Well-behaved women... : a 2020 TL

[Kamala]

"... rarely make history! And believe me, the women of the second half of the 2010s were anything but well-behaved. I remember watching them on the news, when I was in elementary school, working towards progress and their values.

There were so many of them, trailblazers, icons, role models: Kirsten. Kamala. Kay. Susan. Tammy. Jeanne. Lisa. Jacky. Gwen. Kyrsten. Tammy. Claire. Sally. Katie. Amy. Liz. Catherine. Cary. Stefany. Michelle. Heidi. Debbie. Pramila. Gretchen. Christine. All of them, inspirational, standing on the shoulders of previous women, who pushed the boundaries in the decades preceding - such as Hillary, Geraldine, Patsy, and most importantly, Shirley.

And now today, I stand here, ready to accept the Democratic Party's nomination for president. A female president is no longer something that is new or surprising. It's not unusual. But it's important for us all to remember the difficult journey that these women had to endure to make sure so that we could take a woman as president for granted.

Here is their story..."


- Angela Stein-Herrado, governor of Puerto Rico and future 57th President of the United States, accepting the nomination of the Democratic Party at the Democratic National Convention in Honolulu, Hawaii.

Kay
Hillary
Liz
Tulsi
Debbie
Jane
Donna
Amy
Ivanka
Melania
Kellyanne
Katie
Kelly
Deborah
Tammy
Catherine
Kamala
Natalie
Hillary II
Stefany
Rebecca
Dianne
Cathy

[Kamala]

Kay
November 4th, 2014

It was not shaping up to be a good night for Democrats - it was President Obama's sixth year in office, and election night was even worse than pollsters had imagined. Mary Landrieu and Mark Pryor have already been unseated in their races, and Iowa's Bruce Braley had greatly underperformed polls and lost Harkin's seat to Republican Joni Ernst. In Kansas, Greg Orman underperformed polls and failed to unseat the incumbent Roberts, and so has Alison Grimes in Kentucky. Even Mark Warner and Jeanne Shaheen, seemingly strong incumbents, has been looking vulnerable to Gillespie's and Brown's challenges.

But in North Carolina, Kay Hagan seemed to be holding her own against a strong challenge from North Carolina House Speaker Thom Tillis. Although Tillis has been leading for most the night, results were starting to come from Mecklenburg County, home of Charlotte. Tillis's early lead was very small, thanks to decent turnout from black-majority communities and a strong Hagan performance in Guilford County, Hagan's home county and the area she represented as a State Senator.

Slowly but surely, Tillis's lead evaporated, and Hagan took the lead. At her campaign headquarters, Hagan sat anxiously, when suddenly, on CNN:

Final Results:
Kay Hagan - 1,489,213 - 49.58%
Thom Tillis - 1,400,339 - 46.62%
Sean Haugh - 109,100 - 3.63%
Write-ins - 5,271 - 0.18%
Total Votes - 3,003,923

Results of the 2014 Senate Elections:

Republicans - 53 Seats
Democrats and Independents - 47 Seats

[Kamala]

Interesting POD. Hope this doesn't mean you're not done with your Parliamentary TL!

Yep, don't worry! I'll update both of them.

[Kamala]

Hillary
January 31, 2016

The Iowa Caucus was tomorrow, and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was feeling cautiously optimistic. While public polling showed her and Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders tied in the popular vote, her own private pollsters showed her with a decent lead over the Senator.

But of course, nothing was set until the end of the night tomorrow. Organization was good, plenty of ads were run, and thousands of door knocked upon.

February 1st, 2016

Hillary's heart sank as she saw early results coming in. Sanders' energetic progressive campaign struck a chord with many Iowans, and he was overperforming early expectations. Of course, Sanders was expected to win the next contest in New Hampshire, so a win for Hillary in Iowa was crucial for momentum.

By the end of the night, results were bleak for Hillary. Her potential momentum was stifled as Bernie won a majority of the delegates.

