Explicitly Generic Elections Timeline

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Jake Tapper: The clock has just struck 7:00 PM here on the Eastern coast, and poll closings in the states of Florida, Georgia, New Hampshire, South Carolina, Vermont, and Virginia mean that our network could be ready to make a number of key projections for tonight's races:

FLORIDA - GOVERNOR (1% Precincts Reporting)

Gwen Graham - 51.9%
Carlos Lopez-Cantera - 47.6%

FLORIDA - SENATE (1% Precincts Reporting)

Bill Nelson - 55.4%
Adam Putnam - 43.1%

GEORGIA - GOVERNOR (2% Precincts Reporting)

Brian Kemp - 57.8%
Jason Carter - 41.0%

INDIANA - SENATE (38% Precincts Reporting)

Todd Young - 54.0%
Joe Donnelly - 45.3%

NEW HAMPSHIRE - GOVERNOR (7% Precincts Reporting)

Chris Sununu - 54.1%
Colin Van Ostern - 43.7%

SOUTH CAROLINA - GOVERNOR (4% Precincts Reporting)

Mick Mulvaney - 55.8%
Steve Wukela - 43.1%

VERMONT - GOVERNOR (19% Precincts Reporting)

Sue Minter - 59.7%
Scott Milne - 38.2%

VERMONT - SENATE (19% Precincts Reporting)

Claire Ayer - 41.4%%
Christopher Pearson - 38.6%%
Paul Dame - 19.7%

VIRGINIA - SENATE (3% Precincts Reporting)

Mark Herring - 52.3%
Ed Gillespie - 46.5%

I'm just now getting word in that CNN is currently unable to project any of the races that we've seen results come in for so far this evening, a clear reflection of how close the midterms tonight could turn out to be. Already, we're seeing early returns for a number of key races around the nation indicate potential nailbiters, with control of both the United States House and the United States Senate - as well as a number of important state governorships - seeming to still be up for grabs.

Anderson Cooper: Absolutely, Jake. In the state of Florida, Governor Carlos Lopez-Cantera is fighting for a first full term in office after the shocking assassination of Governor Rick Scott late last year. Lopez-Cantera is facing a strong challenge from former United States Representative Gwen Graham, who seems to have conducted a strong campaign and is currently leading by a small margin.

Jake Tapper: Another contested gubernatorial election tonight is in the state of New Hampshire, where incumbent Democrat Colin Van Ostern is running for a second term in office after a razor-thin victory against Republican Chris Sununu two years ago. Sununu is running again, and this time seems to be building a much more successful campaign, having already developed an early ten-point lead over Governor Van Ostern in the returns that have come in so far. Many have tied Van Ostern's unpopularity with his connections to the Clinton Administration, which has recently seen its approval ratings shrink rapidly in a number of areas around the United States and could potentially serve as a bane to Democratic candidates in gubernatorial and congressional races tonight.

Anderson Cooper: The unpopularity of the Clinton Administration is also being reflected in a number of key Senate races tonight, with Democratic candidates in a number of states facing close races against challengers who have campaigned off of the alleged shortcomings of the Clinton Administration. This is especially evident in the state of Vermont, where the retirement of Senator Bernie Sanders has created an unpredictable three way race between Democrat Claire Ayer, Republican Paul Dame, and Vermont Progressive Party nominee Christopher Pearson. While Sanders, who mounted an unsuccessful bid for the Democratic presidential nomination against Hillary Clinton in 2016, has endorsed neither Ayer nor Pearson, both candidates claim to be campaigning off of preserving his legacy in the Senate.

Jake Tapper: That race will certainly be an interesting one to watch tonight. Before we stop for a break, let's take a look at some maps of where the races tonight currently stand:

2018 Gubernatorial Elections

Dark Red - Democratic Victory
Light Red - Democratic Lead
Dark Blue - Republican Victory
Light Blue - Republican Lead
Gray - Polls Open/No Election

2018 Senatorial Elections

Dark Red - Democratic Victory
Light Red - Democratic Lead
Dark Blue - Republican Victory
Light Blue - Republican Lead
Gray - Polls Open/No Election

2018 House Elections

Dark Red - Democratic Victory
Light Red - Democratic Lead
Dark Blue - Republican Victory
Light Blue - Republican Lead
Gray - Polls Open/No Election

As you can see, the GOP is yet to pick up any of the six seats it needs to retake majorities in either the House or Senate, though with a number of races remaining too close to call and polls being yet to close in most states around the nation, tonight is still anyone's game.

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Please feel free to comment! Thanks for reading!

