Mayor Pete

[_]

LETS GO CORDRAY!

[P. Clodius Pulcher did nothing wrong]

LETS GO CORDRAY KANDER!

[sverkol]

I hope that in this TL 2022 going to be the democrat's 2014.
Democrats winning many senate seats including in states like Kentucky.

[libertpaulian]

I hope that in this TL 2022 going to be the democrat's 2014.
Democrats winning many senate seats including in states like Kentucky.

Yeah, it'll feel like 1978 did for the Republicans going into 1980.

[America Needs R'hllor]

Mick

The first push of the Trump administration wasn't going very well, the Chief of Staff reflected as he read the new Washington Post headline. Kander, Buttigieg lead rustbelt Governors in call against Trump policy: 'We won't be complicit in racist attacks on our constituents'.

Mick Mulvaney scoffed. They were just doing this to gain publicity and further their 2024 ambitions, it was clear. All of them were rumoured candidates- Kander, Buttigieg, Cordray, Glasson, Whitmer, even the less publicity-seeking Evers of Wisconsin and Wolf of Pennsylvania. All the Trump administration wanted to do is to increase the amount and intensity of ICE forces in rustbelt, midwest and applachia states- nothing else. Sure, they framed it as an effort to remove illegal immigrants who are stealing jobs in areas with already-high unemployment, but it was just a way to get to their base- kill two birds with one stone by appealing both to immigration hardliners and to their white working-class midwestern base. The Democrats made it sound like they were sending in forces, and it looked like the backlash they created was going to be more than was worth it.

But whatever. Mick had more important business to attend to than some uptight governors- cabinet confirmations. The Trump cabinet was slowly taking shape, but it was much harder than before to actually confirm all of Trump's choices, many of which were controversial and had a strong Democratic front against them in the Senate. Right now, the situation looked like it was getting better, after Trump agreed for some compromises.

For State, Trump insisted on Pompeo, but the Democrats formed a united front against him, and to them joined Paul, Murkowski, Collins, Romney, Cindy McCain and Sasse. Pompeo was denied by the Senate 59-41. They wanted to replace him by Haley, naturally, but Trump insisted against her, so instead they nominated the one who held the office most recently, Dan Coats, and he was narrowly confirmed 49-51 with Manchin, Bredesen, Heitkamp and Donnelly breaking from the Democratic front. For Defence, it was much easier- Mick's predecessor, John Kelly, was easily confirmed 63-37. For Treasury, they started with Gary Cohn but met strong opposition, so instead switched to Rep. Steve Womack, who was confirmed 50-50 with Manchin, Heitkamp and Bredesen supporting him, and Pence broke the tie.

The worst part was, or is, Justice. Pruitt was their first candidate, but not only did all Democrats fiercely oppose him, Collins, Romney and McCain joined them. He was denied 56-44. Trump was furious, and sent Giuliani to the Senate. But when Rudy flopped at the hearings by saying that he "might" act against Mueller's investigation, he was quickly denied with an even worse score, 57-43, Murkowski breaking away. Then they tried Luther Strange, but the controversy of his Senate appointment rose and he, too, was defeated, 52-48, with Manchin and Heitkamp voting for him and Collins against. It was a disaster now- they were scrambling to find a worthy replacement and finding no one. Christie, their third option was too controversial with Bridgegate, and red-state Democrats signaled that they won't vote for him. The possibility of choosing Joe Lieberman rose, but Rand Paul sounded the alarm and Bredsen proclaimed that the people of Tennesse didn't elect him to confirm "a warmonger from Connecticut". They even offered it to Haley, but she refused, saying that her time with the administration was over after they "betrayed" her in the State fiasco. Now a consensus was emerging- Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, the same one who initiated the Mueller investigation. Trump didn't want it at all, but it was looking increasingly necessary.

The New Trump Cabinet
Secretary of State- CIA Director Mike Pompeo, denied 59-41 Secretary Dan Coats, confirmed 51-49
Secretary of Defence- Chief of Staff John Kelly, confirmed 63-37
Secretary of Treasury - Rep. Steve Womack, confirmed 50-50
Attorney General- EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt, denied 56-44 Fmr. Mayor Rudy Giuliani, denied 57-43 Fmr. Senator Luther Strange, denied 52-48
Secretary of the Interior- Fmr. Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, confirmed 51-49
Secretary of Agriculture- Secretary Sonny Perdue, confirmed 54-46
Secretary of Commerce- Secretary Wilbur Ross, confirmed 50-50
Secretary of Labour- Administrator Linda McMahon, confirmed 56-44
Secretary of Health and Human Services- Secretary Ben Carson, denied 52-48 Secretary Alex Azar, confirmed 51-49
Secretary of Housing and Urban Development- Fmr. Mayor Rudy Giuliani, confirmed 51-49
Secretary of Transportation- Fmr. Senator Dean Heller, confirmed 53-47
Secretary of Energy- Secretary Rick Perry, confirmed 50-50
Secretary of Education- Fmr. Public Schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee, confirmed 82-28
Secretary ov Veterans Affairs- Secretary David Shlukin, confirmed 78-22
Secretary of Homeland Security- Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen, confirmed 54-46
Ambassador to the UN- U.S. Rep. Ron DeSantis, confirmed 53-47
Administrator of the EPA- Fmr. Governor Rick Scott, denied 51-49

[President of the great nation of 🏳️‍⚧️]

McCain's still alive?!

