on the rolls in battleground states like North Carolina. And the problem may get worse if the Obama administration grants more immigrant identification cards and work permits to millions of illegal immigrants after Obama's forthcoming executive amnesty.The problem, officials say, dates back to the 1993 federal Motor Voter Act, which requires states to offer residents the ability to register to vote when they obtain a driver's license or ID card. In some states, the driver's license and voter registration application are on the same form, and the applicant simply signs. In small print, the form says applicants acknowledge they are U.S. citizens. In other states, voter registration is a separate form and applicants check a box. In either case, once signed, the forms are automatically sent to the county or state registrar of voters, and the name is added to voter rolls.... There are two ways to eliminate or slow the problem. While only U.S. citizens can vote, only four states require proof before registering: Kansas, Arizona, Georgia and Alabama.... States can also compare voter rolls to a federal immigration database known as SAVE, or the Systemic Alien Verification System for Entitlements. Four states tried, but the ACLU and others sued, stopping Virginia, Iowa and Florida from purging voter rolls of non-citizens.
KANSAS: Joe Biden Blows 'Indepedent' Greg Orman's Cover: "We have a chance of picking up an independent who will be with us in the state of Kansas."
The "independent" who has been playing up his "independence" to a fawning media may be a stealth Democrat after all. White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest, though, insisted the White House has no idea whether Orman will caucus with Republicans or Democrats if he wins.
Sen. Pat Roberts (R-KS), a staunch opponent of amnesty and fervently for life, is trying retain the seat for Republicans.
UPDATE: The Roberts campaign is reportedly planning to use Biden's remarks in robocalls to Kansas voters this afternoon.
White House Spins: Midterms Not Referendum on Obama
A day after spinning that it would not be "wise" to draw conclusions from the midterm elections, White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest declared on Tuesday that the midterms have nothing to do with President Obama, who has not campaigned for congressional candidates because he is such a liability. Earnest said voters are voting for names on the ballot and "not the name that's not."
A Gallup analysis, though, found that Obama's approval rating was lower than his national average in five of the six most important battleground states. Earnest did say that Obama, who declared that his policies were on the ballot, has "aggressively made the case for Democrats" and taped a number of robocalls for Democrats that will be airing today. Obama has been so toxic that Alison Lundergan Grimes, the Democrat running for Kentucky's Senate seat, refused to say whether she voted for Obama.
Earnest was responding to a question about whether Obama could effectively use his bully pulpit after the elections if Democrats are resoundingly defeated and Republicans take back Congress.
Rep. James Clyburn (D-SC): Black Voters May Not Vote for Democrats Who Run Away from Obama
Black Democrats love President Barack Obama. Reagan Democrats and independents have soured on him. That's the dilemma many Democrats in red states must face. On Tuesday, Rep. James Clyburn said Kentucky Senate candidate Alison Lundergan Grimes may have turned off black Democrats by refusing to say whether she voted for Obama. Clyburn said her poll numbers plummeted "after she botched that question" and Grimes did not know how to "finesse" the issue.
Rand Paul: Let D.C. Voters Legalize Marijuana if They Want (via Roll Call)
As District of Columbia voters are seemingly poised to approve a ballot item to allow cultivation and possession of small quantities of marijuana for personal use, the Republican in charge of a subpanel with D.C. oversight says home rule should prevail.COLORADO: "Senator Uterus" Heckled by Own Millionaire Donor; Voter Website Crashes in Arapahoe County
“I think there should be a certain amount of discretion for both states and territories and the District, you know,” Sen. Rand Paul said outside his polling place at an elementary school here. “I think really that when we set up our country, we intended that most crime or not crime, things that we determined to be crime or not crimes, was really intended to be determined by localities.”
Sen. Mark Udall's (D-CO) obsession with the phony "war on women" has backfired big time on him. And even his own donors called him out after a campaign stop. Rep. Cory Gardner (R-CO) has a substantial lead heading into election day. He and Ernst may have been lauded for running good campaigns this election cycle.
