2024 - A Blank Canvas

[2016]

Looks like DeSantis has regained the Momentum and that Default & War certainly did not help Harris.

The unknown is Andrew Yang which will make a lot of States a lot closer on both Sides.

If DeSantis wins it is my hope that he commits selecting 50 % of his Cabinet with Women.

[SaintStan86]

With two weeks to go and many states either conducting early voting or now taking in absentee and mail-in ballots (looking at you, Oregon!), here is where the presidential contest stands on October 21, 2024...

With the controversy surrounding the infamous anti-Republican ad aired during the kickoff game of the NFL season having died down and with Gov. Ron DeSantis having stabilized his support, not to mention the recent troublesome reports on the national debt and defense spending bloat, the map has stabilized in the Florida Governor's favor as Vice President Kamala Harris now also has to deal with the emergence of Forward nominee Andrew Yang as a factor in her presidential campaign struggles. In many states, Yang has been polling as much as 11 percent of the vote (in Maine), which explains the sudden toss-up status of that state (with Harris's poor performance in the more rural 2nd District based in Bangor not helping matters either). Yang is also polling nine percent of the vote in Vermont, where Harris's lead has been cut down to single digits - 47 percent to 37 percent for DeSantis - an unusual number given DeSantis's conservative record that otherwise would have been frowned upon in the traditionally liberal state (though before 1992, Vermont long held out as a progressive Yankee Republican bastion and has not voted for a Republican presidential candidate since George H.W. Bush in 1988, which was also the last year that Vermont elected at least one Republican to both houses in Congress).

Elsewhere on the map, Nevada, Georgia and Arizona have since reverted back to their status as swing states after tilting towards Harris following the first debate. Minnesota, Michigan and Wisconsin remain tilting battlegrounds, with the latter now tilting towards DeSantis, while DeSantis has regained his edge in Ohio and Illinois has suddenly become a potential sleeper battleground with DeSantis polling strongly in downstate Illinois and narrowly leading in Chicago's suburban collar counties. Virginia has also become a battleground, with DeSantis dominating much of the Appalachian and Shenandoah valleys, gaining the upper hand in the Hampton Roads and Richmond metro areas and also now trailing Harris by only single digits in exurban Northern Virginia's Loudoun and Prince William counties. Texas has now clearly moved firmly into DeSantis territory despite millions of dollars being poured into advertising efforts in the state by Democratic donors and super PACs, with both suburban voters in the Texas Triangle between DFW, Houston and the corridor between Austin and San Antonio and Tejano Hispanics along the Rio Grande from Del Rio to Brownsville moving strongly in the GOP's direction, with many polls now pointing to a Republican sweep of the state's five "fajita strip" districts (CDs 15, 23, 27, 28 and 34), which also stretch as far north as San Antonio, Victoria and Corpus Christi, in the latter.

Even states and regions that have long been viewed as favorable to Democrats have started to crack. In the tri-state area surrounding New York City as well as the Delaware Valley around Philadelphia, DeSantis now generally trails Harris by single digits or ties altogether, with Yang posting single digit numbers above the margin of error and/or the difference between the two major party candidates. Colorado and New Mexico have also moved back into competitive territory but still favoring Harris, while Washington and Oregon - two states that have not gone Republican since Ronald Reagan's 1984 landslide - now see Harris leading by only single digits with DeSantis polling over 50 percent east of the Cascades in both states. Even California is no longer considered a lock for the Vice President, as the Vice President's home state is becoming increasingly competitive in Southern California, where DeSantis has opened up a lead in Orange County and is virtually tied in San Diego and the Inland Empire.

While the presidential race certainly remains a tossup with neither candidate at the 270 mark, Harris will have to put on a masterful performance at the next debate and regain the momentum in the closing days to become the nation's first Madam President, and hope for the hoopla surrounding Yang's campaign to die down as well. But with many swing voters being motivated more so by the recent news surrounding the still-mediocre economy, the nation's unstable credit future and issues with the military, time is running out for Harris to make a comeback.

The Senate, meanwhile, clearly has started to move in one particular direction, with the damning reports from last week being a clear influence...

In the most notable change, Arizona is now a tossup with polling showing a dueling battle between Schweikert and Sinema, as Schweikert has more or less coalesced as much of the Republican electorate as possible. However, Sinema's camp insists that momentum "has started to flip back in our favor" following a series of "devastating" ads just released highlighting Schweikert's recent ethical lapses, including backdoor criticism from former rival Rep. Paul Gosar in which Gosar called Schweikert "a son of a b***h who can't change his own underwear" during an interview with a local radio station; Gosar condemned the ad as "divisive" and blasted Sinema for "attempting to cover herself in stealing this seat from the GOP", as well as The Arizona Republic (which endorsed Sinema citing the Senator's "bipartisan voting record" as well as Schweikert's aforementioned ethical troubles).

Tossup races also remain in Vermont, where a three-way power struggle remains between Democrat T.J. Donovan, Republican Brian Dubie and Vermont Progressive Party candidate David Zuckerman, and in Montana, where Sen. Jon Tester has struggled to keep up with Rep. Matt Rosendale in the fundraising department despite being endorsed by virtually every newspaper across the state and garnering a very bipartisan voting record in his three terms serving as the state's senior Senator. New Jersey has also become a tossup with many of the most recent polls vacillating between narrow leads for both Sen. Bob Menendez and GOP challenger Dr. Mehmet Öz, as has Virginia where most recent polls have indicated a virtual tie between Sen. Tim Kaine and GOP rival Jill Vogel. Nebraska and Indiana continue to have fairly competitive GOP Senate races, but Harris's weak polling numbers have dragged down the Democratic ticket in both states. Ohio and Pennsylvania both continue to tilt in favor of Democratic incumbents Sherrod Brown and Bob Casey Jr., though recent polls have indicated a virtual tie with their respective Republican challengers, House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan and Dave McCormick.

Other notable shifts include Minnesota, where a recent poll by the Star Tribune has Republican Michele Tafoya with a one-point lead over DFL Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan; Michigan, where the three most recent polls between former Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and current Rep. John James were virtually tied; Maine, which is also now a tossup with State Sen. Rick Bennett now taking a narrow lead over Rep. Chellie Pingree in the most recent poll; New Mexico, where Sen. Martin Heinrich has been trailing GOP challenger Mark Ronchetti in the latest fundraising reports; and Delaware, where businessman and family political scion Ben duPont is now virtually tied with Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester in a recent poll conducted by the Trafalgar Group, though the race remains the latter's to lose giving its traditional blue leanings and aggressive campaigning by the Biden political machine. Washington and Wisconsin continue to be races to lose for the Democrats, but the latter state remains a virtual tossup.

Elsewhere on the Senate map, Florida remains somewhat competitive as the Democrats' ad barrage has reduced Sen. Rick Scott's lead over former Rep. Stephanie Murphy to just above the margin of error, while in Missouri, Sen. Josh Hawley continues to be dogged by both his lingering residency issues as well as his role in former President Donald Trump's attempts to overturn the 2020 election, though few if any polls show a virtual tie with Democratic challenger Nicole Galloway let alone a lead for the latter. Texas has shifted in favor of Rep. Dan Crenshaw in recent weeks, following a robust fundraising report where Crenshaw outraised his Democratic rival, former HUD Secretary Julián Castro, by a nearly 2-1 margin, and also benefited from a devastating ad campaign linking Castro to La Raza Unida, a left-wing political movement his mother Rosie Castro played a key role in during the 1970s, in which the announcer branded Castro a "racist" for "being raised in a household that advocated white genocide"; Crenshaw's campaign had no involvement in this ad which it condemned as "divisive" and "polarizing".

As for the all-Republican runoff in California, Speaker Kevin McCarthy continues to maintain a sizable lead over former Ambassador Ric Grenell in most polling, in addition to also dominating almost every newspaper endorsement across the state, while Grenell continues to rack up endorsements from conservative groups and politicians including fellow Californians Tucker Carlson and Ben Shapiro. Despite concerns that the lack of a Democratic candidate would potentially result in a large undervote that might potentially throw the Senate race into doubt, 80 percent of Democrats have indicated that they intend to vote in the Senate race, with many preferring to pick a "lesser of two evils" or "whichever Republican is the most extreme" depending on the approach, though a notable contingent of pro-Grenell voters has emerged amongst some in the LGBTQ+ community seeking to elevate Grenell as the state's first openly gay Senator.

It is now Thursday, October 24th. After a week of vigorous rallies across the nation, multiple early voting drives, and a slew of forums involving the presidential candidates and those from other races, Ron DeSantis and Kamala Harris are once again joined by Andrew Yang on the debate stage, this time in Reno, Nevada...

Source: Wikimedia Commons Author: NevadaMarCom/Jeff Dow Photography

The campus of the University of Nevada in Reno, Nevada, site of the third presidential debate held on October 24, 2024 at the E.L. Wiegand Fitness Center, shown on the right.

The debate format is a modified Lincoln-Douglas debate format centered on twelve questions selected by a panel of University of Nevada professors and think tank consultants, with each of the candidates starting off four each with their affirmative (or predetermined) case, a negative (or opposing) case provided by each of the other candidates, and only one affirmative rebuttal instead of two. The questions primarily deal with foreign policy with a few focused on other topics as well. Like the second debate, the networks' coverage stretches across all three primetime hours with each of the questions broken down accordingly:

• Affirmative Constructive: The first - or affirmative - candidate asked gets 2 minutes.
• Cross Examination: Each opposing - or negative - candidate gives a question with 45 seconds for the affirmative to answer; each question must be answered before the next question is asked. 2 minutes total.
• Negative Constructive: Each opposing candidate gives a negative one-minute rebuttal before moving on to address the affirmative. 2 minutes total.
• Cross Examination: The affirmative gives a 15-second question to each negative with the next question not asked until the previous question is answered by each negative for approximately 45 seconds. 2 minutes total.
• Affirmative Rebuttal: The affirmative has two minutes to summarize both their response and the negative response(s), and must make their response final with no new evidence provided except to make a conclusive case for their argument. 2 minutes.

Each question is expected to last a total of ten minutes each, with a total of 120 minutes for twelve questions. Each candidate will be afforded two minutes each for an opening statement and three for a closing statement. The total debate, which begins at 8:15 PM ET, is expected to last at least 135 minutes.

While there were a number of notable turns in the debate, one question in particular stood out when brought up by moderator and CBS News Chief Washington Correspondent Major Garrett...

MAJOR GARRETT: On to the next affirmative now, this one concerning the role of U.S. policy towards China and the threat of a nuclear war, from Vice President Harris. The questioner's affirmative is that a peace treaty or agreement with China may be necessary to stave off a potential nuclear attack or cyberattack against the United States, with no guarantee that it will prevent the outsourcing of jobs from the United States or avoid aggression towards Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan. Explain, Madam Vice President...

KAMALA HARRIS: I have no doubt that America has challenges when it comes to competing with China on the global stage, and of course we must be aware of our trade deficit when it comes to ensuring that good-paying American jobs are not impacted in any deal we negotiate with China. We do feel for those who feel impacted by the outsourcing of their lower-skilled jobs to other countries, and have emphasized efforts to counter the continued bleed of these manufacturing jobs to other countries with incentives, like what was accomplished in Ohio to grow the semiconductor industry there with thousands of good-paying jobs that also protect our intellectual property and our manufacturing base at the same time.

But as far as preventing companies from outsourcing jobs to China, we must recognize that there are many concerns that must be addressed. If we were to simply demand that China fall in line with our demands to not negatively affect our jobs at home or risk a drawn-out trade war where companies who refuse to follow our demands are threatened with punitive losses, that move does not come without consequences, whether in the form of higher prices for retail goods, a potential invasion of autonomous regions like Hong Kong or Taiwan, or even a worst-case nuclear attack if we were to impose tariffs so punitive that any hope of an equitable treaty that benefits both sides is impossible.

To that extent, it is not worth risking humanity by choosing to be aggressive with President Xi. Therefore, it is unconscionable to risk nuclear war by bullying around a known bully who only knows brute force. Which is why we must pursue peace, likely in the form of a treaty, to ensure a level playing field between both sides. And if a company decides to abandon our shores thinking it will give them profits, then we will respond with an exit tax that can then be used to reward companies who wish to do business in America with incentives and benefits to create millions of good-paying jobs right here at home. We must learn to accept sometimes it's better to lose jobs if it only leads to something better that does not risk endangering our economy or the human race.

MAJOR GARRETT: OK, time expired, Madam Vice President. Mr. Yang...

ANDREW YANG: What about the threat of our intellectual property being stolen, Madame Vice President? Do keep in mind that there are thousands of Americans who see this happen to them under their feet. Does that not faze you enough? Or is peace your only mission?

KAMALA HARRIS: Well I do understand, Mr. Yang, about the concerns people have with intellectual property being stolen. That is why my proposal for protecting our American interests with China starts with increasing penalties for those who knowingly take an American patent without due process. I totally get the concerns that some have about their trade secrets being stolen, I totally get those concerns. But we must also understand that there are hurdles that we must deal with in dealing with property stolen from American inventors, and because China is going to be a ruthless bully, we must ask ourselves if it's worth the cost of something worse happening to us down the line. Remember that the last thing we need is another pointless war where our soldiers and weaponry are left to chance.

MAJOR GARRETT: Time expired. Gov. DeSantis...

RON DESANTIS: You cannot really be serious, can you, Madame Vice President? If China is to be viewed as our friend, then why are we intent on simply giving them the company store? What makes you assume that Americans will simply start fresh a new entity if the entity in question departs for China?

How does Kamala respond, and what do Gov. DeSantis and Andrew Yang have to say? Find out on the next episode of As the World (or rather, The Election) Turns...

[SaintStan86]

The candidates are at the University of Nevada in Reno in the final presidential debate of 2024. Kamala Harris has stressed peace in dealing with China, but her rivals beg to differ. Ron DeSantis, obviously, isn't impressed...

RON DESANTIS: You cannot really be serious, can you, Madame Vice President? If China is to be viewed as our friend, then why are we intent on simply giving them the company store? What makes you assume that Americans will simply start fresh a new entity if the entity in question departs for China?

KAMALA HARRIS: Well Governor, I do think it's wrong that companies would choose to do business with China. I think it's very important that American companies focus on creating American jobs and hire American workers. That's the American ideal. But if a company decides after all that it's better for that company to make money elsewhere, then simply that company is less American to us. What more do you want? To reclaim those jobs by force? Last I checked, if we try to force a multinational to do what we want and the other country gets angry, I'm concerned about a potential wipeout that could be deadly and destructive to our collective will. If you claim to be for free markets, then find a company who's willing to make it in America without fail. That's better than going to war or risking humanity.

MAJOR GARRETT: Time expired. Governor, Mr. Yang, how do y'all respond, starting with Gov. DeSantis?

RON DeSANTIS: My fellow Americans, what you just witnessed was not an olive branch, but rather a white flag to our greatest foreign threat with regards to our economy and the Republic for which we stand, if we can keep it. If Kamala Harris thinks she can wish away a war with China by simply giving them everything without a fight, whether it's our intellectual property, our manufacturing prowess, our collective national pride, then she's going to be in for a very rude awakening because that is the slip our enemies need to not fear our country. We are definitely a country that believes in free trade, but it must work to the benefit of both sides and not just one. If we're going to avoid a reckless war with China, we need to approach the matter from a source of strength and not a mere game of kum-bah-yah like Kamala Harris wants.

MAJOR GARRETT: Time. Mr. Yang?

ANDREW YANG: I have no doubt that China has great potential to be our ally, and Donald Trump was certainly wrong to approach the matter of our trade and manufacturing deficits with rank aggression, thinking he's a lion when he's really more like a hyena. All things said, our American trade secrets should never be left to chance by aggressors from a rogue nation whose values are exactly opposite ours. We must learn to fight the battle in terms of developing technology, in terms of defending our shared interests. It also matters that Hong Kong and Taiwan are given the autonomy to thrive as independent nations, free of interference from the Chinese government, and it's fair to say that the Biden administration hasn't exactly delivered on its promises. It's hard to imagine Kamala Harris being any different.

MAJOR GARRETT: Thank you, candidates. (continues with question)

October 24, 2024
FINAL DEBATE HELD IN NEVADA AS DeSANTIS, YANG DING HARRIS OVER CHINA
Thursday night proved to be more dramatic than a soap opera cliffhanger for three of the leading presidential candidates as Vice President Kamala Harris, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Forward nominee Andrew Yang met in their final debate before next month's election with less than two weeks to go before the votes are counted. Moderated by CBS News Chief Washington Correspondent Major Garrett on the campus of the University of Nevada in Reno, Nev., the final debate - which like past debates emphasized foreign policy - took on a whole new format as it adopted a modified version of a Lincoln-Douglas debate designed for the presidential race, and further modified to accommodate late-surging third party candidate Yang, who has generally pulled from supporters in both parties but more recently has seen his support more lopsidedly come at the expense of the Vice President.

As expected, the debate centered on various topics of interest with regards to national security, foreign policy and related issues such as trade. For instance, DeSantis argued that the costs of pulling out of Afghanistan with few if any guarantees that a civil war involving the Taliban can be avoided "have proven to be too great" and chastised the Vice President for "simply going along with a failed narrative that has proven to be of no benefit to our country or our military". Harris, meanwhile, defended President Biden's decision to leave Afghanistan, calling it "a difficult but necessary move to quietly end our involvement in a war that Americans did not ask to continue long after Osama bin Laden was captured", noting that the War on Terror "should have ended" when bin Laden was captured and taken out by a U.S. Navy SEAL team in 2011. Yang called on an "end to forever wars", while also agreeing with DeSantis on the need to have "some forces left behind to ensure that vulnerable populations like women and children can have their rights protected".

DeSantis stood out as a critic of "excess involvement" by international entities such as the NATO, the European Union and the UN, arguing that "doing what's right for America does not necessitate going along with whatever interventionist solution is deemed best for America's interests", without regards to whether or not the U.S. has any such obligations to a particular country: "No doubt that what Ukraine has been doing has been quite phenomenal against a rank aggressor like Russia, but if we don't have direct foreign obligations with them, then what are we really defending?" Harris responded by arguing that "when a democratically controlled country like Ukraine is facing a threat from a dictatorship like Russia, the last thing we need to be doing is just sitting there pretending like we shouldn't have to worry about an ally being bullied off the map", while Yang argued that "some international involvement in countries who share our values may actually work to our benefit" (though without giving specifics regarding how he would have handled Ukraine.