[America Needs R'hllor]

McCain's still alive?!

You must be logged in to read this quote.

Ducey appointed his wife to replace him- in 2022 the seat will be, most likely, open.

[President of the great nation of 🏳️‍⚧️]

McCain's still alive?!

You must be logged in to read this quote.

Ducey appointed his wife to replace him- in 2022 the seat will be, most likely, open.

Ah. Didn't see that. Carry on.

[America Needs R'hllor]

Ralph

Governor Northam's legacy was secure, just like McAuliffe's legacy before him. The heir of Virginia's Democratic Governor had once again defeated the Republican running against him, and their party will now rule the state, which was indeed getting more and more friendly to them, for twelve consecutive years. They also easily flipped the House of Delegates, winning a majority in both chambers of the Virginian legislature.

Of course, this came as a surprise for no one- it was one year into Donald Trump's second term, and it was looking just as bad and messy as the first one. He was getting nothing done and flailing to do anything productive, which only made it worse because of backlash for every controversial executive action. And Bob Mueller kept sending indictments and appeared to be getting closer and closer to concluding his investigation. The conclusions were actually awaited every single day, now, and it appeared like Trump was, most likely, not getting indicted. The Democrats were disappointed by that fact, but it didn't matter that much- the President was still deeply unpopular. For now, they could be happy seeing the 2021 results:

Virginia Gubernatorial Election, 2021: DEMOCRATIC HOLD
Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax- 55.3% ✓
Fmr. Rep. Eric Cantor- 40.8%
Mr. Robert Sarvis- 3.2%
Others- 0.7%

New Jersey Gubernatorial Election, 2021: DEMOCRATIC HOLD
Governor Phil Murphy- 62.5% ✓
Assemblyman Jack Ciattarelli- 36.4%
Others- 1.1%

New York City Mayoral Election, 2021: DEMOCRATIC HOLD
Fmr. Sec. Shaun Donovan- 73.0% ✓
Detective Bo Dietl- 22.6%
Others- 4.4%

Now, with his legacy secure, Ralph could start thinking about the future. After Tim Kaine's success in the last Democratic primary, many Virginia politicians started thinking about trying to stage a similar, but successful bid. Amongst them were, primarily, the two Governors- Terry McAuliffe and Ralph himself. They had a good relationship, and didn't want to run against each other, but were now engaged in a shadow primary for support from their state's establishment. Terry was a better machine politician, but Ralph had some marked advantages- he was fairly popular with the base because of his progressive tenure, and he wasn't tainted with the Clinton machine. Now his legacy was secure too, and even more successfully than he himself secured Terry's legacy. It was looking good for Ralph.

Suddenly, an aide barged into his office. Without knocking. Annoyed, Ralph prepared to give her a good scorning, until he saw her face. "Governor... You'd want to turn on the TV right now."

Ralph Northam nodded and flicked on the screen with the remote. CNN was giving out some breaking news. "...Special Counsel Robert Mueller has just announced his latest, and apparently last, indictment- Donald Trump Jr., the President eldest son, and Special Advisor Jared Kushner, his eldest daughter's husband, have both been indicted for money laundering and obstruction of justice. This is the biggest bombshell to come out of Mueller's investigation, and though expectations were initially high that the President would suffer the same fate, it appears as if the investigation was concluded, 'with no sufficient evidence to prove that President Trump was, in any way, involved with his son's actions and dealings with Russia.' Mueller has officially announced that his investigation was concluded, and Attorney General Rod Rosenstein thanked him, calling him 'a true patriot whose work was untainted and without bias.'

"President Donald Trump", Wolf Blitzer continued, "released a series of Tweets condemning Mueller's actions, calling it "a pathetic witchhunt against me and my family' and added that 'I'm too innocent and cleant for them to even fabricate anything about me!' He asserted his son and son-in-law's innocense, calling them 'the most honest men I've ever known'.

Wow, Governor Northam thought to himself. This trial is going to go way into the midterms, huh? "I bet Donald is regretting naming his eldest son after himself," the aide said, and Ralph laughed in response. "And Don Jr. is probably regretting that his father ever ran."

[MycroftCZ]

Will love watching the 2nd term of Trump unfold... keep it up!

[America Needs R'hllor]

Roy

"Thank you. It's been a great honour to serve and represent the people of Missouri for these past decades. The greatest honour of my life." And that was it. To the sound of some polite clapping, U.S. Senator Roy Blunt went down from the stage and quickly escaped backstage.