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Anderson Cooper: We'd like to welcome back our viewers at home and abroad; my name is Anderson Cooper and right now CNN is continuing its election night coverage of America's Choice 2018. As we speak, only minutes remain until sixteen states and the District of Columbia close their polls at 8:00 PM EST. While we wait for results from those states to begin to report, let's take a look back at the developments that have occurred over the course of the last hour:

FLORIDA - GOVERNOR (16% Precincts Reporting)

Carlos Lopez-Cantera - 52.4%
Gwen Graham - 46.9%

FLORIDA - SENATE (16% Precincts Reporting)

Bill Nelson - 52.1%
Adam Putnam - 46.0%

GEORGIA - GOVERNOR (27% Precincts Reporting)

Brian Kemp - 56.0%
Jason Carter - 43.4%

INDIANA - SENATE (61% Precincts Reporting)

✓ Todd Young - 55.1%
Joe Donnelly - 43.7%

NEW HAMPSHIRE - GOVERNOR (43% Precincts Reporting)

✓ Chris Sununu - 54.1%
Colin Van Ostern - 43.5%

OHIO - GOVERNOR (7% Precincts Reporting)

Mike DeWine - 57.1%
Richard Cordray - 41.1%

OHIO - SENATE (7% Precincts Reporting)

John Kasich - 53.4%
Sherrod Brown - 46.5%

SOUTH CAROLINA - GOVERNOR (31% Precincts Reporting)

✓ Mick Mulvaney - 56.2%
Steve Wukela - 42.9%

VERMONT - GOVERNOR (54% Precincts Reporting)

✓ Sue Minter - 61.0%
Scott Milne - 36.9%

VERMONT - SENATE (52% Precincts Reporting)

Christopher Pearson - 40.0%
Claire Ayer - 36.5%
Paul Dame - 21.1%

VIRGINIA - SENATE (29% Precincts Reporting)

Mark Herring - 53.0%
Ed Gillespie - 46.8%

WEST VIRGINIA - SENATE (13% Precincts Reporting)

Joe Manchin - 51.1%
Bob Ashley - 48.9%

While a number of key races remain uncalled at this hour, prospects are already beginning to look good for the GOP, with CNN having projected the defeat of incumbent Democratic Senator Joe Donnelly by Republican Todd Young in Indiana and the victory of Republican Chris Sununu over Democratic Governor Colin Van Ostern in New Hampshire. Republicans have also successfully held the Governor's Mansion in South Carolina, while Democrats can say the same in the state of Vermont.

Jake Tapper: Thanks for the update, Anderson. CNN can now report that the clock has struck 8:00 PM EST and polls have closed in sixteen states and the District of Columbia, potentially meaning that our network is ready to make another set of key projections. Let's take a look at some early returns from those states:

ALABAMA - GOVERNOR (5% Precincts Reporting)

✓ Slade Blackwell - 62.5%
Billy Beasley - 35.1%

CONNECTICUT - GOVERNOR (10% Precincts Reporting)

Dan Malloy - 51.0%
Erin Stewart - 48.9%

CONNECTICUT - SENATE (10% Precincts Reporting)

✓ Chris Murphy - 58.6%
Mark Boughton - 40.2%

DELAWARE - SENATE (22% Precincts Reporting)

✓ Tom Carper - 56.3%
David Lawson - 42.1%

ILLINOIS - GOVERNOR (3% Precincts Reporting)

Muon II - 49.7%
Cheri Bustos - 48.6%

KANSAS - GOVERNOR (8% Precincts Reporting)

✓ Kris Kobach - 59.2%
Paul Davis - 38.1%

MAINE - GOVERNOR (16% Precincts Reporting)

Mark Eves - 37.6%
Mary Mayhew - 34.7%
Eliot Cutler - 26.7%

MAINE - SENATE (17% Precincts Reporting)

✓ Angus King - 57.8%
Paul LePage - 41.2%

MARYLAND - GOVERNOR (5% Precincts Reporting)

Larry Hogan - 53.4%
Rushern Baker - 45.2%

MARYLAND - SENATE (5% Precincts Reporting)

✓ Ben Cardin - 58.4%
Andy Harris - 41.0%

MASSACHUSETTS - GOVERNOR (6% Precincts Reporting)

Charlie Baker - 52.1%
Martha Coakley - 47.6%

MASSACHUSETTS - SENATE (6% Precincts Reporting)

✓ Elizabeth Warren - 62.3%
Jen Caissie - 37.7%

MICHIGAN - GOVERNOR (4% Precincts Reporting)

Rebekah Warren - 52.4%
Brian Calley - 46.4%

MICHIGAN - SENATE (4% Precincts Reporting)

✓ Debbie Stabenow - 55.4%
Bill Schuette - 43.3%

MISSISSIPPI - SENATE (9% Precincts Reporting)

✓ Roger Wicker - 59.4%
Deborah Dawkins - 38.9%

MISSOURI - SENATE (3% Precincts Reporting)

✓ Roy Blunt - 57.9%
Claire McCaskill - 41.7%

NEW JERSEY - SENATE (2% Precincts Reporting)

Thomas Kean - 50.2%
Bob Menendez - 45.6%

OKLAHOMA - GOVERNOR (11% Precincts Reporting)

✓ Scott Pruit - 64.7%
Scott Inman - 35.3%

PENNSYLVANIA - GOVERNOR (1% Precincts Reporting)

Tom Wolf - 52.0%
Jim Cawley - 47.4%

PENNSYLVANIA - SENATE (1% Precincts Reporting)

Bob Casey - 51.1%
Charlie Dent - 48.6%

TENNESSEE - GOVERNOR (2% Precincts Reporting)

✓ Stephen Fincher - 61.4%
Gordon Ball - 38.2%

TENNESSEE - SENATE (2% Precincts Reporting)

✓ Bob Corker - 98.1%

TEXAS - GOVERNOR (1% Precincts Reporting)

