Mayor Pete

[P. Clodius Pulcher did nothing wrong]

Jim Messina raised his brows. "And who is this magical savior?"

Lol, nice

[Cold War Liberal]

Quitting my job to volunteer full time for this ticket.

[America Needs R'hllor]

Bernie

"Let's do this, Pittsburgh! Let's flip Pennsylvania and win this election, for the American people and for our country! Let's elect Kirsten Gillibrand and Rich Cordray in November! Thank you!" Bernie Sanders left the stage to a roar of applause from the rally's crowd. The moment he reached backstage, he sighed- this was a tiring campaign.

Of course, once Gillibrand won the convention, he immediately endorsed her. Everyone else who supporter Merkley did the same- Warren, Feingold, Markey, Wyden, Brown, Jeff himself, even Gabbard. But this wasn't really enough, as the most leftwing part of their base felt betrayed, despite Gillibrand running on a platform very similar to Merkley's anyway. It was a battle of personalities, progressives against establishment, all over again. Bernie felt bitter that his candidate didn't win, of course, but he campaigned hard for Gillibrand, and against Trump. Once they elect her, he knew, they'd have a lot of clout in the Senate to force her to enact progressive reforms.

But they had to elect her first.

It was a tight race, worryingly, tighter than it was 4 years ago when Clinton was leading handily for most of the campaign season. Republicans were fairly united, and Democrats were scrambling to preserve their own image of unity after the contested convention. It was a mess, that primary- Bernie regretted his decision not to run. He would've cleaned the field and prevented this fiasco.

On one of the screens backstage, CNN was on, replaying key parts of the first Presidential debate yesterday, in New York City. "You're just like crooked Hillary, Kirsten." Donald Trump was repeating one of his favourite lines. "A corrupt woman from New York. You're no different, believe me. America will re-elect Trump because they don't want Crooked Hillary!"

Kirsten, of course, gave a blistering response. "I am not Hillary Clinton, Donald, and I have never been. You cannot distinguish between two blonde women from the same state, but the American people can, and they know who I am! They also know who you are- a corrupt billionaire, a failed President who got nothing done. A fraud..."

At this point, the Democratci nominee was interrupted by Donald Trump who started shouting his nonsense again. By all accounts, Kirsten Gillibrand won the debate- more than 50% of the debate watchers said she won, in some polls over 60%. And yet, the thought nagged Bernie's mind- Clinton won her debates, too, and lead the polls by more. And yet she lost.

But Gillibrand was not Clinton. He shook his head- she doesn't have the email problem, for example. Or these disgusting Wall Street Speeches. And her polling numbers received a bump after the debate:

2020 General Election- National:
Kirsten Gillibrand (D)- 46.9%
Donald Trump (R)- 42.8%
Evan McMullin (I)- 3.4%
Austin Petersen (L)- 1.7%
Jill Stein (G)- 0.6%
Other\Undecided- 4.6%
GILLIBRAND +4.1

As he thought about the party's future prospects in this election, a staffer approached the Vermont Senator. She looked distraught. "Senator... Wikileaks..."

Bernie immediately felt dread clutching him when he heard that word. He quickly turned to her. "Oh god, what now?!"

She sighed. "They leaked a bunch of DNC emails. Again. Some staffers, talking about how much they don't want Merkley to win. It's not rigging, these staffers seem independent and don't have much of a say in the process, but this will definitely be damaging..."

Senator Bernie Sanders couldn't help but curse. "Crap, not again."

[America Needs R'hllor]

Mike

"This is why we need to elect Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, folks." Richard Cordray said in his slow, steady voice. "We need change from this administration, which only cared about the top 1%- I will bring my expertise in helping the people, the American consumer, and will work together with a President Gillibrand to start bringing real progress, and real change, to this country. Thank you."