Bernie Sanders - 28 pledged delegates, 0 unpledged delegates
Hillary Clinton - 16 pledged delegates, 6 unpledged delegates
Uncommitted - 1 unpledged delegate

Hillary's chances were significantly damaged with this loss. She knew she had to minimize losses in Iowa and then win South Carolina and Nevada by landslide margins. It wasn't going to be easy. But Hillary has never backed down from adversity - whether it was 2008, 2000, or even in the 1990s.

Bernie Sanders - 28 Delegates
Hillary Clinton - 22 Delegates

[Kamala]

Liz
February 28th, 2016

Despite being a first-term Senator, Elizabeth Warren held an outsized amount of influence within the Democratic Party. Despite calls for her to take up the mantle of the party for president in 2016, Liz decided to sit out.

But Liz still had some power, and has been called to use it.

While Bernie had won the first three primary contests, he lost South Carolina by a very large margin, and his campaign was losing steam and momentum. The Massachusetts primary, as well as the rest of the contests on Super Tuesday, was only a few days away. Liz and Bernie were ideological allies, but Liz was worried how Clinton would react to her "defection." But Liz's endorsement could change the entire course of the primaries.

Yet, it was important to do something. Liz decided to call her chief of staff. If she endorses Hillary, she could be considered a traitor to the Progressive cause - but it was more likely there'd be a Democrat in the White House on January 21st, 2017. Endorsing Sanders would cement her as a champion of progressivism and even give her a shot at being his running mate. But, of course, Bernie could lose the election to someone like Rubio or Cruz, or even Trump - ridiculous, of course, but the thought always echoed in the back of her mind.

"Let's endorse Sanders. Write up a statement and send it to the Globe."

Hillary Clinton - 102 Delegates
Bernie Sanders - 80 Delegates

Please comment and let me know how this TL is going and if anything needs to be changed.

[Kamala]

Tulsi
March 2nd, 2016

It was 30 days into the primary season, and Hillary and Bernie were neck and neck in pledged delegates. Yet this was despite near-universal institutional support for Secretary Clinton - but Tulsi decided it was time to change this up. Tulsi Gabbard was the Vice Chair of the DNC, under the chairmanship of Debbie Wassermann Schultz, a die-hard Clinton supporter.

Tulsi officially endorsed Bernie Sanders for President and resigned from her position as Vice Chair. She also joined the Sanders campaign officially as an advisor.

Hopefully, she thought, this would help give the Sanders campaign a much-needed boost even as Clinton won 6 of the 12 Super Tuesday contests, and the big, delegate-rich states of Georgia, Virginia,  and Texas. She hoped Bernie could ride the momentum to victory in the next large contest of Michigan, and from then onto to Super Tuesday II, the nickname given to the five contests of Florida, Missouri, Ohio, North Carolina, and Illinois, totaling 691 pledged delegates.

But in one, final, middle-finger to the Democratic Establishment, her office released a statement:

Vice Chair Gabbard also calls for Chairwoman Wassermann-Schultz to resign, seeing as the DNC ought not show preference for any candidate.

Hillary Clinton - 679 Delegates (540 Pledged, 139 Unpledged)
Bernie Sanders - 494 Delegates (481 Pledged, 13 Unpledged)

Comments, questions, concerns? Thanks.

[Kamala]

Debbie
April 9th, 2016

The results of the Wyoming caucuses were just announced, and DNC Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman-Schultz was getting irate. Not only had her second-command pulled a stunt last month, quit, endorsed her unpreferred candidate, and then called for her resignation as well. And for the past few weeks, Bernie Sanders, the opponent of her preferred candidate Hillary Clinton, has been winning contest after contest: Kansas, Nebraska, Maine, Democrats Abroad, Michigan, Northern Marianas, Illinois, Missouri, Ohio, Arizona, Idaho, Washington, Alaska, Hawaii, Wisconsin, and now Wyoming, while Clinton only won Louisiana, Mississippi, Florida, and, barely, North Carolina.