✓ Greg Abbott - 58.2%
Annise Parker - 40.4%

TEXAS - SENATE (1% Precincts Reporting)

✓ Ted Cruz - 57.4%
Sylvia Garcia - 42.2%

Anderson Cooper: Thanks, Jake. As our viewers can see, this evening seems to be shaping up to be a good night for the GOP, with Republican Senate candidates having already defeated two Democratic incumbents in the states of Indiana and Missouri and Democratic candidates failing to make headway in a number of key gubernatorial races that were previously thought to be relatively safe for their party. One of the most notable gubernatorial races so far tonight seems to be in the state of Illinois, where Republican state legislator Muon II has taken an early lead over United States Representative Cheri Bustos, the Democratic nominee. Muon gained national attention earlier this year after his successful primary campaign against Bruce Rauner, the incumbent governor of the state.

Jake Tapper: Absolutely, Anderson. A pro-Republican trend is also being seen in elections for the United States House of Representatives, where we've already projected a gain of at least four seats for the Republican Party. That brings the GOP only two seats away from retaking a majority in the House, a possibility that many say is increasingly inevitable at this point in time due to the sheer amount of votes in favorable Republican territory yet to be counted. Let's take a look at some maps of how the races currently stand at this hour:

2018 Gubernatorial Elections

Dark Red - Democratic Victory
Light Red - Democratic Lead
Dark Blue - Republican Victory
Light Blue - Republican Lead
Dark Green - Independent Victory
Light Green - Independent Lead
Gray - Polls Open/No Election

2018 Senatorial Elections

Dark Red - Democratic Victory
Light Red - Democratic Lead
Dark Blue - Republican Victory
Light Blue - Republican Lead
Dark Green - Independent Victory
Light Green - Independent Lead
Gray - Polls Open/No Election

2018 House Elections

Dark Red - Democratic Victory
Light Red - Democratic Lead
Dark Blue - Republican Victory
Light Blue - Republican Lead
Dark Green - Independent Victory
Light Green - Independent Lead
Gray - Polls Open/No Election

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Please feel free to comment! Thanks for reading!

[Unconditional Surrender Truman]

Just once I'd like to see Donnelly win!

That said, great work as usual, Dar!

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Just once I'd like to see Donnelly win!

That said, great work as usual, Dar!

Thanks!

[/]

Anderson Cooper: The clock now reads 9:00 PM here on the Eastern coast, and we've just received word that polls have closed in the states of Arizona, Colorado, Louisiana, Minnesota, Nebraska, New Mexico, New York, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Wisconsin, and Wyoming. Let's take a look at some preliminary results from contests in those states:

ARIZONA - GOVERNOR (3% Precincts Reporting)

Doug Ducey - 50.3%
Kyrsten Sinema - 47.6%

ARIZONA - SENATE (3% Precincts Reporting)

Jeff Flake - 49.8%
Mark Kelly - 48.7%

COLORADO - GOVERNOR (6% Precincts Reporting)

Donna Lynne - 52.6%
Walker Stapleton - 47.9%

MINNESOTA - GOVERNOR (5% Precincts Reporting)

✓ Tina Smith - 56.5%
Michelle Benson - 43.4%

MINNESOTA - SENATE (5% Precincts Reporting)

✓ Amy Klobuchar - 56.7%
David Hann - 42.2%

NEBRASKA - GOVERNOR (8% Precincts Reporting)

✓ Pete Ricketts - 65.7%
Hadley Richters - 32.1%

NEBRASKA - SENATE (8% Precincts Reporting)

✓ Deb Fischer - 99.1%

NEW MEXICO - GOVERNOR (5% Precincts Reporting)

Hector Balderas - 53.0%
Nate Gentry - 46.5%

NEW MEXICO - SENATE (5% Precincts Reporting)

✓ Martin Heinrich - 55.3%
John Sanches - 44.3%

NEW YORK - GOVERNOR (1% Precincts Reporting)

✓ Andrew Cuomo - 54.8%
Steve McLaughlin - 44.2%

NEW YORK - SENATE (1% Precincts Reporting)

Steve Dunn - 53.8%
Ed Mangano - 46.1%

RHODE ISLAND - GOVERNOR (9% Precincts Reporting)

✓ Gina Raimondo - 55.4%
Joseph Trillo - 43.8%

RHODE ISLAND - SENATE (9% Precincts Reporting)

✓ Sheldon Whitehouse - 65.8%
Doreen Costa - 33.2%

SOUTH DAKOTA - GOVERNOR (11% Precincts Reporting)

✓ Marty Jackley - 71.7%
Paula Hawks - 26.4%

WISCONSIN - GOVERNOR (2% Precincts Reporting)

Scott Walker - 51.9%
Kathleen Vinehout - 48.0%

WISCONSIN - SENATE (2% Precincts Reporting)

Tammy Baldwin - 52.4%
Ron Johnson - 47.0%

WYOMING - GOVERNOR (13% Precincts Reporting)

✓ Kermit Brown - 99.0%

WYOMING - SENATE (13% Precincts Reporting)

✓ John Barrasso - 68.7%
Chris Rothfuss - 31.0%

Jake Tapper: Thanks, Anderson. We've got a lot of close races tonight, and it might take us a few more hours to make some of our final projections. You can see that a number of key races are likely going to be decided within only a few points, from Arizona, where incumbent Republican Senator Jeff Flake is facing a strong challenge from former astronaut and Democratic candidate Mark Kelly, all the way up to New York, where Democrat Steve Dunn and Republican Ed Mangano are fighting to replace incumbent Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, who announced her retirement earlier this year shortly after one of her sons was diagnosed with advanced leukemia.