His mood was morbid, as was the mood of all his staffers and campaign operatives. He wanted to run for re-election, he truly did. Missouri Republicans urged him to do so, as did Senate Majority Leader Cornyn and Tim Scott, Chairman of the NRSC. And at first he prepared to run, but then Nicole Galloway entered, and... nope. That woman was Kander all over again, with the added benefit of a disastrous midterm shaping up for his party. He was already mocked for almost losing in 2016- Roy wasn't going to go through the mockery of actually losing. Nope. No way. Not after their internal polling had this conclusion:

Who will you vote for in the 2022 Missouri Senate race?
State Auditor Nicole Galloway- 46.5%
Senator Roy Blunt*- 38.3%
Undecided- 15.2%

He was fully aware that it meant even more of a chance that the Republicans would lose his race. Serious candidates like Ann Wagner have already indicated that they weren't willing to run for the seat in 2022, and thus there was a good chance that a joke candidate like Courtland Sykes or Austin Petersen won the nomination. But this is what they got for letting Trump win in 2016 and then in 2020, isn't it? This... disaster.

Trump continued to inflict damage on himself in an alarming pace. Without a majority for his party in even one chamber of Congress, he was spiraling down, trying to get anything resembling a win done- immigration executive orders causing backlash, attempts to make environmental de-regulations, even one desperate attempt to make an effort against abortion and rile up the base. It was all for naught- the White House couldn't think of anything that wouldn't cause huge backlash or just fail to get through the courts. And all of this was in the shadow of the Trump Jr. and Kushner trials. So why would Roy sweat so much to give them one more seat in the Senate, and likely fail and humiliate himself?

Of course, he wasn't the only red-state Republican who was in trouble- Jason Carter was running strong in Georgia, Stephanie Murphy's campaign against Rubio was very troubling for the ambitious Florida Senaro, North Carolina State Senator Jeff Jackson, a rising star in the state, declared his own run, and that was just some of the problems. Even in ruby-red Louisiana, Governor John Bel Edwards was giving Senator Kennedy a rough race, and in Kentucky Andy Beshear was proving to be a tough challenge to Rand Paul. In fact, it was going to be tough for all of them, and Republicans in other states like Wisconsin, Iowa, Pennsylvania and who even knew where else.

Roy Blunt sighed. It was a bad time to be a Republican.

[America Needs R'hllor]

Nikki

Nikki Haley yawned as she watched the results of the French Presidential election being reported on her TV screen. It was an important election, she knew, with huge consequences, but it just paled in comparison to something which was, to her, way more important.

Results of the 2022 French Presidential Elections, 1st Round
Emmanuel Macron (LREM)- 29.5% ✓
Laurent Wauquiez (LR)- 17.8% ✓
Benoît Hamon (M1717)- 16.9%
Jean-Luc Mélenchon (FI)- 13.1%
Marion Maréchal-Le Pen (FN)- 12.4%
Olivier Faure (PS)- 4.8%
Nicolas Dupont-Aignan (DLF)- 2.2%
Others- 3.7%

Results of the 2022 French Presidential Elections, 2nd Round
Emmanuel Macron (LREM)- 57.4% ✓
Laurent Wauquiez (LR)- 42.6%

Emmanuel Macron was re-elected, and by a convincing margin, too. Both the left and right were severely split in the first round, the left especially so, and thus Macron won easily. But that also meant that nothing will really change, and though she tried to pay attention to foreign affairs, it didn't have much of an impact on Nikki. And sure enough, her mind quickly drifted back to U.S. politics, in which she was preparing to get heavily involved. The former Ambassador played nice for now, but in truth, she was an exile plotting her return. She dribbled in criticism of the Trump administration here and there, on immigration and foreign policy, enough to buy the loyalty of the mainline conservatives but not enough to lose the Trumpists. After all, if she was going to be the 2024 nominee, she'd need both.

As she watched the Trump administration spiral down, the former UN Ambassador couldn't help but feel some satisfaction- he promised her the State Department back in 2016, and now was going back on it because he was afraid she'd steal the show? What a pu**y. He deserved what he was getting now. Besides, if Trump was seen as a failure, it would hurt the one she was expecting to be her biggest problem in the primary, Pence, and that was a bonus as well. But of course, this was a double-edged sword. If Trump failed too much, she had to reluctantly admit, a Republican winning in 2024 would be almost impossible. She believed in her ability to win against all odds by appearing as an independent star, but not with the country in tatters after the last Republican administration.

Nontheless, she tried to ignore all that noise. She had to run, in any case- with both Scott and Graham showing no signs of retiring, there was no other way for her to stay in the spotlight, and even if she failed to win the primary, she could run in 2028. It was a necessary gamble. And so, she slowly started gathering information, talking to donors, testing the waters to gain a headstart against her likely opponents. The polls conducted by the RNC and secured by her people were showing an unsurprising lead for Pence, but she could still build on that result:

Out of these candidates, who would you support in the Republican Presidential Primary?
Vice President Mike Pence (R-IN)- 31%
Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX)- 10%
Fmr. Ambassador Nikki Haley (R-SC)- 8%
Senator Tom Cotton (R-AR)- 7%
Senator Josh Hawley (R-MO)- 6%
Senator Rand Paul (R-KY)- 4%
Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL)- 4%
Senator Ben Sasse (R-NE)- 3%
Fmr. Gov. John Kasich (R-OH)- 3%
Fmr. Sen. Jeff Flake (R-AZ)- 2%
Secretary Rick Perry (R-TX)- 1%
Other\Undecided- 21%

[MycroftCZ]

Love it, love it, love it

[BuckeyeNut]

Gosh, I hope Portman goes down. He deserves it. "Independent voice for Ohio," my ass.