And thus, the Vice Presidential Debate ended. Wolf Blitzer gave a few closing remarks, Mike shook Richard's hand, and headed backstage while their surrogates spoke to the media in the spin room. It was the usual bunch- frevent supporters such as Giuliani and Christie, and some administration figures.

The Vice President of the United States sighed. It wasn't the most interesting debate in the season, he knew. It was the least watched, because Trump wasn't in it. And yet, Mike hoped to deliver a solid win like he did last time against Kaine, and it didn't materialize.

It wasn't a rout, but he was smart enough to know that Cordray had the edge. He managed to deflect criticism on Gillibrand like Pence oculdn't do about Trump, and he spoke about the issues working class voters care about. This was sure to make him even more popular in the Democratic base.

It was disappointing, because Donald and Mike needed every advantage they could get- sure, Wikileaks did the good work again, but rumours that Mueller had an indictment ready for Donald Trump Jr. and was holding it until after the election hurt them, too, as well as Donald's erratic performances in the two debates. It was a tight race, and Mike hoped to make it a little more tighter by doing better in the debate. Alas, it didn't come to pass, and now it all came down to Donald's performance in the second and third Presidential Debates and the final few weeks of campaigning.

2020 General Election- National:
Kirsten Gillibrand (D)- 45.3%
Donald Trump (R)- 43.4%
Evan McMullin (I)- 3.4%
Austin Petersen (L)- 1.8%
Jill Stein (G)- 0.6%
Other\Undecided- 5.5%
GILLIBRAND +1.9

[YPestis25]

Great updates, Parrotguy. The tightness of the race has me on the edge of my seat.

[America Needs R'hllor]

Barack

It was done. He had cast his ballot, straight Democratic as always- Kirsten Gillibrand for President, Cheri Bustos for Senate, Democrats on every other level. Now, all that was left was seeing the results. Of course, Kirsten would win his state of Illinois. That wasn't a question. The election, though...

In recent weeks, the gap between Gillibrand and Trump grew wider- Trump botched both debates, as Kirsten grew better in countering him and managed to perform strongly, Wikileaks stopped releasing emails, presumably because they no longer had any, and Trump continued digging his grave with his erratic tweets and controversial statements. Barack and Michelle, Joe, Bernie, Elizabeth, Hillary, Jeff, Kamala, Tim, Jay, they all campaigned fiercely, as did, of course, the nominees, Kirsten and Rich. Finally, Barack was satisfied to see, it felt like the Democratic party was united to stop Trump. Thus, they came into election date confident and spirited, with polls showing a pretty wide lead for Gillibrand:

2020 General Election- National:
Kirsten Gillibrand (D)- 48.1%
Donald Trump (R)- 44.7%
Evan McMullin (I)- 2.5%
Austin Petersen (L)- 1.2%
Jill Stein (G)- 0.4%
Other\Undecided- 3.1%
GILLIBRAND +3.4

And yet, the worry that Trump would, once again, stage an upset in enough key states nagged in his mind. It happened four years ago, and it could happen now. Barack couldn't imagine four years of the same- a dysfunctional government, an outrageous and hateful President, and his legacy being trampled.

"Calm down, Barack," Michelle told him as they climbed into their vehicle. "Kirsten is leading. She's not Hillary, Democrats are enthusiastic. We're going to win this."

Barack tried to calm down. She was always right, after all. "Yeah... I suppose I don't need to worry that much."


Coming soon: 2020 Election night and Senate races coverage... Sorry if I didn't show enough of the campaign, but I didn't really feel like it's important and interesting enough

[Hoosier_Nick]

Barack

Barack tried to calm down. She was always right, after all. "Yeah... I suppose I don't need to worry that much."

*sigh*

[P. Clodius Pulcher did nothing wrong]

Sh*t

[President of the great nation of 🏳️‍⚧️]

This can't end well.

[_]

We're gonna need a better cliche

[America Needs R'hllor]

John

Cautious optimism.