The modified format for the debate involved Garrett relaying questions selected by a panel of experts mostly linked to the University of Nevada and associated think tanks, all acknowledged as "being the choice of the panel via the candidates' responses and not my own" per Garrett's words, and involved the questioned candidate giving the "affirmative" - or original - response with their opponents giving rebuttals in "the negative". While the aforementioned debate question pool certainly focused on foreign policy matters, a few domestic questions also were worked into the debate. For example, Yang defended his "universal basic income" proposal that was effectively derided by his opponents, but found agreement on the use of cryptocurrency as a "hedge against inflation and future economic shocks"; DeSantis also called for a "forensic audit of the Federal Reserve", while Harris stressed the importance of using variable interest rates for high-risk securities as "a hedge against potential threats to our bond ratings". Harris's rivals did take issue with the Vice President's "coziness with hedge fund managers in shaping monetary policy", which Yang described as "vulture capitalism disguised as 'helping the people'".

However, the turning point for the final debate - and perhaps most significant of all the questions - centered on Harris's argument that a "peace treaty" with China would be preferable to the sort of "peace through strength" strategy favored by DeSantis (and which was used by former President Donald Trump) in dealing with the country's trade deficit with the Middle Kingdom. Harris responded by arguing that it was "not worth risking humanity by choosing to be aggressive with President Xi" with regards to protecting America's economic interests. While Harris attempted to argue in favor of a "peaceful" solution to the country's trade and manufacturing deficit with China that did not risk the threat of a nuclear war or invasion of Hong Kong or Taiwan, the response was met with criticism from DeSantis and Yang.

DeSantis responded by stating that what the audience both in Reno and at home witnessed "was not an olive branch, but rather a white flag to our greatest foreign threat with regards to our economy and the Republic for which we stand, if we can keep it". The Governor then argued in favor of a "peace through strength" approach to confronting the Xi regime, not unlike like the sort of authoritative, tough response to the U.S.S.R. that Ronald Reagan employed in his relations with Mikhail Gorbachev in the 1980s - relations that ultimately brought about increased economic freedoms and eventually the dissolution of the Soviet Union into what is now modern-day Russia, and also vowed to reinstate "the tough but necessary talks that Donald Trump engaged in with China both in defense of not only our economic interests, but also those of Hong Kong and Taiwan". DeSantis also condemned the CCP's treatment of the Uyghur Muslims - long considered one of the more significant human rights crises surrounding the country, and vowing that "If China refuses to treat their workers and minority groups humanely, then tariffs may be a necessary evil to free the Chinese people from the bounds of Communism".

While also agreeing on the need to maintain peaceful relations with China, Yang also took aim at Harris, and argued in his rebuttal that "if not confronting the aggressor that is China is worth losing our trade secrets, falling behind in terms of technology development, manufacturing, education, military strength - then America is in for some very rough years to come". He also took direct aim at China's authoritarian rule over its citizens, and also vowed to make "climate equity" a key component of America's policy on China: "The truth is we don't need to abide by a treaty like Paris (which Harris also defended in her own rebuttal to her rivals) to combat climate change, because we have done our part and China has not". As an American of Taiwanese descent, Yang also stressed the importance of "ensuring that Taiwan and other autonomous regions are able to thrive and eventually break away from China", vowing to make it along with Hong Kong and Macau part of a new "Trans-Pacific Partnership" involving countries who "share our values, play by our rules, and pay their employees fair wages while incentivizing family development".

While each of the camps boasted of their side being "the winning side" as always, independent polls indicated that DeSantis generally was "the overall winner", particularly among blue-collar votes long considered a core element of the Trump political base and considered important in outreach efforts. While some dinged Yang for being "inexperienced" in foreign policy, the Forward nominee was also singled out as a "breath of fresh air" by some voters who viewed the former Democrat as "the sort of noninterventionist outsider who Democrats have clearly forgotten", notwithstanding the largely more neoconservative foreign policy leanings of his running mate, Adam Kinzinger.

Unsurprisingly, Harris's rather clumsy response to the issue of China was met by furious backlash from conservatives and even some old-school liberals like Bill Maher and Joe Rogan who referred to Harris as "a complete sellout to corporate whores who are simply there not for the people she so claims to love, but rather the paycheck" (Maher's words). The response by Harris also drew comparisons to 1988 Democratic nominee Michael Dukakis's response to how he would have handled a situation where Willie Horton murdered his wife - a response that was largely criticized with his landslide defeat to then-Vice President George H.W. Bush that year. The only other matter close to controversial from Thursday's debate centered on DeSantis's response as to whether or not he would agree with the results of the upcoming election if he lost to Harris; DeSantis argued that voter fraud remains a "serious concern" and did not fully agree that he would accept the result if he lost, but gave assurances that "at least in Florida, my legislation to protect the sanctity of our elections will ensure that 2024 will hopefully look nothing like 2020".

Up next: The race for 47 enters the homestretch... (Yay!)

[SaintStan86]

With the debates now behind the candidates, the focus now turns to the closing arguments the candidates are prepared to make in their last-ditch appeal for undecided voters, with one major Sunday TV staple - then as now - giving viewers at home an up-close look at the candidates. But first, a history-making endorsement is made...

October 26, 2024
WALL STREET JOURNAL ENDORSES DeSANTIS; FIRST PRESIDENTIAL ENDORSEMENT SINCE 1928
In its Sunday edition, The Wall Street Journal did something significant the center-right-leaning newspaper had never done in nearly a century: endorse a presidential candidate. That happened in this weekend's edition when the paper endorsed Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis for President of the United States. In its endorsement, the Journal's editorial board alluded to the Governor's "steadfast, authoritative leadership in guiding Florida with principled conservative governance that aimed to benefit every Floridian", with a particular focus on maintaining Florida's traditional low-tax, low-regulation economy while also "guiding one of the most effective state legislatures in the nation that passed a sweeping package of conservative red meat, some of it par the course for what can be expected out of red states, some of it more suitable for cheesy talk radio soundbites than actual good governance". In summary, the paper acknowledged DeSantis's gamble in governing as a conservative despite his narrow win in 2018 against Democrat Andrew Gillum, a win that took days to project a winner, as it made its first presidential endorsement since 1928, when the Journal endorsed Republican Herbert Hoover over Democrat Al Smith.

In attempting to be fair, the paper noted that it took each of the major party candidates as well as Forward nominee Andrew Yang seriously and "thoroughly studied" the candidates before making their decision as to whether or not to endorse a candidate let alone actually do so. It also acknowledged that the paper "did not necessarily agree with everything DeSantis championed", with DeSantis's battle with the Walt Disney Company over the "Don't Say Gay" legislation and his subsequent battles with the company and its self-governing property surrounding Walt Disney World serving as "a textbook example of how not to interfere with the spoils of a free economy in the name of 'protecting families'", and also questioned whether or not DeSantis considered it feasible to send his state's National Guard to the U.S. border with Mexico in Texas.

But in the end, the paper defended its decision and also had choice words for Vice President Kamala Harris. While commending Harris for "showing an unwillingness to engage in a bitter trade war with China" that the paper described as "impossible to win" and also arguing in favor of Harris's approach to a pathway to citizenship for Dreamers, the editorial board indicted Harris as "completely out of sync with the struggles of many Americans, including the working class that has long been the cornerstone of the Democratic Party", pointing to Harris's support for a Green New Deal, racial equity in college admissions, and Medicare for All (which the Journal has long been critical of). The editorial board also took direct aim at Harris's "coy attitude in handling the matter of the controversial ad run by a former Republican strategist attacking his former party during the first primetime game of the NFL season", calling it "one of the greatest blunders in the history of American television", and arguing that Harris's apparent agreement with the "tall tales seen in the ad" may have damaged her credibility with most American voters.

During a rally in Greensboro, N.C., DeSantis called the WSJ endorsement "a game changer" and argued "If The Wall Street Journal - a paper that has almost never endorsed a presidential candidate and probably never will in the future - if they had enough cajoles to endorse my candidacy, then how is that not a telltale sign that this election is effectively over?", while also urging the crowd to "All things said, still go out there like we're 20 points behind and campaign your heart out, not just for me, but for (gubernatorial nominee and current Lt. Gov.) Mark Robinson, for (6th District nominee and current State House Majority Whip) Jon Hardister, and for all these amazing candidates that are going to make freedom matter in America once again!"

The Journal was hardly the only newspaper endorsement DeSantis received or would receive in the weekend following the final debate in Reno. Its sister paper, the New York Post, also endorsed DeSantis, calling him "Ronald Reagan for the Millennial set" and arguing that a Harris presidency would mean "doom for the America we love". Hearst Communications, whose San Francisco Chronicle endorsed Harris earlier, saw its other papers make divergent endorsements, with the Houston Chronicle endorsing DeSantis despite many of the same culture war reservations made by the Journal, pointing to DeSantis's embrace of an "all-of-the-above energy policy" and a "deep focus on infrastructure investments" that the more recently left-leaning paper viewed as "being more in tune with Houstonians", while also calling Harris's Green New Deal and Medicare for All stances "untenable" and "potentially calamitous to both our national debt and Houston's economy" (the latter of which is dominated by the energy and healthcare industries). The Times Union in Albany, N.Y., another Hearst paper, endorsed Capital District native Yang (who was born in Schenectady), calling his Forward platform "a complete escape from the culture war slugfest both sides have needlessly engaged in with little to show for it".

Another newspaper chain, McClatchy, saw three of its newspapers make endorsements despite a corporate policy starting with the 2020 election in which its paper would only issue endorsements if both major party candidates were interviewed. The Miami Herald endorsed DeSantis, pointing out that Harris's "hard left turn on economics and seeming indifference on the issues facing Cuban refugees" outweighed their reservations about DeSantis's handling of COVID-19 as well as his spat with Disney, as did the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, which endorsed DeSantis as "the right choice for voters in Tarrant County and beyond" only mere days after Harris interviewed with the paper (as DeSantis did at the paper's request in July). Another McClatchy paper, The Sacramento Bee, endorsed Harris as "more than just the embodiment of the California Dream, but that of the American Dream".

The New Hampshire Union Leader, which denounced Donald Trump in both of his elections and even endorsed Joe Biden in 2020, returned to form and endorsed DeSantis as well, insisting that DeSantis's brand is "completely distinct from the tough-and-rumble, uber-interventionist economic purview of Trump" and stated the Florida Governor "earned his way through the Republican ranks, without throwing money away". DeSantis also received endorsements from the Sun-Sentinel in Fort Lauderdale, the Santa Barbara News-Press (which endorsed Donald Trump both in 2016 and 2020 to controversy), the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (whose endorsement of Trump was the first for a Republican since 1972), the Boston Herald (whose conservative editorial stance and tabloid format has long contrasted with that of The Boston Globe), and the Orange County Register, whose endorsement also extended to its sister papers across Southern California including the Los Angeles Daily News in the San Fernando Valley and The Press-Enterprise in Riverside.

Harris, by contrast, received endorsements from the San Jose-based Mercury News and Oakland-based East Bay Times ("Our hometown girl. Our Next Madam President."), the Las Vegas Sun (whose endorsement contrasted with that of the rival Review-Journal for DeSantis), the St. Louis Post-Dispatch (which has long been one of the more liberal-leaning big city papers and also endorsed Nicole Galloway over Sen. Josh Hawley whom the paper labeled a "carpetbagger" and a "traitor"), and the Star-Ledger in Newark, N.J. (which by contrast endorsed Dr. Mehmet Öz over Sen. Bob Menendez over the latter's "weak moral compass"). Yang also received two notable endorsements from The Philadelphia Inquirer (which viewed DeSantis as "too right for our own liking" but saw Harris as "a major letdown from Hillary Clinton") and the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, which remarked "We've seen the Democrats come to town and hide in a bunker (in 2020) and Republicans boast a bit too proudly (2024), and frankly we've seen enough...Only Andrew Yang can give us the 'Forward' motion this country desperately needs". Topping both, however, was his endorsement by the New York Daily News, which called Yang "the radical centrist America desperately needs to restore the people's trust in their government - and their country".

October 27, 2024
60 MINUTES INTERVIEWS CANDIDATES IN FINAL ENSEMBLE APPEARANCE BEFORE ELECTION
On Sunday night, the CBS newsmagazine 60 Minutes devoted virtually its entire program to interviews with the presidential candidates, entitled "The Candidates: In Their Own Words", as early voting is ongoing in all 50 states, with as many as one-fifth of registered voters having already made their decision clear at the ballot box. The first interview conducted was with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who was interviewed by host and correspondent Scott Pelley. During the interview, Pelley questioned DeSantis on why he felt the need to not impose a mask mandate on Floridians, to which DeSantis responded "Well Dr. Anthony Fauci said first they weren't necessary, and then moves the goalposts to do whatever Tedros at the WHO and others think, and then doesn't let off the gas...If you can't really make it make sense, then why even bother advocating for one?"

Pelley also questioned DeSantis on his handling of the controversy surrounding the Walt Disney Company's opposition to his "Don't Say Gay" bill, for example mentioning "What about the fact that Disney's stock price was the only thing that fell, while its profits and ticket sales soared at the box office and at their theme parks?", with DeSantis responding "Well, they are a private company, a Florida institution, and obviously very shrewd at marketing, but it's important to note that they were closed for a good while because of COVID, and were still even doing Zoom calls when they advocated against my bill and even thought about putting woke elements in their next movies", obviously remaining unimpressed with the company's handling of the matter.

While there were tough questions asked by Pelley, there was also a poignant question regarding his wife Casey, "How do you think your wife Casey's battle with breast cancer has improved breast cancer awareness in any way whatsoever?". DeSantis responded, "You know, because of my wife's story Scott, millions of Americans and others have spoken out about their cancer battles, and it has also grown awareness and research dollars and donations as well, and it also influences my support for 'right-to-try' legislation giving Americans with rare conditions the chance they need to fight their disease and even be cured". Most significantly, however, unlike the situation with former President Donald Trump who walked out of his 60 Minutes interview with Lesley Stahl in 2020, DeSantis remained with Pelley to the very end of his interview, with Pelley concluding in studio that "For Ron DeSantis to stay in the arena the whole time is perhaps befitting of his nickname, 'Teflon Ron'".

Vice President Kamala Harris, interviewing with correspondent and CNN anchor Anderson Cooper, remarked candidly about her upbringing in Oakland as she made her remarks on the "pitfalls" and "plateaus" of being Vice President of the United States. However, when asked by Cooper "Do you think you cackle too much for your own liking?", with Harris responding with a long 20-second cackle and closing with, "Ah, it happens to the best of us in the most unexpected places, but when I do it sometimes I'm just having fun, enjoying company, communicating with the average American, instead of bottling yourself up never to be enjoyed by anyone". Cooper then continued "You promise not to cackle any more than you did, can you?", to which Harris replied "I can't make promises about that, but with everything going on, what choice do you have?"

This interview was not to say that Harris did not have serious moments. In fact, when asked by Cooper regarding "climate equity", in which he mentioned "Do you really think that minority communities should be explicitly favored in dealing with climate change?", Harris responded by pointing out that "Most minorities continue to make less money and face greater discrimination in climate change decisions that affect us, so I do think some safeguards are necessary to ensure that every American gets to enjoy the benefits of clean air and renewable energy", while also advocating for "price controls" in the marketing of electric and gas utilities as a means of "promoting racial equity in controlling the cost of living". And when asked about the Supreme Court's rulings against "affirmative action" policies in regards to college admissions, Harris lamented the loss of "guaranteed opportunities for minorities and underrepresented communities that have long been a source of inspiration for them", and vowed to sign an executive order "prioritizing minority groups in college admissions" on her first day in office.

Forward nominee Andrew Yang, who was interviewed by Bill Whitaker, talked about his early days as a lawyer and entrepreneur, remarking about how "nobody likes lawyers" when asked by Whitaker the question "What do you know about lawmaking?" and also stating that his decision to leave the Democratic Party was "the right one, and I don't even miss the freebies they give out at their conventions". When pressed about the feasibility of a universal basic income with the national debt having become a major issue, Yang responded "When you see the neediest of Americans receiving a temporary stipend to get through while they inch towards getting back to work and making more money, that motivates them to go out and prosper, because even the bare necessities people need cost money still, and for some $10 is better than nothing". He also defended his platform position on "holding China accountable" on technology secrets, even calling for "lifetime patent protections" for American inventors in select cases.

Yang also defended the choice of his running mate, Adam Kinzinger, a former GOP Rep. whose neoconservative foreign policy views contrast with his relatively noninterventionist ones. "Foreign policy is just one piece of what a presidential platform is about, and on most of the issues there is more than unites us than divides us, and Adam has always been about country before party, and as Vice President he will ensure that the people's business always comes first", Yang spoke of Kinzinger. He also expressed support for expanding the United States Congress to "meet the current population of the country" and argued that "expanding the U.S. Capitol to meet the needs of a growing, evolving America" is merely "a drop in the bucket compared to what we have spent overseas fighting endless wars and will be spending on the 'safety net' some Americans will always need".

The broadcast of 60 Minutes was watched by over 20 million viewers, also benefiting from strong ratings of the earlier Sunday's NFL games on CBS, including a road victory by the Houston Texans against the Washington Commanders at FedExField outside the nation's capital; per the spurious Commanders Rule (which had not necessarily held since 2012) in which a Commanders (formerly Redskins) loss equated to a presidential win by the party out of power and a win predicted the party in power would win in November, some sports commentators reacted by predicting that DeSantis will be President when Super Bowl LIX takes place in New Orleans next February. The endcap also featured a commentary piece by Libertarian nominee Dave Smith and Green Party nominee Norman Solomon on the importance of "doing your ballot homework before you cast your vote" and a piece by venerable correspondent Lesley Stahl on "the role that voting participation plays in shaping our democracy". (Constitution Party nominee Mike Lindell, for obvious reasons, chose not to appear on this broadcast.)

On the next post: One week to go before the election...Where do the candidates stand? Where are the candidates going? And finally, some last words from the candidates themselves before yet another "most important election in our lifetime" commences"...