Anderson Cooper: That's right, Jake, and the winner of that election will take the Senate seat formerly occupied by President Clinton herself. Now, let's get an update on some of the unprojected races from earlier:

FLORIDA - GOVERNOR (44% Precincts Reporting)

Carlos Lopez-Cantera - 51.0%
Gwen Graham - 47.8%

FLORIDA - SENATE (44% Precincts Reporting)

✓ Bill Nelson - 54.6%
Adam Putnam - 43.7%

GEORGIA - GOVERNOR (64% Precincts Reporting)

✓ Brian Kemp - 54.8%
Jason Carter - 44.5%

OHIO - GOVERNOR (68% Precincts Reporting)

✓ Mike DeWine - 55.3%
Richard Cordray - 44.0%

OHIO - SENATE (68% Precincts Reporting)

John Kasich - 52.1%
Sherrod Brown - 48.1%

VERMONT - SENATE (89% Precincts Reporting)

Claire Ayer - 39.5%
Christopher Pearson - 38.6%
Paul Dame - 21.6%

VIRGINIA - SENATE (51% Precincts Reporting)

Mark Herring - 52.1%
Ed Gillespie - 47.0%

WEST VIRGINIA - SENATE (73% Precincts Reporting)

Bob Ashley - 49.8%
Joe Manchin - 48.7%

CONNECTICUT - GOVERNOR (59% Precincts Reporting)

✓ Dan Malloy - 53.6%
Erin Stewart - 46.5%

ILLINOIS - GOVERNOR (47% Precincts Reporting)

Cheri Bustos - 48.2%
Muon II - 48.1%

MAINE - GOVERNOR (67% Precincts Reporting)

Mark Eves - 36.0%
Mary Mayhew - 35.6%
Eliot Cutler - 24.1%

MARYLAND - GOVERNOR (52% Precincts Reporting)

✓ Larry Hogan - 54.3%
Rushern Baker - 44.9%

MASSACHUSETTS - GOVERNOR (54% Precincts Reporting)

✓ Charlie Baker - 52.3%
Martha Coakley - 46.6%

MICHIGAN - GOVERNOR (48% Precincts Reporting)

Brian Calley - 50.0%
Rebekah Warren - 49.4%

NEW JERSEY - SENATE (46% Precincts Reporting)

Thomas Kean - 52.5%
Bob Menendez - 45.2%

PENNSYLVANIA - GOVERNOR (44% Precincts Reporting)

✓ Tom Wolf - 54.0%
Jim Cawley - 45.0%

PENNSYLVANIA - SENATE (44% Precincts Reporting)

Charlie Dent - 49.8%
Bob Casey - 48.9%

ARKANSAS - GOVERNOR (22% Precincts Reporting)

✓ Asa Hutchinson - 59.7%
Larry Teague - 40.2%

Jake Tapper: We're certainly continuing to see good news for the GOP in a number of these senatorial and gubernatorial races, with incumbent Republican governors having won key victories in states like Ohio, Maryland, and Massachusetts and quite a few incumbent Democratic senators seeing Republican challengers make advances in states like Pennsylvania and West Virginia. One of the most notable examples of this is in the state of New Jersey, where Senator Bob Menendez is facing a tough reelection battle against Republican Thomas Kean after a new set of damaging corruption allegations.

Anderson Cooper: Absolutely, Jake. However, the real good news for the GOP may be in the United States House of Representatives, where Republicans seem to have gained at least ten seats from the races we've seen returns in so far. While this number exceeds the net gain of six seats the GOP needs to retake control of the chamber, we are withholding a final projection until we can forecast a full 218-seat majority for either party. Let's take a look at some updated maps:

2018 Gubernatorial Elections

Dark Red - Democratic Victory
Light Red - Democratic Lead
Dark Blue - Republican Victory
Light Blue - Republican Lead
Dark Green - Independent Victory
Light Green - Independent Lead
Gray - Polls Open/No Election

2018 Senatorial Elections

Dark Red - Democratic Victory
Light Red - Democratic Lead
Dark Blue - Republican Victory
Light Blue - Republican Lead
Dark Green - Independent Victory
Light Green - Independent Lead
Gray - Polls Open/No Election

2018 House Elections

Dark Red - Democratic Victory
Light Red - Democratic Lead
Dark Blue - Republican Victory
Light Blue - Republican Lead
Dark Green - Independent Victory
Light Green - Independent Lead
Gray - Polls Open/No Election

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Please feel free to comment! Thanks for reading!