[America Needs R'hllor]

Betty

"Thank you! Thank you, my friends, my fellow Ohioans! Let's get out together tomorrow and vote to make our voices heard and show President Trump, and Senator Portman who never made one brave stand against him, that we-are-here! Now, let's give a warm welcome to a good friend of mine who also happens to be my boss, one of our state's best, Governor Richard Cordray!" To the sound of cheering, Lieutenant Governor and Senate nominee Betty Sutton descended from the stage and made a show of hugging and joking with the Governor on her way down.

"Thank you, Betty, it's a honour to speak here today," Rich proclaimed to the audience. "My friends, I want to join Betty here in asking you- come out to vote tomorrow! Let's show Senator Portman that the people of Ohio don't like all-talk-and-no-action Senators, and elect a true woman of the people to represent us! And, well, there's a certain Governor running for re-election..."

As the audience laughed at the jest and Richard kept speaking, the Lieutenant Governor smiled to herself. The midterms were just around the corner, tomorrow, in fact, and Democrats were feeling a wave building up in the air. They already had congressial majorities, of course, but soon... they'd have even larger ones. Republicans were scrambling to defend seats they thought safe, and popular incumbents were quickly losing popularity. Portman was just one of them, but he ran an admirable and strong campaign, which caused the race in Ohio to be considered amongst the closest in the nation, along with nations in much more Republican states like Louisiana and Kentucky:

Who will you vote for in the 2022 Ohio Senate race?
Senator Rob Portman*- 47.4%
Lieutenant Governor Betty Sutton- 46.6%
Undecided- 6.0%

And despite Portman's narrow lead, Betty was confident that she could pull it off- they could just feel the excitement in the air, the Democratic voters were ready to turn out in record numbers to reject President Trump's agenda for the second time. And then, after the midterms were done... it was on to 2024.

And the frontrunner for that race was right before her eyes, speaking on the stage. "Let's do this, my friends! Let's bring a bold, progressive vision for America, starting right here in Ohio!" He said in the most exciting voice he could muster, which admittedly wasn't that exciting. But it did the job- the crowd cheered. She wondered if it would be enough for the entire country.

[BuckeyeNut]

🙏🏻

[sverkol]

What about little Marco Rubio? How is he doing in the Florida 2022 senate polls? Is King José Javier Rodríguez his opponent?

[America Needs R'hllor]

What about little Marco Rubio? How is he doing in the Florida 2022 senate polls? Is King José Javier Rodríguez his opponent?

Who will you vote for in the 2022 Florida Senate race?
Senator Marco Rubio*- 47.5%
U.S. Rep. Stephanie Murphy- 47.3%
Undecided- 5.2%

[America Needs R'hllor]

Chuck

"We can still not call the Senate races in Indiana and Kentucky," Anderson Cooper said dramatically, "but it appears that Republican Senator Todd Young is currently leading in Indiana, while the race in Kentucky is especially close, with Democrat Andy Beshear very close behind Republican Senator Rand Paul..."

Chuck felt satisfied. He was obviously going to stay Senate Majority Leader, but even more importantly- he was going to have a much-extended majority. The 2022 midterms were looking very good for them and very bad for Republicans, and the results coming from Kentucky, a deep-red state, were a proof for that. They didn't even dream of ever toppling Rand Paul back in 2020, but now it looked more realistic than ever. Of course, if Rand fell, it'd probably bring at least some satisfaction to Cornyn, who sees him as a trouble-maker, but another seat for the Democrats was, nontheless, always good.

He was also quite excited for the next races- they netted top-quality recruits in virtually every contested state, and the Republicans would be hard-pressed to get lucky and win in all of them. In fact, their internal polling indicated that it was going to go the other way, with the Democrats being just much more enthusiastic.

"And as we reach the 7 P.M. poll closings, we can now call our first two races- incumbent Republican Tim Scott will keep his seat in South Carolina, and State Senator Tim Ashe, a Sanders-ally running as a Democrats, won the open Senate seat in Vermont which will be vacated by the retiring Patrick Leahy! We cannot, at the moment, call the races in Florida, Georgia and New Hampshire." So far unsurprising, Chuck thought- they didn't really try to challenge the popular Scott, and Ashe was guaranteed victory in Vermont. He hoped that the new progressive Senator won't cause too much trouble.

United States 2022 Senate Races Map

Florida U.S. Senate Election (2% Reporting)- TOO CLOSE TO CALL
U.S. Rep. Stephanie Murphy (D)- 56.8%
Senator Marco Rubio (R)*- 42.6%

Georgia U.S. Senate Election (3% Reporting)- TOO CLOSE TO CALL
U.S. Rep. Tom Graves (R)- 51.8%
Fmr. State Sen. Jason Carter (D)- 47.5%

Indiana U.S. Senate Election (21% Reporting)- TOO CLOSE TO CALL
Senator Todd Young (R)*- 49.8%
Mayor Thomas McDermott, Jr. (D)- 48.6%

Kentucky U.S. Senate Election (23% Reporting)- TOO CLOSE TO CALL
Attorney General Andy Beshear (D)- 49.3%
Senator Rand Paul (R)*- 49.2%