[SaintStan86]

Only one week separates the fantasy of what one predicts on the campaign trail from the reality of election results. Where does the presidential race stand after the final curtain call on the debate stage?...

The impact of the final debate on Vice President Kamala Harris's response to China, combined with the continued presence of Andrew Yang despite his middling performance in Reno on Thursday, has put Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis at an advantage one week out from Tuesday. In particular, Arizona and Georgia - the two Trump states in the Sunbelt that flipped blue in 2020 - are now leaning towards DeSantis with average polling numbers showing DeSantis ahead by around three to four points in each state. Many Midwestern states have shifted away from Harris, as the Vice President's clumsy response on China, where she sought peace without regards to the consequences on manufacturing jobs stateside, is believed to have pushed support for DeSantis amongst blue-collar Reagan/Trump Democrats to 2020 Trump levels. Even more dangerous, in many of these states DeSantis is also at near parity with Mitt Romney's 2012 numbers in more suburban areas, either in terms of general GOP support, the non-DeSantis vote or both with Yang's performance in more urban and suburban areas being a wild card.

Specifically, with regards to the Midwest, Iowa, Missouri and Indiana have been all but effectively written off by the Harris campaign, while Ohio is continuing to slip away and Michigan only tilts toward Democrats because of Sen. Gary Peters' presence as the vice presidential running mate; Minnesota, by contrast, has now become a tossup between DeSantis matching Trump's 2020 numbers and Harris matching Obama's 2012 numbers in the Twin Cities (which appears to be giving DeSantis an advantage in the latter's surrounding suburbs), as has Wisconsin, where DeSantis is matching Trump's 2020 numbers in much of the state's rural areas and Romney's 2012 numbers in the suburban Milwaukee WOW counties.

Another area where DeSantis has started to see momentum is in the West, where Montana is now considered a safe state with DeSantis polling as much as 10 points ahead of Senate nominee Matt Rosendale. Oregon, Colorado and New Mexico are now tilting towards Harris as opposed to leaning previously, with GOP internals showing DeSantis with a slight lead, buoyed by above average support from Hispanic voters in the latter two states and a double-digit lead among independents in the former. Nevada remains a pure tossup, though DeSantis's internals show a lead outside the margin of error fueled by rising support from working-class Hispanics in the Las Vegas Valley as well as unified support from rural Nevadans, with a poll for 2nd District GOP incumbent Mark Amodei showing DeSantis up by 20 points.

Polls in the South and East remain relatively unchanged, save for New Hampshire and Maine reverting to tossup status, New Jersey, Connecticut and Delaware all leaning or tilting towards the Democrats as suburban voters across the Acela corridor have expressed concern about the national debt and continued mediocrity with the economy, and some states in the South maintaining some degree of competitiveness due to African American voters particularly drawn to Harris's candidacy, though South Carolina has now fallen into safe territory with the vice presidential candidacy of Nikki Haley having effectively put South Carolina out of reach, while Georgia now leans Republican and Florida clearly favors its favorite son DeSantis, who is polling 15 points ahead of Harris based on an aggregate of the most recent polling; asides from strong polling in South Florida for Harris, though with the possibility that Miami-Dade County will flip towards DeSantis, Orange County which is home to Orlando and Tallahassee's Leon County, DeSantis is winning almost all of Florida's counties.

As for the Senate, the numbers aren't looking rosy for the Democrats either. Unlike the competitive spurts the party had in 2022 to the point of exasperation from some Republicans who feared their side was 'blowing it' over Trump's nominees as well as the overturning of Roe v. Wade, in 2024 the momentum has clearly shifted to the Republicans' side...

On the Senate side, Montana continues to be a tossup in the West, while Nevada and New Mexico have flipped back to this column as Republicans have clawed back in these states. The all-Republican race in California continues to clearly favor Speaker Kevin McCarthy over former Ambassador Ric Grenell, as Democrats are favoring McCarthy by a 2-1 margin in most polling, while conservatives and those who "approve of Donald Trump" continue to largely favor Grenell, who also received the endorsement of the state's American Independent Party (its affiliate of the Constitution Party) and Libertarian Party chapters, as well as that of the left-wing but noninterventionist Peace and Freedom Party (as well as some Democratic-leaning voters drawn to the novelty of Grenell becoming the state's first openly gay Senator).

Ohio and Pennsylvania have also swung into tossup mode, as the aforementioned struggles with Harris among blue-collar voters in the Rust Belt have also started to have an impact on the Senate races here, with the NRSC airing a series of scorched-earth ads linking Sens. Sherrod Brown in Ohio and Bob Casey Jr. in Pennsylvania to Chinese President Xi Jinping; several of the ads feature imagery of the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre as well as graphic pictures of Uyghur labor camps (some considered "not suitable for broadcast") with pictures of the Senators in the foreground. The Upper Midwest "blue wall" of Michigan, Wisconsin and Minnesota also remains tossup territory, along with Virginia and Maine. Vermont continues to see a range of divergent polls despite efforts by retiring Sen. Bernie Sanders to anoint a successor in (unsurprisingly) Lt. Gov. and Vermont Progressive Party nominee David Zuckerman, likely drawing away more liberal voters at the expense of Zuckerman's more moderate Democratic opponent, former state Attorney General T.J. Donovan; the Republican nominee, former Lt. Gov. Brian Dubie, has consistently polled around 30-35 percent of the vote.

One oasis for the Democrats lies in the Arizona desert, where Sen. Kyrsten Sinema - who once was left for dead by her party - now appears poised to score a narrow reelection over Rep. David Schweikert whose recent "behind closed doors" attacks by fellow Rep. Paul Gosar (who has thus far refused to outright endorse Schweikert) have not exactly helped, with some of Gosar's more hardcore supporters endorsing the Libertarian nominee (whose political views are similar to Gosar's hard-right stances). However, Republicans remain optimistic that Schweikert will prevail, and have highlighted "ordinary voters" who voted for Sinema in 2018 but are now backing Schweikert in more recent ads both on local TV and on YouTube.

The competitive states for the Democrats against GOP incumbents - Florida, Indiana, Missouri, Nebraska and Texas - remain virtually unchanged. GOP Rep. Dan Crenshaw appears poised to receive a job promotion to the U.S. Senate over Democratic former HUD Secretary Julián Castro, while aggressive efforts to ding Sens. Rick Scott over his past experience in the healthcare industry (he was the former CEO of what is now HCA Healthcare, a major hospital chain whose leadership style drew controversy in the 1990s) and Josh Hawley over his role in the 2020 election as well as residency issues prior to his family's move-in to their suburban Springfield home, appear to have plateaued. Dark horse races in Indiana (Sen. Mike Braun vs. State Sen. Shelli Yoder) and Nebraska (Sen. Deb Fischer vs. Omaha City Council member Pete Festersen) now appear poised to remain in GOP hands.

October 30, 2024
CANDIDATES MAKE FINAL PUSH AHEAD OF ELECTION DAY
With less than a week to go before Americans find out who their 47th President will be, the candidates are pulling out all the stops to get last-minute votes to the polls. With 30 percent of Americans having already cast a ballot, and another 10 percent likely to do so before the weekend is up, the stakes cannot be any more clearer. For Vice President Kamala Harris, her bid is seen as a chance to make history and to exorcise the demons facing Democratic women following the shock defeat in 2016 of former First Lady and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, whose victory seemed so certain that she did not even prepare a concession speech to Republican nominee Donald Trump.

Trump, for his part, made an appearance near Cleveland on behalf of current GOP nominee Ron DeSantis and U.S. Senate nominee Jim Jordan at none other than Progressive Field, the same venue that is the home diamond of the Cleveland Guardians - whose name change from its historic title, the Cleveland Indians, stirred controversy in conservative circles and even criticism from Trump himself (Trump, who was still referring to himself as a "FORMER baseball fan" in the face of another controversy surrounding Major League Baseball's controversial decision to move the 2021 All-Star Game out of Atlanta over Georgia's election reforms signed into law by Gov. Brian Kemp (himself also a source of derision for Trump over the 2020 result there), lambasted the name change that same year). The controversy with the Guardians also played a factor in the defeat of State Sen. Matt Dolan, who is part of the same family that controls ownership of the team, in the 2022 U.S. Senate primary won by Trump's endorsed pick, current U.S. Sen. J.D. Vance (who was also in attendance on Wednesday).

But at the rally, Trump thanked the Dolans for "at least being gracious enough not to stink up the field any further when we decided to rent this place", as well as for the "great season the Guardians had, fun times!" (The Guardians won the AL Central and were two games shy of the World Series this year), as he proceeded to stump for DeSantis and Jordan. "The Democrats will do everything in their power to wreck this country even worse than Sleepy Joe ever did...no wonder he's running away scared!", Trump proclaimed as he reminisced on how "wonderful the people of Cleveland were, even LeBron James" when the GOP held its convention at nearby Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse in 2016, just weeks after James' Cleveland Cavaliers won the NBA Finals that year. He also lambasted "the state-controlled media" for "the horrible ways that they have treated Jim Jordan, calling him everything from a scab to a traitor to some other name I can't remember", referencing the House Judiciary Committee Chairman's "valiant fight for the truth" in regards to Biden administration controversies as well as those surrounding Biden's son, Hunter.

Republican running mate, Nikki Haley, meanwhile was in Minnesota on Wednesday campaigning for U.S. Sen. nominee Michele Tafoya, who proceeded to call Haley "an amazing role model for women and girls everywhere" and declared "the road to the White House and a robust Senate majority that will get things done runs through Minnesota!" The former ambassador also picked up endorsements from 2022 GOP gubernatorial nominee Scott Jensen, as well as from the state's entire GOP congressional delegation of five members, at the rally near St. Cloud.

Harris, meanwhile, made appearances in Tampa on behalf of U.S. Senate nominee Stephanie Murphy, proclaiming "We are going to shock the world by winning Florida next week, and if that happens, there ain't no stopping us!", and later Wednesday in Atlanta alongside two-time gubernatorial nominee Stacey Abrams, who urged the audience to "get fired up for Kamala and keep Georgia blue!" And Sen. Gary Peters was joined on stage by legendary Eagles vocalist Don Henley and guitarist Joe Walsh at Riverbend Music Center in Cincinnati, in a rally that also featured former Cincinnati Mayor Jerry Springer, Sen. Sherrod Brown and another former Cincinnati Mayor, 1st District nominee John Cranley, as part of an "amphitheater tour" by the vice presidential hopeful (who according to many polls is considered more popular than Harris, especially among blue-collar voters).

November 3, 2024
CANDIDATES USE UP NETWORK AIR TIME TO BROADCAST INFOMERCIALS
As the weekend - and the presidential sweepstakes - draw to a close, the candidates have taken advantage of the airtime provided by the networks for local and national political debates to air program-length infomercials promoting their candidacies - a tactic that has since been repeated by downballot candidates including those for the U.S. Senate. On Friday, ABC and Fox took advantage of spare programming time (as both networks aired college football in primetime, including a top-five matchup between Iowa and Ohio State on the latter, the following day) to grant air time to both the Harris and DeSantis campaigns; DeSantis's infomercial also aired on Fox News with a shortened 30-minute broadcast of Tucker Carlson Tonight airing in place of the Harris infomercial. The infomercials also aired the following Saturday on CBS and NBC affiliates (who both aired Mountain (merger of the former Big 12 and Mountain West) and ACC college football games earlier in the day), and have been airing in late night for the last couple of weeks.

In her infomercial, Harris highlighted stories from "ordinary people" across the country, coupled with her outlining her "100 Days for the People" agenda and vowing "our greatest days are right ahead of us, and as your President, there's no limit to what we can do together". DeSantis also featured many of the same individuals in ordinary situations, and used the stories to promote his "100 Days of Freedom" lineup featuring many of the same conservative platform stances and talking points already highlighted throughout the campaign. Unlike the case with Barack Obama's 2008 "Obamamercial" that concluded with live footage from a rally in Fort Lauderdale, the infomercials did not cut to live shots of their rallies (Harris, in fact, was en route to her rally in Albuquerque when the infomercials aired, while DeSantis was backstage at his in Kansas City, where he appeared alongside Sen. Josh Hawley. The networks' allocated air time - as well as a late Sunday night slot donated by ABC - have also been used to air candidate debates and interviews, as well as documentaries highlighting election issues and even the lives of some of the candidates (one such series being Sinclair Broadcast Group's "The Making of a Candidate" series on its local stations).

The last-minute moves also come as the candidates racked up their final newspaper endorsements of the cycle, with the Orlando Sentinel and Tampa Bay Times quietly backing favorite son DeSantis despite having endorsed his opponents in previous candidacies and having many of the same reservations about his handling of the "Don't Say Gay" controversy with Disney, acknowledging the successes of Florida's economy under DeSantis while also using the endorsements as a "North Star to encourage DeSantis to do what's right for Florida and not just those who simply air Fox News on autopilot"; both papers also found fault with Harris's post-nomination campaign and recent issues with a potential default on the country's finances. And while another Florida paper, The Florida Times-Union, admitted it did not have the resources to provide endorsements for political candidates like it did with Donald Trump in 2016, the paper's editorial board acknowledged their support for DeSantis: "We have no doubt that Gov. DeSantis' ascendance to the White House is one that will be greatly celebrated by many here on the First Coast, and it's fair to say that his rise represents the ultimate embodiment of the American Dream".

The Des Moines Register also endorsed DeSantis over the weekend, and pointed out Harris's struggles with "the agriculture community in this state that is crucial to electoral hopes for both parties": "Whereas DeSantis has laid out a plan to get family farmers back to full strength and champion them, too much of the Harris campaign focus has been on converting cornfields to solar fields and food stamps as Iowans continue to face the threat of outsourcing from agribusiness conglomerates"; the paper has also criticized Iowa political leaders in recent months for being "sitting ducks while foreign entities gobble up our farmland". Both the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette in Little Rock and the online-only New York Sun also endorsed DeSantis, while Long Island's Newsday and the Star Tribune in Minneapolis endorsed Harris. In general, most newspapers that endorsed Mitt Romney in 2012 (many of whom never cared for Trump) backed DeSantis when they did endorse, while almost every paper that backed Obama in 2008 and/or 2012 favored Harris, with a few breaking in favor of Forward nominee Andrew Yang. Rolling Stone endorsed "Kamala Harris (and Gary Peters, too!)", as did The New Yorker and The Atlantic, minus the Peters references.

Up next: The day before...

[SaintStan86]

November 4, 2024
DeSANTIS PULLS OUT STOPS FOR FINAL CAMPAIGN PUSH; TRUMP APPEARS IN ATLANTA CAMPAIGN FINALE
Continuing to maintain a general lead of just under eight points in most recent polls per an aggregate from RealClearPolitics, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis descended on Pennsylvania Monday where he appeared at a rally alongside U.S. Senate nominee Dave McCormick in Williamsport, on the same baseball grounds used for the Little League World Series, which the Republican nominee took part in as a youth. "I am blessed to be back here in Williamsport, on grounds as sacred as apple pie, and who better to bring along the trail than Dave McCormick?", the Governor declared as he proceeded to rattle off a number of key campaign talking points, and also asked the audience "Are you ready to correct course, America? I know we are, that's for darned sure!" The campaign appearance was preceded by a video montage that included a key excerpt from DeSantis's closing speech from the final debate last month:

"My fellow Americans, as we close out this final debate to you, the American people, I want you to think long and hard about what's at stake and ask yourself this simple question as Ronald Reagan famously said: "Are you better off than you were four years ago?", or maybe add to it one more counting COVID?

Are you able to earn an honest day's living in a job you love, one that rewards our country with great pride?

And do you have enough to buy what you like at the stores, in the face of higher prices, give to charity, tithe to church, save for a rainy day if not a new house or start a business?

Is your farm as green and as prosperous as it was then? How about the prospects of your children and their education? Maybe your retirement savings or your adult children's job prospects?

Or what about what our allies think of us, in the face of so much strife overseas from Afghanistan to Ukraine to China? What about our veterans and their futures, some missing a few limbs or even all their arms or legs, even the ability to walk?

What about our energy supply and your ability to get around for even basic daily tasks like driving or heating your home?

What about our manufacturing base and the promise of a good-paying job with American pride and without the politics?

Or even the prospect of a cleaner planet and fair trade, one where countries like Russia and China have no choice but to play by the rules instead of getting undeserved carve-outs while Americans put in all the work and lose without a fight?

And lastly, what about our values as a nation? Are they still worth any meaning, from the sanctity of life to the character of our culture to the dignity of seniors? Or are they just simply archaic and "in the past"?

Four years ago, America was on the path to a rebound with Donald Trump after a horrible virus that has killed millions around the world almost sunk it into the ground. And sadly, because some felt overly anxious without a care of sense in this world, they chose a different path that has left us in a more perilous state, in a more atomized sense of life, one that isn't quite secure for us financially, nor in terms of our energy or food supply or our national security.

If you feel that is the direction America should embrace going forward, then it's quite clear who your choice is. But if you feel America is more divided than it was four years ago, that our economy isn't quite cutting it for you, that you worry about whether your life savings, your children's future or the soundness of our finances is safe, that our urban communities still haven't quite recovered while our farmers continue to languish, and that respect in the world has seemingly been traded in for cheap expediency that neither our allies respect nor our enemies fear, then remember there is a choice.

And if you make me that choice, I promise you a New Day for America. It won't be perfect, for as the good Lord reminds us all no one is. But as your next President, I will never stop fighting for you the American people. Because Freedom Matters."

The rally in Williamsport also featured an appearance by singer Lee Greenwood, who sung his signature song "God Bless the U.S.A." at the end of the rally. DeSantis and McCormick also then traveled later in the day to Subaru Park in Chester, Pennsylvania, the home pitch of Major League Soccer's Philadelphia Union, where they were joined by New Jersey U.S. Senate nominee Dr. Mehmet Öz and Delaware U.S. Senate nominee Ben duPont (the latter of whom is linked by marriage to Öz through his wife) in a "Rally for the (Delaware) Valley" event that filled the entire stadium - both on the field and in the stands. At the rally, DeSantis urged "all of you across Philadelphia - PA, New Jersey, Delaware - please go out there boldly and cast your vote for our great Republican ticket and let's make Freedom Matter once again in this country!"