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Jake Tapper: We'd like to welcome all of our viewers back to CNN's election night coverage of America's Choice 2018; my name is Jake Tapper and right now poll closings in the states of Idaho, Iowa, Montana, Nevada, North Dakota, and Utah mean that our network is ready to make another set of key projections. Let's take a look at some early returns from those states:

IDAHO - GOVERNOR (8% Precincts Reporting)

✓ Brad Little - 72.9%
Bert Marley - 26.5%

IOWA - GOVERNOR (5% Precincts Reporting)

Janet Petersen - 51.7%
Bob Vander Plaats - 47.6%

MONTANA - SENATE (11% Precincts Reporting)

Ryan Zinke - 54.5%
Jon Tester - 43.2%

NEVADA - GOVERNOR (6% Precincts Reporting)

Dean Heller - 54.4%
Ross Miller - 45.0%

NEVADA - SENATE (6% Precincts Reporting)

Brian Sandoval - 57.5%
Steven Horsford - 42.3%

NORTH DAKOTA - SENATE (14% Precincts Reporting)

Drew Wrigley - 50.4%
Heidi Heitkamp - 48.9%

UTAH - SENATE (4% Precincts Reporting)

✓ Josh Romney - 100%

As we can see from the precincts that have reported so far, Republicans are seemingly continuing to make gains across the board, with GOP candidates appearing to have early leads over incumbent Democratic senators in the races in Montana and North Dakota. While neither of those races have been called yet by our network as of this time, Republicans do only need four more seats to retake control of the United States Senate, meaning each and every race is vital.

Anderson Cooper: Absolutely, Jake. Republicans also only need fifteen seats to take back the United States House of Representatives, and with a number of safe Republican districts yet to report their results as of this hour, a GOP majority in the House in the 116th Congress is looking more and more likely. Let's get an update on the state of the race in areas that have already begun to report their results:

FLORIDA - GOVERNOR (75% Precincts Reporting)

Carlos Lopez-Cantera - 52.1%
Gwen Graham - 46.8%

VERMONT - SENATE (95% Precincts Reporting)

Claire Ayer - 40.9%
Christopher Pearson - 38.5%
Paul Dame - 20.4%

VIRGINIA - SENATE (86% Precincts Reporting)

Mark Herring - 51.8%
Ed Gillespie - 47.9%

OHIO - SENATE (83% Precincts Reporting)

John Kasich - 52.8%
Sherrod Brown - 46.7%

WEST VIRGINIA - SENATE (91% Precincts Reporting)

Joe Manchin - 49.6%
Bob Ashley - 47.5%

ILLINOIS - GOVERNOR (64% Precincts Reporting)

Muon II - 50.3%
Cheri Bustos - 48.1%

MAINE - GOVERNOR (84% Precincts Reporting)

Mary Mayhew - 36.7%
Mark Eves - 34.0%
Eliot Cutler - 26.8%

MICHIGAN - GOVERNOR (65% Precincts Reporting)

Brian Calley - 52.3%
Rebekah Warren - 47.7%

NEW JERSEY - SENATE (69% Precincts Reporting)

Thomas Kean - 54.5%
Bob Menendez - 45.3%

PENNSYLVANIA - SENATE (62% Precincts Reporting)

Charlie Dent - 50.3%
Bob Casey - 48.9%

ARIZONA - GOVERNOR (31% Precincts Reporting)

Doug Ducey - 53.9%
Kyrsten Sinema - 46.4%

ARIZONA - SENATE (31% Precincts Reporting)

Jeff Flake - 54.0%
Mark Kelly - 45.1%

COLORADO - GOVERNOR (28% Precincts Reporting)

Donna Lynne - 49.6%
Walker Stapleton - 48.7%

NEW MEXICO - GOVERNOR (34% Precincts Reporting)

Hector Balderas - 52.2%
Nate Gentry - 47.8%

NEW YORK - SENATE (25% Precincts Reporting)

Steve Dunn - 54.6%
Ed Mangano - 45.1%

WISCONSIN - GOVERNOR (26% Precincts Reporting)

Kathleen Vinehout - 52.3%
Scott Walker - 46.9%

WISCONSIN - SENATE (26% Precincts Reporting)

Tammy Baldwin - 53.0%
Ron Johnson - 46.2%

Jake Tapper: Thanks, Anderson. Interestingly enough, it actually appears at this time that our network is unable to call any of the seventeen races we just reviewed - a clear indication of how competitive many expect a number of the races tonight to be. So far, it seems that the GOP is having a good night in the Senate, where CNN has already projected they will gain two seats tonight and appear to be well on their way to gaining the four more necessary to retake a majority in the chamber. However, Democratic candidates do seem to be making progress in a number of key gubernatorial races, where they have the opportunity to retake governorships in states such as Iowa, New Mexico, and Wisconsin.