New Hampshire U.S. Senate Election (<1% Reporting)- TOO EARLY TO CALL
Senator Maggie Hassan (D)*- 64.7%
Fmr. Sen. Kelly Ayotte (R)- 34.1%

South Carolina U.S. Senate Election (3% Reporting)- REPUBLICAN HOLD
Senator Tim Scott (R)*- 59.5% ✓
Fmr. Director Rick Wade (D)- 39.9%

Vemront U.S. Senate Election (5% Reporting)- DEMOCRATIC HOLD
State Sen. Tim Ashe (D)- 63.4% ✓
Fmr. State Rep. John MacGovern (R)- 34.3%

[P. Clodius Pulcher did nothing wrong]

Holy shet

[MycroftCZ]

Go Beshear!!

[America Needs R'hllor]

Richard

The Governor of Ohio was excited tonight. The midterms looked like they were going just as well as he expected them to go, and it was particularly important for his future prospects. Not even to mention the fact that he looked likely to be reelected by a large margine. Indeed, they waited for Ohio's gubernatorial race to be called, very soon after the polls close. The Republicans didn't even bother to present a proper challenge against him, and sent Jim Renacci, who failed against Sherrod Brown back in 2018, after politicians like Jon Husted, Mary Taylor and Josh Mandel refused to join the race. And Republicans in Ohio poured most of their resources on defending their dear Senator, Rob Portman.

"Alright, folks, and now that the polls have closed in a number of states, we can make a few projections... or rather, non-projections. In the Ohio Gubernatorial race, we can right now say that it's too early to call the elction, while the Ohio Senate race between incumbent Republican Rob Portman and Democrat Betty Sutton, as well as the North Carolina Senate race for retiring Republican Richard Burr's seat between Republican Patrick McHenry and Democrat Jeff Jackson are too close to call right now. Tune in soon for a large batch of poll closings in 8 P.M."

So far, not surprising. No one expected Richard's race to be called right at the start, and of course the two Senate races would be too close to call. Betty's race particularly interested him- if she, his Lieutenant Governor, won it while he was reelected, it'd prove his effectiveness and popularity in Ohio. He would look like a winner, which would help come 2024, when the Democratic Presidential Primary, in which Rich was most likely going to be a candidate, is held.

Initially, he didn't really want to run for President. It wasn't in his blood, all this vicious politicking. But when Kirsten chose him as running mate and lost, he started rethinking. Quickly enough, people started pressuring him, encouraging him to run. He'd be a clear frontrunner, they said. He'd get support from Progressives like Warren and Merkley, who were unlikely to run again, and from establishment figures as well. He'd clear up the field and win, and then he'd become a President by a landslide. It was a image, Rich had to admit, and he also had to admit that it was possible. Of course, he wan't under the illusion that the election would be that easy, but there was no denying that he had everything going for him. He just hoped that Betty would win tonight, or the optics would be bad.

The anchor's voice from the TV startled him from his thoughts. "And now, with poll closings in many new states, we can already call a few Senate races. In Alabama, we can say for certain that Republican Bradley Byrne was elected to the seat of retiring Senator Richard Shelby, while incumbent Republicans James Lankford, John Thune, John Hoeven and Jerry Moran have been reelected in, respectively, Oklahoma, South Dakota, North Dakota and Kansas. Meanwhile, a bunch of incumbent Democrats have been reelected- Tammy Duckworth in Illinois, Chris Van Hollen in Maryland and Richard Blumenthal in Connecticut. The Senate race in Pennsylvania is currently too close to call, while in Missouri, where conservative vote is deeply split between Republican nominee Courtland Sykes and Libertarian 2020 Presidential nominee Austin Petersen, the race is too early to call, but Democrats see it as a very likely pickup. And we can also make another important call- Senator Maggie Hassan was comfortably reelected in New Hampshire. This is astonishing, considering that Former Senator Kelly Ayotte was regarded as a top-quality recruit by Republicans and was thought likely to make this race competitive." Richard Cordray smiled. This was, indeed, looking like a great night to be a Democrat, especially one running for President in 2024.

United States 2022 Senate Races Map

Alabama U.S. Senate Election (6% Reporting)- REPUBLICAN HOLD
U.S. Rep. Bradley Byrne (R)- 55.3% ✓
Fmr. Chief Justice Sue Bell Cobb (D)- 43.8%

Connecticut U.S. Senate Election (9% Reporting)- DEMOCRATIC HOLD
Senator Richard Blumenthal (D)*- 53.2% ✓
State Sen. Tony Hwang (R)- 46.5%

Florida U.S. Senate Election (27% Reporting)- TOO CLOSE TO CALL
U.S. Rep. Stephanie Murphy (D)- 49.9%
Senator Marco Rubio (R)*- 48.9%

Georgia U.S. Senate Election (30% Reporting)- TOO CLOSE TO CALL
U.S. Rep. Tom Graves (R)- 50.4%
Fmr. State Sen. Jason Carter (D)- 48.8%

Illinois U.S. Senate Election (6% Reporting)- DEMOCRATIC HOLD
Senator Tammy Duckworth (D)*- 59.0% ✓
Fmr. State Rep. Jeanne Ives (R)- 39.5%