Endcapping the day was a primetime rally in Atlanta at Truist Park, with DeSantis appearing alongside running mate Nikki Haley at the home diamond of Major League Baseball's Atlanta Braves shortly after 10 p.m. as former President Donald Trump and Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp (the latter making his first face-to-face appearance alongside the former President since the ill-fated 2020 election) joined DeSantis on stage after Trump's commanding speech urging the packed stadium to "go out there and send Krazy Kamala packing to California!" Trump and Kemp had a deliberate falling out following the 2020 election that saw Joe Biden win Georgia's 16 electoral votes, with the refusal of Kemp as well as Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger (who was not in attendance) to intervene leading to bad blood that culminated in a failed 2022 attempt by Trump to defeat both incumbents in that year's Republican primary.

In his final speech on the campaign trail, as he is set to retire to Tallahassee overnight in preparation for Election Day tomorrow, DeSantis spoke boldly of "the clarion call for great change to happen in this country, to restore what we lost over these last four years" and urge the crowd to "show the Democrats and the media that bullied this wonderful baseball team in this wonderful stadium against their will, and who routinely bully our institutions into submission, our corporations like Coca-Cola into undue compliance, that their days of bossing your fellow Georgians and Americans around are over, because tomorrow night, America will have a new President that will respect the will of corporations trying to care about their customers and not the fantasies of vocal minorities who wish to divide us and bully them into a 'woke' path that hasn't worked out well when tried". Just as the speech ended, members of the audience began performing the "Tomahawk Chop" long associated with the Braves, as DeSantis and the others on stage in Atlanta joined in.

November 4, 2024
VICE PRESIDENT MAKES LAST PUSH FOR VOTES ACROSS NATION AS BARACK OBAMA RALLIES SUPPORTERS IN ARIZONA
Monday proved to be the most penultimate day for the campaign of Vice President Kamala Harris, as the Democratic hopeful began her day in Wisconsin where she rallied for Sen. Tammy Baldwin in the latter's bid for a third term against Republican Rep. Mike Gallagher, whose most recent polls have indicated a slight tilt for Gallagher. In rallying the crowd, Harris stressed the importance of "a woman's right to choose", "a world free of racial division" and "a cleaner environment that benefits all Wisconsinites" during a rally in Milwaukee. At the rally Baldwin warned "A vote for Ron DeSantis and Mike Gallagher is a vote to put Americans of all varieties, of all colors, back into the closet. We cannot afford that as a country, let alone as a human race", as the openly lesbian Senator called on the packed audience to "turn back the tide and paint Wisconsin blue again!"

The rallies were part of a marathon weekend in which Harris, much like her Republican rival Ron DeSantis, criss-crossed the nation stumping for last-minute votes, primarily in states considered important to the outcome of the election with stops in suburban Seattle, in Dallas, and also in Charlotte, Pittsburgh, Columbus, Ohio and Richmond, Va. before she arrived in Milwaukee on Monday. After a quick jaunt through Las Vegas (where she campaigned for Sen. Jacky Rosen and the state's slate of Democratic congressional hopefuls, Harris then traveled to Phoenix to campaign for Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, urging the audience (especially those on the more progressive end) to "put aside your differences, and help us stop the Republicans from taking over complete control of Washington, because if we allow the other side to define what America is for us, who knows what's going to come of it?" While Sinema more or less has the edge in the final days of her Senate reelection bid, the maverick freshman Senator at one point was "left for dead" after a series of controversial votes that scuttled portions of Biden's "Build Back Better" agenda early in the Biden presidency.

The stage in Phoenix for the rest of the night belonged to Harris, who implored the audience to "get fired up and go out there and cast your vote for the one candidate that will truly fight for the people". She was also joined on stage by legendary filmmaker Steven Spielberg, who spent his teenage years and honed the roots of his iconic film career in Phoenix, who then proceeded to energize the audience with a famous quote from his Indiana Jones series: "I think it's time to ask yourself: what do you believe in?", as Spielberg urged the packed audience at Ak-Chin Pavilion to "vote for democracy like your life depends on it". Spielberg then alluded to another one of his works, Schindler's List: "There are generations of Americans who have been inspired by this campaign, so never let the naysayers tell you that you didn't do enough, because you have done so much to get Kamala Harris to where she is, and tomorrow night - it is going to be a beautiful night!"

Harris's concluding rally also dovetailed with the aforementioned "amphitheater tour" of vice presidential running mate Gary Peters, who embarked upon his now-legendary tour since and ended it with a reunion with Harris on the Ak-Chin stage Monday night. Peters' trek across the country also took him to similar amphitheaters including the Blossom Music Center outside Cleveland (alongside Sen. Sherrod Brown), the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion north of Houston (alongside Democratic U.S. Senate hopeful Julián Castro) and the Red Rocks Amphitheatre west of Denver (where he was joined by Gov. and former presidential candidate Jared Polis) before reaching Phoenix.

As for the other presidential candidates, Forward nominee Andrew Yang appeared at Liberty State Park in New Jersey, directly across from the Statue of Liberty, as he remained upbeat and "even more proud of all the amazing volunteers in our campaign than ever before" despite his polling numbers continuing to hover around five percent, urging the crowd of some several thousand supporters to "continue moving the country forward tomorrow". Constitution Party nominee Mike Lindell concluded his campaign with a rally at a hockey arena in Duluth, Minnesota where he "urged the crowd to voice their conscience and send a message to the two establishment parties that our values, our patriotism, and our hard work will no longer be taken for granted", while Libertarian nominee Dave Smith appeared alongside podcaster Joe Rogan in a final appeal for votes at a Denver brewery alongside South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone, and Green Party nominee Norman Solomon concluded his campaign in Davis, California - west of Sacramento, where a friend of running mate Katie Roedersheimer, the daughter of activist Erin Brockovich, performed a cover of "Everyday is a Winding Road" - the Sheryl Crow song that was used in the soundtrack for the 2000 film about Roedersheimer's mother (who was portrayed by Julia Roberts in that film), to close out Solomon's rally.

November 4, 2024
BIDEN WISHES "GOOD LUCK" TO CANDIDATES ON EVE OF ELECTION
As the 2024 presidential election winds to a close, President Joe Biden held a primetime address from the Oval Office, where he spoke to the country on the importance of "yet another election in our glorious democracy". In his statements, Biden noted that had prepared "letters of advice" for both his Vice President, Kamala Harris, and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis in advance, and also alluded to the "great work we have done as a nation, restoring the voters' trust in our democracy, creating millions of good-paying jobs for hardworking Americans, making historic investments in our infrastructure and our climate, and transforming democracy like never before". While Biden acknowledged "the going has never been easy knowing the hurdles we've had to cross together, I know for one that America is stronger than we've ever been, and after this election is over, regardless of who wins, we will be even more united".

The retiring President also issued a standard "good luck" to all of the presidential candidates, while also reiterating his support for Harris: "All things said, I still believe that Kamala Harris represents our greatest chance to keep the progress we've been making these last four years going, and as our first Madam President, Kamala Harris will make Americans proud, most especially the millions of young girls and women who will be inspired to participate in our democracy, to run for public office, to fully achieve their dreams in this country, because of the inspiring and encouraging work that she is going to do as our next President." He then wrapped up his speech by concluding "May God continue to bless this amazing country, for which I have been so honored to serve as your President, and may God continue to bless our people."

Compared to the frenetic pace for which the candidates travailed throughout the last few days, the White House was relatively quiet save for Halloween trick-or-treating last week and the President congratulating the New York Mets on their World Series victory over the Toronto Blue Jays, with Fox baseball reporter Ken Rosenthal noting that the President contacted the team shortly after the Mets' uncorked the champagne in their locker room at Citi Field, while ESPN columnist Jeff Passan noted that "President Biden has invited the Mets to, at his own personal expense, an Acela ride to the White House and lunch as well". The President also watched some movies during the weekend, and also took time out of his schedule to attend mass at St. Joseph on the Brandywine back home in Delaware, where he prayed for "a fair and safe election this coming Tuesday".

And, just like that...we have reached this point...

Source: Wikimedia Commons

My Dear Country by Norah Jones

'Twas Halloween and the ghosts were out
And everywhere they'd go, they'd shout
And though I covered my eyes, I knew
They'd go away

But fear's the only thing I saw
And three days later it was clear to all
That nothing is as scary as election day

But the day after is darker
And darker and darker it goes
Who knows, maybe the plans will change
Who knows, maybe he's not deranged

The newsmen know what they know, but they
Know even less than what they say
And I don't know who I can trust
For they come what may

'Cause we believed in our candidate
But even more it's the one we hate
I needed someone I could shake
On election day

But the day after is darker
And deeper and deeper we go
Who knows, maybe it's all a dream
Who knows if I'll wake up and scream

I love the things that you've given me
I cherish you, my dear country
But sometimes I don't understand
The way we play

I love the things that you've given me
And most of all that I am free
To have a song that I can sing
On election day

Next up: ELECTION DAY...

[Blow by blow, the passion dies]

November 4, 2024
DeSANTIS PULLS OUT STOPS FOR FINAL CAMPAIGN PUSH; TRUMP APPEARS IN ATLANTA CAMPAIGN FINALE
Continuing to maintain a general lead of just under eight points in most recent polls per an aggregate from RealClearPolitics, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis descended on Pennsylvania Monday where he appeared at a rally alongside U.S. Senate nominee Dave McCormick in Williamsport, on the same baseball grounds used for the Little League World Series, which the Republican nominee took part in as a youth. "I am blessed to be back here in Williamsport, on grounds as sacred as apple pie, and who better to bring along the trail than Dave McCormick?", the Governor declared as he proceeded to rattle off a number of key campaign talking points, and also asked the audience "Are you ready to correct course, America? I know we are, that's for darned sure!" The campaign appearance was preceded by a video montage that included a key excerpt from DeSantis's closing speech from the final debate last month:

"My fellow Americans, as we close out this final debate to you, the American people, I want you to think long and hard about what's at stake and ask yourself this simple question as Ronald Reagan famously said: "Are you better off than you were four years ago?", or maybe add to it one more counting COVID?

Are you able to earn an honest day's living in a job you love, one that rewards our country with great pride?

And do you have enough to buy what you like at the stores, in the face of higher prices, give to charity, tithe to church, save for a rainy day if not a new house or start a business?

Is your farm as green and as prosperous as it was then? How about the prospects of your children and their education? Maybe your retirement savings or your adult children's job prospects?

Or what about what our allies think of us, in the face of so much strife overseas from Afghanistan to Ukraine to China? What about our veterans and their futures, some missing a few limbs or even all their arms or legs, even the ability to walk?

What about our energy supply and your ability to get around for even basic daily tasks like driving or heating your home?

What about our manufacturing base and the promise of a good-paying job with American pride and without the politics?

Or even the prospect of a cleaner planet and fair trade, one where countries like Russia and China have no choice but to play by the rules instead of getting undeserved carve-outs while Americans put in all the work and lose without a fight?

And lastly, what about our values as a nation? Are they still worth any meaning, from the sanctity of life to the character of our culture to the dignity of seniors? Or are they just simply archaic and "in the past"?

Four years ago, America was on the path to a rebound with Donald Trump after a horrible virus that has killed millions around the world almost sunk it into the ground. And sadly, because some felt overly anxious without a care of sense in this world, they chose a different path that has left us in a more perilous state, in a more atomized sense of life, one that isn't quite secure for us financially, nor in terms of our energy or food supply or our national security.

If you feel that is the direction America should embrace going forward, then it's quite clear who your choice is. But if you feel America is more divided than it was four years ago, that our economy isn't quite cutting it for you, that you worry about whether your life savings, your children's future or the soundness of our finances is safe, that our urban communities still haven't quite recovered while our farmers continue to languish, and that respect in the world has seemingly been traded in for cheap expediency that neither our allies respect nor our enemies fear, then remember there is a choice.

And if you make me that choice, I promise you a New Day for America. It won't be perfect, for as the good Lord reminds us all no one is. But as your next President, I will never stop fighting for you the American people. Because Freedom Matters."

The rally in Williamsport also featured an appearance by singer Lee Greenwood, who sung his signature song "God Bless the U.S.A." at the end of the rally. DeSantis and McCormick also then traveled later in the day to Subaru Park in Chester, Pennsylvania, the home pitch of Major League Soccer's Philadelphia Union, where they were joined by New Jersey U.S. Senate nominee Dr. Mehmet Öz and Delaware U.S. Senate nominee Ben duPont (the latter of whom is linked by marriage to Öz through his wife) in a "Rally for the (Delaware) Valley" event that filled the entire stadium - both on the field and in the stands. At the rally, DeSantis urged "all of you across Philadelphia - PA, New Jersey, Delaware - please go out there boldly and cast your vote for our great Republican ticket and let's make Freedom Matter once again in this country!"

Endcapping the day was a primetime rally in Atlanta at Truist Park, with DeSantis appearing alongside running mate Nikki Haley at the home diamond of Major League Baseball's Atlanta Braves shortly after 10 p.m. as former President Donald Trump and Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp (the latter making his first face-to-face appearance alongside the former President since the ill-fated 2020 election) joined DeSantis on stage after Trump's commanding speech urging the packed stadium to "go out there and send Krazy Kamala packing to California!" Trump and Kemp had a deliberate falling out following the 2020 election that saw Joe Biden win Georgia's 16 electoral votes, with the refusal of Kemp as well as Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger (who was not in attendance) to intervene leading to bad blood that culminated in a failed 2022 attempt by Trump to defeat both incumbents in that year's Republican primary.

In his final speech on the campaign trail, as he is set to retire to Tallahassee overnight in preparation for Election Day tomorrow, DeSantis spoke boldly of "the clarion call for great change to happen in this country, to restore what we lost over these last four years" and urge the crowd to "show the Democrats and the media that bullied this wonderful baseball team in this wonderful stadium against their will, and who routinely bully our institutions into submission, our corporations like Coca-Cola into undue compliance, that their days of bossing your fellow Georgians and Americans around are over, because tomorrow night, America will have a new President that will respect the will of corporations trying to care about their customers and not the fantasies of vocal minorities who wish to divide us and bully them into a 'woke' path that hasn't worked out well when tried". Just as the speech ended, members of the audience began performing the "Tomahawk Chop" long associated with the Braves, as DeSantis and the others on stage in Atlanta joined in.

November 4, 2024
VICE PRESIDENT MAKES LAST PUSH FOR VOTES ACROSS NATION AS BARACK OBAMA RALLIES SUPPORTERS IN ARIZONA
Monday proved to be the most penultimate day for the campaign of Vice President Kamala Harris, as the Democratic hopeful began her day in Wisconsin where she rallied for Sen. Tammy Baldwin in the latter's bid for a third term against Republican Rep. Mike Gallagher, whose most recent polls have indicated a slight tilt for Gallagher. In rallying the crowd, Harris stressed the importance of "a woman's right to choose", "a world free of racial division" and "a cleaner environment that benefits all Wisconsinites" during a rally in Milwaukee. At the rally Baldwin warned "A vote for Ron DeSantis and Mike Gallagher is a vote to put Americans of all varieties, of all colors, back into the closet. We cannot afford that as a country, let alone as a human race", as the openly lesbian Senator called on the packed audience to "turn back the tide and paint Wisconsin blue again!"

The rallies were part of a marathon weekend in which Harris, much like her Republican rival Ron DeSantis, criss-crossed the nation stumping for last-minute votes, primarily in states considered important to the outcome of the election with stops in suburban Seattle, in Dallas, and also in Charlotte, Pittsburgh, Columbus, Ohio and Richmond, Va. before she arrived in Milwaukee on Monday. After a quick jaunt through Las Vegas (where she campaigned for Sen. Jacky Rosen and the state's slate of Democratic congressional hopefuls, Harris then traveled to Phoenix to campaign for Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, urging the audience (especially those on the more progressive end) to "put aside your differences, and help us stop the Republicans from taking over complete control of Washington, because if we allow the other side to define what America is for us, who knows what's going to come of it?" While Sinema more or less has the edge in the final days of her Senate reelection bid, the maverick freshman Senator at one point was "left for dead" after a series of controversial votes that scuttled portions of Biden's "Build Back Better" agenda early in the Biden presidency.

The stage in Phoenix for the rest of the night belonged to Harris, who implored the audience to "get fired up and go out there and cast your vote for the one candidate that will truly fight for the people". She was also joined on stage by legendary filmmaker Steven Spielberg, who spent his teenage years and honed the roots of his iconic film career in Phoenix, who then proceeded to energize the audience with a famous quote from his Indiana Jones series: "I think it's time to ask yourself: what do you believe in?", as Spielberg urged the packed audience at Ak-Chin Pavilion to "vote for democracy like your life depends on it". Spielberg then alluded to another one of his works, Schindler's List: "There are generations of Americans who have been inspired by this campaign, so never let the naysayers tell you that you didn't do enough, because you have done so much to get Kamala Harris to where she is, and tomorrow night - it is going to be a beautiful night!"

Harris's concluding rally also dovetailed with the aforementioned "amphitheater tour" of vice presidential running mate Gary Peters, who embarked upon his now-legendary tour since and ended it with a reunion with Harris on the Ak-Chin stage Monday night. Peters' trek across the country also took him to similar amphitheaters including the Blossom Music Center outside Cleveland (alongside Sen. Sherrod Brown), the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion north of Houston (alongside Democratic U.S. Senate hopeful Julián Castro) and the Red Rocks Amphitheatre west of Denver (where he was joined by Gov. and former presidential candidate Jared Polis) before reaching Phoenix.

As for the other presidential candidates, Forward nominee Andrew Yang appeared at Liberty State Park in New Jersey, directly across from the Statue of Liberty, as he remained upbeat and "even more proud of all the amazing volunteers in our campaign than ever before" despite his polling numbers continuing to hover around five percent, urging the crowd of some several thousand supporters to "continue moving the country forward tomorrow". Constitution Party nominee Mike Lindell concluded his campaign with a rally at a hockey arena in Duluth, Minnesota where he "urged the crowd to voice their conscience and send a message to the two establishment parties that our values, our patriotism, and our hard work will no longer be taken for granted", while Libertarian nominee Dave Smith appeared alongside podcaster Joe Rogan in a final appeal for votes at a Denver brewery alongside South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone, and Green Party nominee Norman Solomon concluded his campaign in Davis, California - west of Sacramento, where a friend of running mate Katie Roedersheimer, the daughter of activist Erin Brockovich, performed a cover of "Everyday is a Winding Road" - the Sheryl Crow song that was used in the soundtrack for the 2000 film about Roedersheimer's mother (who was portrayed by Julia Roberts in that film), to close out Solomon's rally.