That is what Chief of Staff John Kelly was feeling as he watched the returns flashing on the TV screen. Pundits were warning of a tough battle for Democrats, and Trump had a real chance to win re-election. That was something nobody expected after the midterms. With that, not only would Kelly get a lot of credit for leading that mess of a White House to relative order, but he'd finally be able to leave that dreary role and assume a better role at Defense, especially since Mattis was very eager to quit by now.

United States 2020 Presidential Election Map

"...And this is official," Wolf Blitzer proclaimed in his annoying voice, "we can now call Indiana for President Trump. I repeat, Indiana will once again go for Donald Trump. An expected win, but an important one for Republicans."

But John Kelly wasn't interested in Indiana- that was a safely Republican state. No, John was more interested in the returns from Florida, which were showing Trump leading there even more than he did four years ago at that point. It was a good sign, he decided. He could already dream of the Pentagon, where he wouldn't have to deal with the squabling staffers of the White House, each one more stupid than the other, and with the do-nothing congressmen who talked more than a narrator in a movie and did less than him.

Speaking of the do-nothing congressmen, John Kelly had to watch how their elections in the Senate were going now:

United States 2020 Senate Races Map

Georgia U.S. Senate Election (32% Reporting): TOO CLOSE TO CALL
CEO Michelle Nunn (D)- 49.6%
Senator David Perdue (R)*- 48.2%

Kentucky U.S. Senate Election (39% Reporting): TOO CLOSE TO CALL
Governor Matt Bevin (R)- 51.4%
Fmr. Auditor Adam Edelen (D)- 47.8%

New Hampshire U.S. Senate Election (21% Reporting): TOO CLOSE TO CALL
Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D)*- 53.1%
Fmr. Rep. Frank Guinta (R)- 45.9%

North Carolina U.S. Senate Election (28% Reporting): TOO CLOSE TO CALL
Senator Thom Tillis (R)*- 49.5%
Fmr. Sec. Anthony Foxx (D)- 49.3%

South Carolina U.S. Senate Election (33% Reporting): REPUBLICAN HOLD
Senator Lindsey Graham (R)*- 64.8% ✓
State Sen. John L. Scott Jr. (D)- 34.5%

Virginia U.S. Senate Election (37% Reporting): DEMOCRATIC HOLD
Senator Mark Warner (D)*- 57.3% ✓
Fmr. Rep. Barbara Comstock (R)- 40.9%

So far, the Senate races were looking not as good as the Presidential race, Kelly reflected. The Democrats had strong recruits all around the nation- Bullock in Montana, Hickenlooper in Colorado, Foxx in North Carolina, even Nunn in Georgia was decent. And the early call in Virginia, where a lot of hope was put on the moderate Comstock, was worrying. Whatever, the Chief of Staff mused, it's not like Tillis or Daines or Gardener were particularly helpful.

Suddenly, Wolf Blitzer appeared again, dramatic music playing. Kelly looked at his watch. Ah, 8 P.M.

"We have another large batch of projections to make now, folks. At poll closing, we can call Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee, Kansas and Oklahoma for President Trump. Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Illinois, Maine's 1st Congressial District and Washington, D.C. can be called for Democratic nominees Senator Kirsten Gillibrand and Governord Richard Cordray. Missouri, Texas, Michigan and Pennsylvania are right now still too close, or too early, to call."

[MycroftCZ]

Love this TL! Keep it up

[America Needs R'hllor]

Richard

The atmosphere in Kirsten Gillibrand's New York City election night watch party was tense as the returns from the 10 P.M. states started pouring in. "At poll closing," Anderson Cooper proclaimed, "we can only call Idaho and Montana for President Trump. Iowa, Nevada and Utah all remain too close to call at the moment. So do the Senate races in Iowa and Montana. However, we can already call the Idaho Senate race for U.S. Representative Raúl Labrador, the Republican running for the seat of retiring Senator Jim Risch."