Indiana U.S. Senate Election (42% Reporting)- TOO CLOSE TO CALL
Senator Todd Young (R)*- 50.4%
Mayor Thomas McDermott, Jr. (D)- 48.5%

Kansas U.S. Senate Election (4% Reporting)- REPUBLICAN HOLD
Senator Jerry Moran (R)*- 56.8% ✓
Fmr. Mayor Joe Reardon (D)- 42.7%

Kentucky U.S. Senate Election (43% Reporting)- TOO CLOSE TO CALL
Attorney General Andy Beshear (D)- 49.8%
Senator Rand Paul (R)*- 49.2%

Maryland U.S. Senate Election (8% Reporting)- DEMOCRATIC HOLD
Senator Chris Van Hollen (D)*- 61.9% ✓
State Sen. Edward R. Reilly (R)- 37.7%

Missouri U.S. Senate Election (5% Reporting)- TOO EARLY TO CALL
State Auditor Nicole Galloway (D)- 43.6%
Businessman Austin Petersen (L)- 30.1%
State Rep. Courtland Sykes (R)- 26.2%

New Hampshire U.S. Senate Election (13% Reporting)- DEMOCRATIC HOLD
Senator Maggie Hassan (D)*- 56.3% ✓
Fmr. Sen. Kelly Ayotte (R)- 42.8%

North Carolina U.S. Senate Election (15% Reporting)- TOO CLOSE TO CALL
State Sen. Jeff Jackson (D)- 51.8%
U.S. Rep. Patrick McHenry (R)- 47.8%

North Dakota U.S. Senate Election (2% Reporting)- REPUBLICAN HOLD
Senator John Hoeven (R)*- 60.2% ✓
Fmr. State Sen. Tracy Potter (D)- 39.4%

Ohio U.S. Senate Election (14% Reporting)- TOO CLOSE TO CALL
Lt. Gov. Betty Sutton (D)- 50.6%
Senator Rob Portman (R)*- 49.0%

Oklahoma U.S. Senate Election (6% Reporting)- REPUBLICAN HOLD
Senator James Lankford (R)*- 61.0% ✓
Fmr. State Sen. Kenneth Corn (D)- 38.7%

Pennsylvania U.S. Senate Election (4% Reporting)- TOO CLOSE TO CALL
Attorney General Josh Shapiro (D)- 54.2%
Fmr. Lt. Gov. Jim Cawley (R)- 45.5%

South Dakota U.S. Senate Election (3% Reporting)- REPUBLICAN HOLD
Senator John Thune (R)*- 62.4% ✓
Fmr. Mayor Mike Huether (D)- 37.0%

NOTE: In states I call right at poll closing, treat the early margin as close to the final one. For example, in Connecticut Blumenthal faced a surprisingly strong challenge, while Duckworth easily dispatched Ives in Illinois. And, yes, Hassan stomped Ayotte by double digits in the rematch.

ANOTHER NOTE: I've changed the results for the Nebraska and Kansas Gubernatorial elections in 2018 to account for a few changes:

Kansas Gubernatorial Election: DEMOCRATIC GAIN
Sec. of Agriculture Josh Svaty (D)- 42.7% ✓
Sec. of State Kris Kobach (R)- 36.9%
Businessman Greg Orman (I)- 20.3%

Nebraska Gubernatorial Election: DEMOCRATIC GAIN
State Senator Bob Krist (D)- 49.6% ✓
Governor Pete Ricketts (R)*- 49.1%

That means that Dems have 27 Governorships after 2018, and 28 following the 2020 election (where they gained IN and MO and lost MT). Sorry, independents!

[America Needs R'hllor]

Pete

"And as the 9 P.M. hour arrives at the east coast and the polls close in a bunch of more states, we can make a few more calls. In New York, Democratic Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer won reelection handily, while in Colorado, Democratic incumbent Michael Bennett has also won reelection, with Republicans barely making an effort to challenge him. The Senate races in Arizona, Louisiana and Wisconsin are too close to call. Additionally, after a little scare for Republicans when we were unable to call the race after the polls closed half a hour ago, we can call the Arkansas Senate race for Republican incumbent John Boozman."

The Indiana Governor was so busy these days, working on his infrastructure bill and on the high tech industry reform, that he barely found time to sit down and watch the results of the midterms. But so far, it was totally worth it, like watching a movie with a good ending. The Democrats were in for a clearly historic night- as returns were coming from more and more states, the folks at the national party started talking about gaining 12, 13, 15 seats. They were almost guaranteed a fillibuster-proof majority, and some activists were even dreaming of a veto-proof one, 67 seats in the Senate and 290 in the House, but that was clearly not going to happen.

The only cavaet for Pete- his own favorite candidate, Mayor McDermott, seemed to be losing the Indiana Senate race to Todd Young. Pete tried to help finding a better recruit, but concentrated most of his energy on gubernatorial duties, so it slipped out of his hand. Now, they were telling him that this was a mistake- while Cordray in Ohio got his Lieutenant Governor to run for Senate and seemed likely to achieve victory on that front, Pete was probably not going to gain a loyal Hoosier in the Senate. Why did it matter? Why, the reason was the one that seemed to be on the mind of every halfway-popular Democrat these days- 2024.