November 4, 2024
BIDEN WISHES "GOOD LUCK" TO CANDIDATES ON EVE OF ELECTION
As the 2024 presidential election winds to a close, President Joe Biden held a primetime address from the Oval Office, where he spoke to the country on the importance of "yet another election in our glorious democracy". In his statements, Biden noted that had prepared "letters of advice" for both his Vice President, Kamala Harris, and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis in advance, and also alluded to the "great work we have done as a nation, restoring the voters' trust in our democracy, creating millions of good-paying jobs for hardworking Americans, making historic investments in our infrastructure and our climate, and transforming democracy like never before". While Biden acknowledged "the going has never been easy knowing the hurdles we've had to cross together, I know for one that America is stronger than we've ever been, and after this election is over, regardless of who wins, we will be even more united".

The retiring President also issued a standard "good luck" to all of the presidential candidates, while also reiterating his support for Harris: "All things said, I still believe that Kamala Harris represents our greatest chance to keep the progress we've been making these last four years going, and as our first Madam President, Kamala Harris will make Americans proud, most especially the millions of young girls and women who will be inspired to participate in our democracy, to run for public office, to fully achieve their dreams in this country, because of the inspiring and encouraging work that she is going to do as our next President." He then wrapped up his speech by concluding "May God continue to bless this amazing country, for which I have been so honored to serve as your President, and may God continue to bless our people."

Compared to the frenetic pace for which the candidates travailed throughout the last few days, the White House was relatively quiet save for Halloween trick-or-treating last week and the President congratulating the New York Mets on their World Series victory over the Toronto Blue Jays, with Fox baseball reporter Ken Rosenthal noting that the President contacted the team shortly after the Mets' uncorked the champagne in their locker room at Citi Field, while ESPN columnist Jeff Passan noted that "President Biden has invited the Mets to, at his own personal expense, an Acela ride to the White House and lunch as well". The President also watched some movies during the weekend, and also took time out of his schedule to attend mass at St. Joseph on the Brandywine back home in Delaware, where he prayed for "a fair and safe election this coming Tuesday".

And, just like that...we have reached this point...

Source: Wikimedia Commons

My Dear Country by Norah Jones

'Twas Halloween and the ghosts were out
And everywhere they'd go, they'd shout
And though I covered my eyes, I knew
They'd go away

But fear's the only thing I saw
And three days later it was clear to all
That nothing is as scary as election day

But the day after is darker
And darker and darker it goes
Who knows, maybe the plans will change
Who knows, maybe he's not deranged

The newsmen know what they know, but they
Know even less than what they say
And I don't know who I can trust
For they come what may

'Cause we believed in our candidate
But even more it's the one we hate
I needed someone I could shake
On election day

But the day after is darker
And deeper and deeper we go
Who knows, maybe it's all a dream
Who knows if I'll wake up and scream

I love the things that you've given me
I cherish you, my dear country
But sometimes I don't understand
The way we play

I love the things that you've given me
And most of all that I am free
To have a song that I can sing
On election day

Next up: ELECTION DAY...

Love the amount of detail

[PRESIDENT STANTON]

Good thread and it appears that Ron DeSantis will likely cruise to a resounding victory! Imagine if California goes for DeSantis and Harris support in the Golden state is middling at best! Could Kevin McCarthy's undervote catapult DeSantis to a lead! Especially with support in DeSantis in Orange County and the Inland Empire be a tipping point? It will be interesting to see how the election unfolds. Bet Harris is probably wishing that the Reno debate never occurred.
One caveat that should be included regarding Harris and the fact she never competed against a Republican in California. She didn't even poll well in the state in the lead up to the primaries in 2020, compelling her to withdraw. She comes across as a tad too toxic and something tells that doesn't wear too well and I could imagine, if it's between DeSantis and Harris in California, DeSantis could possibly win in California. It would be an interesting development in the storyline.

[2016]

Good thread and it appears that Ron DeSantis will likely cruise to a resounding victory! Imagine if California goes for DeSantis and Harris support in the Golden state is middling at best! Could Kevin McCarthy's undervote catapult DeSantis to a lead! Especially with support in DeSantis in Orange County and the Inland Empire be a tipping point? It will be interesting to see how the election unfolds. Bet Harris is probably wishing that the Reno debate never occurred.
One caveat that should be included regarding Harris and the fact she never competed against a Republican in California. She didn't even poll well in the state in the lead up to the primaries in 2020, compelling her to withdraw. She comes across as a tad too toxic and something tells that doesn't wear too well and I could imagine, if it's between DeSantis and Harris in California, DeSantis could possibly win in California. It would be an interesting development in the storyline.

This will potentially similar to Obama 2008 but now in reverse with DeSantis probably winning between 330-350 Electoral College Votes.

[SaintStan86]

No time to waste. Election Day is here...

November 5, 2024
HARRIS, DeSANTIS CAST BALLOTS AS ELECTION DAY GOES DOWN TO THE WIRE
Tuesday began as expected for the candidates as Vice President Kamala Harris gathered with supporters at a polling precinct in Brentwood on the Westside of Los Angeles, joined by a number of Hollywood celebrities also casting their ballots for the Democratic nominee as she set about on a busy morning of last-minute interviews and voter appeals with hours to go before the country finds out who their next President is. With most polls generally showing her behind her Republican rival, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (though with some showing the Vice President within the margin of error), Harris does not appear to be taking any chances as she took a quick flight to San Diego to meet with campaign volunteers before embarking on a long journey along the 101, making stops along the way in Montecito (where she briefly chatted with former talk show hosts Ellen DeGeneres and Oprah Winfrey and royals Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex) before making a final stop in Monterey en route to San Francisco, where her watch party is already set to get underway at Civic Center Plaza adjacent to San Francisco City Hall. Both Harris and her husband, Doug Emhoff, already cast their ballots absentee.

Meanwhile in Florida, Gov. DeSantis and his wife Casey cast their ballots in Tallahassee as the Republican nominee held a series of interviews and went over final preparations for the evening's watch party in Ponte Vedra Beach, where DeSantis resided and served as the area's Congressman before his ascendence to the Governor's Mansion in 2018, at the clubhouse overlooking the TPC Sawgrass golf course, where the annual Players Championship (a major tournament on the PGA Tour which is headquartered in Ponte Vedra Beach) is held. Speaking before reporters in just a buttoned-down shirt and pants, "I am at peace with the outcome of the election, God willing, and if I'm not the President tonight, then it wasn't meant to be and that's fine. This election belongs to the voters, and it is their call to make", as DeSantis also spent the morning with several PGA golfers, some of whom reside in the area.

DeSantis's running mate, former Ambassador Nikki Haley, cast her ballot earlier in the day in tony Kiawah Island, S.C., southwest of Charleston, where the vice presidential hopeful remarked "I am proud of the work this campaign has done, and if we come out on top, I will take that blessing and used it to my best abilities". She was later joined by South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster (who directly succeeded Haley as Governor upon her appointment to serve as Donald Trump's first Ambassador to the United Nations) at a rally on Hilton Head Island later in the day as she proceeded to stops in Savannah and Brunswick in Georgia before eventually joining Gov. DeSantis in Florida in the early evening. Harris's running mate, Sen. Gary Peters, cast his ballot near his home in Oakland County outside of Detroit, having returned overnight from Phoenix before ultimately flying out to San Francisco to join the Harris campaign. The other candidates also remained in their hometowns preparing for their watch parties tonight, including Forward's Andrew Yang who is hosting a watch party tonight at a hotel outside of New York City.

As for potential Cabinet picks, potential Harris administration favorites indicate a clear break from the largely venerable hires of the Biden administration. One of the few exceptions appears to be for Secretary of State, where Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines is viewed as a potential pick for Secretary of State alongside CIA Director William Burns, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan and Sen. Chris Murphy, who is widely expected to win reelection tonight in Connecticut, while another Biden administration figure, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, is in the running for Attorney General alongside Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia (who is facing a tough reelection) and state-level AGs Tish James of New York and Dana Nessel of Michigan. For Defense Secretary, Michèle Flournoy is widely viewed as the odds-on favorite to become the first female holder of this position, while Federal Reserve Vice Chair Lael Brainard and SEC Chair Gary Gensler are favorites for the position of Treasury Secretary alongside former Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo. Other potential Cabinet picks include former Hormel Foods CEO Jeff Ettinger (who ran a competitive campaign for a congressional seat in Minnesota in 2022) for Agriculture Secretary, senior Biden advisor Neera Tanden and CDC Director Rochelle Walensky for HHS Secretary, and Sen. Michael Bennet of Colorado (who served as Superintendent of Denver Public Schools prior to his appointment to the Senate in 2009) as Education Secretary.

On the Republican side, it is widely reported that a member of Congress from Florida (likely either Byron Donalds, Brian Mast or his direct successor in Congress, Michael Waltz) will serve as Chief of Staff in a DeSantis administration. Several Senators are seen as possibilities for Cabinet posts, including Ted Cruz (mainly Attorney General), Tom Cotton, Ben Sasse (only for Education Secretary), Marco Rubio, Tim Scott and Josh Hawley (all but the latter two of whom ran alongside DeSantis in the GOP primary), along with such Trump administration alums as former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo (though only in a short-term capacity), former Labor Secretary Eugene Scalia, former neurosurgeon and HUD Secretary Ben Carson (for HHS Secretary), former Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli (either at Homeland Security or as Attorney General), former Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe (who served the last eight months of Trump's administration in this role), former DoD advisor Kash Patel, and former White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany (who also served less than a year before Trump departed the presidency, and is the clear favorite to return to her old post).

Two Republican Governors, Virginia's Glenn Youngkin and Iowa's Kim Reynolds, have also been floated as potential Cabinet picks, with much of the rumors surrounding Youngkin centered on the position of Commerce Secretary or even Treasury for the co-CEO of the Carlyle Group. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has ruled out any possibility of serving in a DeSantis administration, preferring instead to "focus more on my duties as Governor of Texas" as he weighs whether or not to run for reelection in 2026, with Rep. Vicente Gonzalez rumored to be considering a run for Governor on the Democratic side regardless of the outcome of his competitive congressional reelection in the 34th District from Brownsville to Corpus Christi. Former Vice President Mike Pence has ruled out any possibility of serving in a potential DeSantis administration, as he has chosen to remain retired long-term with his wife in the suburbs north of Indianapolis, while members of the Trump family also continue to be seen as potential Cabinet picks, including Trump's older daughter Ivanka Trump as well as Lara Trump, the wife of Eric Trump who is also rumored to be considering a run for U.S. Senate in North Carolina in 2026 depending on whether or not incumbent Republican Sen. Thom Tillis seeks reelection.

It is now 5PM on the East Coast, and voters are angling to show up at the last minute to cast their votes for President and other downballot races. While much of the country is focused on the returns, at one particular network it is a sentimental night in many aspects. After nearly 35 years of covering political affairs, Wolf Blitzer is retiring from CNN. Having presided over the network's election coverage since 2004, Blitzer relinquished his duties as lead Washington anchor to Jake Tapper in 2021, but has remained central to the network's breaking news coverage as well as some documentaries for the network. In honor of the CNN legend, the election night coverage will come principally from his network...

Wolf Blitzer, CNN anchor
Source: Wikimedia Commons
Author: Philkirwin

(From CNN)
WOLF BLITZER: It is now just past 5 PM here in Washington, 2 PM in San Francisco where Vice President Kamala Harris is set to appear later tonight, hoping to become America's first Madam President. Looking live now outside San Francisco City Hall, where final preparations are underway to start the party in less than an hour.

(pans to shot from Florida)

Also, looking live now at the balcony overlooking TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, south of Jacksonville where Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis hopes to celebrate with his supporters tonight, this is the same course where the annual Players Championship takes place, just miles from the headquarters of the PGA Tour, an area DeSantis used to represent in Congress before he became Governor.

(pans to shot from the Meadowlands)

Also anticipating tonight remarks from Andrew Yang and his Forward movement, which is having its watch party tonight at the Hilton near the Meadowlands in East Rutherford, New Jersey, west of New York City. Looking live there, it looks to be a very exciting gathering tonight for a movement that some are comparing to Ross Perot in '92, '96, and before that, John Anderson in 1980, who ironically represented the same congressional district that Yang's running mate, Adam Kinzinger, represented two years ago. You may recall Kinzinger from the January 6th committee.

This is CNN's coverage of Election Night in America, I'm Wolf Blitzer. We want to welcome our viewers here in the United States and around the world. We're standing by waiting for the first returns on this night, from Indiana and Kentucky where polls are set to close in less than an hour in most parts of those states that are in the Eastern Time Zone. Standby for that. We will have to wait a little longer - 7PM Eastern - to make presidential calls in Indiana and Kentucky, as well as in Georgia, South Carolina, Vermont and Virginia.

This is clearly a historic election, both President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump are not running, and there are also a lot of incumbents not coming back. In other words, literally a blank canvas...

We'll get to David Chalian with the first exit poll of this election night, on the issues Americans care about, but first let's go to Jake Tapper.

JAKE TAPPER: Wolf, we're waiting to find out the latest from battleground states like Pennsylvania, Nevada, Georgia and Arizona, and we're also going to get some insider baseball on what the candidates are doing tonight as well.

(Fast forward >>)

JAKE TAPPER: And now, we have our first exit poll on the issues that are driving the vote tonight across the country, David Chalian, what do you have?

DAVID CHALIAN: Jake, this is just the first of many of this type we'll be getting tonight dealing with the issues. And what's driving voters, number one at 31 percent is the economy. Yes, this has been quite an unusual thing to say because jobs are quite plentiful, but the issues with education, with career preparedness, inflation, this is all coming to a head. Republicans argue that Biden has been out-of-sync on this matter.

Then you have at 16 percent, financial security. You had the whole Inflation Reduction Act that President Biden spoke at great length about, except it really didn't do much long term and became a source of ridicule for Republicans, and now the threat of a default. Biden tried to get deficit spending under control, but the social spending deals he cut with Manchin didn't do much either. Another 16 percent say crime is the driving issue, especially among Republicans. Second amendment, gun control issues, this was 12 percent of respondents, some NRA types, others Everytown types. Foreign relations, threat of a nuclear war with China, possibly Afghanistan, 10 percent. A full 85 percent of the country driven by these top five issues.

(Fast forward >>)

WOLF BLITZER: Jake Tapper, what's going on with the Senate?

JAKE TAPPER: Wolf, as you can see on this map, Democrats will need to win double what they have now, plus one more for 51 seats, not counting California which already has been lost to the GOP in that very controversial primary last June. Whoever wins that seat between House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and Richard Grenell, the former Ambassador to Germany under former President Donald Trump, will join 42 other Republicans in the Senate.

The only way Republicans can lose the Senate is if they only win six seats tonight, which basically would mean Democrats will have to run the table in all of their 20 remaining existing seats, plus the two independent seats that caucus with the Democrats but are now open, and pluck off three or four of the Republican-held seats.

Which is even more impossible when you consider that West Virginia is likely gone, Joe Manchin is retiring, Patrick Morrisey, the state Attorney General a clear favorite over there. They would have to run the table in all but five or six seats, basically the five targeted seats in Texas, Florida, Missouri, Indiana, Nebraska, to win.

Up next: The first presidential exit poll, plus the earliest returns...

[2016]

Let's see some more Exit Polls first but my Prediction at 7pm ET when we have the first Statewide Poll Closings is as follows:

Kentucky called for DeSantis (8 Electoral Votes)
Indiana called for DeSantis (11 Electoral Votes)
South Carolina [Nikki Haleys Home State] called for DeSantis (9 Electoral Votes)
Vermont called for Harris (3 Electoral Votes)
Virginia (13 Electoral Votes) as surprising as it is since everyone assumed it would go Democratic again after Obama won it twice as well as Clinton & Biden - TOO CLOSE TO CALL (DeSantis chances depend on the NoVa Suburbs; Still think Harris might win in a squeaker; She has to win there if she wants to have any chance at all)
Georgia (16 Electoral Votes) TOO EARLY TO CALL; depends on the AA-Vote if Harris has a chance there

DeSantis 28 / Harris 3

Senate
Indiana - called for Mike Brown (Republican Hold)
Virginia - TOO EARLY TO CALL (Kaine vs Vogel; I think Kaine will do better than Harris particularly in the Richmond Suburbs)
Vermont - TOO EARLY TO CALL (3-way Race)

Republicans 44 / Democrats 25

@SaintStan86,
Great to see that you are doing a little bit of an Homage to Wolf Blitzer and play tribute to him.

[SaintStan86]

It is now past 6PM on the East Coast, Doing some channel surfing...

(From NBC)
LESTER HOLT: This is NBC News' coverage of Decision 2024, live from Democracy Plaza in Rockefeller Center, where tonight the future of the country is clearly at stake in a very pivotal election.

I'm Lester Holt, here with Savannah Guthrie, Chuck Todd and Andrea Mitchell, as we get ready to embark upon this fantastic voyage we're on tonight, all the way to 3 a.m. Eastern time.

We'll get to a special edition of NBC Nightly News coming up in just under half an hour. But first, let's go Across America, starting with Tom Llamas live in San Francisco where Vice President Kamala Harris is hoping to pull off what some now consider an upset, Tom?

(live shot from San Francisco)

TOM LLAMAS: Lester, the mood here tonight in San Francisco is quite jubilant, especially with exit polling now showing Kamala Harris with only a three-point deficit to Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, which some say is closer than the six-to-seven point polling average he's been getting in the most recent polls. Which explains why for the crowd here, tonight is about a come-from-behind victory for Kamala Harris, they're hoping it is, especially since just over 40 percent of the country voted early and that vote is likely to be more Democratic than usual.

The big worry tonight, however, is the Election Day vote which undoubtedly favors Republicans and Gov. DeSantis. While there is hope that absentee and mail-in ballots will make up the difference, some are already writing the Vice President's political obituary, and whether or not the naysayers may be right, we shall see. But for now, the mood here is a very vibrant one.