From the Guardian:
An angry voice from the crowd jeered: “That’s not the only thing you stand for! Jesus Christ!”In Arapahoe County, which may be the nation's bellwether country, the election website crashed on Tuesday morning.
Udall turned to a short, dark man on his left. The senator look genuinely stunned. “I’m sorry?”
“That’s not the only thing you stand for!” The heckler was Leo Beserra, a 73-year-old who made millions on Wall Street and, since the early 1990s, has shared a generous slice of that wealth with Colorado Democrats.
Beserra’s grievance – that the senator’s narrow focus on abortion has backfired – is shared by others in the party, but rarely voiced in public and never in the middle of the candidate’s campaign speech.
According to ABC:
The Arapahoe County voter information website crashed on election day morning.NEW HAMPSHIRE:
Visitors trying to access ArapahoeVotes.com on Tuesday morning got a message that said the website was "Forbidden You don't have permission to access/on this server" or they got a blank page.
Republican Scott Brown closed a double-digit deficit against Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) in a purple state by hammering the illegal immigration issue. On Monday, a bombshell report found that Shaheen was complicit in the IRS's targeting of conservatives. The race is a dead heat, and some clever campaign signs are reinforcing the message that a vote for Shaheen is a vote for the unpopular President Obama. Breitbart's Matt Boyle has been on the ground in the Granite State.
IOWA: Joni Ernst accepts Tom Harkin's Apology, Tells Hecklers, 'I've Seen Worse, Usually in Iowa
Republican Joni Ernst, who is trying to become the first woman in Iowa to be elected to federal office, accepted Sen. Tom Harkin's (D-IA) patronizing remarks about her looks, saying on Fox News on Monday that, "it is regrettable that he said those things in the first place, but you know what, just like Taylor Swift says, we’re going to shake this off. We’re going to drive on and share my message with Iowans."
Ernst also had the perfect response to hecklers who crashed a campaign event at an Iowa State fraternity: 'I've seen worse, usually in Iraq': The Iowa State Daily has the details:
As Joni Ernst began to speak at Alpha Gamma Rho fraternity at Iowa State Nov. 3, protesters scattered across the room stood up and began to yell, "People in, money out."Ernst has the advantage heading into election day:
Ernst came to the fraternity Nov. 3. as part of her 24-hour tour across Iowa before Election Day. As a mix of students and Story County residents began to shout over Ernst, attendees of the rally ushered them out the door, clapping and chanting, "Joni."
“I’ve seen worse before, usually in Iraq,” Ernst laughed as she continued her speech.
Protesters stood on the public sidewalk outside the fraternity for the remainder of Ernst's speech.
PPP: Ernst 49, Braley 46Matt Drudge, expecting a shellacking, declared Tuesday "is be kind to a liberal day."
Des Moines Register: Ernst 51, Braley 44
Quinnipiac: Ernst 47, Braley 47
Tuesday is be kind to a liberal day.
— MATT DRUDGE (@DRUDGE) November 4, 2014
Ted Cruz Won't Commit to Supporting Mitch McConnell for Majority Leader; Rand Paul Pledges SupportAfter Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) refused to endorse Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) for Majority Leader, Sen. Rand Paul, who defeated McConnell's handpicked candidate in 2010, expressed his support for his fellow Kentucky Senator on Monday. Paul and Cruz are potential 2016 rivals and McConnell survived a primary challenge because he secured Paul's endorsement, perhaps in exchange for some institutional help if Paul runs for president.
"I don't have any comment on that," Paul said when asked about Cruz's remarks, "but I'm going to support McConnell for Leader."
Voters Report Slew of Problems at Polling Places
It wouldn't be election day without problems at polling places. In Connecticut, voting machines were broken and registration books missing. In D.C., thieves stole digital voter books. In New Mexico, dead people received absentee ballots. No word yet on how often people in Cook County have voted.
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