And just then, he got a Whatsapp message. Unsurprisingly, it was Governor Kander. Unfourtunate Thomas is losing IN. But dw, we've got this. It won't have much of an effect. Pete smiled- ever since that phone call two years ago, Jason has been his biggest ally ahead of the next election, right next to the more unsurprising ones like Senator Donnelly from his homestate, along with Senator Baldwin, Governor Polis and other LGBTQ Democrats. He texted back: Yeah. What matters is we're having a wonderful night. More than 60 seats... who would've thought?

Of course, Pete still hasn't decided that he was going to run, but seeing the election today, and seeing all the activists encouraging him, he leaned increasingly in that direction. If he could become President with more than a 60-vote majority in the Senate... he would be able to bring change, real change. He didn't want to miss the chance. I guess I'll see if we really do as well as expected tonight.

His thoughts were interrupted by Anderson Cooper. "And we have two big calls to make right now, our first major calls of the night. In Missouri, Democrat Nicole Galloway has won the race for the Senate seat vacated by the retiring Republican Roy Blunt, a gain for the Democrats, while in Indiana, popular Republican incumbent Todd Young managed to hold onto the seat, an important win for Republicans." Pete felt some disappointment from the call- he liked Thomas- but he already knew that it was going that way. He just hoped that it was not a sign for a worse-than-expected night.

United States 2022 Senate Races Map

Arizona U.S. Senate Election (9% Reporting)- TOO CLOSE TO CALL
U.S. Rep. Ruben Gallego (D)- 51.5%
Fmr. U.S. Rep. David Schweikert (R)- 48.2%

Arkansas U.S. Senate Election (27% Reporting)- REPUBLICAN HOLD
Senator John Boozman (R)*- 53.8% ✓
Fmr. Chief Justice Sue Bell Cobb (D)- 43.8%

Colorado U.S. Senate Election (10% Reporting)- DEMOCRATIC HOLD
Senator Michael Bennett (D)*- 57.9% ✓
Fmr. State Rep. Victor Mitchell(R)- 41.7%

Florida U.S. Senate Election (51% Reporting)- TOO CLOSE TO CALL
U.S. Rep. Stephanie Murphy (D)- 50.4%
Senator Marco Rubio (R)*- 48.5%

Georgia U.S. Senate Election (54% Reporting)- TOO CLOSE TO CALL
Fmr. State Sen. Jason Carter (D)- 49.7%
U.S. Rep. Tom Graves (R)- 49.5%

Indiana U.S. Senate Election (71% Reporting)- REPUBLICAN HOLD
Senator Todd Young (R)*- 50.5% ✓
Mayor Thomas McDermott, Jr. (D)- 48.7%

Kentucky U.S. Senate Election (69% Reporting)- TOO CLOSE TO CALL
Senator Rand Paul (R)*- 49.7%
Attorney General Andy Beshear (D)- 49.6%

Louisiana U.S. Senate Election (12% Reporting)- TOO CLOSE TO CALL
Governor John Bel Edwards (D)- 51.0%
Senator John Neely Kennedy (R)*- 46.9%

Missouri U.S. Senate Election (38% Reporting)- DEMOCRATIC GAIN
Aydutir Nicole Galloway (D)- 45.9% ✓
Businessman Austin Petersen (L)- 29.3%
State Rep. Courtland Sykes (R)- 25.0%

New York U.S. Senate Election (10% Reporting)- DEMOCRATIC HOLD
Senator Chuck Schumer (D)*- 71.2% ✓
Fmr. Commissioner Joseph Holland (R)- 26.4%

North Carolina U.S. Senate Election (48% Reporting)- TOO CLOSE TO CALL
State Sen. Jeff Jackson (D)- 51.1%
U.S. Rep. Patrick McHenry (R)- 48.6%

Ohio U.S. Senate Election (49% Reporting)- TOO CLOSE TO CALL
Lt. Gov. Betty Sutton (D)- 49.8%
Senator Rob Portman (R)*- 49.5%

Pennsylvania U.S. Senate Election (37% Reporting)- TOO CLOSE TO CALL
Attorney General Josh Shapiro (D)- 53.6%
Fmr. Lt. Gov. Jim Cawley (R)- 46.2%

Wisconsin U.S. Senate Election (12% Reporting)- TOO CLOSE TO CALL
U.S. Rep. Ron Kind (D)- 53.9%
Fmr. U.S. Rep. Sean Duffy (R)- 45.7%

Note: I changed two races. Richard Burr promised to retire in NC, so Rep. McHenry is running to replace him as a Republican, while Toomey will also retire in this TL due to very bad odds for him and Cawley won the Republican nomination. Ron Johnson also retired, and Roy Blunt as you already know.

[America Needs R'hllor]

Mike

Mike wasn't having the best night, to say the least.

Sure, they expected it to be bad. They even thought it could be worse. But this was approaching worst levels. They won Indiana, sure, but almost everywhere else it looked pretty bad. They didn't call most of the races yet, but as the prescint reporting reached critical levels, they braced for a shower of unpleasant calls.