(On Fox News...)

BRET BAIER: As you can see tonight, this is going to be a very auspicious night for the Ron DeSantis campaign, and you are looking at what appears to be a mic check on one side, and the security line on the other side of the split screen here in Florida. Of course, security preparations very, very high understandably, because you don't want something really bad happening. Geraldo Rivera, what do you see?

GERALDO RIVERA: Well you know, we have to be aware of the security concerns, because after all this is a presidential watch party, and you don't want something out of the movies where the presidential candidate wins and then gets shot. Especially from someone who idolizes Al Capone. Or a white supremacist or skinhead - remember those people? Don't like not having your AR-15 in the open? Too bad, hold your guns for later, at least after Ron DeSantis gets sworn in should he win. Don't be like John Hinckley.

DAN BONGINO: Oh come on, Geraldo, we've been through this before, you know there's not going to be something tragic...you really care what Al Capone has in his vault still? Any law-abiding citizen who believes in the Second Amendment wouldn't want to hurt Ron DeSantis, would they? This isn't Iran.

(Back to CNN...)

WOLF BLITZER: And now you're looking at the first presidential exit poll returns, and so far Ron DeSantis has a four-point lead over Vice President Harris, 44 percent to 40 percent, with Andrew Yang clocking in at 6 percent. David, what does this mean?

DAVID CHALIAN: Wolf, this means that effectively this is Gov. DeSantis's race to lose. It also shows indeed that Andrew Yang's impact on this election is real and that has to be very disconcerting for the Harris camp since Yang was a Democrat until after the New York City mayoral election he lost in 2021, and it's fair to say that if it weren't for Yang, this would be a real battle. So far, it appears that this splinter vote is benefiting DeSantis, albeit not as much as polls have suggested.

(And on ABC...)

DAN ABRAMS: And as you can see right now, there are already issues with the machines at some polling places in Pennsylvania. Those are being worked on now, but for now unless you really have to vote - therefore need an old-fashioned paper ballot - you can wait certainly.

GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: OK, we're already getting close to just before 6:30 on the East Coast. We are going to take a break now, World News Tonight is about to begin shortly live across the entire nation...

(one-second cut, then shot to David Muir...)

DAVID MUIR: Tonight, America will find out who its 47th President will be as voters go to the polls on this Election Night, as Vice President Kamala Harris and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis await word on the first results, closing in less than one hour.

Long lines, faulty voting machines and in one case a bomb threat at one polling place in Atlanta, disrupting the ultimate exercise in democracy, with over 60 percent of Americans estimated to have already cast a ballot with hours, and in some places, just minutes to go, with a few polls having already closed. Also, a look at the latest exit polls and what signs to look for tonight.

Also, Republicans likely to keep control of the House and Senate, with one Democratic seat already gone to the GOP and another very likely to be called for Republicans tonight. What the Democrats are now hoping for, as Republicans inch closer to a filibuster-proof, 60-seat majority in the Senate. Plus, the latest on how the fallout from last month's raid of one Congressman's office in Illinois could affect the balance of power in the House, and could south Texas become the new Republican power center in the Lone Star State? FiveThirtyEight's Nate Silver will break down the latest analysis from the congressional elections.

Also tonight, Andrew Yang's auspicious bid for President, and whether or not it's affecting Kamala Harris's chances of winning the presidency. Could America be ready for coalition-style government, and whether or not the Forward movement of Yang's will have any staying power past Election Night.

And...let the Cabinet speculation begin. Who's in and who's out remains up in the air, but both sides have some early favorites, some already familiar to Americans, others from a completely different angle.

This special Election Day edition of World News Tonight from our Election Night headquarters in Times Square begins now.

(fanfare)

ANNOUNCER: From ABC News, this is World News Tonight with David Muir, reporting live tonight from ABC News Election Night headquarters in Times Square.

DAVID MUIR: Thank you for joining us on this very special Tuesday night as we prepare to go through another Election Night together. We'll go to George Stephanopoulos and Linsey Davis with the latest, but first...From coast-to-coast, millions of Americans stood in line today to cast their ballots for President and other races downballot as returns begin to roll in in parts of Indiana and Kentucky...and the suspense of who will be the 47th President of the United States, will ultimately be resolved, whether it's the Vice President, Kamala Harris, or the Governor of Florida, Ron DeSantis.

(Back to CNN...)

WOLF BLITZER: And as you can see right now, with about 20 percent of the votes in in Indiana, it appears that Ron DeSantis is winning just under 59 percent of the vote, versus 32 percent for Kamala Harris and six percent for Andrew Yang. It's mostly the early vote that's coming in, but so far it looks like Gov. DeSantis appears poised to win this state to kick off the auspicious night of election results slated to come in. John King, what to make of this?

JOHN KING: Wolf, as you can see on this map of Indiana by county, it's looking like an amalgamation of the Trump numbers in blue-collar areas, in the midsize metro areas, and something close to the Romney numbers in the suburbs around Indianapolis from 2012.

Let's take a look at Hamilton County. This is in the suburbs north of Indianapolis. Carmel, Fishers, Noblesville area. Usually very Republican, but in 2020 Joe Biden won 45 percent here, a big departure from 2012 when Mitt Romney won it 2 to 1. Even John McCain won 60 percent here the last time Indiana went blue for Barack Obama. Once again, this is 2012. This is tonight, 62 percent for Ron DeSantis in Hamilton County. Clearly not a good sign if you're Kamala Harris, especially at 31 percent.

Next you have Clark County in the southeast, used to be a bellwether county, now more Republican than the statewide average with the suburban growth across the Ohio River from Louisville, Kentucky. Last went Democrat for Bill Clinton in '92, '96, usually follows the statewide average. Tonight, Ron DeSantis is winning 59 percent, not much different from Trump four years ago.

Then you have up here, and this could really be telltale. St. Joe County, South Bend, home to Notre Dame. Has not voted Republican since George W. Bush in 2004, Donald Trump barely lost here in 2016 and 2020. This is tonight: Ron DeSantis is slightly ahead here 48-46, and this is the early vote, and if the same trend holds up in terms of Election Day votes, favoring Republicans, if DeSantis wins here this is going to be a long night. Especially with Andrew Yang taking six percent. DeSantis being Catholic, and also endorsed by Lou Holtz, of all persons, who coached the 1988 national champion Notre Dame football team, that is not helping Harris either.

WOLF BLITZER: And that would be historic, since George W. Bush did exceptionally well for a Republican - enough to win St. Joseph County - that year in Indiana, where an incumbent Democratic Senator, Evan Bayh, easily got reelected.

JOHN KING: Same with Kentucky, where they also had a close race in 2004, incumbent Republican Jim Bunning beating Daniel Mongiardo, the Democrat in a close battle there after Bunning made some bizarre comments about his opponent, comparing his appearance to one of Saddam Hussein's sons while the War in Iraq was ongoing.

Look over here, this is Campbell County, Cincinnati suburbs in Northern Kentucky, where the Beverly Hills Supper Club burned down in the 70s while John Davidson was performing. 60 percent for Ron DeSantis, 32 for Kamala Harris.

Kenton County, next door where Cincinnati's main airport is, DeSantis 59, Harris 35. Boone County, also touching Indiana, which once gave an equal amount of votes to Gerald Ford and Jimmy Carter. DeSantis winning 68 percent. Kamala Harris only getting 28 percent. These three counties are the political base of the 4th District, home to Republican Thomas Massie, who is also our first projection of the night, he will win a seventh full term in that district outside of Cincinnati. So far, Republicans have officially won 1 seat and Democrats have won none.

And it's not just the suburbs. Take a look at Pike County, here in the heart of Coal Country. Slightly Republican before the depression, became a Democratic stronghold for nearly eight decades. Now it's heavily Republican, and Ron DeSantis is winning well over 75 percent here. Kamala Harris only getting just over 16 percent, worse than Hillary Clinton in 2016.

Then you have Fayette County, where Lexington is. Was for many years a swing county, but has now become quite favorable to the Democrats. DeSantis getting close to 45 percent here, but the big story is Kamala Harris is only getting about 43 percent. Andrew Yang has eight percent.

Finally, Jefferson County, which is home to Louisville. Kamala Harris is winning here, but with only 47 percent to 44 for Ron DeSantis and six for Yang. And this is just early votes as well. Statewide, it's 63 percent for DeSantis, but if it gets any higher than that, I'm not certain Jefferson will hold up for Kamala Harris.

WOLF BLITZER: If I were Kamala Harris, I'd probably write this state off. We already know what to expect at 7 PM.

(Meanwhile, on CBS...)

NORAH O'DONNELL: Finally tonight, while other parts of the country are still voting, as of 12:01 this morning, the results are already in in a small corner of New Hampshire, where a handful of voters showed up at the stroke of midnight to cast their ballots for President. In this special "On the Road" report, Steve Hartman takes us to perhaps the best - or worst - kept secret on Election Day.

Source: Wikimedia Commons
Author: P199
The Balsams resort in Dixville Notch, New Hampshire, where the very first results for the 2024 presidential election were announced at midnight.

STEVE HARTMAN: It is almost midnight here at The Balsams, a resort looking seemingly like someplace you'd see in a Hallmark Channel movie or a fantasy novel, tucked away in the mountainous heart of New Hampshire's North Country, in the tiny community of Dixville Notch, New Hampshire, a four hour drive north of Boston just 20 miles from the Canadian border. Some parts of the resort are brand new, but otherwise this is one of the few remaining grand resort hotels that once defined the Granite State.

The first snowfall has already arrived here, but it's not the skiing and certainly not the championship golf or the glades that's the big draw here tonight. It's the presidential election, even though New Hampshire's traditional "first in the nation" primaries, "first in the nation" on the Republican side that is, have come and gone.

You won't be seeing any of the candidates. Not Kamala Harris. Not Ron DeSantis. And yes, not even Andrew Yang, or this gentleman's preferred pick, Libertarian Party nominee and comedian Dave Smith.

(Fast forward >>)

STEVE HARTMAN: Midnight has struck in the ballroom of the Balsams, known appropriately as the Ballot Room. The 7 individuals who are here tonight are now casting their ballots. And after the ballots have been counted, a final result is in.

VOLUNTEER: The final tally for President of the United States is: 4 for Ronald Dion DeSantis of Florida, 2 for Kamala Devi Harris of California, and one for David Smith of New York.

STEVE HARTMAN: Even though his candidate did not win, the lone Libertarian vote takes pride in one fact.

LIBERTARIAN VOTER: My candidate won about 15 percent of the vote here. I'm proud of that. I think others should be proud, too.

STEVE HARTMAN: Dixville Notch, of course, is not the only town that voted. In Millsfield, south of here, Ron DeSantis won 14 votes to three for Andrew Yang, two for Kamala Harris, and one for a pillow salesman named Mike Lindell.

And to the southeast in a town called Hart's Location, where tradition returned after the pandemic delayed it, 46 residents cast their votes: 25 for Gov. DeSantis, 15 for Vice President Harris, four for Andrew Yang, and two for Green Party candidate Norman Solomon.

But regardless of who voted for whom, across these three magical places, the mutual respect the voters have for one another is the same. After all, every four years they come here to exercise the ultimate experiment in democracy. And they, or at least most of them if they're still alive and kicking, cannot wait to do it again in another four years.

Steve Hartman. On the Road. In Dixville Notch, New Hampshire.

(And now, back to CNN...)

WOLF BLITZER: It is less than a minute from 7:00 PM on the East Coast, and six states plus all but one part of another are set to close. We'll be able to make our first projections of the night in Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, South Carolina, Vermont and Virginia, plus all but at least one or two congressional races in Florida - where Ron DeSantis's favorite son status could be a sign of things to come. We're counting down now to 10, 9, 8 seconds to go before 7:00 PM, we have some projections to make. Standby...

Next: Find out what happens at 7:00 PM ET/4:00PM ET...

[SaintStan86]

The time is now 7:00PM in Washington and 4:00PM on the West Coast. Here's what's happening...

(From CNN)
WOLF BLITZER: And right now, CNN projects that Ron DeSantis will win Indiana, the home state of former Vice President Mike Pence, with 11 electoral votes. The Harris campaign tried extensively to move the state leftward in the Indianapolis area, around South Bend and Northwest Indiana, where there's a very important congressional race, and where the polls are closing along with those in Evansville, another important bellwether.

But it looks like Indiana will be going for Ron DeSantis quite early, especially with Vigo County now clocking in close to 55 percent. Vigo, home to Terre Haute, was for many years a bellwether county until Trump won it but lost reelection. Whether or not it does vote for the winner remains to be seen, as well as the Senate race and the race for Governor...Jake Tapper will have an update shortly.

From the home state of the former Vice President, to the home state of the would-be Vice President should Gov. DeSantis win, we can also project South Carolina and its nine electoral votes will go to Ron DeSantis. Democrats ran aggressively in South Carolina, but no statewide race on the ballot did not give the Democrats much leverage to compete here in the home state of Nikki Haley, who once served as Governor before she became Donald Trump's first Ambassador to the United Nations, and stands to become Vice President if DeSantis does win - polls have consistently shown him winning by at least 10-15 percent.

And finally, in Kentucky, CNN projects Ron DeSantis will win eight electoral votes. Between the Trump-style numbers in rural areas and something close to Mitt Romney's, even George W. Bush's numbers in the urban areas, we can safely project that DeSantis will win the Bluegrass State.

We cannot project a winner yet in Georgia, which Donald Trump bitterly lost in 2020 and where Kamala Harris is betting on strong turnout from Black voters in the Atlanta area and in southwest Georgia to propel her to victory.

We also cannot project a winner in the commonwealth of Virginia, which last went Republican in 2004 but which has since elected a Republican Governor, Glenn Youngkin, who is rumored to be a potential favorite for a Cabinet post in a hypothetical DeSantis administration. Virginia, of course only elects its Governors to one term, and therefore Youngkin is not seeking reelection. One former Governor is running for reelection, that would be Sen. Tim Kaine, and he has a difficult reelection against State Sen. Jill Vogel, an ally of Gov. Youngkin's down in Richmond.

And here's the big shocker: We are not even able to project a winner in Vermont, one of the most solidly Democratic states in the Union, and where Andrew Yang reportedly is winning eight percent of the vote at least. There is also an open Senate race in Vermont, as well as a gubernatorial one where the popular moderate Republican Phil Scott is seeking reelection.

There were also exit polls showing DeSantis with 35 to 40 percent of the vote - above the norm for that state, and especially for a conservative in a state that is reckoned as a progressive stronghold. Though it is important to note that Vermont before 1992 largely voted Republican at the presidential level; when Peter Welch succeeded Patrick Leahy in 2022, he became only the second Democrat after Leahy to represent Vermont in the Senate.

So as it stands, there are 28 electoral votes for Governor DeSantis, and no electoral votes for Kamala Harris or Andrew Yang...

WOLF BLITZER: From there on, we go now to Jake Tapper with the latest in the battle for the Senate. Jake?

JAKE TAPPER: Wolf, we are ready to make a projection in Indiana. CNN projects that Sen. Mike Braun has been reelected to a second term based on returns that indicate that the conservative first-term Republican has won well over 55 percent statewide in his reelection against Shelli Yoder, a State Senator from Bloomington, where Indiana University is located, and former Miss Indiana who once competed for Miss America in 1993.

Yoder tried to use Braun's conservative voting record against him, but the tide against the Democrats was too great as Braun outperformed DeSantis in the Indianapolis suburbs and Yoder struggled to gain ground elsewhere in the state as well. It's going to be a different story in the race for Governor, which remains too close to call between Republican state Attorney General Todd Rokita and Hammond Mayor Tom McDermott, hoping to become the first Democrat to win a gubernatorial race since the late Frank O'Bannon won a second term in 2000.

We cannot make a projection in Virginia yet, where Sen. Tim Kaine - eight years removed from being Hillary Clinton's running mate on the Democratic ticket in 2016 - is facing his toughest reelection yet against State Sen. Jill Vogel, a close ally of Gov. Glenn Youngkin who has been polling competitively in Northern Virginia as well as in Kaine's old base around Richmond where he once served as Mayor.

We also cannot project a winner in the aforementioned Senate race in Vermont where Bernie Sanders is retiring, and where his endorsement of the Vermont Progressive Party candidate, Lt. Gov. David Zuckerman, has roiled that race between the Democratic former state Attorney General T.J. Donovan and the Republican ex-Lt. Gov. Brian Dubie.

JAKE TAPPER: But we can project a winner in the gubernatorial race there in the Green Mountain State. We are projecting that the Republican incumbent, Phil Scott, will win a fifth term as Governor over his Democratic challenger, State House Speaker Jill Krowinski. Scott is so popular in his state he even won over two-thirds of the vote and a 40+ victory margin over his opponent, David Zuckerman - the same David Zuckerman now running for the Senate.

WOLF BLITZER: Rather interesting, and the inevitably of the Senate remaining Republican is even more clear now. Let's go to our panel...

(Over on Fox News...)

BRET BAIER: Well Shannon, you've seen the map, what to make of it?

SHANNON BREAM: Hardly anything significant other than what we usually expect at this time. But the fact that Vermont hasn't even been called for Kamala Harris, that's new. Democrats have relied on those three votes to start off the night since at least Bill Clinton in 1992. Perhaps the influence of the Andrew Yang campaign weighing heavily on Harris, but Ron DeSantis inching close to the numbers George W. Bush got there in 2000 is a big development.

BRET BAIER: OK, let's go to the Fox News Decision Desk, Arnon Mishkin what have you discovered?

ARNON MISHKIN: Bret, the returns coming out of Vermont show that Governor DeSantis appears to be winning just below 40 percent of the vote there based on 15 percent of the precincts reporting. Considering Donald Trump only got 30 percent of the vote in Vermont in 2020 and again in 2016, as well as the impact that Andrew Yang's campaign, which appears to be polling around 8 to 9 percent there, plus around 2 percent for Norman Solomon, the Green Party candidate, is having on Vice President Harris's campaign, we cannot project the state at this point.

The Senate and gubernatorial races there obviously another factor, between the three-way race in the former and Phil Scott projected the winner in the latter, popular moderate Republican who foregoed campaigning for reelection in 2020, but won big anyway. Looking like a very rough night in store for Kamala Harris.

(And on NBC...)

LESTER HOLT: Almost half an hour in, and so far Kamala Harris has zilch, Ron DeSantis has 28. The Senate math for the Democrats virtually impossible after the early call in Indiana. Steve Kornacki, what to make of it?

STEVE KORNACKI: Lester, the numbers were already not encouraging for Democrats, but with Sen. Braun reelected in Indiana this early, the going has gotten tougher for the very few amongst us, if any, predicting that Chuck Schumer will be restored as Senate Majority Leader. Just consider where they have to make up ground...

For starters, they would have to win all of the 23 states with races tonight that they hold right now, and with a dozen tossups it's hard to imagine that scenario happening. First off, you'd have to win in Texas and Florida, though Missouri may be an easier bet given the recent struggles with Josh Hawley there. And then you've got Nebraska, where an exceptionally strong Democratic contender, Pete Festersen, has been keeping Deb Fischer on her toes.

But other than that, the prospects are looking very dim. I mean, where else can you expect Democrats to make up ground? Utah? Tennessee? Mississippi even? There's no way the Democrats will even come close to taking back the majority, and in fact the possibility of a 60-seat GOP majority is far greater in comparison now. West Virginia, pretty soon, will prove us right...

(Back to CNN...)

WOLF BLITZER: Getting very close to 7:30 in West Virginia, where an open Senate race hangs in the balance, in Ohio where 17 electoral votes and another Senate seat are at stake, and in North Carolina, where former presidential hopeful Roy Cooper is term-limited; both candidates looking to succeed him also looking to make history as well.

OK, less than five seconds before the polls close. Standby for a major projection...

(CNN "Key Race Alert"...)

WOLF BLITZER: And right now, CNN projects that Ron DeSantis will win West Virginia's four electoral votes. This was an easy call, West Virginia was one of Donald Trump's best performing states, and in this election no great surprise either as the state has become very favorable to Republicans. The only difference this time is DeSantis only won four electoral votes; West Virginia lost a congressional seat before the midterms. Like Voldemort casting a spell on Harry Potter and taking one of his electoral votes away...

But Republicans are certainly making up for it somewhere, we'll get to Jake Tapper in a moment, but first...

We can't project a winner in Ohio, where 17 electoral votes are at stake. Ohio always has been a bellwether, or at least traditionally has been. It went for Donald Trump who eventually lost nationally. As did North Carolina, which we also cannot project. 16 electoral votes.

WOLF BLITZER: Jake, what updates do you have from the Senate about that electoral vote being reincarnated. Are they actually getting something in exchange?

JAKE TAPPER: Yes, Wolf they're actually gaining something in West Virginia. We can now project that the state Attorney General, Patrick Morrisey, six years removed from a narrow defeat against Sen. Joe Manchin, will pick up his Senate seat from the Democrats, defeating Richard Ojeda, former State Senator who ran a competitive race in the now-disbanded 3rd District in southern West Virginia in 2018, and who at one time considered a presidential run.

That is the first Republican flip of the night, not counting California, and it certainly may not be the last.

We're still waiting on word from Ohio, which is one of many tossups on the board tonight. Sherrod Brown seeking a fourth term against Jim Jordan, who surprised everyone by announcing he would run against Sen. Brown, though given that he was term-limited from chairing the House Judiciary Committee after the next Congress, and because J.D. Vance is already in the Senate, Jim Jordan had no choice but to challenge Brown.

We're also not projecting a winner yet in North Carolina. Gov. Roy Cooper is term-limited. He ran for President earlier this year, even winning his home state, but did not succeed. His successor is going to blaze a trail for sure, whether it's his endorsed Democratic nominee, state Attorney General Josh Stein, aiming to become the state's first Jewish Governor, or the Republican Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson, who hopes to become the first African-American Governor of North Carolina.

(From CBS...)

MARGARET BRENNAN: As you can see now, former President Donald Trump congratulating Patrick Morrisey on his win tonight in West Virginia, the first announced pickup of the night asides from the controversial race in California. Most polling had Morrisey up 20 points on his Democratic opponent, so this call was a very easy one.

Meanwhile, we have some early congressional returns coming out of Indiana and Florida that are noteworthy. In the 1st District, northwest Indiana outside Chicago, you have Jennifer-Ruth Green, the Black GOP former Air Force commander in a rematch against Frank Mrvan from 2022. Narrowly lost there in the midterms, but tonight she appears to be leading narrowly over Mrvan with 20 percent of the vote in. It's real early though, but we shall see since Gary - a Black Democratic stronghold - has yet to call in.

Next: 8:00PM on the East Coast, as a slew of Senate tossups hang in the balance...

[Kahane's Grave Is A Gender-Neutral Bathroom]

Oh my God Vermont too?

Every single member of the DNC in this TL should be fired.

[2016]

Vermont is a big surprise but then few expected Andrew Yang polling 8-9 % there. I still think Vice President Harris is going to win that State eventually.

However this doesn't bode very well for her next next door in New Hampshire. If you extrapolate the Results out of Vermont Governor DeSantis should be favoured winning the Granite States' 4 Electoral Votes.

No call in Virginia in either the Presidential Race or Senate Race where Biden & Warner won by 10 Points in 2020 could also mean trouble for the Harris Campaign.

Ohio and North Carolina are fascinating. I initially thought Jim Jordan might be too conservative for the State while Senator Sherrod Brown is too liberal. Looks like they both cancelling each other out making the contest a Toss Up.
In North Carolina you have an African-American Woman (Harris) running atop the States' Democratic Ticket while on Republican Side you have an African American Man (Robinson) running for Governor. Different State Dynamics in play here which is equally as fascinating as Ohio is.

[SaintStan86]

Almost 8:00PM Eastern time. A multitude of states are about to close their polls as the votes continue to roll in...

(From CNN)

WOLF BLITZER: Looking at the scene in Florida, obviously a very excited watch party for Ron DeSantis, as the Sunshine State - or at least the Florida Panhandle, the Peninsula already has had their polls closed for nearly an hour, comes on the clock. Polls also closing in 16 other states and also in much of five others. This is CNN's coverage of Election Night in America, I'm Wolf Blitzer, coming in on 8:00 PM in Florida and 5:00 PM in San Francisco. Standby for some major projections...

(CNN "Key Race Alert"...)

WOLF BLITZER: Right now, CNN projects Ron DeSantis will win 11 electoral votes in Tennessee, which gave over 60 percent to Donald Trump in 2020, and DeSantis will likely exceed that figure between a strong showing in rural Tennessee and in the suburbs around Nashville and Memphis. East Tennessee, of course, ancestrally Republican going back to the Civil War.

We're also projecting Missouri for DeSantis. 10 electoral votes, but there is a competitive race for the Senate and for Governor that we'll be looking at closely.

DeSantis also wins his neighboring state of Alabama, and its nine electoral votes. The Harris campaign paid virtually no attention to this race whatsoever; Trump won over 60 percent here in 2020. As is also the case with the seven electoral votes in Oklahoma, and in Mississippi - six electoral votes. All states in the Sunbelt, all favoring DeSantis.

And at least we can project the 2nd District in Maine - Bangor, Presque Isle, all points north - we can project Ron DeSantis will win the one electoral vote for that district.

Turning the other cheek, we can now project that Kamala Harris will win her first electoral votes of the night: 11 electoral votes in the state of Massachusetts. Arguably one of the most Democratic states, it has not voted Republican since Ronald Reagan's 1984 landslide. Exit polls have Andrew Yang pulling five to six percent, but DeSantis has been well behind in polling here despite lately getting just over 30 percent in these polls, still behind Kamala's numbers by a good margin.

We're also projecting Kamala Harris wins Maryland and its 10 electoral votes. The Washington area definitely favored to go her way, and her strong support from African-Americans, certainly factoring into her win here. George W. Bush was the last Republican to cross 40 percent, which is unlikely for Ron DeSantis tonight, in a state where a Trump-backed challenger for Governor beat another backed by outgoing Governor and one-time presidential candidate Larry Hogan, only for that candidate to lose to now-Gov. Wes Moore, who we'll get with in a moment.

We are also projecting Rhode Island for Kamala Harris. Its four electoral votes haven't gone Republican since 1984. While Andrew Yang has shown some strength here, around 10 percent or so in recent polling, it's hard to imagine DeSantis winning this state tonight.

And lastly, we project the District of Columbia, no great surprise, will go to Vice President Harris. Those three electoral votes have always, always gone Democratic, and this time is no different. That takes us to 76 electoral votes for DeSantis, 28 for Kamala Harris.

Now you're wondering...what's missing? Well, no, our Decision Desk is not sleeping on the job. The polls have closed in a lot of places where Democrats would have run up the score it seems. But it didn't happen, and nothing is wrong at the Decision Desk.

So what's missing? First off, we cannot project a winner in Pennsylvania, 19 electoral votes very closely watched in this election, a source of great interest in Donald Trump's false allegations of a stolen election, which played a big hand in Gov. Doug Mastriano's surprise election last year. Many observers fear if Harris wins, a fight could be in store over the results.

We also cannot project, shocker, Illinois - which has not voted for a Republican since 1988. But exit polling showing DeSantis romping through downstate Illinois, competing in the collar county suburbs of Chicago, telling a different picture for those 19 electoral votes.

New Jersey, 14 electoral votes and we also cannot project. Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy had a very close reelection in 2021, and this state got more competitive in the last few months as the debt default issues and Kamala's struggles with blue-collar Catholics in south Bergen, Middlesex, south Jersey, etc., plus Andrew Yang's candidacy which got plenty of support in New Jersey, weighed heavily on voters in the Tri-State area and in the Delaware Valley. A big Senate race also on tap here, as Dr. Mehmet Öz attempts to exorcise the demons of his 2022 Senate run next door in Pennsylvania and defeat Sen. Bob Menendez.

Same thing in Connecticut and its seven electoral votes. Cannot project a winner there either. Of course, same thing in New Hampshire, four electoral votes, perennial swing state that has not voted Republican since George W. Bush in 2000, despite coming oh so close. Or the three other electoral votes in Maine, certainly not the two statewide votes, but not even the 1st District in southern Maine around Portland, which normally votes favorably Democratic. Biden got 60 percent in that district in 2020.

Lastly, we cannot even project a winner in Delaware - the home state of President Biden. He won it by 20 percent in 2020, but it's open season in Delaware - open Senate seat where Tom Carper is retiring, open gubernatorial seat where John Carney is term-limited, open House seat as Lisa Blunt Rochester is running for Senate against a member of the Du Pont family - Ben duPont - whose wife is Dr. Öz's sister-in-law. All in the family, in Delaware. We all know the whole story of the Du Pont family.

JAKE TAPPER: And of course, most of Texas is counting votes now, just polls have yet to close in El Paso so we can't call over there. Also can't call Michigan because of the communities bordering Wisconsin, Kansas because of a few counties bordering Colorado, South Dakota because of Rapid City, Mount Rushmore and North Dakota because of the southwest corner around Dickinson.

WOLF BLITZER: Quite a lot of states we can't call because of small apples like that.

JAKE TAPPER: Unfortunately, no. Least we can do is project some Senate seats. In Massachusetts, Sen. Elizabeth Warren we project will win reelection to a third term, fresh off her second presidential run. She will defeat her Republican challenger, former state GOP Chairwoman Kirsten Hughes. We're also projecting in Maryland that Congressman John Sarbanes will get a job promotion to the Senate, defeating his Republican challenger David Marks, a Baltimore County Councilman who was an underdog throughout the campaign. Sarbanes will fill the seat being vacated by the retiring Democrat Ben Cardin, who succeeded Sarbanes' father Paul in 2006; the elder Sarbanes served five terms in the Senate dating back to 1976.

And I know this sounds like the presidential calls, but we're going to go ahead and go to Rhode Island next, where Sheldon Whitehouse is projected to win a fourth term. The Democratic incumbent was being challenged by Brian Newberry, who is a State Representative. We also project that Sen. Chris Murphy, who at one time was considered for Kamala Harris's running mate, will easily win a third term from Connecticut over the former State Senator, Kevin Witkos.

On the Republican side, we project Marsha Blackburn will win another term in the Senate. She was facing State Rep. John Ray Clemmons from Nashville in her reelection bid - which was a much easier slog than her competitive 2018 battle against former Gov. and Nashville Mayor Phil Bredesen. And we also project that Roger Wicker has won another term in the Senate from Mississippi with little opposition, the Democrats did not even bother to field a strong challenger against him.

Of course, we're not projecting the Senate race in Florida, where Sen. Rick Scott and former Congresswoman Stephanie Murphy have been going at it, or in Missouri where Josh Hawley is trying to win a second term against the former State Auditor, Nicole Galloway.

We can't project a winner in Delaware either as you mentioned earlier - it has been neck-and-neck between Lisa Blunt Rochester and Ben duPont. Also in New Jersey, where Dr. Öz is hoping to win in his home state after his move into Pennsylvania got poo-pooed by John Fetterman enough to where the Lt. Gov. defeated Öz in 2022.

You have Pennsylvania too close to call as well, Sen. Bob Casey, Jr. in his toughest reelection bid yet against Dave McCormick, making his second Senate run. At one point, he was considered for Treasury Secretary in the Trump administration before Trump went with Steven Mnuchin, and if he doesn't win it's pretty obvious where he's going if DeSantis wins.

That's where the map stands right now in the Senate. Back to you, Wolf.

(On NBC...)

CHUCK TODD: Lester, let's take a look now at Florida, where Ron DeSantis is enjoying a 12-point lead over Kamala Harris right now, and you can see where it's red down here. That is Miami-Dade County, which has not gone Republican since 1988. To put it into perspective, the last time Miami went for the Republican, Miami Vice - with Brandon Tartikoff's blessing - was still airing on this network, Andrew was still a name on the Atlantic Hurricane chart that was last used in 1986, George Michael and the Bee Gees were still alive, Dan Marino was the Dolphins quarterback, Don Shula was his coach, Joe Robbie Stadium - now Hard Rock Stadium - was set to host the Super Bowl, Jimmy Johnson was the defending national champion at the University of Miami, the Miami Heat had just started their first season in the NBA, Marco Rubio was a senior in high school, Rick Scott was just getting started with his hospital management career, Ron DeSantis was in puberty, and it wasn't even called Miami-Dade County, just Dade County.

Let's go to 2016, when Miami-Dade went over 20 points for Hillary Clinton. Here's 2020, eight points for President Biden. This is tonight...Ron DeSantis has 51 percent. Also not helping that Andrew Yang has eight percent; Yang talked a lot about cryptocurrency in his campaign, had a number of crypto bombs and fundraisers from the crypto industry which is huge in Miami - Crypto City, U.S.A. The Vice President only getting 38 percent here...if this holds up, looking at the numbers in the I-4 corridor, it looks like we could be calling this state early, Lester.

LESTER HOLT: Interesting turn of events, Chuck Todd. What about Ohio?

CHUCK TODD: Going up here now, DeSantis is up thirteen on Harris, 54-41, Yang has five percent with 40 percent in. Appears that DeSantis is posting numbers rivaling Trump's in the rural areas and in Youngstown, plus in the suburban counties outside Cincinnati, Columbus he's getting 63 percent in Butler County. Delaware County, 58 percent north of Columbus where Biden came oh so close in 2020. You also have Greene County, 60 percent east of Dayton, and lastly Lorain County, traditionally a Democratic blue-collar county, but increasingly suburban, he's getting 53 percent in the suburbs west of Cleveland.

In short, not only is DeSantis gaining, but Harris is also losing to Yang. Some said Mike Lindell and his millions of dollars in pillows would have taken some, but obviously not much more than two percent at best. This is looking like a blowout for Ron DeSantis, and the comments Harris made about dealing with China did not help.

There is a bright spot for Democrats on this map, congressional map that is, over in the 1st District in Cincinnati, former Mayor John Cranley, who lost a primary for Governor in 2022, leading Tom Brinkman 52-45 in that district, an open seat because Steve Chabot is retiring.

The big one, however, is the Senate race, and right now Sherrod Brown trailing Jim Jordan by a mere less than two percent in Ohio. Brown has run ads hitting Jordan on his use of the House Judiciary Committee to investigate Hunter Biden, over when Jordan called for the defunding of the FBI while holding the Chairman's gavel in committee, over the sex abuse scandal on the Ohio State wrestling team where he was an assistant coach. Jordan, in turn, pointed to Brown's consistent liberal voting record, and also tied Brown to AOC as well as Ohio activist Nina Turner, who called for Ron DeSantis to be assassinated at one point.

As it stands now, Brown is trailing, and a lot of this in is the early vote. Unless the absentee push is big, it looks like Brown could be headed to defeat.

LESTER HOLT: OK, Chuck Todd, thank you very much.

With the networks focusing on the presidential race and calls for the Senate, the House is more or less left to the local and state levels. However, here are some notable early calls in the first hour...

FL-16: In Sarasota, Republican House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Vern Buchanan turns back a challenge from former State Rep. Andrew Learned, despite ads from the DCCC targeting Buchanan's wealth and its effect on his influence on the committee.

KY-05: Despite a fierce campaign by Democratic State Rep. Angie Hatton, who won most of the "Coal Country" counties in eastern Kentucky that were once part of the old 7th District, it still wasn't enough to overcome State Senate Majority Whip Brandon Smith, who dominated the ancestrally Republican remainder in southern Kentucky that has long been the base of retiring 22-term Republican Hal Rogers.

MD-05: Democratic Charles County Commissioner and restaurateur Bobby Rucci defeated Republican attorney and former State GOP Chair Dirk Haire in this southern Maryland district and will succeed 22-term former House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer.

NC-05: Former State Sen. Deanna Ballard wins her first term in Congress, will succeed longtime GOP Rep. Virginia Foxx in the suburban Winston-Salem district that also extends to Boone and Mount Airy.

NC-12 & NC-14: In Charlotte, Democratic freshman Jeff Jackson easily wins a second term in the 12th District as his previous 14th District (now in south Charlotte and surrounding suburbs) flips to the GOP with fellow incumbent Dan Bishop.

OH-08: There will be a Jordan - albeit not from the same family as his predecessor - representing Columbus's northern suburbs after all as veteran Ohio legislator Kris Jordan succeeds U.S. Senate candidate and House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan.