Sanders won Wyoming with over 60% of the vote, which pushed him up to just 3 fewer delegates than Clinton - despite having nearly 250 fewer superdelegates. Sanders was dominating Clinton in getting votes as well as real, pledged delegates.

Wasserman couldn't let Sanders and his goons hijack the Democratic Party - I mean, what the hell, Sanders wasn't even a Democrat - and she knew she had to do something.

She typed an email to the DNC staff.

It's to put a pin in Sanders. Let's screw this guy. No more debates, nothing. We're not giving an inch. Do we have scandals we can leak to the media? Something degrading about women or blacks or something? I don't care; just leak it. It's crucial Hillary wins this. 

Debbie knew she was playing with fire; she didn't care. Getting rid of Sanders was worth a few burnt fingertips.

Hillary Clinton - 1,333 Delegates (1,048 Pledged Delegates, 285 Unpledged Delegates)
Bernie Sanders - 1,330 Delegates ( 1,297 Pledged Delegates, 33 Unpledged Delegates)

[Kamala]

Jane
June 14th, 2016

Her husband had just slain Goliath: Bernie Sanders, a backbencher senator from Vermont with no institutional support, had won the final contest of the Democratic Primaries, DC, against Hillary Clinton, a powerful candidate with tons of establishment support.

Yet, despite a massive wave in favor for her husband, Jane Sanders still thought his chances to become the Democrats' nominee were in flux. He had a majority of pledged delegates, but Clinton had an overwhelming number of superdelegates, meaning she had a plurality of delegates in the primaries. Although, Jane was sure that forcing Clinton through the DNC would be political suicide.

She stayed hopeful, knowing that Clinton's unpledged delegates were just that - unpledged. They will certainly hear the cries of support for Bernie, and then switch their support toward him.

We'll see, she thought, we'll see.

But deep down, Jane knew she could harm Bernie's campaign even if he wins he nomination. Her career at Burlington College wasn't spotless, see, and in presidential campaigns, every little problem can become a national scandal.

Hillary Clinton - 2,364 Delegates (1,794 Pledged Delegates , 570 Unpledged Delegates)
Bernie Sanders - 2,303 Delegates (2,257 Pledged Delegates , 46 Unpledged Delegates)
Uncommitted - 96 Unpledged Delegates

[Kamala]

Donna
July 24th, 2016

Donna Brazile finally knew what Louis XVI felt like; she had a rebellion on her hands. Sitting pretty wasn't an option - the party she had become interim leader of again would lose an election before even trying if she would do nothing.

She often joked, when asked whom she preferred become the Democratic nominee, that because she's a woman, she supports Clinton - but because she's grumpy, she supports Bernie. But because she always laughed it off, Donna didn't really know who she'd support.

But push has come to shove, and something had to be done. She couldn't let Hillary steal the nomination from Bernie simply due to superdelegates, but she also couldn't let Sanders, an insurgent, hold the Democratic Party hostage.

The convention was tomorrow, and neither candidate had enough delegates secured to become the nominee. A contested convention could spell disaster for the Democrats' electoral chances. This election was winnable - hell, it was practically guaranteed, with Donald Trump of all people leading the Republican ticket - and it shouldn't be squandered due to squabbles at the convention.

Donna reflected again, and knew what she had to do.

She wrote a statement that was to be sent to all superdelegates:

All unpledged delegates must vote for the candidate winning a plurality of votes in their home states during the first ballot. Any deviation will result in vote invalidation and stripping of superdelegate status for the rest of the Convention and any future primary contests.

Bernie had won the majority of the popular vote in the primaries, and if the Party spat in the face of democracy, could it really be called Democratic?

November will bring whatever November will bring.

First Ballot

Bernie Sanders of Vermont - 2,743 Delegates (2,257 Pledged Delegates, 486 Unpledged Delegates)
Hillary Clinton of New York - 2,020 Delegates (1,794 Pledged Delegates, 226 Unpledged Delegates)

Bernie Sanders will be the Democratic Nominee for President in 2016.

[Kamala]

By the way, I'd like to say I greatly appreciate all of your kind words. Thank you.

[Kamala]

Amy
July 26th, 2016

Senator Amy Klobuchar looked over the list again and again. She couldn't believe it - where was her name? She jeopardized her career in the Senate and beyond by endorsing Senator Sanders in the primaries - and this is how he repays her?

Bernie Sanders' Vetted Vice Presidential Considerations

Senator Kay Hagan of North Carolina
Governor John Hickenlooper of Colorado
Governor Jay Inslee of Washington
Senator Bill Nelson of Florida
Former Governor Brian Schweitzer of Montana
Former Admiral James Stavridis of Massachusetts

Really? Kay Hagan? She endorsed Hillary - so did Bill Nelson. They risked nothing, really. Amy was a former Clinton ally, but she still endorsed Bernie. He had a certain energy to him - he could really fire up the base and affect change.  And she was pretty sure that it was her endorsement that led to Sanders winning her home state.

Fine. If Bernie wanted to play this way, so be it. He shouldn't expect any favors from her. There'll be no campaign stops with him, no pro-Bernie interviews, and no joint fundraisers.

Polling Averages Sanders +9.6%

Bernie Sanders - 244 Safe, 17 Likely, 68 Lean
Tossup - 47
Donald Trump / Mike Pence - 105 Safe, 31 Likely, 19 Lean
Evan McMullin / Spencer Cox - 6 Lean

[Kamala]

Ivanka
August 29th, 2016

Well, that went well. It's was good to see that her father was able to compromise on hiring a new campaign manager, especially after the disasters of Corey Lewandowski and Paul Manafort. Kellyanne Conway would be a fine manager, Ivanka convinced herself. She's a master of manipulating the media.

Ah, what the hell.

Her father isn't going to win the election. He isn't going to be president. It's just ridiculous. But she couldn't let him soil the Trump family name. She's still got a future, and Eric and Don Jr. probably aren't worthless either. Tiffany, who cares. Barron will probably be fine, he still got his mom.

Conway will help prevent Donald from completely embarrassing himself, his family, and the Republican Party.

Polling Average: Sanders +11.9%

Bernie Sanders / Brian Schweitzer - 253 Safe, 53 Likely, 56 Lean
Tossup - 73
Donald Trump / Mike Pence - 40 Safe, 24 Likely, 41 Lean

[Kamala]

Wait, how is Sanders leading in Kentucky?

He completely runs to the center on social issues while highlighting his progressive economic credentials.

[Kamala]

How is Kentucky Lean D while Iowa and Missouri are tossups?

This is just polling , of course, but Missouri's less economically progressive than KY, and I guess Bernie had some gaffe regarding farm policy.

[Kamala]

South Carolina? The Dakotas? Utah i hope is due to McMullin. Also how are states like Montana and Utah likely democrat before states like Arizona, New Hampshire, or Georgia would be?

- Utah and SC  are due to McMullin, yes.
- Montana and the Dakotas are thanks to Schweitzer (These are both lean states by the way)
- AZ, GA, and NH are all tossup because Bernie isn't trying to appeal to white suburbanites like Hillary did. NH has libertarian tendencies, and react negatively to Bernie's strong economic progressiveness and relatively conservative (to the rest of the Democratic Party) on social issues.

[Kamala]

Melania
October 8th, 2016

Melania was stressed more than she'd ever been in her life. Her husband's campaign had made him tired and bitter. But yesterday's revelation had truly crossed the line. The Access Hollywood tape, revealing that Donald bragged about sexually assaulting women, wasn't just disgusting to her as his wife, it was disgusting to her as a woman.

She was expected to be Trump's beautiful, dutiful wife, always by his side. But she couldn't stand it. She needed to escape this cycle.

Trump was already down in the polls, but there was no way he recovers from this, she thought.

And he'll become even worse, right? He'll keep stress-eating, which will make him even more cranky, and he won't be able to, you know, perform, and just get angry and yell.

This is hell.

Polling Average: Sanders +18.6%

Bernie Sanders / Brian Schweitzer - 274 Safe, 72 Likely, 80 Lean
Tossup - 49
Donald Trump / Mike Pence - 23 Safe, 34 Likely, 6 Lean

[Kamala]

Kellyanne
October 26th, 2016

Everything but the kitchen sink.

That was her strategy to make Donald Trump president. Or at least, give the American people a real election. Every scandal, every gaffe, every little mistake that Bernie made would be blown up into a front-page story. Even rumors weren't off the table - after all, all that matters is whether people believe them, not if they're true.

And ever since the Access Hollywood tape, dirtying Sanders' reputation was the only recourse for the Trump campaign.

And so, every little scandal knocked Bernie down two or three points or so.

First, of course, when the tape died down a bit, Kellyanne brought up Bernie's "rape fantasy essay" and branded him a monster. Of course, there was no equivalence, but that didn't matter. Lie first, don't apologize later. Bernie was a sexual predator, or at least that what Kellyanne wanted the American public to believe.

Then, it was some little scandal regarding waste dumping in poor Hispanic communities. Bernie was a racist, who hates the poor. It was probably insignificant, but calling Bernie out on national television tarnished his previously spotless image. And that's what was important.

But the greatest savior to the Trump campaign was the FBI. Just this morning Director Comey announced that Jane Sanders, Bernie's wife, was under investigation for a potentially illegal land deal in 2010 during her tenure at Burlington College. Of course, Jane wasn't running for office, but Kellyanne decided to dirty up the revelation.

"Bernie Sanders abused his power as Senator to bully the Diocese of Burlington to accept a trade deal. Does this man have no shame? Not only is he using the arm of the government to intimidate a religious organization, we can't even be sure his wife got the job on her own merits. It's entirely possible that Bernie, who we can see has bullied organizations into giving him what he wants, had bullied Burlington College into giving his wife a job too. And who can forget the huge payment she got after being fired? I don't know about you, but usually when you do a bad enough job to get fired, you don't get a load of cash afterwards. The truth is plain and simple: Bernie abuses his power to help him and wife to get money, he abuses his power to bully organizations that stand in his way and forces them into illegal deals that hurt them."

It was a stretch, but it's better than nothing.

Polling Average: Sanders +7.5%

Sanders/Schweitzer - 214 Safe, 33 Likely, 58 Lean
Tossup - 59
Trump/Pence - 102 Safe, 56 Likely, 10 Lean
McMullin/Cox - 6 Lean

[Kamala]

I'm surprised the Trump campaign hasn't tried to paint Sanders as a communist yet, given he honeymooned in the USSR.

They've tried, obviously, but Trump's scandals have basically been more important than Sanders' "radicalism."

[Kamala]

Katie
November 8th, 2016

Katie was watching the results come in. Her campaign was part of the Democrats' best chances to pick up Senate seats and gain control of the upper chamber.

Of course, Katie knew she could've run a much better campaign, advised by some to focus more on local issues than nationalizing the race, but we'll see what the election will bring. Katie didn't run away from Bernie, who had been performing fairly well in Pennsylvania polls.

The results have begun to be reported, mostly from Pennsyltucky - central Pennsylvania - where Toomey was going to rack up large margins, although Katie would beat him with margins in Pittsburgh, Philly, and the suburbs - supposedly, of course.

The first good sign: Katie has a 5-point lead in Centre County, the one county in Central Pennsylvania that is in reach for the Democrats.  Sanders, however, only has a 4-point lead.

Suddenly, another good sign: an eight-point lead in Dauphin County. Sanders has a 10-point lead there.

The Poconos, a reliably and traditionally Democratic area, was about to report. Strong margins there are crucial for a victory.

Luzerne County : McGinty +5.4% , Sanders +3.2%
Lackawanna County: McGinty +26.5%, Sanders +26.4%
Monroe County: McGinty +10.2%, Sanders +11.0%
Northampton County: Toomey +1.3%, Sanders +0.9%

These were slightly below the margin needed for a decisive victory for a Democrat, but still indicative of a marginal victory. Of course, really, the only thing that will matter is turnout in Philadelphia.

Current Senate Leads

Current Presidential Lead

[Kamala]

Kelly
November 8th, 2016

Kelly Ayotte was exhausted. After an exhausting campaign, both presidential and her own senatorial one, Kelly was ready for whatever was to come.

Kelly fought against Trump at his lowest points, but tried to come back to him as Election Day rolled closer. Her opponent, Governor Maggie Hassan, was a worthy adversary, relatively popular in the state, intelligent, much more competent than her 2010 opponent, Paul Hodes.

New Hampshire, in general, was a very elastic state. And despite Sanders' landslide primary victory in the state, Donald Trump appears to have a minor edge going into Election Day.

And now, early results began to pour in.

Coös County: Ayotte +1.3%, Trump +9.8%
Carroll County: Ayotte +4.8%, Trump +6.5%
Belknap County: Ayotte +10.4%, Trump +17.6%

sh**t. Those margins are weak. Donald's doing rather well, surprisingly. Sh*t.

I can't believe he'll win but I'll lose. Christ.

Current Presidential Leads

Sanders/Schweitzer - 78 Called, 135 Leading
Trump/Pence - 35 Called, 165 Leading

[Kamala]

Deborah
November 8th, 2016

Deborah Ross wanted to replicate the success of North Carolina's other senator, Kay Hagan. An unknown state senator, running against a strong incumbent.

Deborah ran a decidedly socially liberal campaign, stressing abortion rights. However, she knew that this put her at odds with the national ticket, which was almost silent about social issues.

Despite an energetic campaign, especially compared with the incumbent Burr, Deborah felt, inside her head, that she just didn't do enough.

But was it really her fault? Bernie and Brian didn't excite African Americans, critical for any Democratic victory in the state. And the working-class whites that they did appeal to, they weren't gonna vote for a socially liberal woman, were they?

Suddenly, breaking news on CNN:

WE CALL THE STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA FOR TRUMP/PENCE
Hoo, okay. This isn't the end, just yet. Burr is leading but neither Guilford nor Mecklenburg have finished reporting their votes.

I can still win. Right?

Current Presidential Leads

Sanders/Schweitzer - 115 Called, 143 Leading
Trump/Pence - 108 Called, 75 Leading
McMullin/Cox - 6 Leading

Senate Results of Called Races

Alabama - 97% In
Sen. Richard Shelby - 62.4%
Ron Crumpton - 37.6%

Arkansas - 93% In
Sen. John Boozman - 52.9%
Conner Eldridge - 43.2%
Frank Gilbert - 3.9%

Connecticut - 96% In
Sen. Richard Blumenthal - 62.3%
Dan Carter - 34.6%
Jeffrey Russell - 1.0%
Richard Lion - 0.9%

Georgia - 99% In
Sen. Johnny Isakson - 54.3%
Jim Barksdale - 45.7%

Indiana - 100% In
Todd Young - 50.2%
Evan Bayh - 49.8%

Kansas - 96% In
Sen. Jerry Moran - 60.5%
Patrick Wiesner - 37.6%
Robert Garrard - 1.9%

Louisiana - 97% In
John Neely Kennedy - 21.3%
Caroline Fayard - 16.2%
Foster Campbell - 15.9%
Charles Boustany - 14.4%
Other Republicans - 13.0%
John Fleming - 10.2%
Other Democrats - 6.2%
Others - 2.8%

Maryland - 94% In
Donna Edwards - 63.3%
Kathy Szeliga - 33.4%
Margaret Flowers - 3.3%

Oklahoma - 91% In
Sen. James Lankford - 67.9%
Connie Johnson - 32.1%

South Carolina - 98% In
Sen. Tim Scott - 58.3%
Richard Hartpootlian - 41.5%

Vermont - 100% In
Sen. Pat Leahy - 61.2%
Scott Milne - 30.7%
Pete Diamondstone - 5.5%
Cris Ericson - 1.6%
Jerry Trudel - 1.0%

[Kamala]

Tammy
November 8th, 2016

Tammy Duckworth was ecstatic. She was going to coast to victory against Mark Kirk and win Obama's former Senate seat. And it was all so easy, wasn't it?

Kirk disavowed Trump early in the campaign... but obviously also states he isn't voting for Sanders. Then he says he'll vote for Johnson/Weld... but when Gary completely flunks an interview, Kirk goes back on his word and says he won't vote for the Libertarian ticket. Finally, he announces he will vote for Evan McMullin and Spencer Cox. All fine and good... except the ticket doesn't have ballot access in Illinois.

And then, of course, Kirk's gaffes during the debates... C'mon, Mark. You're better than this.

But even if Kirk ran a flawless campaign, he'd have been the underdog. President Obama was still wildly popular in the state, Tammy was a decorated veteran, and she ran an energetic campaign with stops in every single Illinois county.

Heading into election day, the next Senator from the Great State of Illinois decided to revise her victory speech one more time.

FIRST SENATE PICK UP OF THE NIGHT: DUCKWORTH BEATS KIRK
Tammy Duckworth - 62.3%
Sen. Mark Kirk - 36.9%

CNN then switched to the Presidential results.

Huh... Bernie's got this in the bag, right? There's no way he's not getting 270 - the question's how big of a blowout the election is gonna be.

Current Presidential Leads

Sanders/Schweitzer - 151 Called, 154 Leading
Trump/Pence - 155 Called, 85 Leading

I'm sure it's just a temporary blip. Those states will turn back [nonatlas] blue anytime now.

[Kamala]

Catherine
November 8th, 2016

At a smoke-filled casino room in Las Vegas, Senate Minority leader Harry Reid sat around a table. Across from him was the woman looking to take his seat in Senate, Catherine Cortez Masto. As Harry was a Mormon, he did not drink - so Catherine got herself two drinks to celebrate or to forget the watch party.

Sanders was expected to win the state against Trump, and Catherine thought she'd be carried over the finish line by his victory. Of course, that doesn't mean she slept through her campaign.

Her opponent, Joe Heck, was quite formidable. Moderate-sounding, likable, from a swing area of the state and a republican from Clark County. Yet he had the albatross of Trump around his neck. He disavowed Trump at some point during the campaign, yet still made joint appearances with him in Las Vegas and Reno. Despite all fundamentals pointing to her winning, Catherine was spooked by the latest polls. They weren't as strong as they should be.

Catherine and Harry and their aides watched nervously. Catherine was leading in Washoe County, a good sign, for now. But so was Trump. In fact, in past half hour, nearly all swing states, except for Pennsylvania, which had been called for Bernie, were now showing leads, albeit very narrow, for Trump.

Current Presidential Leads

Sanders/Schweitzer - 226 Called, 7 Leading
Trump/Pence - 170 Called, 128 Leading

However, just five minutes later, a good sign appeared.

I'm the next goddamn Senator.

Other Called Senate Races

Arizona
Sen. John McCain - 52.2%
Ann Kirkpatrick - 42.2%
Gary Swing - 5.2%

Idaho
Sen. Mike Crapo - 60.4%
Jerry Sturgill - 27.7%
Ray Wirtz - 11.9%

New York
Sen. Chuck Schumer - 77.3%
Wendy Long - 19.4%

Chuck Schumer's 6,743,756 votes is the record for any vote-getter in the state of New York.

North Dakota
Sen. John Hoeven - 75.3%
Elliot Glassheim - 20.3%

South Dakota
Sen. John Thune - 59.5%
Jay Williams - 27.1%
Stephanie Herseth Sandlin (Write-In) - 13.4%

Utah
Sen. Mike Lee - 40.6%
Jim Bennett - 40.4% (United Utah Party)
Misty Snow - 18.7%
[Bennett has not yet filed for a recount]

Washington
Sen. Patty Murray - 61.3%
Chris Vance - 37.6%

[Kamala]

Kamala, I think the UUP wasn't formed yet.

In this TL, it has.

[Kamala]

Kamala
November 9th, 2016

The clock struck midnight, but election night was far from over. Eight states were still uncalled, but the Democrats had a lead - albeit a very precarious one.

Yet despite the anxiety in the swing states, Democrats were certain of one thing: the Senate was also in play.

Senate

The Democrats picked up three seats:
Illinois,

Pennsylvania
Katie McGinty - 50.3%
Sen. Pat Toomey - 49.5%

New Hampshire
Maggie Hassan - 50.0%
Sen. Kelly Ayotte - 49.8%

and retained their vulnerable seats:

Colorado
Sen. Michael Bennet - 52.3%
Darryl Glenn - 44.3%

Nevada
Catherine Cortez Masto - 48.9%
Joe Heck - 43.5%

However, Republicans held many of their supposedly vulnerable seats:

Ohio
Sen. Rob Portman - 54.3%
P.G. Sittenfeld - 44.7%

North Carolina
Sen. Richard Burr - 49.7%
Deborah Ross - 47.6%

Missouri
Sen. Roy Blunt - 48.2%
Jason Kander - 47.4%

Kentucky
Sen. Rand Paul - 50.1%
Jim Gray - 45.2%

Florida
Sen. Marco Rubio - 52.0%
Patrick Murphy - 46.2%

Iowa
Sen. Chuck Grassley - 58.4%
Patty Judge - 40.3%

Alaska
Sen. Lisa Murkowski - 40.3%
Margaret Stock - 36.4%
Joe Miller - 15.9%
Ray Metcalfe - 7.4%

Louisiana was going to a runoff. And Wisconsin was still uncalled, with Senator Johnson leading a tiny fraction of a margin right now, despite Sanders having won the state.

Sen. Johnson - 49.8325%
Russ Feingold - 49.7989%

It is most likely that Wisconsin will go to a recount, along with Utah. Kelly Ayotte, in New Hampshire, has conceded and congratulated Governor and Senator-elect Maggie Hassan.  Currently, the Senate balance is 50 Democrats and Independents and 48 Republicans, with an expected additional Republican in Louisiana, making the real margin 50-49, with only Wisconsin outstanding. Additionally, if Bennett actually wins after a recount in Utah, the entire balance of the Senate may be in flux, as it is uncertain with which party Bennett will caucus.

Kamala Harris also won her Senate election, which was a surprise to no one. She defeated fellow Democrat Loretta Sanchez by a margin of 67-33, sweeping every county but Madera. And it was a good victory, as she became the first black woman in the Senate since Carol Mosley Braun and the first Indian-American Senator in history.

But despite the flowing champagne and the balloons, Kamala held her breath. The presidential election was coming down to the wire, a far removed picture from the Bernie landslide of a month ago.

Sanders/Schweitzer - 247 Called, 48 Leading
Trump/Pence - 214 Called, 29 Leading

A flash appeared on the TV in the viewing party: KEY RACE ALERT

C'mon, Bernie, I know you can do this!

Holy hell. Could he pull it off? I don't believe it. Sanders is still leading in the other races. Even if we give Trump New Hampshire, Kentucky, Montana, and West Virginia, Bernie still wins. And he will. 




I hope.