EDITOR’S BLOG
Rep. Steve King Could Lose

Still early. But we’re 41% of the vote in and Steve King is down by almost 6 points. Here’s the results page.

It’s Wave, But Just in One Ocean

Let me revise an earlier point. In the House, this is looking like a Democratic wave. There’s no inherent meaning to these words. It’s about interpretation and judgment. But this isn’t a squeak through result for the Democrats. They’re winning a lot of seats and in a lot of different kinds of districts. CNN just called Tenney and Faso going down to defeat in New York. We still haven’t gotten to California where Democrats could pick up several more seats.

New York Is Big For House Dems

New York State is looking very good for House Democrats.

NY-19: Delgado (55%), Faso (43%) with 38% in.

NY-22: Brindisi (53%), Tenney (47%) with 60% in.

Collins has been up and down, still a lot of results to go. Max Rose has already won the State Island district.

Look at the latest results in the map down to the right. Or you can go to this page.

LATE UDPATE: Delgago and Brindisi win, according to CNN call.

Can’t Always Get What You Want But If You Try Some Time …

The Democrats are winning the House. This is the critical, critical result. Heartbreak in Florida and Georgia. But this is the critical thing for the future of the country.

Some Key Dem Victories in the House

10:11 PM: A good pick up for Dems. Max Rose defeats Dan Donovan in NY-11.

10:16 PM: No call but starting to seem like Abigail Spanberger is going to pull this off. She’s up by more than 2,000 votes with over 98% reporting.

10:23 PM: Collin Allred appears to have defeated Pete Sessions in Texas. Major pick up for Democrats.

10:26 PM: With about 50% reporting, Tony Evers has a 50,000 vote or so lead over Scott Walker. Not clear to me what the internal county breakdowns are there. But that’s a nice lead with 50%+ in.

Let’s Take a Deep Breath

Let’s take a deep breath. We’re not looking at a wave election, if by that we mean a night when all the races fall in one direction. The Senate almost certainly remains in Republican hands. But we knew that. Democrats remain traumatized by the shock results from 2016. Tonight has had more than a few moments that recalled that trauma and disappointment. But Democrats are putting together the numbers of flipped seats they will need to take the House. That is critical. Take a deep breath. A lot more votes to count. Democrats absolutely need to get a hold of a foothold of power in Washington. They appear to be on the way to do that.

Bright Spot

Lot of disappoints out of Florida tonight. But over a million felons regained their voting rights. Big big deal.

Okay, Let’s Talk About This

Let’s say it. This is a much tighter, harder fought night that a lot of people thought. Joe Donnelly lost his seat in Indiana. Republicans have held Tennessee. It looks very tight in Florida and Republicans have the advantage in the Senate and Governor’s race. Democrats are still fairly well positioned to take the House. But it’s much more of a district by district slog than a wave. And there’s no guarantee as of 9:17 PM. A lot of counting to go.

9:25 PM: Here’s what the guy I follow in Florida says: “Florida Senate race is almost surely going to be in recount range. With what’s out in S FL, it should get very tight.”

9:31 PM: This has been a stressful night and we’ve already booked some key disappointments for the Democrats. But as of this moment Democrats appear to be booking the House victories they need for a majority in the House. I don’t mean they’ve won it. And it’s much closer than expected. But this is a district by district struggle now. And they’re – so far – getting the seats they absolutely need. Weirdly, it’s looking like Texas may net real pick-ups for the Dems.

9:42 PM: Perhaps this is stating the obvious. But the big take-away for tonight so far was that Democrats were energized but so were Republicans. That created big problems for Democrats in the Senate. And it at least limited Democratic gains in the House. Still a long way to go.

Nail Biting

Nail biting time for the Dems. Top of the ticket races in Florida are super tight. Gillum and Nelson really need a lot of the votes in the South and it’s going to be tight.

Cook Report is calling KY-6 for Barr over McGrath. That’s a big win.

8:49 PM: AP calls Indiana for Braun.

8:51 PM: Spanberger now has a minuscule lead in VA-7. Other movement for Dems in Virginia too.

9:03 PM: Spanberger holding on to tiny lead.

Despite Democrats being on pace to take back control of the House in January, Senate Republicans are set to retain Senate control after winning enough heavily conservative states.

Senate Republicans have won enough heavily conservative states to stay on pace to retain Senate control, a boost for the party.

GOP House Wins

Republican Rep. Chris Collins managed to hold onto his western New York congressional seat even as he stares down a federal trial for insider training charges.

Key Governor Races

Republican Rep. Ron DeSantis, a staunch ally of President Trump, won the race for Florida governor on Tuesday. The GOP lawmaker defeated Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum in one of the most high-profile governor’s races of the 2018 cycle.

Firsts Elected In Midterms 2018

Happy Election Day! Voters of all stripes are anxiously awaiting election results. For those who can’t stand the suspense and are struggling in the calm before the storm, here are some early raindrops to keep an eye on.

Census Citizenship Question

While the legal battle over adding the citizenship question, now underway in a federal courtroom in NYC, is burrowing into statistical methodologies and sound survey practices, the practical political impact could be enormous.

Insecure America

It was the least surprising October surprise in recent memory. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, in an interview with Bloomberg News, was asked about the federal deficit, which ballooned to $779 billion last year after the implementation of the Trump tax cuts.

LIVEWIRE
Trump Tweets After Dems Win Back House: ‘Tremendous Success Tonight’

WH: No Scheduled Public Events For Trump Tomorrow

It’ll be a quiet day for the President:

Gillum Concedes FL Gov Race To Trump-Endorsed Ron DeSantis

Florida Democratic gubernatorial candidate Andrew Gillum conceded the race to Republican challenger Ron DeSantis late Tuesday.

“Y’all, I want to encourage you not to give up,” Gillum told supporters. “I want to encourage you to stick to the fight. I want you to know that every step of this way, even though I won’t have the blessing of serving as the next governor of the state of Florida, I still plan to be front lines right alongside every single one of you when it comes to standing up for what it is that we believe in.”

Graham On TX Senate Race: ‘I’m Not Worried, I’m Concerned’

Fox News Projects That Democrats Will Win Control Of House

Fox News has projected Tuesday that Democrats will win control of the House of Representatives.

Watch the call here:

WH Spox: Dems ‘Shouldn’t Waste Time Investigating’ If They Take House

Van Jones: ‘This Is Heartbreaking’

McCaskill: ‘I Have No Flippin’ Idea What’s Going To Happen Tonight’

Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-MO), one of the most endangered Democratic senators, candidly admitted that she has “no flippin’ idea” if she or her Republican challenger Josh Hawley will win Tuesday night.

Watch here:

John King: ‘Ted Cruz … Not The Most Likable Guy’

James Carville: ‘It’s Not Going To Be A Wave Election’

Democratic strategist James Carville voiced his doubts about the election on Tuesday, saying “it’s not going to be a wave election” like Democrats had hoped.

“Tonight there was some hope the Democrats would have a wave election. It’s not going to be a wave election,” he said. “It could still be a good election. I was a little more optimistic about Florida than it’s turned out to be.”

Watch here:

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