SC-06: Former HHS official, State Rep. and South Carolina Gamecocks football player Anton Gunn wins his first term in the majority Black 6th District based in Columbia, where he will succeed retiring former House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn.

TN-04 & TN-09: Two open seats in Tennessee will remain unchanged on the partisan dial as Republican physician and 2020 U.S. Senate candidate Manny Sethi will succeed Rep. Scott DesJarlais in the 4th District connecting Nashville's southeast suburbs to Chattanooga's western exurbs with a swath of rural Middle Tennessee in between, while former Shelby County Commissioner, Ph.D. student and Black Lives Matter activist Tami Sawyer will succeed retiring Rep. Steve Cohen, having easily won her first term in Cohen's heavily Democratic, Memphis-based 9th District.

Next: One state makes their call, and possibly a few others as well...

[SaintStan86]

It is now close to 8:30PM in Washington as one state looms...

(From CNN)
WOLF BLITZER: Getting very close to 8:30 now, looking live at the White House where President Biden is watching the returns from tonight, wondering if his Vice President, Kamala Harris will be elected the first Madam President. So far, the results indicate a very rough road for her, as she has been trailing Ron DeSantis since the first returns came in.

Arkansas is on the clock. They close their elections at 7:30 Central time, where there's no Senate or gubernatorial race on the ballot, and it appears obvious who the winner is going to be. Standby...

(CNN "Key Race Alert")

WOLF BLITZER: Ron DeSantis will win the state of Arkansas and its six electoral votes. This is the former home state of President Bill Clinton, which hasn't gone for a Democrat since Clinton won his second term in 1996. It has moved sharply to the right since then, so not of any great surprise.

Let's go to John King, now. John, what are you seeing so far?

JOHN KING: Wolf, as you can see Florida is starting to fill up and as you can see, it is looking very good for Ron DeSantis right now. This is Hillsborough County, Tampa, which last went Republican in 2004 for George W. Bush. Tonight, Ron DeSantis is winning with 53 percent. That's the highest since 1988 with George H.W. Bush, and his strong support in the suburbs - Carrollwood, Brandon, the south part of Tampa proper where MacDill Air Force Base is - is driving his win here. 70 percent in, and Ron DeSantis is winning now.

Next door in Pinellas County, where Biden won last year with under 50 percent, as Trump did in 2016, went twice for Obama, twice for Bill Clinton. Home to St. Petersburg. And tonight, DeSantis is winning 55 percent.

The favorite son vote here is huge, of course, but Andrew Yang, while not as big as Miami, still looming large as Kamala Harris is just shy of 40 percent here. Really not the best night to be a Democrat in Florida.

Miami-Dade, 52 percent for Ron DeSantis. For good measure, let's go to 2016. Hillary Clinton won it big, by 25 points. Donald Trump did so poorly that two of the congressional seats serving Miami flipped blue in 2018, but the Cuban, Venezuelan vote swung huge for Trump in 2020 and the GOP flipped those two seats back. This is 2020 with Biden winning Miami-Dade by eight...This is tonight, and given Yang has pulled eight percent, this has to be the worst performance a Democrat has had here in a long time.

Those two seats, by the way, Maria Elvira Salazar in the 27th in Miami, Carlos Giménez south of downtown Miami in the 28th, those two seats will stay Republican. CNN has already called those seats.

Up to Broward County now, much more favorable for Kamala Harris, but even there 54 percent is underwhelming. Yang is pulling seven percent, and Gov. DeSantis' 37 percent is the highest since the last time a Republican won it in '88. It is important to note, though, the growing Hispanic vote - Cubans, South Americans - down in places like Miramar and Pembroke Pines, that's cutting into the white liberal and Jewish vote, as well as the Black vote here in Fort Lauderdale. Even Parkland, site of the mass shooting at Stoneman Douglas High School in 2018, appears to narrowly be favoring DeSantis. It did narrowly back Donald Trump in 2016, but flipped to Biden in 2020.

Palm Beach County, we're watching very closely here. Gov. DeSantis has over 46 percent of the vote, Donald Trump's home county where Mar-a-Lago is. Kamala Harris is barely trailing him with under 46 percent, and Andrew Yang has 6 percent. So this is looking like a potential spoiler...if DeSantis pulls it out here, it will be the first time since 1988 that a Republican has won here.

Further north, in Orlando, Kamala Harris has 51 percent to 42 for DeSantis, five for Andrew Yang. This was a reliable urban Republican bastion in the Reagan era. Now favors the Democrats, but this is the weakest showing for a Democrat in a long while. George W. Bush barely lost here twice, where Al Gore and John Kerry didn't even hit 50 percent. Stephanie Murphy, by contrast, who used to represent Orlando in Congress where she served on the January 6th committee, is getting 57 percent against Sen. Rick Scott, who otherwise is leading 55-43.

And for good measure, Jacksonville, Duval County, where President Biden became the first Democrat to win here since Jimmy Carter in '76 by four points - 60 percent for Ron DeSantis, who represented the Jacksonville area, his wife Casey used to be a news anchor here. Lastly, St. Johns County, where Gov. DeSantis and his family and supporters are tonight at TPC Sawgrass - 70 percent. Biggest since the first George Bush. The favorite son effect is huge in this state.

WOLF BLITZER: We probably will be calling Florida, not a matter of if but when. Probably very, very soon...

(Cut over to Fox News...)

BRIT HUME: It's easy to see where Kamala Harris went wrong. For starters, the acquiescing to the mob on the left who threatened our Supreme Court justices, going back to the hearings for Brett Kavanaugh - the absolute worst character assassination I have seen of anyone who was nominated for the high court, for which Harris on the Judiciary committee played a hand. Not to mention the obvious threats justices faced following the leak of the Dobbs decision.

Then you had that horrible ad that aired during the NFL game last September, which was so bad that if it weren't for Roger Goodell's quick call to Donald Trump, this would have blown out of hand. Which created lots of headaches for campaign strategists and advertising gurus, not just finding spots after so many of these ads got restricted, but also to avoid what happened with that ad.

Then you had Dinesh D'Souza's film, Kamala: The Untold Story, which drew a lot of interest from conservatives and swung a lot of voters in DeSantis's direction despite some obvious miscarriages of truth, not unlike what we've seen in his past work including 2000 Mules and Hillary's America. Obviously, those voters already with DeSantis, but it wouldn't shock me if it had an impact the way his past work did.

Then you had the candidacy of Andrew Yang, who obviously is peeling from both parties, but is most directly affecting the Democrats since DeSantis voters were already locked in for DeSantis and would have done the same for Trump. And whatever detractors of DeSantis do exist are negligible in numbers - either radical MAGA worshippers backing Mike Lindell or Never Trumpers, Liz Cheney types favoring Yang in part due to Adam Kinzinger being his running mate. But chiefly, Yang is taking from Kamala Harris.

Lastly, the last debate where Kamala Harris expressed a willingness to broker a peace deal regards of the impact on American workers, on Hong Kong, the Uyghurs, that kind of stuff. One major reason why Enes Kanter Freedom - the NBA player of Turkish descent - sued the league over his not being picked up by another team over this activism, which obviously ended in a Supreme Court decision favoring him, was because of the NBA being economically beholden to China. Fairly obvious that China is to today what the U.S.S.R. was in the Reagan era.

(And...a quick jaunt to...The Weather Channel?)

JACQUI JERAS: Looking outside right now, in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, where we usually report - around March - during the Players Championship held there at TPC Sawgrass. But tonight, a different purpose, as supporters of Ron DeSantis await word on their candidate. Tonight, partly cloudy with zero chance of rain over TPC Sawgrass, lows in the mid 50s with winds blowing southeast at about 10 MPH.

CARL PARKER: From Florida, to San Francisco now, where Vice President Kamala Harris and her supporters await to see if she'll be the first Madam President, 47th overall, in front of San Francisco City Hall. Not a cloud in the sky as you can see, 61 degrees outside with 15 MPH winds blowing from the Pacific Ocean.

There is the threat of rain in the forecast tomorrow morning, but most of it appears to be falling north of San Francisco from Santa Rosa up to Redding. Not much in the way of fire danger right now, given the above average rain conditions these past few months up there.

(And...Court TV?)

VINNIE POLITAN: Breaking news now from Pennsylvania, where a man has been arrested and charged with the battery of a police officer serving a warrant for his arrest in connection with allegations he committed voter fraud during an absentee ballot collection. Chanley Painter has the latest from the newsroom. Chanley?

CHANLEY PAINTER: Vinnie, a volunteer who was assigned to collect absentee ballots in Scranton, Pennsylvania was charged with allegations of voter fraud after he reportedly attempted to photocopy several marked ballots last week during a collection roundup of mail-in ballots from a nursing home in that city. When officers arrived however, he reportedly assaulted a police officer and attempt to grab his gun, before another officer knocked him to the ground. The injured officer had a gash in his head, but otherwise sought medical treatment. The suspect has been released on a cash bond and is awaiting trial.

(Not to mention CBS...)

ED O'KEEFE: President Biden has stated 'Whatever the outcome is, I pledge a peaceful transition to whichever candidate wins this election, and will offer my full support and resources in ensuring a smooth transition'. Norah?

NORAH O'DONNELL: OK, thank you. Ed O'Keefe reporting from the White House.

And as you can see once again from this map, it is a virtual palindrome right now: 82 for Ron DeSantis, 28 for Kamala Harris. And the night is just getting started as we prepare to see more polls close.

We'll take a break from our coverage to allow for our CBS stations to provide you with your local election coverage. We'll see you again at 9:00 PM Eastern for more coverage and the latest results from several states now closing. This is CBS News' coverage of Campaign 2024. Norah O'Donnell reporting from Washington.

(Back to CNN...)

GLORIA BORGER: ...It does not help, also, that in many states Andrew Yang is pulling five, six, even as high as ten percent of the vote, and that...

ANDERSON COOPER: Gloria, sorry to interrupt but we have to go to Wolf Blitzer now for an update...

WOLF BLITZER: Anderson, we have a major, major projection to announce...

(CNN "Key Race Alert"...)

WOLF BLITZER: CNN projects that Ron DeSantis will win his home state of Florida, and its 30 electoral votes. Obviously, being the favorite son has helped him greatly, but these are historic numbers, winning Miami-Dade, tied in Palm Beach and Tampa, basically near-complete domination with 57 percent of the vote coming in for DeSantis. And that's not even counting Election Day voting, which especially favors DeSantis.

While there is hope of absentee balloting somewhat moderating the results, this is not 2020, not by a longshot. Ron DeSantis will win the state of Florida, putting him close to halfway to 270.

Also, another big projection, CNN is now projecting that Ron DeSantis will also win in Ohio, where he has led all night, and now has 55 percent to Kamala Harris's 39 percent. While Cleveland has yet to report in, Cincinnati halfway, Columbus is mostly in, and that's not a good sign for the Harris campaign which has especially struggled outside of the 3 C's. That's another 17 electoral votes.

WOLF BLITZER: And obviously, John King, Georgia not looking good either for Kamala Harris.

JOHN KING: Here in Georgia, Ron DeSantis is getting 51 percent of the vote to 42 for Kamala Harris. DeSantis is matching the numbers Donald Trump got in 2016, but the bleeding of votes to the Yang camp - about five percent - is definitely not helpful to Harris's cause. More specifically, DeSantis also appears to be winning in areas where Donald Trump languished.

You have over here, Cobb County, northwest of Atlanta, where DeSantis is polling 50 percent to 43 for the Vice President, obviously on par with the statewide result. It was 56-42 for President Biden in 2020. Then you have northeast of Atlanta, Gwinnett County, which was 58-40 four years ago. Tonight, Harris is barely ahead, 48-45. Gwinnett, obviously has shifted more to the left than Cobb has, bleeding over from DeKalb County, but this is still a significant result as Gov. DeSantis is sweeping across much of the state outside of southwest Georgia.

Also, let's take a look at North Carolina. Ron DeSantis has 52 percent of the vote, compared to 42 for Kamala Harris, and it's obvious that Yang is cutting into her margins as well with four percent, and in a state where banking is a big part of the economy. Bank of America, Truist, east coast headquarters of Wells Fargo, all in Charlotte where the threat of default really did not sit well with voters here.

49 percent for Harris in Mecklenburg County, lowest since Al Gore in 2000, DeSantis is of course dominating the suburbs around Charlotte, and if we go to the precinct level, it looks like he's winning south Charlotte around Myers Park, Ballantyne, Lake Norman area, areas that swung hard against Donald Trump, we're seeing numbers similar to Mitt Romney in 2012.

Mecklenburg giving almost seven percent to Yang, not a surprise given the banking sector here. 42 percent for DeSantis, still a far cry from George W. Bush in 2004, but nonetheless a bad sign for Harris. This, Wolf, is clearly where Andrew Yang is having an impact on the Harris campaign.

Also, Wake County, where DeSantis is getting 43 percent, but Kamala Harris is getting only 49. About as bad as John Kerry in 2004, Yang also impacting the tech vote here in the Research Triangle with six percent.

The rest of the state, largely Republican on paper with a few Democratic pockets. Kamala Harris slightly ahead in Guilford County, Greensboro, where a competitive congressional race is happening. Still a lot to go, but this news has to be very humbling.

WOLF BLITZER: Interesting, John King. What about the race for Governor.

JOHN KING: It's looking better for the Democrats, but the GOP margin is the same. Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson currently leading 52-47, over Josh Stein, the Attorney General.

WOLF BLITZER: Thank you, John. Standby for a major, major projection...

(CNN "Key Race Alert"...)

BREAKING NEWS: REPUBLICANS PROJECTED TO KEEP CONTROL OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

WOLF BLITZER: CNN can now project that Republicans will keep control of the House of Representatives, as exit polling continues to indicate an outcome similar to 2022 with Republicans showing about a five to six percent lead in exit polling. There are a lot of races still to be projected, but as we get closer to 9 o'clock on the East Coast, there will be a lot more races called, and it looks likely that the GOP will keep control. There will be a change in leadership though, as Speaker Kevin McCarthy is running for the Senate in California, so House Majority Leader Steve Scalise - whose state of Louisiana will be among the states closing shortly - will be the Speaker-in-waiting.

Speaking of those House races...

FL-27 & FL-28: As aforementioned on CNN, Democratic efforts to flip two Republican-held seats in Miami fail once again as Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar defeats former State Rep. Nick Duran in the 27th, while Rep. Carlos Giménez wins a third term - second overall in the 28th south of Miami to the Florida Keys - against his predecessor, former Rep. Debbie Mucarsel-Powell.

NC-11: Despite a fierce campaign from Asheville Mayor and Democratic nominee Esther Manheimer, Republican freshman Chuck Edwards wins a second term in this western-based district once represented by a young man named Madison Cawthorn.

TX-05: While Texas is set to officially close as El Paso casts its final ballots, former Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe is set to return to Congress, this time from the eastern DFW Metroplex-based 5th District whose incumbent Republican, Lance Gooden, made an unsuccessful run for the GOP nomination for Senate.

Next post: Find out what happens at 9:00PM ET...

[2016]

Looking at North Carolina (Mecklenburg & Wake Counties) and Georgia (Cobb and Gwinnett) if those Numbers spill over into Loudoun & Prince William Counties in Northern Virginia DeSantis has a very good chance carrying the Commonwealth of Virginia effectivly putting the Presidential Race away. While Harris will probably carry Fairfax, Arlington and Alexandria it will not be by the same margin Biden beat Trump in 2020. Loudoun & Prince William haven't gone Republican since George W. Bush in 2004.

[Da2017]

Everything at this point seems to be pointing to a decisive Desantis victory.

[Kahane's Grave Is A Gender-Neutral Bathroom]

Everything at this point seems to be pointing to a decisive Desantis victory.

Probably looking at a 62+ R Senate. The DNC for their incompetence should be the first to be prosecuted under the anti-democracy laws.

But seriously, this is good work.

[BigVic]

This is going to be a rout

[Kahane's Grave Is A Gender-Neutral Bathroom]

Here's my prediction:

[PRESIDENT STANTON]

If this were to happen, and Trump won by these number's, Democrats would have an epic meltdown and would begin another campaign of sabotage (e.g. Russia 🇷🇺 interference in the presidential election and that Trump colluded with the Russian's, well since it worked so well the first time and figuring that any voter who supported Trump must be a Russian bot - they figure everyone is that dumb, so why not try the Russia interference angle again!). Or if the Russia 🇷🇺 interference scam doesn't work, they'll accuse China next! I mean how could Joe Biden lose so badly? It's the electoral system, right? Anything to make Trump's life difficult! They'll probably try some scam, like the Russia 🇷🇺 Interference Mk. 2 on DeSantis. That map outcome looks like the final DeSantis vs. Harris outcome in this storyline.

[NewYorkExpress]

Here's my prediction:

Given this an R nut TL, I'd honestly expect Harris to win the states already called for her (though maybe I would have flipped Maryland and Rhode Island), and California and Hawaii (and California could go Republican too), plus D.C.

[PRESIDENT STANTON]

I'm not in agreement on that score! Harris is not competitive in this election, is not because DeSantis  is Ronald Reagan 2.0 or anything like that, it's because in her Californicated PC world view, along with her toxic unlikeability, her virtue signalling liberalism as well as being politically clueless, DeSantis is viewed as a more palpable alternative. Don't forget Andrew Yang's presence in this equation,  Democrats can vote for him rather than Harris, hence the outcome we are getting in this timeline. You will note that Harris is encountering problems in Vermont because Yang is siphoning off votes, that gives DeSantis his opening, plus DeSantis is using an almagation of Romney's strategy and fusing it with his popularity with the Trump base and the same kind of messaging that helped Youngkin in Virginia. Also Harris debate performance in Reno regarding China has created all sorts of problems. Let's face it, DeSantis is a better and more cannier political actor than Harris is. Why wasn't Biden more proactive in helping Harris than he was? It appears he only offered token support, no more or no less. Anyway if this storyline was showing Harris doing as well as DeSantis is and was performing as well or better than Biden, then you'd be perfectly happy, right?  And Da2017 seems to find the fact that DeSantis is going to win. We all know that Harris should be winning in a landslide according to Da2017, isn't that right Da2017?🙄🤣