Anderson Cooper: Absolutely, Jake. While the races for control of the United States Senate and a majority of state governorships couldn't be tighter, the fight for control of the United States House of Representatives is also at stake, with the GOP now only fifteen seats away from retaking the chamber that they lost in a landslide two years ago. While the Democrats still do have a number of opportunities to defend their remaining seats on the Pacific coast, it appears that Republicans have already exceeded the number of pickups they need to reach a majority of 218 seats, meaning that Democrats will have to start going on the offensive if they wish to retain control of the chamber. Let's take a look at some maps to help us get a better understanding of the current state of the race:

2018 Gubernatorial Elections

Dark Red - Democratic Victory
Light Red - Democratic Lead
Dark Blue - Republican Victory
Light Blue - Republican Lead
Dark Green - Independent Victory
Light Green - Independent Lead
Gray - Polls Open/No Election

2018 Senatorial Elections

Dark Red - Democratic Victory
Light Red - Democratic Lead
Dark Blue - Republican Victory
Light Blue - Republican Lead
Dark Green - Independent Victory
Light Green - Independent Lead
Gray - Polls Open/No Election

2018 House Elections

Dark Red - Democratic Victory
Light Red - Democratic Lead
Dark Blue - Republican Victory
Light Blue - Republican Lead
Dark Green - Independent Victory
Light Green - Independent Lead
Gray - Polls Open/No Election

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Please feel free to comment! Thanks for reading!

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Jake Tapper: The clock has just struck 11:00 PM here at CNN's Election Night Headquarters, and we're receiving word that the first results are beginning to come in from precincts in states along the Pacific coast. Let's take a look at some of those:

CALIFORNIA - GOVERNOR (1% Precincts Reporting)

✓ Gavin Newsom - 61.4%
Ashley Swearengin - 38.6%

CALIFORNIA - SENATE (1% Precincts Reporting)

✓ Dianne Feinstein - 64.3%
Anthony Cannella - 35.7%

HAWAII - GOVERNOR (6% Precincts Reporting)

✓ David Ige - 97.6%

HAWAII - SENATE (6% Precincts Reporting)

✓ Mazie Hirono - 64.7%
Gene Ward - 34.5%

OREGON - GOVERNOR (5% Precincts Reporting)

✓ Kate Brown - 55.4%
John Huffman - 43.8%

WASHINGTON - SENATE (3% Precincts Reporting)

✓ Tracey Eide - 59.7%
Jeff Holy - 38.6%

As you can see, our network has projected that the Democrats will hold their Senate seats in the states of California, Hawaii, and Washington, as well as governorships in the states of California, Hawaii, and Oregon. While most of these races were considered relatively safe for the Democrats from the beginning, each and every victory at this juncture is vital, with the GOP only four seats away from retaking control of the Senate and - excuse me, I believe Anderson Cooper is ready to deliver some breaking news regarding control of the United States House of Representatives at this time.

Anderson Cooper: Thanks, Jake. As of this hour, CNN can now project that the Republican Party will retake control of the United States House of Representatives in the 116th United States Congress, holding at least two hundred and twenty-four seats compared to at least two hundred and two for the Democratic Party. This news will likely be taken by many as a stunning rebuke of the policies of the Clinton Administration, with Republican candidates having used their opposition to the activities of President Clinton as a main theme over the course of the past campaign season.

Jake Tapper: Absolutely, Anderson. Over the course of the next two years, President Clinton will no longer have Democratic majorities in both chambers of Congress, with Democrats returning to their status as the minority party in the United States House of Representatives and the fate of the United States Senate still up for grab. Let's take a look back at some of the races that have not yet been called by our network in order to gain some helpful insight as to which party will control the United States Senate in the 116th Congress:

FLORIDA - GOVERNOR (89% Precincts Reporting)

✓ Carlos Lopez-Cantera - 53.1%
Gwen Graham - 47.2%

VERMONT - SENATE (100% Precincts Reporting)

✓ Claire Ayer - 42.9%
Christopher Pearson - 36.4%
Paul Dame - 20.7%

VIRGINIA - SENATE (99% Precincts Reporting)

✓ Mark Herring - 52.2%
Ed Gillespie - 46.7%

OHIO - SENATE (94% Precincts Reporting)

✓ John Kasich - 52.8%
Sherrod Brown - 46.7%

WEST VIRGINIA - SENATE (98% Precincts Reporting)

✓ Joe Manchin - 50.3%
Bob Ashley - 48.0%

ILLINOIS - GOVERNOR (81% Precincts Reporting)

Cheri Bustos - 49.6%
Muon II - 49.4%

MAINE - GOVERNOR (95% Precincts Reporting)

✓ Mary Mayhew - 38.5%
Mark Eves - 35.3%
Eliot Cutler - 26.1%

MICHIGAN - GOVERNOR (79% Precincts Reporting)

✓ Brian Calley - 52.7%
Rebekah Warren - 47.5%

NEW JERSEY - SENATE (84% Precincts Reporting)

✓ Thomas Kean - 53.4%
Bob Menendez - 46.0%

PENNSYLVANIA - SENATE (76% Precincts Reporting)

Charlie Dent - 49.5%
Bob Casey - 48.9%

ARIZONA - GOVERNOR (50% Precincts Reporting)

✓ Doug Ducey - 54.7%
Kyrsten Sinema - 45.5%

ARIZONA - SENATE (50% Precincts Reporting)

✓ Jeff Flake - 54.0%
Mark Kelly - 45.6%

COLORADO - GOVERNOR (48% Precincts Reporting)

Donna Lynne - 51.4%
Walker Stapleton - 46.9%

NEW MEXICO - GOVERNOR (51% Precincts Reporting)

Hector Balderas - 49.9%
Nate Gentry - 49.2%

NEW YORK - SENATE (56% Precincts Reporting)

✓ Steve Dunn - 55.6%
Ed Mangano - 44.1%

WISCONSIN - GOVERNOR (43% Precincts Reporting)

Scott Walker - 48.2%
Kathleen Vinehout - 47.8%

WISCONSIN - SENATE (43% Precincts Reporting)

✓ Tammy Baldwin - 54.4%
Ron Johnson - 43.8%

IOWA - GOVERNOR (24% Precincts Reporting)

Bob Vander Plaats - 51.4%
Janet Petersen - 47.2%

MONTANA - SENATE (27% Precincts Reporting)

Ryan Zinke - 53.4%
Jon Tester - 46.0%

NEVADA - GOVERNOR (26% Precincts Reporting)

✓ Dean Heller - 54.4%
Ross Miller - 45.0%

NEVADA - SENATE (26% Precincts Reporting)

✓ Brian Sandoval - 57.6%
Steven Horsford - 42.2%

NORTH DAKOTA - SENATE (35% Precincts Reporting)

✓ Drew Wrigley - 54.8%
Heidi Heitkamp - 44.5%

Anderson Cooper: Absolutely astounding. The GOP is now only one seat away from retaking control of the United States Senate, having defeated three more incumbent Democratic senators in the states of New Jersey, North Dakota, and Ohio as per CNN's projections. This news will likely come as crushing to supporters of the Clinton Administration, as Republicans have officially taken control of at least fifty seats in the 116th United States Senate and need only one more to win a fifty-one seat effective majority. While there are two senate races that remain uncalled in the states of Montana and Pennsylvania, Democrats will need to win both in order to retain control of the chamber.

Jake Tapper: This is absolutely going to come down to the wire, Anderson, with only two races remaining uncalled by our network and both parties having a chance at winning control of the United States Senate. For Democrats, retaining control of the chamber would come as proof that the American people still have some faith in the Clinton Administration, while for the GOP, gaining control of the Senate will come as a powerful admonition of President Clinton's policies. We may not get a good idea of which party will eventually come out on top until tomorrow morning if we don't see frontrunners emerge in each of the two outstanding races, though for now, let's take a look at some maps to get an idea of where the races currently stand:

2018 Gubernatorial Elections

Dark Red - Democratic Victory
Light Red - Democratic Lead
Dark Blue - Republican Victory
Light Blue - Republican Lead
Dark Green - Independent Victory
Light Green - Independent Lead
Gray - Polls Open/No Election

2018 Senatorial Elections

Dark Red - Democratic Victory
Light Red - Democratic Lead
Dark Blue - Republican Victory
Light Blue - Republican Lead
Dark Green - Independent Victory
Light Green - Independent Lead
Gray - Polls Open/No Election

2018 House Elections

Dark Red - Democratic Victory
Light Red - Democratic Lead
Dark Blue - Republican Victory
Light Blue - Republican Lead
Dark Green - Independent Victory
Light Green - Independent Lead
Gray - Polls Open/No Election

__________

Please feel free to comment! Thanks for reading!

[President of the great nation of 🏳️‍⚧️]

Maria Cantwell is both Governor of Oregon and Senator from Washington?

[/]

Maria Cantwell is both Governor of Oregon and Senator from Washington?

Sexist!

[This account no longer in use.]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but wasn't Cantwell appointed to the Cabinet?

[/]

Do you guys read this timeline just to catch the errors? Seriously

[LLR]

Do you guys read this timeline just to catch the errors? Seriously

Don't feel discouraged, the stuff is pretty minor and it's a great timeline

[Kingpoleon]

Is that Yandik in NY-18 or Teachout?

[Heisenberg]

Is that Yandik in NY-18 or Teachout?

NY-18 is Sean Maloney's district. Are you thinking of NY-19?

[/]

Is that Yandik in NY-18 or Teachout?

NY-18 is Sean Maloney's district. Are you thinking of NY-19?

Maloney is still serving in NY-18 while Will Yandik is the new representative in NY-19. Teachout was defeated in her 2016 primary, so I assume she wouldn't want to run again especially after Dunn endorsed Yandik himself.

[/]

Results of the 2018 Midterm Elections

2018 United States Senate Elections

Red - Democratic Hold
Light Red - Democratic Gain
Blue - Republican Hold
Light Blue - Republican Gain
Green - Independent Hold
Light Green - Independent Gain
Gray - No Election

Tester's defeat in Montana was called shortly after midnight and the Republican pickup in Pennsylvania was projected soon after, increasing the GOP's majority to fifty-two seats compared to the Democrats' forty-seven. King decided to maintain his deal with the Senate Democratic Caucus, effectively creating a 52-48 split, with Thune being elected Majority Leader without too much controversy and Schumer retiring to the minority. The following is a map of the partisan makeup of each state's Senate delegation, with King included as a member of the Democratic Caucus:

Red - Two Democrats
Blue - Two Republicans
Gray - One Democrat; One Republican

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2018 United States House Elections

Red - Democratic Hold
Light Red - Democratic Gain
Blue - Republican Hold
Light Blue - Republican Gain
Green - Independent Hold
Light Green - Independent Gain
Gray - No Election

All things said and done, the GOP gained a total of nineteen seats in the House of Representatives over the course of the night, which, combined with one unexpected Democratic gain in CA-10, resulted in an overall 230-205 Republican majority. Paul Ryan resumed his position as Speaker of the House, while the retirements of Nancy Pelosi and Steny Hoyer allowed Xavier Becerra to become Minority Leader. Notably absent from the new leadership was former Assistant Democratic Leader Jim Clyburn, who resigned in disgrace shortly before the election amidst allegations of sexual abuse from a former staffer.

2018 State Gubernatorial Elections

Red - Democratic Hold
Light Red - Democratic Gain
Blue - Republican Hold
Light Blue - Republican Gain
Green - Independent Hold
Light Green - Independent Gain
Gray - No Election

With both chambers of Congress flipping as a result of the 2018 midterms, little focus was given to the outcome of the concurrent gubernatorial elections, though the results of said elections may have had a larger overall impact than any of the others. The Republican Party managed not only to gain two state governorships in the states of Colorado and New Hampshire, but also successfully defended each and every one of the Governor's Mansions they currently possessed, even in traditionally strong Democratic states like Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, and New Mexico. The 2018 midterm elections left the Democratic Party with a mere seventeen governorships remaining under their control, a further testament of what would eventually be known as a historic Republican wave.

You must be logged in to read this quote.

2018 State Legislative Elections

The following is a list of state legislative bodies that changed partisan control as a result of the 2018 midterm elections, along with a map of overall governmental control in each state as of early 2019. A dark shade indicates that one party has control of the state governorship and both of the state's legislative bodies, while a light shade indicates that one party has control of only two of the three listed bodies while the opposing party controls the third.

You must be logged in to read this quote.

Dark Red - Complete Democratic Control (9 States)
Light Red - Partial Democratic Control (7 States)
Dark Blue - Complete Republican Control (27 States)
Light Blue - Partial Republican Control (7 States)

__________

Please feel free to comment! Thanks for reading!

[LLR]

RIP the Colorado Democratic Party ;(

[/]

The Clinton Administration - Part 3

Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) takes questions from the media following his inauguration on January 3.

Two days after the election had ended, the Washington Post published an article stating that an inside source from the Clinton Administration had labeled the result of the election - quite rightfully so, according to most - as a "shellacking." Not since the 1994 midterms had the Republican Party taken control of both chambers of Congress in one mere election, not to mention full executive and legislative control of twenty-seven states. But, as Bill kept telling Hillary, the first President Clinton was reelected comfortably to another term just two years after his own '94 midterm disaster. She could only hope history would repeat itself.

On a domestic level, the GOP took immediate advantage of its new legislative authority, scrambling to pass as much legislation as fast as possible so they could attack Clinton for her increasingly inevitable vetoes. With Bill O'Reilly labeling Hillary as "the Veto President" and Republicans in Congress doing nothing to stop that label from spreading far and wide, President Clinton saw her approvals dip into the high 30s by early April 2019.

However, from a foreign perspective, the second half of President Clinton's first term was much more collected. A new CHP-HDP government in Turkey took a series of surprisingly strong moves against terrorism, forming a coalition with the leaders of Jordan and Iraq to root out members of the Alddawri Allah terrorist group from the region. Their efforts were largely successful, and while many of the remaining terrorists had been able to take refuge in still-unstable areas of rural Syria, the question of Islamic terrorism temporarily began to retreat from the top of the Clinton Administration's foreign agenda. Meanwhile, the conflict in the Central African Republic slowly started to grind to a halt as well, with anti-balaka forces beginning to negotiate with peacekeepers from the United Nations in order to formulate a solution to the previously escalating religious conflict. While the conflict in Burundi did rage on - the violence committed by the militia of President Pierre Nkurunziza became increasingly violent and arguably genocidal - little attention was paid to the situation by the American media, much like the similar conflict in Rwanda twenty-five years ago.

As April turned to May and the media started to spend more time covering the tension-filled Republican presidential primary, President Clinton's approval ratings began to slowly recover once more, hitting 47% by May 15 compared to a 48% disapproval. A credible foreign policy and the successful nomination of Sri Srinivasan to the Supreme Court following Anthony Kennedy's retirement - along with the media beginning to phase out the term "Veto President" in favor of a less trite buzzword - ended up working in President Clinton's favor, and by the middle of the year, most political analysts began to rate the 2020 presidential election as a pure tossup once more.

__________

Please feel free to comment! Thanks for reading!

[Mike Thick]

Can't wait to see how the Presidential election goes!

[/]

Do you guys have any Republicans you'd like to see enter the race? I'd love some suggestions.

(I'm also very lonely over here. )

[LLR]

Do you guys have any Republicans you'd like to see enter the race? I'd love some suggestions.

(I'm also very lonely over here. )

Amash, Sam Brownback (want to see him get destroyed), Haley, Pence (also lonely ((()

[hurricanehink]

Cotton and Cruz. Keep up the great work on the timeline!

[Mike Thick]

I would love to see the craziness a Matt Bevin campaign would create. Paul Ryan would also be nice. Thanks, and keep up the great work!

[UWS]

I'd like to see Marco Rubio running again in 2020.

[rpryor03]

Rob Portman! Or Charlie Baker! Or Justin Amash!