So far, so good. Nothing out of the ordinary. Richard was actually afraid that, with the polls so close, Democrats would be having an especially disastrous night right now, but as more and more results came, it was looking like the base was actually turning out for them. It made sense- Gillibrand had fairly low unfavourable ratings, and the base was excited to defeat Trump.

United States 2020 Presidential Election Map

Still, he knew  that it wasn't going to be easy. Trump was still narrowly leading in Florida and, despite Cordray's presence, in Ohio as well, and the situation seemed impossibly tight in key states like Michigan, Wisconsin and Minnesota. On the other hand, Kirsten was doing well in a few surprising states, too- Texas was within 2 points and Trump was leading in Georgia and North Carolina by less than 1%, while she was actually leading Arizona. There was a chance- a real chance- that he would be Vice President-Elect come dawn.

And if he does win that post, which also served as President of the Senate, Cordray was pretty sure that he'd have a Democratic Senate to preside over.

United States 2020 Senate Races Map

Alabama U.S. Senate Election (41% Reporting): TOO CLOSE TO CALL
U.S. Rep. Mo Brooks (R)- 50.3%
Senator Doug Jones (D)*- 49.4%

Arkansas U.S. Senate Election (68% Reporting): REPUBLICAN HOLD
Senator Tom Cotton (R)*- 58.1% ✓
Fmr. Lt. Gov. Bill Halter (D)- 41.5%

Colorado U.S. Senate Election (31% Reporting): TOO CLOSE TO CALL
Governor John Hickenlooper (D)- 54.3%
Senator Cory Gardener (R)*- 45.2%

Delaware U.S. Senate Election (43% Reporting): DEMOCRATIC HOLD
Senator Chris Coons (D)*- 62.8% ✓
County Council President Tom Kovach (R)- 37.0%

Georgia U.S. Senate Election (57% Reporting): TOO CLOSE TO CALL
Senator David Perdue (R)*- 50.1%
CEO Michelle Nunn (D)- 48.9%

Idaho U.S. Senate Election (7% Reporting): REPUBLICAN HOLD
U.S. Rep. Raúl Labrador (R)- 64.5% ✓
Perennial Candidate William Bryk (D)- 34.7%

Illinois U.S. Senate Election (40% Reporting): DEMOCRATIC HOLD
U.S. Rep. Cheri Bustos (D)- 59.6% ✓
Fmr. Rep. Bob Dold (R)- 39.9%

Iowa U.S. Senate Election (9% Reporting): TOO CLOSE TO CALL
Senator Joni Ernest (R)*- 52.8%
Fmr. Gov. Chet Culver (D)- 46.8%

Kansas U.S. Senate Election (39% Reporting): REPUBLICAN HOLD
U.S. Rep. Roger Marshall (R)- 52.3% ✓
Fmr. Mayor Carl Brewer (D)- 47.5%

Kentucky U.S. Senate Election (68% Reporting): REPUBLICAN HOLD
Governor Matt Bevin (R)- 50.7% ✓
Fmr. Auditor Adam Edelen (D)- 48.1%

Louisiana U.S. Senate Election (33% Reporting): REPUBLICAN HOLD
Senator Bill Cassidy (R)*- 60.2% ✓
Attorney Caroline Fayard (D)- 39.4%

Maine U.S. Senate Election 45% Reporting): TOO CLOSE TO CALL
Senator Susan Collins (R)*- 48.5%
Fmr. Speaker Mark Eves (D)- 44.3%

Massachusetts U.S. Senate Election (42% Reporting): DEMOCRATIC HOLD
U.S. Rep. Joe Kennedy III (D)- 67.8% ✓
Businessman Gabriel E. Gomez (R)- 31.9%

Michigan U.S. Senate Election (47% Reporting): DEMOCRATIC HOLD
Senator Gary Peters (D)*- 58.4% ✓
Fmr. U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers (R)- 40.7%

Minnesota U.S. Senate Election (36% Reporting): DEMOCRATIC HOLD
Senator Tina Smith (D)*- 55.6% ✓
State Sen. Karin Housley (R)- 43.8%

Mississippi U.S. Senate Election (46% Reporting): REPUBLICAN HOLD
Governor Phil Bryant (R)- 58.4% ✓
Fmr. Mayor Bill Luckett (D)- 41.2%

Montana U.S. Senate Election (11% Reporting): TOO CLOSE TO CALL
Governor Steve Bullock (D)- 49.1%
Senator Steve Daines (R)*- 48.9%

Nebraska U.S. Senate Election (34% Reporting): REPUBLICAN HOLD
Senator Ben Sasse (R)*- 97.5% ✓
Others- 2.5%

New Hampshire U.S. Senate Election (50% Reporting): DEMOCRATIC HOLD
Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D)*- 54.5% ✓
Fmr. U.S. Rep. Frank Guinta (R)- 44.2%

New Jersey U.S. Senate Election (46% Reporting): DEMOCRATIC HOLD
Senator Cory Booker (D)*- 57.2% ✓
Fmr. Attorney General David Samson (R)- 41.6%

New Mexico U.S. Senate Election (48% Reporting): DEMOCRATIC HOLD
Senator Tom Udall (D)*- 55.4% ✓
Fmr. Lt. Gov. John Sanchez (R)- 43.5%

North Carolina U.S. Senate Election (55% Reporting): TOO CLOSE TO CALL
Fmr. Sec. Anthony Foxx (D)- 50.7%
Senator Thom Tillis (R)*- 48.4%

Oklahoma U.S. Senate Election (45% Reporting): REPUBLICAN HOLD
Fmr. U.S. Rep. J. C. Watts (R)- 65.7% ✓
Fmr. State Sen. Connie Johnson (D)- 33.5%

Rhode Island U.S. Senate Election (46% Reporting): DEMOCRATIC HOLD
Senator Jack Reed (D)*- 54.6% ✓
Mayor Scott Avedisian (R)- 44.9%

South Dakota U.S. Senate Election (37% Reporting): REPUBLICAN HOLD
Senator Mike Rounds (R)*- 72.3% ✓
Fmr. State Sen. Ron J. Volesky (D)- 33.5%

Tennessee U.S. Senate Election (44% Reporting): REPUBLICAN HOLD
Fmr. Gov. Bill Haslam (R)- 58.6% ✓
Fmr. Mayor Karl Dean (D)- 40.9%

Texas U.S. Senate Election (44% Reporting): REPUBLICAN HOLD
Senator John Cornyn (R)*- 56.7% ✓
Fmr. Mayor Bill White (D)- 42.4%

West Virginia U.S. Senate Election (52% Reporting): REPUBLICAN HOLD
Senator Shelly Moore Capito (R)*- 60.9% ✓
Attorney Booth Goodwin (D)- 38.6%

Wyoming U.S. Senate Election (31% Reporting): REPUBLICAN HOLD
U.S. Rep. Liz Cheney (R)- 77.2% ✓
Perennial Candidate Al Hamburg (D)- 18.5%

[President of the great nation of 🏳️‍⚧️]

Wouldn't encephalitis hinder Hagan's campaign?
Only Jeff can fix...

[America Needs R'hllor]

Wouldn't encephalitis hinder Hagan's campaign?
Only Jeff can fix...

Whoops, wasn't aware of that fact, thanks. The new candidate for that seat is Anthony Foxx (D).
Look to Jeff's coming at first light of the 8th day... At dawn, look to the north (carolina)

[America Needs a 13-6 Progressive SCOTUS]

Wouldn't encephalitis hinder Hagan's campaign?
Only Jeff can fix...

Whoops, wasn't aware of that fact, thanks. The new candidate for that seat is Anthony Foxx (D).
Look to Jeff's coming at first light of the 8th day... At dawn, look to the north (carolina)

What?

[America Needs R'hllor]

Wouldn't encephalitis hinder Hagan's campaign?
Only Jeff can fix...

Whoops, wasn't aware of that fact, thanks. The new candidate for that seat is Anthony Foxx (D).
Look to Jeff's coming at first light of the 8th day... At dawn, look to the north (carolina)

What?

SoonTM

[America Needs R'hllor]

Jason

Jason Kander was aware that his candidacy was, in part, at fault for the current situation. The Democrats came into this election energized and enthusiastic- they were ready to defeat Trump and the Republicans. Then, a divisive primary with six, seven, eight popular candidates, followed by a contested convention, threw much of this unity to the dustbin and tore the enthusiasm of many party activists, especially progressives or young people or African Americans, to shreds.

It was the least he could do to help the party by running for a prime pickup opportunity in Missouri. And indeed, the state's Democratic party quickly convinced their nominee, Chris Koster, to drop out after polling close to the deeply unpopular Eric Greitens, and replaced him on the ticket with Kander. Since then, there wasn't a single poll where he wasn't leading against the Governor, who was knee-deep in legal problems. The same was true in other Senatorial or Gubernatorial races- at least there the Democratic enthusiasm was still visible. Because of their low amount, all of the Gubernatorial races were already called, with Indiana the closest one:

United States 2020 Gubernatorial Races Map

Delaware Gubernatorial Election (81% Reporting): DEMOCRATIC HOLD
Governor John Carney (D)*- 56.3% ✓
State Rep. Michael Ramone (R)- 43.0%

Indiana Gubernatorial Election (99% Reporting): DEMOCRATIC GAIN
Mayor Pete Buttigieg (D)- 50.4% ✓
Governor Eric Holcomb (R)*- 49.2%

Missouri Gubernatorial Election (78% Reporting): DEMOCRATIC GAIN
Fmr. SoS Jason Kander (D)- 53.6% ✓
Governor Eric Greitens (R)*- 45.1%

Montana Gubernatorial Election (56% Reporting): REPUBLICAN GAIN
Attorney General Tim Fox (R)- 49.7% ✓
Attorney Zeno Baucus (D)- 45.1%

New Hampshire Gubernatorial Election (86% Reporting): DEMOCRATIC HOLD
Governor Stefany Shaheen (D)*- 52.8% ✓
State Rep. Michael Ramone (R)- 46.5%

North Carolina Gubernatorial Election (88% Reporting): DEMOCRATIC HOLD
Governor Roy Cooper (D)*- 53.5% ✓
Fmr. Gov. Pat McRory (R)- 45.9%

North Dakota Gubernatorial Election (65% Reporting): REPUBLICAN HOLD
Governor Doug Burgum (R)*- 67.1% ✓
Fmr. State Sen. George B. Sinner (D-NPL)- 30.7%

Utah Gubernatorial Election (54% Reporting): REPUBLICAN HOLD
UVV Pres. Matthew S. Holland (R)- 81.5% ✓
CEO Vaughn R. Cook (D)- 18.2%

Vermont Gubernatorial Election (54% Reporting): REPUBLICAN HOLD
Governor Phil Scott (R)*- 54.8% ✓
Fmr. State Rep. Kesha Ram (D)- 44.6%

Washington Gubernatorial Election (41% Reporting): DEMOCRATIC HOLD
Mayor Jenny Durkan (D)- 57.4% ✓
Bar Association Pres. Bill Pickett (R)- 41.9%

West Virginia Gubernatorial Election (90% Reporting): REPUBLICAN HOLD
Fmr. U.S. Rep. Evan Jenkins (R)- 42.7% ✓
Fmr. Speaker Rick Thompson (D)- 30.2%
Governor Jim Justice (I)*- 22.5%
Charlotte Pritt (Mountain)- 4.5%

It looked pretty good- not only did Jason finally win a major office, but two Democratic LGBTQ politicians won office in the form of South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg, who beat the popular Indiana Governor in what many considered a huge upset, and Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan who replaced Jason's former Presidential rival, Jay Inslee. Meanwhile, Stefany and Roy easily won reelection in their swingstates, while that traitor Jim Justice, who lost the Republican primary for Governor and  then ran as an independent, was defeated, albeit by a Republican. The only bad part was that they didn't manage to hold Montana's Governorship after the Bullock era, despite a strong recruit, and that, once again, they couldn't beat Scott in Vermont.

But as Kander was contemplating these results, an alert came from the TV screen. sh*t, the Governor-Elect thought as he saw what was going to be announced.

"We can finally call the state of Ohio, whose Governor is Democrat Kirsten Gillibrand's running mate." Anderson Cooper, appearing more exhausted than usual, announced. "It will vote for President Trump once again. Richard Cordray, Governor of Ohio, failed to deliver his state for the Democratic ticket."

United States 2020 Presidential Election Map

"But while it's past midnight, we still cannot call the Presidential race- and we cannot even say who's favoured. President Trump is currently leading in the key states of Florida, Georgia, North Carolina and New Hampshire, while Democrat Kirsten Gillibrand holds narrow leads in Maine, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Minnesota and Arizona, with the narrowest of leads in Wisconsin. This is definitely going to be a tough battle. Right now, we have 216 electoral votes for the Democratic ticket, and 189 for the Republican one. Tune in after a short break, we'll have more to report."

[MycroftCZ]

GOVERNOR KANDER

[P. Clodius Pulcher did nothing wrong]

GOVERNOR KANDER

Kander 2024! and/or Buttigieg/Kander 2024!

[America Needs R'hllor]

I only did a quick search of each page for this, but nobody mentioned that Lincoln Chafee successfully primaried a sitting governor and then won the general election?

Oh, yeah, you now reminded me that I forgot to include him in the 2020 primary But if it doesn't make sense, I can change that- like I said in the 1st post, it's not an extremely serious TL like my first one, but mostly something to do when I was resting between exams (though I do plan some powerful moments in the latter parts).

[America Needs R'hllor]

Kirsten

"And after North Carolina, we can now finally call Georgia too for President Trump. It has been tight, much tighter than four years ago, but we can now say for certain that it'll remain in the Republican column. This remains a very tight election."

United States 2020 Presidential Election Map

This was, by far, the tensest night in Kirsten's life. The election was tight, probably closer than any other election since 2000. Months ago, she imagined winning by a landslide, basking in the enthusiasm and cheers as she cruised to victory and to the role of first woman President. Now, she was knee-deep in mud and dirt, scrambling with Trump for any win. They kept exchanging wins- she won Maine, thankfully, faster than Hillary did. Then he won Florida, which was a blow. Then, she won Michigan with high African American turnout, which caused a surge of enthusiasm for Democrats before Trump won North Carolina, and now Georgia.

How did this happen? She had the enthusiasm of Democratic activists wishing to see Trump defeated. She had a very strong ticket with Cordray. She had no major scandals. Then what did she lack, why was it so hard to win? She could only think of one reason, one thing that was wounded in the primary- unity.

The New York Senator sighed and turned to look at the Senate map, where all the races were already called. Maybe that would reassure her a bit- most of the downballot Democrats were doing better than her.

United States 2020 Senate Races Map

Alabama U.S. Senate Election (91% Reporting): REPUBLICAN GAIN
U.S. Rep. Mo Brooks (R)- 50.9% ✓
Senator Doug Jones (D)*- 48.8%

Alaska U.S. Senate Election (39% Reporting): REPUBLICAN HOLD
Senator Dan Sullivan (R)*- 51.6% ✓
Mayor Ethan Berkowitz (D)- 46.5%

Colorado U.S. Senate Election (79% Reporting): DEMOCRATIC GAIN
Governor John Hickenlooper (D)- 55.6% ✓
Senator Cory Gardener (R)*- 44.2%

Georgia U.S. Senate Election (98% Reporting): REPUBLICAN HOLD
Senator David Perdue (R)*- 49.8% ✓
CEO Michelle Nunn (D)- 49.1%

Iowa U.S. Senate Election (67% Reporting): REPUBLICAN HOLD
Senator Joni Ernest (R)*- 53.5% ✓
Fmr. Gov. Chet Culver (D)- 44.9%

Maine U.S. Senate Election 93% Reporting): REPUBLICAN HOLD
Senator Susan Collins (R)*- 47.6% ✓
Fmr. Speaker Mark Eves (D)- 43.1%

Montana U.S. Senate Election (65% Reporting): DEMOCRATIC GAIN
Governor Steve Bullock (D)- 50.9% ✓
Senator Steve Daines (R)*- 47.6%

North Carolina U.S. Senate Election (94% Reporting): DEMOCRATIC GAIN
Fmr. Sec. Anthony Foxx (D)- 51.3% ✓
Senator Thom Tillis (R)*- 48.2%

Still, Kirsten had the feeling that they could've done better in these races if they did better in the upper ballot. Former Senator Begich was thinking about running in Alaska, but decided against it in light of the messy Democratic primary. Their recruit- Mayor Berkowitz from Anchorage- was still strong, and could've won, but he didn't. Same went for Chet Culver in Iowa and Mark Eves in Maine. And then, of course, there was the painful Doug Jones loss in Alabama. Well, she thought, a net gain of +2 wasn't bad.

"Stand by, we have a major projection to make!" Wolf Blitzer shouted on the TV screen, interrupting her thoughts, and the watching party immediately grew tense in anticipation. "We can now say for certain that Democratic nominee Kirsten Gillibrand has won the state of Minnesota! I repeat, Minnesota will remain in the Democratic column!" The room was filled with cheers of activists and campaign staffers. "This is definitely a relief for the Gillibrand camp, and shows that they're holding their own in the upper midwest, so... Wait a moment, I'm being told that there's another projection we can finally make. Kirsten Gillibrand has won the state of New Hampshire, and thus will certainly win every Clinton state from 2016 plus Michigan! This is another piece of good news for the Democrats, and... um, wait, it looks like we can make yet another projection now. Seems like we're having a barrage of projections, and this is a major one which will definitely put an even wider smile on the faces in Kirsten Gillibrand's camp- the Democratic nominee has won the state of Arizona! I repeat, Arizona has been won by New York Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, and goes for the Democrats for the first time since 1996! Very good news for Gillibrand, who now leads the delegate count 259-249 and will now only need to win the state of Pennsylvania to be elected President, or, alternatively, win only Wisconsin, which will throw the election to the Democratic-controlled House of Representatives..."

Cheers erupted in the room again, this time louder and more enthusiastic, and Kirsten smiled as she looked at the screen. Maybe there's still hope.

United States 2020 Presidential Election Map

[GM Team Member and Senator WB]

Kirsten

Alabama U.S. Senate Election (91% Reporting) REPUBLICAN GAIN
U.S. Rep. Mo Brooks (R)- 50.9% ✓
Senator Doug Jones (D)*- 48.8%

Alabama U.S. Senate Election (39% Reporting) REPUBLICAN HOLD
U.S. Rep. Mo Brooks (R)*- 51.6% ✓
Mayor Ethan Berkowitz (D)- 46.5%[/b]

[P. Clodius Pulcher did nothing wrong]

Omg!

[America Needs R'hllor]

Kirsten

Alabama U.S. Senate Election (91% Reporting): REPUBLICAN GAIN
U.S. Rep. Mo Brooks (R)- 50.9% ✓
Senator Doug Jones (D)*- 48.8%

Alabama U.S. Senate Election (39% Reporting): REPUBLICAN HOLD
U.S. Rep. Mo Brooks (R)*- 51.6% ✓
Mayor Ethan Berkowitz (D)- 46.5%[/b]

???

Yeah, fixed. It's Alaska.