"As the polls close in a few states now, folks ,we can make a few calls." Mike checked his watch as the TV startled him. 10 P.M... it's getting late. Sean Hannity kept announcing the results. "In Idaho, Republican Mike Crapo won reelection, while in Utah Republican Mike Lee also won reelection. As for the bad news, we can call the Nevada Senate race for incumbent Catherine Cortez Masto... at poll closing. The Republicans didn't really try with this seat, just like in Colorado. Lastly, the Senate race in Iowa is too close to call right now. And... and we're getting news that we can now call the Senate race in Pennsylvania, for retiring Republican Pat Toomey's seat. Democratic State Attorney General Josh Shapiro has won the race. This is a gain for Democrats."

As they listened to the Fox anchors discussing the results in grim voices, the woman sitting beside him (his wife, of course, Mike would never breath the same oxygen that a different woman breathed) looked just as tense and disappointed as him.

It wasn't that they cared much for Trump- no, none of them liked him too much. They cared about their own future, and if Trump was perceived as that much of a failure, Mike would have a slim chance to win in 2024. It was going to be a tough race- first he'd have to win what was sure to be a hard primary, and then he'd have to win an even harder general election. But as they showed in 2020 and, to a larger extent, in 2016, it was always possible, so Mike owed it to himself to run. He contemplated running back in 2016, but decided that the chances were too low, and now he had a much better chance. He was also not getting younger, already 63 years old, and to be 65 by the time of the 2024 election.

As he sat there, deep in thought, Fox News startled him with their "major call" theme. He looked at the screen tensely, waiting to see where the lot would fall.

"We can now, unfourtunately, call a major race. In North Carolina, Democrat Jeff Jackson, a rising star from the state legisleture, has won the race to succeed retiring Republican Richard Burr. This is another gain for Democrats, and definitely good news for th... Oh, god. We've just received news that there's another call we can make. We can say for certain now that Florida Senator Marco Rubio, a big name in the list for the 2024 Presidential election, has lost his reelection bid to Democratic Representative Stephanie Murphy. This is a major, major call, and very bad news for Republicans." Mike stared at the map with shock. They knew that this was a possibility, but... Marco losing reelection? With this call, the reality hit them like a hammer in the face. It was a truly disastrous night.

United States 2022 Senate Races Map

Arizona U.S. Senate Election (28% Reporting)- TOO CLOSE TO CALL
U.S. Rep. Ruben Gallego (D)- 50.9%
Fmr. U.S. Rep. David Schweikert (R)- 48.6%

Florida U.S. Senate Election (75% Reporting)- DEMOCRATIC GAIN
U.S. Rep. Stephanie Murphy (D)- 51.2% ✓
Senator Marco Rubio (R)*- 48.2%

Georgia U.S. Senate Election (77% Reporting)- TOO CLOSE TO CALL
Fmr. State Sen. Jason Carter (D)- 50.0%
U.S. Rep. Tom Graves (R)- 49.4%

Idaho U.S. Senate Election (6% Reporting)- REPUBLICAN HOLD
Senator Mike Crapo (R)*- 62.8% ✓
Fmr. U.S. Rep. Larry LaRocco (D)- 36.9%

Iowa U.S. Senate Election (15% Reporting)- TOO CLOSE TO CALL
U.S. Rep. Abby Finkenauer (D)- 51.1%
State Rep. Pat Grassley (R)- 48.5%

Kentucky U.S. Senate Election (87% Reporting)- TOO CLOSE TO CALL
Attorney General Andy Beshear (D)- 49.8%
Senator Rand Paul (R)*- 49.6%

Louisiana U.S. Senate Election (34% Reporting)- TOO CLOSE TO CALL
Governor John Bel Edwards (D)- 50.6%
Senator John Neely Kennedy (R)*- 47.5%

Nevada U.S. Senate Election (13% Reporting)- DEMOCRATIC HOLD
Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D)*- 55.9% ✓
Fmr. Assemblywoman Sharron Angle (R)- 41.5%

North Carolina U.S. Senate Election (66% Reporting)- DEMOCRATIC GAIN
State Sen. Jeff Jackson (D)- 52.8% ✓
U.S. Rep. Patrick McHenry (R)- 46.9%

Ohio U.S. Senate Election (65% Reporting)- TOO CLOSE TO CALL
Lt. Gov. Betty Sutton (D)- 50.3%
Senator Rob Portman (R)*- 49.4%

Pennsylvania U.S. Senate Election (53% Reporting)- DEMOCRATIC GAIN
Attorney General Josh Shapiro (D)- 54.4% ✓
Fmr. Lt. Gov. Jim Cawley (R)- 45.4%

Utah U.S. Senate Election (9% Reporting)- REPUBLICAN HOLD
Senator Mike Lee (R)*- 65.1% ✓
Attorney Doug Owens (D)- 33.6%

Wisconsin U.S. Senate Election (31% Reporting)- TOO CLOSE TO CALL
U.S. Rep. Ron Kind (D)- 52.3%
Fmr. U.S. Rep. Sean Duffy (R)- 46.7%

[GM Team Member and Senator WB]

:DUSA: