2024 - A Blank Canvas

[PRESIDENT STANTON]

By my calculations that puts him at 420 electoral votes, nearly as much as the 426 that G.H.W. Bush won in 1988. We'll see If Illinois, New Jersey, Oregon and Washington State all break voting habits that has lasted over a quarter of a century! Plausible. I bet Kamala Harris is in a bad place right now. Democrats are likely going to into an extender period of soul searching and will need to exorcise their 'woke' addiction and send their progressives to the showers. Someone like Andy Beshear is someone they should seriously consider looking at.

I wonder if Washington State does Ticket Splitting with Harris winning the States 12 Electoral Votes and Cathy McMorris-Rogers takes the Senate Seat. She is a very strong Recruit.

Again, I think since this an R nut timeline, DeSantis is going to sweep everything remaining.

It seems that New YorkExpress is like one of those Democratic brats who can't handle the fact that a Republican in any TL real or this is sending his precious party to the toilets! I guess their 'woke' sensibilities are offended. Suck it up NewYorkExpress, enough of your "outrage". It seems any Democrat especially our friend NewYorkExpress can't handle how a Republican is cleaning the clock of any Democrat. Gonna have a meltdown all because your kool-aid doesn't make the grade here? Get over it pet and go and write your own TL where Democrats win everything from shining sea to shining sea and you can be in your happy place.
Personally I hope what is happening in this TL comes to pass and ruins your happy place, that would be so funny 😂😂 I guess you'd probably need a cup of hot chocolate, a blankie, some crayons and a coloring book! 🤭Anyway I hope you're enjoying this excellent topic. Before I forget I think Cathy McMorris-Rogers will likely pull it off. As for the Indiana Governorship, I think McDermott's victory will be a flip to the Democrats. I don't think Todd Rokita has endeared himself, especially over the abortion issue. That's why the race is so close. I can imagine that Robinson will win the N.C. Governorship, thus becoming the first African-American Republican to win a major state's Governorship. I think Oz's performance in New Jersey is closely tagged with DeSantis doing so well , especially in South part of the state, so if DeSantis manages to take New Jersey, then Oz gets the seat. I guess Fetterman of neighboring Pennsylvania will now have to live with Oz. I think Menendez is probably going down, but eighteen years dodging the electoral bullet was good even by Jersey standards. So let me see how many Senator's who have lost reelection, there's Baldwin of Wisconsin, Sherrod Brown of Ohio, Tim Kaine of Virginia and I guess Bob Menendez. That's four big names gone! Wow!

[SaintStan86]

While there were some quick toasts to Wolf Blitzer on his farewell presidential coverage, things quickly reverted back to form for CNN...

WOLF BLITZER: And of course, it is quite the pleasure to be part of this team. But we do have a job to do into the wee hours of the morning, and we're going to get back to what we do best, and that is give voters the news and the facts first. Again, as we have reported, Gov. Ron DeSantis will be the 47th President of the United States, defeating Kamala Harris, the Vice President and first female Vice President in American history. And for the second time in three tries, there will not be a Madam President. So now that we have called Minnesota and its 10 electoral votes for Ron DeSantis, Anderson Cooper, what did Kamala Harris do wrong? How did it go so badly?

ANDERSON COOPER: Of course, Kamala Harris - as Van Jones mentioned earlier - had so much promise. She epitomized that California Dream vividly, and the stars were clearly aligning for her to become Madam President. But the weak nature of her campaign, the relentless attacks from the right - both from the Trump camp and beyond the DeSantis campaign, that heavy-handed ad we all saw during the first game of the NFL season, and the October surprises that doomed her campaign - not to mention Andrew Yang's third party bid, all created a perfect storm. To our panel now, starting with Gloria Borger, what happened?

(To Fox News we go...)

SHANNON BREAM: And you're now looking live at Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, where the party has become exuberant over at TPC Sawgrass. Let's go now to Piers Morgan. Piers, what do you say of the results?

PIERS MORGAN: I mean, God, I knew it was going to be very, very bad for Kamala Harris after the cringeworthy and just downright awful ad on the telly, during an American football game - as we call it. It's like they learned nothing of their lesson from Hillary Clinton, which became less about helping the people and just peeing in the cake tin.

The campaign was so snobbish you couldn't even tell a mess hall from a tea room. It's like one of those weird places where you get foie gras made by a chef only good enough to make rolls full of bangers. And I've eaten enough ploughman's lunches to tell the difference. You claim to be the party of the ploughmen, prove it, and the Harris campaign just didn't do it.

(Meanwhile, on MSNBC...)

ALEX WAGNER: The introduction of Christian nationalism in our schools, the ignorance of experts as COVID raged through Florida, this is pretty much what the DeSantis legacy is. And now, the big losers tonight are going to be the many children who may never know about the stories of diverse families, who will never hear about the dangers of misinformation, who will suffer as their childhood homes and playgrounds molder in the face of inevitable climate change.

To all the parents out there who worry about the future: remember to hug your babies tight, remind them of what love truly means for many people, and if possible, even if you feel the need to scream, please stand strong and stay active. Because your story is worth sharing to somebody out there.

That is just my two cents. But Ali Velshi, what more is there to explain?

ALI VELSHI: Well, I think what you see happening is that you had millions of voters rejecting Donald Trump for reasons that had little to do with substance - an overheating economy whose cornerstones got laid by Barack Obama, with Donald Trump simply taking its spoils, in part influenced by John Boehner's House and Mitch McConnell's Senate, and running up the score even as his impulses became too much for a lot of voters, particularly college-educated Whites who recoiled the most from the GOP in the Trump era.

But then Biden takes over, COVID causes a mass hysteria of fear and mass stimulus to keep people at home, and eventually voters got sick of the hysteria, got vaccinated, still got COVID, realized that COVID was not going anywhere, and Biden, in attempting to accomplish what Obama never could, ended up getting torched badly in the midterms to where he gave up. The progressives who for years fought to reclaim the working-class mantle, especially given Bernie Sanders performed more strongly in places like West Virginia than Hillary Clinton did, ended up getting sidetracked by the illiberal, corporate-friendly Harris types whose only contribution to the party was a hyper-woke, emotionally-charged culture war that focused more on pleasing and not offending people and less on actually making lives, families and communities better. The fall of the Ohio River Valley from working-class Democratic to Trump Republican is beyond incomprehensible.

Don't get me wrong, gays and lesbians have earned the right to marry, but when you even have LGBT employees of Disney speaking out on Fox News in defense of Ron DeSantis's "Don't Say Gay" bill and recoiling against their employer at the risk of losing their livelihood, that is really saying something. All Biden could tout in terms of economic achievement was an infrastructure plan that Trump never touched but Biden eventually did with input from moderate Republicans, an inflation reduction act that didn't really solve the problem and in fact made it - and the gas price crunch in 2022 - worse, and a semiconductor bill that merely created jobs in one state - Ohio - that happened to have a moderate GOP Governor, a retiring moderate GOP Senator and a "lunch pail Democrat" in the Senate as well. The fact that that "lunch pail Democrat" - Sherrod Brown - is losing to House Judiciary Chair and provocateur Jim Jordan is telling of how far the Democrats have fallen with the average voter. If Democrats embraced Andrew Yang's popular reforms like ranked-choice voting, campaign finance reform and human-centered capitalism, Kamala Harris probably would have done better.

(Back to CNN...)

WOLF BLITZER: Still awaiting word from Kamala Harris, on whether or not she has conceded, but we have some other projections to make.

(CNN "Key Race Alert"...)

WOLF BLITZER: CNN can now project that the Commonwealth of Virginia and its 13 electoral votes will go to Ron DeSantis. There was hope that Northern Virginia, specifically Fairfax County, would deliver for the Vice President. It did not happen, and with DeSantis even outperforming Gov. Glenn Youngkin in some areas, the race was effectively over as the West Coast closed. The first win for the GOP since George W. Bush in 2004.

We can also project that the 15 electoral votes in Michigan will also go to Ron DeSantis. There was hope that Wayne County's strong support for Vice President Harris would benefit her, no Republican has won there since 1928, but only 61 percent for Harris, the worst since Bill Clinton in 1992. DeSantis won 34 percent there tonight. Oakland County went for DeSantis with 50 percent, first Republican to win that county since 1992, and first to win a majority there since 1988. Macomb, 56 percent for Gov. DeSantis, the most since '88 as well.

Much of the rest of the state also going for DeSantis as well, despite hopes that the presence of Sen. Gary Peters as Harris's running mate would help win working-class voters over to the Harris ticket. It unfortunately, did not happen, and DeSantis will become the first Republican to win a majority, if this holds at 50 percent, since 1988.

That leaves us with one state in the Midwest, and that state is Illinois, which has not gone for a Republican since 1988. And right now, it looks like Ron DeSantis is sweeping almost every county in Illinois, with 48 percent of the vote to 45 for Kamala Harris. She was leading early because Chicago went big, as always, for the Vice President. But the suburbs are now filling up, and it's not looking good for Harris.

JOHN KING: Yes, Wolf, it's looking very bad. We actually have separated Cook County from Chicago, and it's only giving Kamala Harris 56 percent to 36 for DeSantis. Harris is doing exceptionally well in south Cook County - which is mostly Black and working-class White, but her numbers in the western suburbs, in northern and northwest Cook County - not looking too good. She's already lost DuPage County, last went Republican in 2004, but tonight Ron DeSantis is getting 53 percent, Kamala Harris is only getting 42 percent. Lake County, DeSantis 50, Harris 43 - the liberal vote in Highland Park and in Waukegan canceled out by swathes of red from Lake Forest and Gurnee out to Wauconda, Lindenhurst. Kane County, 53 percent. Will County also 53. McHenry, 59.

Let's go down to Central Illinois. Peoria County, 53 percent for Ron DeSantis. 47 in Champaign County, but still higher than Vice President Harris at 45. This is where the University of Illinois is. 55 percent in Sangamon County, Springfield.

And look at this: big swath of deep red across eastern and southern Illinois. This has to be very big. Jackson County, which is Carbondale, giving Ron DeSantis 53 percent, the highest since John F. Kennedy in 1960. Look at the Metro East suburbs - St. Clair County, 52 percent, highest since Teddy Roosevelt in 1904. And Madison County, 58 percent, highest in the history of the county since at least before 1892. This is not just working-class Whites who turned towards DeSantis in the final days, this is also suburban voters moving over from St. Louis, independents turned off by Biden, not warming to Harris, some breaking for Yang even.

WOLF BLITZER: I mean, you're talking historical gains - gaining back in the Chicago suburbs, but the Downstate situation really is breathtaking.

JOHN KING: The DeSantis campaign was told, focus on Ohio, focus on Wisconsin, but they were more aggressive. They said, 'We're a 50-state party', we're going to target Illinois'. Their argument was 'if one thinks about it, Illinois is really a swing state when you take out Cook County, but most especially Chicago'. That certainly helped, not taking Illinois for granted anymore, but the Harris campaign may have also incurred self-inflicted damage.

WOLF BLITZER: And pretty much, the Barack Obama era in Illinois is over. The era that brought hope and change out of the Land of Lincoln, has come to a sudden halt. But what does this mean now for JB Pritzker?

JOHN KING: Well, not a lot to say, but Pritzker remains fairly popular despite the heat he took in the Chicago suburbs over his handling of COVID with regards to the schools. He remains a slight favorite for reelection in 2026 if he pursues it, and is certainly near the top of the list for the way-too-early speculation about 2028, but this is just demoralizing tonight for Democrats in Illinois.

WOLF BLITZER: And now, CNN projects another win for Ron DeSantis, this one in Arizona - a state that Joe Biden narrowly won in 2020, and whose questioned results was the spark that led to the attack on the Capitol on January 6th, 2021. 11 electoral votes going to DeSantis, who is up 54 percent to 41 for Harris.

JOHN KING: Worst performance for a Democrat since 1992, when Bill Clinton had his own third-party challenger to worry about in Ross Perot. But clearly, even with the issues with the state GOP in Arizona, Ron DeSantis was able to win the Grand Canyon State tonight.

WOLF BLITZER: And now, we're looking live now at San Francisco, where Kamala Harris is about to appear shortly. California Gov. Gavin Newsom, one-time Mayor of San Francisco, has taken the stage.

(From San Francisco...)

GAVIN NEWSOM: Thank you all so much for being here tonight, it is truly a pleasure to be back here in San Francisco...where the California Dream - the greatest version of the American Dream - is alive and well!

(applause and cheers)

GAVIN NEWSOM: I'm deeply honored to be with y'all tonight, as your Governor and the only person standing between you and our wonderful Vice President, who ran one of the most tireless and enduring campaigns our country has ever seen. This is a woman who rose up from nowhere, rose to become your District Attorney here in San Francisco, then our Attorney General, a U.S. Senator and eventually first-in-command to the President. And she truly appreciates each and every one of y'all's support.

I don't want to say much, but like many of you, I really wished the outcome was more something worth celebrating. But regardless, what matters is y'all are here tonight, and it is my pleasure, as your Governor, to welcome to the stage, your Vice President and our ambassador to the United States...Kamala Devi Harris!

(music plays)

KAMALA HARRIS: Thank you, so much! It is such a great honor and a blessing to be here tonight under the Pacific night sky here in San Francisco - in this most magical of places!

It has been the honor of a lifetime to be your Vice President, and I am especially proud of the hard work and dedication that you all have given to this historic presidential campaign. When we started this campaign last year, I made it a vow to ensure that democracy would prevail, and we would be at peace with the results.

And tonight, you all voted, peacefully, in-person, through the mail, on a screen, whatever it took to cast your right to vote and exercise your right to democracy. And part of accepting the dedication to our democracy is relishing the wins that we achieve, using those wins to fight for what we believe in, and when we lose, to humbly accept the result, ask ourselves what we could have done to make it better, and come back stronger.

Tonight, the voters made their decision peacefully, and just about a few moments ago, I called to congratulate Gov. Ron DeSantis. It was not the outcome that I wanted to see happen, but the voters made the final decision, we accepted it, we prayed over it, and it was a gracious call. To Gov. DeSantis and his beautiful wife, Casey and their children, I wish you nothing but the very best going forward. We all must hope for the very best in our country, and encourage our next President to deliver for democracy, and for the more perfect Union we all strive to create and further grow.

But let's not let this disappointment lead us down a road of despair, for in these past four years, we have worked very hard - President Biden and I - to deliver prosperity for a stronger middle class here at home, accomplishing historic investments in infrastructure, in clean energy, in healthcare, and in creating millions of good-paying jobs that have helped families flourish, with record job growth and low unemployment as hallmarks of our agenda.

We worked overtime to get America back on track in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, and fought hard to ensure that the vaccines developed to fight this virus got into the arms of millions of Americans, helping to immunize our country from COVID-19, improve the quality of our healthcare to better serve all Americans regardless of income status, create new pathways to fight debilitating diseases with historic investments in medical research and science, and fought tirelessly to defend women's rights in the face of assaults from a Supreme Court that favors special interests over those of the people.

We fought hard to reimagine criminal justice and policing in our country, made historic efforts to heal the racial wounds that divide us, created bipartisan solutions to the ongoing issues at our southern border and created a pathway for DREAMers to finally dream big without the worry of being deported from the only country they've ever known, and fought hard to defend the rights of children, women, minorities and LGBTQ+ Americans where they needed defending the most.

We also restored leadership in the world, making historic peace agreements in the Middle East, restoring trade agreements with Europe, standing for the people in Ukraine and other places in the face of onslaught from bullies like Russia and China, and made historic commitments to our military, both to modernize our military for the threats of the 21st century. And lastly, we stood for democracy and truth, restoring decency to the White House, and made historic strides to defend our elections and our sacred right to vote from the perilous threats our opponents sought to incur.

Joe Biden and I stood tall for what we believed in, and these four years have been the greatest our country has ever witnessed.

I want to thank my beautiful family, my father Donald, my dear sister Maya and her daughter, Meena, and most especially the love of my life, your Second Gentleman, Doug Emhoff, and our beloved Cole and Ella. Who are all here tonight. And also to my running mate and partner-in-crime, the great Senator from the state of Michigan, Gary Peters, his wife Colleen and their three beautiful children.

And to you, the people of California who put your trust in me, thank you, thank you from the bottom of my heart. You are the wind in my sails that keep me going, like a cool Pacific breeze.

While we may not have won tonight, the fight for justice and democracy continues. I encourage everyone here tonight to stay strong, and keep fighting for what unites us as a nation, and to always fight for our lives, for our future, for our country, and for the people. God bless all of you, and may God continue to bless America!

WOLF BLITZER: And there you have it, Vice President Kamala Harris and her running mate, Gary Peters, thanking everyone in attendance tonight in San Francisco, after conceding defeat earlier this evening to Governor and now President-elect Ron DeSantis.

Some House races to report...

AL-02: State Sen. Kirk Hatcher wins his first term in the newly redrawn 2nd District connecting majority Black areas of Mobile and the state capital of Montgomery, narrowly defeating former U.S. Attorney Louis Franklin.

CA-01: Two years after challenging Gov. Gavin Newsom in the midterms, Republican State Sen. Brian Dahle will be going to Washington, succeeding retiring Rep. Doug LaMalfa.

CA-20: While Speaker Kevin McCarthy awaits his fate in the U.S. Senate race against fellow Republican Ric Grenell, his former District Director, State Asm. Vince Fong, easily wins his first term in McCarthy's Bakersfield-area district.

CO-03: Despite a fierce challenge from former State Senate President and DoD official Leroy Garcia, Rep. Lauren Boebert wins another close reelection in her western and southern Colorado district.

DE-AL: While Democrats' chances remain up in the air for the Senate and Governor's races, State Senate Majority Leader Bryan Townsend ascends to the state's open congressional seat in his second try (he placed second in the 2016 Democratic primary), defeating fellow State Sen. Brian Pettyjohn.

MI-03: After narrowly surviving in the red tsunami of 2022, freshman Rep. John Gibbs' controversial comments prove too much for voters, as he loses to Democrat Hillary Scholten in this Grand Rapids-based swing district.

TX-07: After being bailed out in 2022 by the majority-GOP Texas Legislature thanks to a heavily Democratic district she got in their since-stricken by the courts redistricting plan, Rep. Lizzie Fletcher runs out of luck in her suddenly redrawn west and southwest Houston district, losing to Bush family scion Pierce Bush, 52-47, in the district once held by Bush's grandfather, future President George H.W. Bush.

Next: The midnight hour looms as Ron DeSantis's finest hour arrives...

[PRESIDENT STANTON]

From my calculations Republican's are on track to win between 63 or 64 Senate seat's-that's a 12 or 13 seat gain in that chamber! This would be equal to what they gained in 1980. I'm not sure what the numbers in the House of Representatives are. With over 60 seat's in the Senate, a veto proof majority, DeSantis will have an easy time of it, should he get the opportunity to make Supreme court appointments, I can imagine that Clarence Thomas or John Roberts will call it quits within the next three or five year's. Imagine this Democrats won't or can't have any congressional hearings to embarras DeSantis as Steve Scalise in the House along John Cornyn or Mitch McConnell in the Senate won't permit any such activities. As for Trump, he will gradually recede into insignificance as the Republican party is now DeSantis's. As for Kamala Harris will now join a K Street lobbying or law firm. The political arena is off limits to her, especially in the immediate term. Perhaps a run for Governor of California in 2026 might be on the card's. But losing as badly as she has, has probably left a sour taste in her mouth. I expect that the races for Senate in Michigan, Minnesota and Virginia will be called next;  with John James, Michele Tafoya and Jill Vogel all winning those race's respectively.

[SaintStan86]

It's now midway between 11:30PM and midnight, and the moonlight setting at TPC Sawgrass is as vibrant as Van Morrison's "Moondance", as elegant as Al Jarreau's theme to the 1980s TV show Moonlighting, and as sparkling as the Graham Stack remix of Leann Rimes' "Can't Fight the Moonlight". But before Ron DeSantis comes out, CNN has some calls to make...

WOLF BLITZER: While the Vice President was speaking, we have a few more calls to make in the Senate, let's go to Jake Tapper.

JAKE TAPPER: Wolf, CNN is now projecting that State Sen. Jill Vogel has defeated Tim Kaine in Virginia. The 2016 vice presidential running mate of Hillary Clinton and former Gov. was hoping that support from Northern Virginia as well as from around Richmond where he was once the Mayor would benefit him. But Kaine was held to a plurality in Prince William and even lost Loudoun in addition to Chesterfield, Chesapeake and Virginia Beach, all of whom went for Vogel in areas that voted at least once for Kaine. Vogel also had unprecedented support from southwest Virginia and the Shenandoah Valley, which further added to her win tonight.

Jill Vogel previously ran for Lieutenant Governor in 2017 and lost in what was a bad Republican year to Justin Fairfax, who later came under fire for sexual assault allegations and ultimately did not seek reelection, preferring instead to run for Governor, losing to former Gov. Terry McAuliffe who in return lost to Glenn Youngkin. Fairfax had also won Chesapeake and Loudoun which flipped for Vogel tonight.

Vogel was a strong candidate in 2017, but suffered under the weight of Donald Trump's flailing agenda, as he came under fire for racism over his comments regarding NFL players when he was struggling to get a tax reform package passed, faced controversy over his handling of several Hurricanes including Harvey and Maria as well as North Korea, and was generally drawing fire for Democrats and several Republicans as they eventually even lost a Senate seat in Alabama that was previously held by his then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions. Which obviously turned off voters in the suburbs of Richmond, Norfolk, outside Washington. Much different story tonight, seven years later, with Vogel defeating Kaine in an environment that has flipped on the Democrats' head.

WOLF BLITZER: Quite interesting turn of events, Jake, as Virginia turns towards the GOP. And another huge loss for the Democrats, as Kaine was widely regarded to be a potential successor to Chuck Schumer in the Democratic leadership in the Senate.

JAKE TAPPER: A very big loss, indeed. We are also projecting in Ohio, and this is an even bigger loss, Sherrod Brown losing his bid for a fourth term to House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan. Brown kept the race competitive by focusing on Jordan's outspoken support for Donald Trump, his repeated focus on investigations surrounding the Biden family, the FBI, and his criticism of a semiconductor plant project that Brown and Republican Gov. Mike DeWine touted. But Jordan's support base in the Ohio Valley region, in his western Ohio base proved to be too much for the incumbent who barely won his own base in Akron, where he was previously a Congressman.

WOLF BLITZER: And rather ironic, considering then-Congressman Sherrod Brown defeated Mike DeWine in 2006, and now himself is defeated by another member of Congress. This is a loss that has to sting, and certainly should raise questions about where the Democratic Party has gone wrong.

JAKE TAPPER: We're still looking at Maine very closely, where Rick Bennett is up 48-47, but the state has ranked-choice voting which could favor Congresswoman Chellie Pingree as the number three candidate is a Green Party candidate, and those usually favor the Democrats. Pennsylvania, Dave McCormick tied with Sen. Bob Casey 48 all as Scranton continues to report in. DeSantis is up 51-44 in that state.

Delaware, where Ben duPont is up 53-46, and where DeSantis is up 48-45, also outstanding, along with Connecticut, where Sen. Chris Murphy won big, but Ron DeSantis is getting 47 percent, and Kamala Harris has 44 percent. In New Jersey, DeSantis is 50 percent still, with 42 for Kamala Harris, and in the Senate race there, Dr. Öz is up still, 53-45. 95 percent in though, so we could be having a call soon.

Important to note that independents are the biggest voting bloc in New Jersey, and that group is going big for Ron DeSantis and Dr. Öz, per what David Chalian has reported to us.

But back to Pennsylvania, and as we said Scranton is coming in now, DeSantis is narrowly ahead there, but Sen. Casey is getting 60 percent. Casey lives in Scranton, where he was born and also President Biden, Barack Obama exceeded 60 percent in both of his elections, and this is a place that LOVES Sen. Casey. A lot of DeSantis voters going for Casey, who hit McCormick repeatedly on his wealth, comparing him to Mitt Romney, which prompted McCormick to respond, calling out Romney for his votes to convict Donald Trump in both impeachment trials.

So as much of the country shifts to the right, Casey could very well survive reelection. Does not help also that much of central and western PA has called in, as well as the suburbs outside Philadelphia.

WOLF BLITZER: Speaking of the Philadelphia suburbs, what do we see?

JAKE TAPPER: John King reported to me that DeSantis is winning Chester County with 51 percent, Bucks County 53 percent, Kamala Harris in the low 40s. Montgomery and Delaware counties both have DeSantis up 47-46. You do have to consider that the Philadelphia area is the base for the Biden presidency, New Castle County, Delaware long considered part of the Delaware Valley, and the Biden family most certainly Philly sports fans. The big difference is Delaware and Montgomery are more older suburbs with relatively smaller housing lots than what one could find in Bucks and Chester, which are more amenable to Republicans.

Of course, Sen. Casey is doing well in the Philly suburbs, ahead narrowly in both Bucks and Chester and certainly up in Delaware and Montgomery. He's also doing well in the Lehigh Valley - a region that swung towards Gov. DeSantis tonight, and also in Berks as well, also went for DeSantis.

WOLF BLITZER: Well, Jake, I do have to cut you off, because as we're talking about Pennsylvania, CNN is now projecting Pennsylvania for Gov. Ron DeSantis. That's another 19 electoral votes gone to DeSantis. And it looks like a reversal of the digits - 331 for DeSantis, 113 for Harris.

JAKE TAPPER: Yes, very much the case.

(On Fox News...)

ARNON MISHKIN: ...We are confident in projecting that Gov. DeSantis has won Pennsylvania.

BRET BAIER: OK Arnon Mishkin, from the Fox News Decision Desk, thank you. And we are looking live now at TPC Sawgrass, where they are celebrating into the night there in Florida, as Ron DeSantis is preparing to speak shortly after midnight. The memories of the 2020 defeat of Donald Trump long gone, as we see the former President there congratulating the soon-to-be-former Gov. of Florida, Ron DeSantis, preparing to take over the reins as the 47th President of the United States.

(And CBS...)

MAJOR GARRETT: And what Democrats should be asking themselves is, how did it go so badly? The first conversation will be, what to do about the working class? Obviously, President Biden achieved some victories with job creation, infrastructure, but too much of the focus being on cultural issues, which may have rubbed some voters the wrong way, especially blue-collar voters like the ones in Pennsylvania voting to reelect Bob Casey, but who recoiled from Kamala Harris.

NORAH O'DONNELL: Just a lot that could have been done a little differently, or a lot differently, but the autopsy of this election for the Democrats surely has just begun.

And out in the West, looking at Colorado with 70 percent of the votes in, Ron DeSantis is getting 53 percent, but places like Denver and Adams and Arapahoe County are still coming in.

MAJOR GARRETT: Jefferson has 49 percent for DeSantis now, western suburbs, have gone Democrat since 2008. Adams and Arapahoe - certainly more Democratic between the working-class Hispanic vote in Adams, the diverse communities in Aurora, and in south Arapahoe, areas that swung dramatically to the Democrats starting with Barack Obama.

They are definitely more socially libertarian than not, which has driven Democratic votes there, but renewable energy and life sciences are pretty big subsectors in that part of metro Denver, with the Denver Technological Center in that area. Was historically Republican before 2008 and in some cases, 1988 even.

NORAH O'DONNELL: And looking at New Mexico, where Albuquerque is almost entirely in, DeSantis is leading in Sandoval County it appears, north of Albuquerque, with 51 percent.

MAJOR GARRETT: And Sandoval is a classic suburban swing county, especially south towards Rio Rancho. You also have the Hispanic vote in Albuquerque and outside Santa Fe influencing the race as well.

Los Alamos County, clearly shifted Democratic over the last several cycles, but tonight it is giving Andrew Yang 11 percent, one of the highest in the nation. Ron DeSantis made nuclear power a linchpin of his energy strategy, and also zeroed-in on next-generation sources, thorium being one example he talked about on the campaign trail. Los Alamos National Laboratory is in that county, which unsurprisingly is going 45 percent for DeSantis, 41 for Harris. George W. Bush was the last Republican to win there, along with Sandoval County, doing so with both in 2004.

DeSantis also has 46 percent in Bernalillo County, to Harris's 45 percent. Yang has five percent, and the Libertarian Dave Smith has three. Libertarian Party, of course, quite strong in New Mexico, where former Gov. Gary Johnson even almost cost Hillary Clinton the state in 2016.

Lastly, you have Doña Ana County, which is Las Cruces. 46 percent also for DeSantis, 45 for Harris. Generally, a lot of areas that haven't voted Republican in a long while, are doing so very narrowly tonight in New Mexico between the Latino vote shifting strongly Republican and some of the suburban and independent vote going to DeSantis.

(And, back to CNN...)

WOLF BLITZER: It's now Midnight on the East Coast, and the moon is shining brightly now at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, where Gov. Ron DeSantis is set to speak after the clock strikes midnight under the Florida moonlight. But right now, we have polls closing in Hawaii, where four electoral votes and a Senate contest remain to be decided. Stand by...

(CNN "Key Race Alert"...)

WOLF BLITZER: And right now, CNN projects that Hawaii will go for Vice President Kamala Harris. This is of course not a surprise, as Hawaii is one of the most Democratic states in the nation. Four electoral votes expected to go Harris's way. Andrew Yang, we'll be watching closely to see if he gets more than ten percent in a state with large numbers of Asian and Pacific Islander voters, but Democrats have consistently won 60 percent or higher since 2008, including over 70 percent twice for Barack Obama, who was born here.

WOLF BLITZER: And, Jake Tapper, we have some results in the Senate as well.

JAKE TAPPER: Yes we do, Wolf. CNN projects former Congressman Kai Kahele will win the U.S. Senate seat of retiring Democrat Mazie Hirono. He ran for Governor in 2022, but lost big in the Democratic primary against Lt. Gov. and now-current Gov. Josh Green. This was not a surprise given the state's strong preference for Democrats. Kahele was a progressive in the Democratic caucus, and was largely overshadowed by his being from Hilo, but he defeated Congressman Ed Case, who once again failed to win another Senate primary, having run in the past in 2006 and 2012, and 2002 for Governor.

WOLF BLITZER: And also important to note that Kahele ran ads attacking Case from the left.

JAKE TAPPER: Yes, very true.

We have also projected Governor's race in three states as well. Starting in Washington, where Gov. Jay Inslee has been reelected to a fourth term - the most in Washington history. Inslee, a relatively popular Governor whose handling of the COVID-19 pandemic has been praised, also oversaw significant economic and infrastructure achievements as well. He defeats independent candidate Chris Vance, a former Republican who left his party over Donald Trump, but nonetheless was at the Republican National Convention with his party's official endorsement. It didn't necessarily work out as planned, and Inslee will win with 56 percent of the vote favoring him.

Also, in Utah we are projecting Republican Spencer Cox will win a second term over former State Rep. and physician Suzanne Harrison. Harrison has 39 percent, and many thought it would be more competitive with a far-right challenger from the Independent American Party getting 11 percent, in some parts of Utah up to one-quarter of the vote, obviously in reaction to Cox's more moderate views and his defense of Sen. Mitt Romney. But Cox's 46 percent is good enough for him to win a second term as 80 percent of the boxes are in in Utah, and he's even narrowly winning Salt Lake County with 46 percent.

And in Montana, Republican Greg Gianforte, we project will win a second term as Governor. He will defeat former State Superintendent Denise Juneau, who took considerable heat over her time as superintendent of the Seattle Public Schools, a position she took after losing a congressional race in 2016 against Ryan Zinke, who later became Interior Secretary, with Gianforte winning Zinke's seat - then covering the entire state - in a special election he ended up narrowly winning after assaulting a reporter the day before the election.

But he has since completed his community service, and Gianforte has since been elected Governor, will now win a second term.

As for the Senate race, we still cannot project a winner with Sen. Jon Tester trailing by three percent against Congressman Matt Rosendale.

More House results, this time with no explanation...

AZ-01: Former State Rep. Shawnna Bolick defeats former State Rep. Aaron Lieberman, succeeding David Schweikert.

AZ-02: Rep. Eli Crane defeats Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez.

AZ-06: Rep. Juan Ciscomani defeats State Sen. Stephanie Stahl Hamilton.

CT-05: Rep. George Logan defeats State Rep. Maria Horn.

FL-02: Rep. Neal Dunn defeats Leon County Commissioner Rick Minor.

GA-02: State House Minority Leader James Beverly defeats Rep. Chris West.

IL-06: Senior Counsel for the Thomas More Society and former State Rep. Peter Breen defeats former U.S. Rep. Sean Casten.

IL-07: Rep. Keith Pekau defeats State Sen. Mike Hastings.

IL-08: Rep. Catalina Lauf defeats State Rep. Suzanne Ness.

IL-13: Former State Rep. Avery Bourne defeats Rep. Nikki Budzinski.

IA-01: Davenport Mayor Mike Matson defeats Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks.

KS-03: Rep. Amanda Adkins defeats State Senate Minority Leader Dinah Sykes.

Next: All hail President DeSantis!

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

If this was reality I would already be on a flight to Canada.

[2016]

Gracious Concession Speech by Vice President Harris.

It looks like even if Casey survives in PA Republicans are favoured to get 60 Senate Seats.

I also have to say this: NBC Universal, are you listening? What particularly Alex Wagner did is absolutely appaling. That Women should be fired, her contract terminated immediatedly. This has no place whatsoever on National TV.

Ron DeSantis hasn't stepped even one foot in the WH and they already start the fear-mongering and attacks.

Looking forward to his Victory Speech with Running Mate Haley probably introducing him.

[PRESIDENT STANTON]

As Piers Morgan said earlier, Democrats don't care about folks in general and will "pee in the cup" if given half the chance. The left in general and the Democrats in particular, have nothing but contempt for those who don't agree with them and especially so, if voter's they take for granted don't do what is expected of them. I guess that contempt has gone stratospheric with each network call. If Casey prevails in Pennsylvania, then it is conceivable that McCormick gets Treasury if Dimon says nay. Anyway the left can fear monger, throw tantrums and whatever they do, in their virtue signalling way. Even go to Canada 🇨🇦! I'd be there to wish them bon voyage and good riddance too. And remind them not to let the door hit them in the as* on their way out! 🤭I really doubt that DeSantis gives a royal cr*p, what the left and Democrats do, especially considering how big his victory is likely to be. The size of his victory eliminates any hopes of Democrats trying to create Russian interference narrative. Also to those who have designed this TL, well done! Also a heads up on a means to designing a country map, check out MapChart, its a brilliant website in which one can design a county map. I use it to design my own county maps. So try it out. All different color codes, Red for Republican and so on, so forth.

[PRESIDENT STANTON]

As Piers Morgan said earlier, Democrats don't care about folks in general and will "pee in the cup" if given half the chance. The left in general and the Democrats in particular, have nothing but contempt for those who don't agree with them and especially so, if voter's they take for granted don't do what is expected of them. I guess that contempt has gone stratospheric with each network call. If Casey prevails in Pennsylvania, then it is conceivable that McCormick gets Treasury if Dimon says nay. Anyway the left can fear monger, throw tantrums and whatever they do, in their virtue signalling way. Even go to Canada 🇨🇦! I'd be there to wish them bon voyage and good riddance too. And remind them not to let the door hit them in the as* on their way out! 🤭I really doubt that DeSantis gives a royal cr*p, what the left and Democrats do, especially considering how big his victory is likely to be. The size of his victory eliminates any hopes of Democrats trying to create Russian interference narrative. Also to those who have designed this TL, well done! Also a heads up on a means to designing a country map, check out MapChart, its a brilliant website in which one can design a county map. I use it to design my own county maps. So try it out. All different color codes, Red for Republican and so on, so forth.

[SaintStan86]

As Piers Morgan said earlier, Democrats don't care about folks in general and will "pee in the cup" if given half the chance. The left in general and the Democrats in particular, have nothing but contempt for those who don't agree with them and especially so, if voter's they take for granted don't do what is expected of them. I guess that contempt has gone stratospheric with each network call. If Casey prevails in Pennsylvania, then it is conceivable that McCormick gets Treasury if Dimon says nay. Anyway the left can fear monger, throw tantrums and whatever they do, in their virtue signalling way. Even go to Canada 🇨🇦! I'd be there to wish them bon voyage and good riddance too. And remind them not to let the door hit them in the as* on their way out! 🤭I really doubt that DeSantis gives a royal cr*p, what the left and Democrats do, especially considering how big his victory is likely to be. The size of his victory eliminates any hopes of Democrats trying to create Russian interference narrative. Also to those who have designed this TL, well done! Also a heads up on a means to designing a country map, check out MapChart, its a brilliant website in which one can design a county map. I use it to design my own county maps. So try it out. All different color codes, Red for Republican and so on, so forth.

Yes, I do imagine that this is the pretty much the swan song of the Obama era with regards to this TL. Though I will say if Biden does persist in running and Trump declares, yes the margins will likely be closer depending on what Andrew Yang does, among other factors, but it's fair to say the Democratic Party had one job and blew it.

In effect, they have pissed off independents, energy sector employees (especially fossil and nuclear, and even a few renewable types sympathetic to Elon Musk), the more socially libertarian and business- and STEM-end of suburban voters, the more conservative end of NeverTrumpers (looking at you, Sasse-e-pants types!), Joe Rogan and Dave Portnoy-esque libertarians, Jesse Ventura wannabes, a sizable chunk of Jack Kennedy Democrats (aka "Democrats who wear preppy clothes"), the hardcore super eco-nut types who went to Norman Solomon, whatever Trumpkins never cared for DeSantis (who mostly held their nose for DeSantis or voted for Yang or Mike Lindell), most Hispanics (especially on the working-class end) and even some who really liked Gary Peters.

Who did that leave the Donkey Brigade with? The lower income-end of the college-educated crowd (especially those whose degree tracks were not business or STEM), reliable union voters (including public sector and AFT types), minorities not especially on the socially conservative end, illiberal progressives who consider AOC their patron saint, Silk Stocking voters who often hobnob with celebrities and the Met crowd, and Mallory McMorrow types (folks in Michigan will know what I mean) who often follow the "Vote Mama" and "JoJoFromJerz" Twitter feeds.

The Elephant Stampede certainly is not a majority of the country - it's still an America First party economically in Trump's mold, now with a fairly calmer demeanor in the mold of Ron DeSantis, with a renewed interest in tough fiscal discipline, a continued emphasis on "free and fair trade" with an aim to "bring China to its knees", a return to the hard-line realist foreign policy of the pre-George W. Bush era (with Nikki Haley being its North Star) with Reagan's "peace through strength" mentality embedded deep within, a continued emphasis on the sanctity of life (including tacit support for both Cardinal Bernardin's "Consistent Life Ethic" and the goal of "safe, legal and rare" on the abortion matter that has since been abandoned by the left in favor of "abortion is healthcare") and family values, but without the anti-LGBT crap that no longer registers with a majority of Republicans - most especially younger Republicans, and a healthy skepticism of the DC swamp with calls to audit the Federal Reserve, the IRS, the FBI, and the "deep state".

But regardless of whatever amalgamation of America First and Reagan-style conservatism has come about in the rise of Ron DeSantis, pretty clearly this is the direction the GOP is going in now, and there's no turning back. Just wait 'til the Senate map fills up, and we shall see if the filibuster-proof majority does in fact exist.

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

Wait the Republicans are doing consistent life ethic now?

[Da2017]

This was a lot of fun to read. Glad that this is not real life. Well written. Op you put lot a lot effort in to this.

[SaintStan86]

UPDATE: Congratulations to the following winners in Florida, New York and Oklahoma...

• Charlie Crist easily dispatched Nikki Fried in the Democratic primary for Governor. DeSantis starts off as the favorite and will be projected to win in November as the future revolves around whether or not he will run. Going by this TL, it's rather obvious what happens...
• It's Marco Rubio for a third term vs. Val Demings for the "big upset". But don't let the media tell you Rubio's faltering - that one poll where Demings was up 4 really is a fluke, especially after a Dem-aligned pollster showed the latest poll with Rubio up outside the margin of error. Just wait 'til Trafalgar shares its findings...
• Rep. Matt Gaetz vs. Democrat Rebekah Jones has to be one of the most scandalous matchups on the ballot in November. But it doesn't matter about Gaetz being under investigation or whatever Jones did romantically when she wasn't attempting to sidetrack Ron DeSantis on the COVID case count...or what some unknown pollster no one's ever heard of thinks of that race, Gaetz is safe in the most heavily Republican district in Florida. The little ditty about Gaetz resigning and moving to California still exists in this TL.
• My predicted pick in the 7th District - Republican Cory Mills, won his primary and remains in this TL. Republican Aaron Bean, who entered this TL after DeSantis worked his magic on the redistricting front IRL, won the GOP primary in the 4th District. As did Maxwell Frost, the March For Our Lives activist who replaces my original pick in this TL, State Sen. Randolph Bracy, in the Orlando-based 10th District. Both are favored to win in November.
• Speaking of March For Our Lives, former State Rep. and current Broward County Commissioner Jared Moskowitz, who once served as DeSantis's original state director of emergency management early in his governorship, won the Democratic primary and will win what is expected to be a sleeper race in the 23rd District - anchored in Boca Raton - that includes Parkland, site of the horrible mass shooting that spawned March For Our Lives. Carla Spalding remains in the Fort Lauderdale/South Broward-centric 25th District as an underdog to Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz.
• Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick in Florida's 20th District. While I thought the closeness of the special election earlier in this cycle had me thinking Dale Holness might have had a chance in a smaller primary field, Cherfilus-McCormick proved the power of incumbency is strong. Her name will now be substituted in this TL instead of Holness.
• The big surprise has to be the GOP primary in the 11th District, where Republican incumbent Daniel Webster won by a surprisingly close margin against provocateur Laura Loomer. I still predict that Webster will retire in this TL, and I still think 2022 7th District GOP primary loser Anthony Sabatini remains his replacement in this TL, even if Loomer runs here again. At least Sabatini has A legislative voting record and a Twitter account (and isn't crying about voter fraud against the venerable Webster)...
• The forecast for the rest of the Florida races in this TL - including those for Reps. Maria Elvira Salazar and Carlos Giménez and nominee Anna Paulina Luna remain largely unchanged They all remain incumbents and have won new terms in this TL.
• The four Republicans on Long Island I projected in this TL - Nick LaLota, Andrew Garbarino, George Santos and Anthony D'Esposito - won their primaries tonight IRL, and so far all four - most especially the latter given his situation - remain undecided in this TL...for now.
• After going from Mondaire Jones to Carlina Rivera to perhaps even Yuh-Line Niou, the real winner in the 10th District turned out to be a Levi's heir and Trump impeachment counsel named Dan Goldman? In this TL, he becomes a rising star on the Democratic side given his role in playing foe to the Donald. I did nail it on Jerry Nadler beating Carolyn Maloney, and I still think he will retire in 2024 paving the way for Kennedy heir Jack Schlossberg.
• As I predicted, Sean Patrick Maloney won his primary and will face Mike Lawler. Which as we already see in this TL is a rematch that remains undecided. We also know what happened in this TL in 2024 to Jamaal Bowman and Alessandra Biaggi...
• Of course, the Democrats will be all over the place saying how Republicans are blowing the midterms because of Trump and abortion and all that, but apparently the Democratic vote has to certainly be more motivated than the GOP vote in the interim before November. It's also important to note that Pat Ryan merely got a head start in a completely different district from the one he'll be running in in November. I do expect Marc Molinaro to pull it off even though the new 19th does not have Dutchess, but it does have Binghamton and Ithaca - where his Dem opponent in November, Josh Riley, is from.
• As I predicted, it will be Republican Brandon Williams versus Democrat Francis Conole in the 22nd District John Katko is vacating. The media will say this is Conole's to lose, but this is not a terribly Democratic district between Syracuse and Utica, not much different than the one the arguably more moderate Katko won in 2014.
• In the new 23rd, Nick Langworthy won his primary as I predicted, and in the old 23rd Joe Sempolinski gets the right to keep his seat warm - albeit in another close race that Democrats will yak about like they did Kathy Hochul's in 2011 until Republicans gained the upper hand and defeated her with Chris Collins, remember him? (You would also know if you remember Jane Corwin...) You gotta feel sorry for Max Della Pia, because he served our country in the Air Force with great honor, and the new 23rd is going to be less charitable to him than the old one Tom Reed vacated. Regardless of party, we always - and I mean MUST always - thank our veterans for their service to our great nation.
• The Oklahoma runoffs went as I predicted they would. Rep. Markwayne Mullin is going to the Senate, and while Trump's and Gov. Kevin Stitt's endorsements were a factor, it doesn't necessarily mean that T.W. Shannon is a lost cause, as the former State House Speaker is a decent conservative candidate; in this TL, he has won his race to succeed Rep. Tom Cole, and it's important to note that Shannon's strongest base was in his southern Oklahoma base, much like Mullin's was in eastern Oklahoma. And it's not like the 4th hasn't elected a Black Republican before...remember Julius Caesar Watts?
• Also, congrats to GOP primary winner Josh Brecheen in Mullin's 2nd District. Though it shall be noted that it doesn't mean Avery Frix is a bad guy and the same goes for Johnny Teehee, whose name would have been the most interesting he had not missed the runoff let alone missed the chance to win this district. The close and wide open 2nd District GOP field certainly makes a great case for ranked-choice voting in Oklahoma. If it worked for Glenn Youngkin in Virginia, it can work in Oklahoma. Be informed voters, Sooners (or if you're an orange-hued snowflake who is triggered by the word "Sooner", Pokes!), for it would really make our primaries a whole lot easier to figure out.

Lastly, I have some very sad news IRL to share with regards to this TL. Schenectady County Legislator Brian McGarry, who I originally had in this TL as the GOP nominee against State Assemblyman Phil Steck in the Albany-based 20th District of retiring Democrat Paul Tonko, died on Thursday after a long and inspirational battle with prostate cancer. Prayers be with his family and the people he was honored to serve alongside in Schenectady County. May his memory be a blessing to those who loved him.

The TL now continues on the next post...

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

•  Regardless of party, we always - and I mean MUST always - thank our veterans for their service to our great nation.

Based.

[SaintStan86]

Continuing from the last post, more House results...

LA-03: State Rep. Vincent Pierre places first in the state's nonpartisan "jungle primary" with 34 percent, but will go to a December 7th runoff as the underdog against the leading Republican, former State Public Service Commissioner and Trump administration official Scott Angelle, who polled 24 percent in this Lafayette-to-Lake Charles district that he previously ran in in 2016.

ME-02: Rep. Bruce Poliquin defeats State Senate President Troy Jackson.

MD-02: Baltimore County Executive Johnny Olszewski defeats Republican businesswoman and radio commentator Kim Klacik, succeeding Dutch Ruppersberger.

MD-03: State Sen. Sarah Elfreth defeats former Anne Arundel County Executive Steve Schuh, succeeding Sen.-elect John Sarbanes.

MA-02: Worcester County District Attorney Joseph Early Jr. defeats State Rep. Kim Ferguson, succeeding Jim McGovern.

MI-11: Rep. Haley Stevens defeats former State Rep. Martin Howrylak.

MN-01: Rep. Brad Finstad defeats State Sen. Liz Boldon.

MN-02: Rep. Tyler Kistner defeats State Rep. Jess Hanson.

MN-08: Rep. Pete Stauber defeats Duluth Mayor Emily Larson.

MO-02: State House Speaker Dean Plocher defeats Democratic challenger Jane Dueker, succeeding Ann Wagner.

NE-02: Rep. Don Bacon defeats State Sen. Machaela Cavanaugh.

NH-01: Rep. Matt Mowers defeats State Sen. Rebecca Perkins Kwoka.

NH-02: Rep. Bob Burns defeats State Sen. Becky Whitley.

NJ-03: Businessman Bob Healey defeats Rep. Andy Kim in a rematch.

NJ-05: State Asm. Christopher DePhillips defeats Rep. Josh Gottheimer.

NJ-11: Morris County Commissioner Tayfun Selen defeats former Parsippany Mayor Michael Soriano, succeeding Mikie Sherrill.

NM-02: Rep. Yvette Herrell defeats State Sen. Jeff Steinborn.

NY-01: Rep. Nick LaLota defeats Suffolk County Legislator Kara Hahn.

NY-02: Rep. Andrew Garbarino defeats State Asw. Kimberly Jean-Pierre.

NY-11: Rep. Nicole Malliotakis defeats State Asm. Michael Cusick.

NY-20: State Asm. Phil Steck defeats Albany County Legislator Jennifer Whalen, succeeding Paul Tonko.

NC-01: Rep. Don Davis defeats State Sen. Lisa Stone Barnes.

NC-08: Former Rep. Mark Walker defeats former state Democratic Chairman Wayne Goodwin, in a seat made open by the musical chairs involving Reps. Richard Hudson (reelected in the 9th) and Dan Bishop (reelected in the 14th).

NC-13: Rep. Bo Hines defeats former State Sen. Sam Searcy.

OH-10: Rep. Max Miller defeats former State Rep. Nick Celebrezze.

PA-04: State Rep. Todd Stephens defeats Rep. Madeleine Dean.

PA-06: Rep. Guy Ciarrocchi defeats State Rep. Melissa Shusterman.

PA-07: Rep. Lisa Scheller defeats former Rep. Susan Wild in a rematch.

PA-17: Rep. Jeremy Shaffer defeats attorney Steve Irwin, who previously ran in the neighboring 12th District in 2022.

RI-02: Rep. Allan Fung defeats Lt. Gov. Sabina Matos.

TX-15: Rep. Monica De La Cruz defeats State Rep. Mando Martinez.

TX-23: Rep. Tony Gonzales defeats San Antonio City Councilman Manny Peláez.

TX-27: Former Rep. Mayra Flores defeats Hidalgo County Commissioner Ellie Torres, succeeding Michael Cloud.

TX-28: Former Ted Cruz Field Director Cassy Garcia defeats progressive attorney Jessica Cisneros, succeeding Henry Cuellar.

TX-34: Cameron County GOP Chairwoman Morgan Cisneros Graham defeats Rep. Vicente Gonzalez.

VA-05: Rep. Bob Good defeats attorney and former Charlottesville Mayor Michael Signer.

WI-01: Rep. Bryan Steil defeats State Rep. Greta Neubauer.

WI-08: State Sen. André Jacque, who survived a bout with COVID-19 that included time on a ventilator, defeats Green Bay Mayor Eric Genrich, succeeding Sen.-elect Mike Gallagher.

Meanwhile, on a famed championship golf course in Florida...

NIKKI HALEY: Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, how do you feel tonight?

(loud applause)

NIKKI HALEY: I know how you feel, and I know it, because the voters have spoken loud and clear.

But before I continue, let me offer my gratitude and friendship to Kamala Harris and Sen. Gary Peters. They ran a hard-fought campaign, gave us all they have given in this election, and their service to our country as Vice President and as a Senator or Senators, as well as Gary Peters' own military service, is remarkable in many ways. It is our hope that they stay active in the future of our great nation, regardless of whether we agree or disagree, going forward.

Now, let's turn our focus to the history you are about to witness...

Four years ago, when Donald Trump was defeated by Joe Biden in an election that became less about how he made America great again and more about endless, destructive sniping from the Democrats, from their partners in Hollywood and the media and Big Tech and elsewhere, we all knew that democracy was on the brink. And while I wasn't exactly fond of everything that happened on January 6th, we all knew what to do about it.

And from that point on, we did what we do best: We regrouped. We organized. And as Americans began to see just how embarrassing the presidency of Joe Biden has turned out to be, we took action, and the voters took notice.

They responded in kind, by voting for Republicans in Virginia and coming very close in New Jersey. And then we picked up a critical congressional seat in Texas. And then we saw many candidates come out of nowhere to win, take back Congress, and put a check on the damage that President Biden caused.

All that led us to where we are tonight, and we are grateful that Donald Trump and his family could be here tonight to celebrate the culmination of all the hard work we did in the last four years to make freedom matter again. Not only will we put America first, but we will stand for America, no matter what the cost. Because America just elected the greatest governor in the greatest country in the world - and I am honored to be joining him as your new Vice President.

Once again, and since this is Florida and you remember the whole story...Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls...It is my honor to introduce to you on this very stage, where golfing legends are made and fireworks spring eternal in the Florida moonlight...the 47th President of the United States...Ron DeSantis!

(loud applause as Randy Edelman's "The Premiere Of The Big Boss" from the soundtrack of Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story begins to play)

RON DeSANTIS: Isn't America great?

(loud applause)

RON DeSANTIS: There is no greater sunshine than what you see here in Florida. But even better than the Florida sunshine, is being under the moonlight right here in Florida!

(loud applause)

RON DeSANTIS: But before we go any further, first off I want to congratulate our Vice President, Kamala Harris, on running a campaign that spoke to many Americans. That spoke to the issues we all face every day in this country. For that, I am grateful for having had the opportunity to compete with her and Sen. Gary Peters in this election. It is my hope that Vice President Harris continues to remain active in our discourse, and I look forward to seeing Sen. Peters work with us in helping to advance the best interests of Americans in these coming months and years.

I also wish to extend my gratitude to Joe Biden, whose lifetime of public service is worth commending, regardless of whatever accomplishments or not that have occurred under his watch. I wish him a happy retirement as he begins to spend the twilight years of his life with his wife, Jill, and his family.

Lastly, we are all grateful to Donald Trump, for the work he did in making our country great again, standing tall for freedom where others chose to falter, and not only bringing us back to the great and glorious years of Ronald Reagan, but in some cases even exceeding what Reagan accomplished. Without Trump, imagine how much greater the mess would be...

And now, after much hard work and lots of prayers throughout this last year and a half, we have come past the crossroads to this very moment in our history. I am not excited, but rather I am grateful to be your next President of these great United States of America!

(thunderous applause)

When I started my first congressional campaign here in Florida, writing down the details at our house here in Ponte Vedra Beach more than 12 years ago, this district was effectively an open book - a blank canvas with no incumbent, because two other incumbents were placed elsewhere.

Those incumbents, sadly, no longer serve in Washington, but the legacy that these two Republicans - Cliff Stearns and John Mica - left behind, paved the way for a young former little league baseball player - the son of a nurse and a technician who installed Nielsen ratings boxes to TVs across Florida - to dream and dream big.

Never in one's wildest dreams could they imagine that a former college baseball player-turned-Navy Judge Advocate General, who taught history while studying the law, prosecuted terrorists at Guantanamo Bay, deployed to Fallujah, then to the U.S. Attorney's office in Orlando, earned the Bronze Star, and after an honorable discharge continued his service in the Naval Reserve, would make his way to the halls of Congress, let alone make his way to the Governor's Mansion, make his way to the White House.

But it did happen. And I was honored to trek along that path, and it was not only a gracious journey, but one of many accomplishments.

And here I stand, before you tonight, on this glorious course at TPC Sawgrass where dreams are made and legends are created in the most glorious realm of our greatest entertainment export to the world, the wonderful game of golf, where we celebrate our champions every March at the PLAYERS Championship, as we begin to write the next chapter in the great and glorious history of our beloved United States of America.

Tonight is the beginning of a New Day for America. A day where the fruits of our labor are spent, not in the purgatory of excess, plunder and financial uncertainty, but in the realms of generosity, prosperity and unbridled progress. It is an America we all wish for - that shining city on a hill that Ronald Reagan spoke so boldly of. One that promotes prosperity at home, peace abroad, and liberty and justice for all.

And now, the hard work begins, To get America back on track and moving again like it once did. To get America back to the predictable nature of life that seeks to nourish the soul and savor the moments we all share. To get America to a place of security in the face of the demons that seek to bring down our resolve and our standing in the world. And to get America back to a place where freedom not only is never taken for granted, but is never forsaken for the mere benefit of a selfish few who wish to impose the rule of vocal minorities at the expense of our diverse and patriotic majority.

You know where I stand, and I know where you want to America to be. Right up there, moving forward, in forward motion, like never before.

I would like to thank my wonderful campaign staff, especially those who have been here for me from day one, and stood through thick and thin where others chose to stumble. My campaign staff is the greatest this country has ever seen, and represent the best and brightest of who we are as Americans.

I most especially would like to thank President Donald Trump and his family again for their gracious support, because believe me when I say that when we want to Make America Great Again - the most fantastic slogan in our modern American political history - it will be as another great President named Ronald Reagan said it best - Morning Again in America.

Also to our fantastic Republican National Committee Chairwoman, the wonderful Ronna Romney McDaniel, thank you very much for all the support that this wonderful Republican Party has given me in this amazing campaign. Because of the hard work of millions of Republicans like you, we are able to have a celebration like no other.

And to my wonderful partner-in-crime as Governor of the Great State of Florida, our fantastic Lieutenant Governor, Jeanette Nuñez, who is going to be a fantastic Governor - the first female Governor in Florida history, who will continue to build on the great progress that our state has made in the last six years - the greatest ever in the history of our state.

Last, and definitely not least, I would like to thank the greatest joy in my life, my beautiful wife Casey, who is going to be the greatest First Lady this country has ever seen, and our wonderful kids Madison, Mason and Mamie. These love bugs bring boundless joy to my life, and they are the reason I am here today, serving you the people of Florida, and pretty soon, serving you the American people, from the East Coast to the West Coast, from the Gulf Coast to the Great Lakes, from the Appalachians to the Rockies, from the towering sights of New York City to the bright lights of Los Angeles, and everywhere in between.

There is nothing our country cannot do - and as your President - we will go to new heights like never before. My record as a fighter for you, the American people, brought greatness to Florida, and it will bring greatness to America.

From the bottom of my heart, by the grace of God, I am going to work hard to unite our nation through the shared values that make us whole and stand the test of time. Because your life matters.

I am going to work hard to make prosperity - from our economy and our markets to our energy supply and our infrastructure - not a myth you dream of, but a reality that goes beyond your wildest dreams. Because your future matters.

I am going to build a military that speaks to the needs of our country, addresses the fears we must face, and confronts the enemies that wish to destroy us so that we can continue to enjoy the good things we take for granted. Because your country matters.

And I am going to - with every beat of my heart - go the extra mile to fight for that New Day for America, in every corner of the country, in every neighborhood, in every group of people that fill the patchwork quilt of our great nation. Because Freedom Matters.

Thank you all, may God Bless everyone of you in this wonderful country, and may God Bless America!

(loud applause, as fireworks begin shooting off)

(And now, let's go to PBS...)
JUDY WOODRUFF: An incredible scene, as you look live now from Ponte Vedra Beach, south of Jacksonville, Florida, where Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is celebrating his victory as the 47th President of the United States. Just an incredible scene, with the fireworks going off on the golf course at TPC Sawgrass, which if you're a big golf fan, is where the annual PLAYERS Championship takes place, the course being just around the corner from the headquarters of the PGA Tour, in this city that Ron DeSantis lived in as a member of Congress before he became the Governor of Florida.

And now we turn to New York Times columnist David Brooks and Washington Post associate editor Jonathan Capehart for their thoughts on this historic election of the first-ever Italian-American President in our nation's history, what this means for the Republican Party and their growing majority, and where does the Democratic Party go after a stunning defeat?

DAVID BROOKS: Well, as you can see, Donald Trump effectively laid the groundwork for the Republican Party as we know it today, and Ron DeSantis took its absolute best aspects - the economic successes, the judicial philosophy, the sleight of hand on cultural issues - and left behind its worst aspects, namely the bizarre social media tweets and posts, the perils of the COVID-19 pandemic and the racial unrest in the wake of the murder of George Floyd, not to mention the economic unrest and the continued effects of climate change, and most especially the horror stories of January 6th.

Some will say this is merely yet another complete rebranding of the Republican Party, but tonight the GOP may have had its finest hour since the Reagan era, and it is now time to see how DeSantis's brand of conservative leadership works for the rest of the country.

JONATHAN CAPEHART: Well of course, it's easy for you to say, yes the economic tailwinds - with the continued inflation struggles, the high national debt with a potential default looming, the lingering concerns about national security especially regarding China - really put DeSantis at a big advantage. But it is also important to note that there was another factor in play tonight. Clearly, a good portion of what happened was of Kamala Harris's own doing, especially with the way she handled some of the issues in the Biden presidency, from Afghanistan to the much-maligned "Build Back Better" plan of President Biden's, to the handling of the COVID vaccines to the controversy surrounding the FBI in the wake of the Mar-a-Lago raid, these issues certainly did not help her.

And that's not even counting what happened with regards to her responses both to the controversial attack ad by an obviously disgruntled former Republican strategist named Rick Wilson, ironically from Ron DeSantis's own backyard in Florida, during an NFL game that compared the GOP to 'trailer trash', and also her response in the last debate to how she would avoid a nuclear war with China with no guarantee that American jobs wouldn't be sacrificed. Ron DeSantis took the "peace through strength" approach that Reagan envisioned, and that was the final nail in the coffin. That, and also Andrew Yang's rise as a third party candidate, which took away a lot of Democratic votes, but also a few Republicans as well especially with Adam Kinzinger on the ticket.

But not all hope is lost, a lot of moderate Democrats did well tonight and are even outperforming Harris on the ballot, hopefully Bob Casey prevails in his reelection, and also Kyrsten Sinema as well.

(Meanwhile, on C-SPAN...)
C-SPAN ANCHOR: OK, to our viewers at home, you know the drill with our Open Phones: 202.748.8000 for Democrats. 202.748.8001, Republicans. 202.748.8002, Independents, third parties including Andrew Yang. Text messages: send to 202.748.8003. Also on Facebook dot com slash cspan and on Twitter, @cspanwj.

OK, first caller, Karen from North Carolina, Democrat line...

Next: The rest of the first hour past midnight...

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

I assume Biden will probably settle in at around #35-37 on the Presidential rankings.

[PRESIDENT STANTON]

Well that was a helluva speech and an interesting one too. A good way to end the story of the 2024 presidential election. Anyway as for the rest of the story, DeSantis carries the remaining of the outstanding state's, the final electoral tally is 421 to 117. He achieves the biggest EV total for a Republican since GHW Bush, carries Washington state and Oregon for the first time since Reagan. Probably breaks 49% to 42% to Harris with 5% going to Yang and the remaining % going to other's. Casey manages to hold on in Pennsylvania, but Menendez loses. Gretchen Whitmer loses to James in Michigan and McMorris Rogers wins in Washington and so does McCarthy in California,  be interesting to imagine how the former Speaker adjusts to life in the Senate! Strange to see Harris having to swear in some one who gave the administration that she was a part of, so much headaches. Also Harris as was the case with Nixon, Humphrey and Gore will have to preside over the counting of the votes that officially ends her presidential hopes. The Senate will look strange without Baldwin, Brown, Cantwell, Feinstein, Kaine, Klobuchar, Menendez and Stabenow! Did I miss anyone Sinema? Tester? Of these Baldwin, Brown, Kaine, Menendez, and few others lost their seats. The biggest Democratic cull since 1980, when another Ron came to town. I will guess that Republican's picked up  30+ more seats in the House. I am thinking that McDermott wins the Indiana Governorship for the Democrats while Robinson wins the NC Governorship for Republican's. As much as DeSantis indicated in his speech that he hoped Harris remains engaged in the political process. He could extend an olive branch and make her Secretary of Housing and Urban Development or maybe Ambassador to Liberia 🇱🇷 🤣, I mean what kinda damage could she do? Anyway it was an interesting timeline. Well put together too!

[SaintStan86]

Before I continue, I shall make an editor's note with regards to the late-night schedules of the networks, including some aspects that IRL are currently nonexistent but stand to likely change before November 5, 2024:

• ABC and CBS will end their election coverage at 2:00AM ET. ABC will then turn over to World News Now, its irreverent overnight newscast - with such alums as Anderson Cooper and David Muir - that has a very lighthearted tone in comparison with its obviously more serious sister programs, while CBS will resume network programming at 2:30AM ET with the CBS Overnight News - which is usually the rebroadcast of the CBS Evening News repackaged under a different title in the first half hour and the first ten minutes or so of the second, with the rest being updated material. But because yesterday was election night, the network will instead turn over to its crew for the CBS Morning News, which precedes the CBS Overnight News at 3:30AM ET.
• NBC, which does not have an overnight newscast that broadcasts across the network IRL, will be assumed in this TL to have done just that, reviving a late-night newscast called NBC News Overnight that is produced from their newsroom in Rockefeller Center (not to be confused with the old early 80s program of the same name). This newscast is taped live at 2:30AM - 30 minutes after NBC wraps its election night coverage, and is rather similar to the sort of off-beat newscast that ABC does with World News Now. Early Today is taped live at 3:30AM ET.
• Fox News, which usually ends its West Coast rebroadcasts of its primetime opinion shows (you know who they are!) at 4:00AM ET, will also terminate its election night coverage at this point, with Fox & Friends First starting right after. Many Fox broadcast affiliates simulcasting Fox News coverage will have already moved on by 2:00AM or so regardless of time zone, with most West Coast affiliates (on Fox as well as other networks) already having switched over to their late news and likely staying there; stations like KTLA in Los Angeles and KRON in San Francisco will have stayed with local election coverage from the moment the polls closed on the West Coast.
• PBS will conclude its coverage of the election at 5:00AM ET, during which time its member stations - like WNET in New York and WGBH in Boston - will switch over to archival programming, children's shows and other stuff like Sit and Be Fit, which airs at 5:30AM CT on KUHT in Houston.
• Both Fox Business and CNBC had dueling election coverage with an emphasis on the business aspect of the election, and most likely at this point will be focused on how a DeSantis administration would be "beneficial to business" as well as the impact on both Asian and European markets as well as American futures, all the way to 5:00AM ET.
• CNN's election coverage will go all the way to 3:00AM ET, when Wolf Blitzer finally calls it a night. The CNN newsroom in Atlanta will take over for two hours until 5:00AM ET when their early morning news programs start up. No telling what Chris Licht will do with them IRL...
• MSNBC's own coverage will go all the way to 5:00AM ET, even as their NBC counterparts go to bed for the night. And definitely unlike the main NBC network's coverage, expect plenty of cringe with the results we have seen so far.
• C-SPAN pretty much will be taking final calls from viewers and some final analyses on the election, concluding their coverage at 3:00AM ET and turning over to video snippets of election victory and concession parties until Washington Journal comes on at 7:00AM ET.

But in this TL, it is now almost 1:00AM in New York City, and 10:00PM in Los Angeles...

WOLF BLITZER: Well that was quite a speech from Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, now President-elect Ron DeSantis. And certainly one for the ages, as the comparisons to Ronald Reagan and Donald Trump are sure to come about.

As DeSantis accepted his victory, we made some other projections during the speech.

In Delaware, CNN projects that Ron DeSantis has won the First State, a Republican victory for the first time since 1988, winning the home state of favorite son Joe Biden with 51 percent of the vote and 99 percent of the vote in, to 45 percent for Vice President Kamala Harris. The fact that President Biden got 59 percent in 2020, a loss of 14 percent for Harris, really is breathtaking - DeSantis getting 70,000 more votes than Donald Trump, and Harris getting 50,000 fewer votes, even losing a good chunk of them to Andrew Yang. Three electoral votes gone to the GOP.

The DeSantis campaign clearly highlighted Delaware's status as a haven for corporations in marketing to voters here - tying Harris to more progressive Democrats who have sought to strip Delaware of its prized status in tax and court reforms pushed by the party's left flank, and contrasted it with DeSantis's economic agenda.

DeSantis also wins Maine's two statewide electoral votes, where he is up 51 percent to 39 for Kamala Harris; Andrew Yang has eight percent. The 2nd District especially swung to DeSantis earlier tonight, but the 1st District in southern Maine, based in Portland, will actually go to Harris; Yang is getting only six percent in that district, where Harris leads 47 to 45 with almost all the votes in.

And look at this, Colorado and its 10 electoral votes will also go to Ron DeSantis with 51 percent, the highest since George W. Bush in 2004, according to John King's analysis. DeSantis also reportedly the first Republican to sweep the big four suburban counties - Adams, Arapahoe, Douglas and Jefferson - since Ronald Reagan; Douglas usually being the most Republican by far - it has not gone for a Democrat since 1964. While Harris did well in Denver and Boulder, as well as several counties to the west with ski resorts, DeSantis did not let up all night. Harris only got 41 percent, and Andrew Yang got five.

Still outstanding in Connecticut, where Ron DeSantis has 46 percent, but where Harris only has 44 percent, and Yang has 8 percent, and also in New Jersey, where DeSantis is leading 49-42 with Andrew Yang getting 7 percent, and Dr. Öz is at 52 percent to 47 for Sen. Bob Menendez, still not called as well.

(Fast forward >>)

WOLF BLITZER: It's now 1:00AM here in Washington, and with the Aleutian Islands in Alaska now closing their polls, we can make our projection for Alaska. Stand by...

(CNN "Key Race Alert"...)

WOLF BLITZER: And this is just more gravy for Ron DeSantis, who wins the three electoral votes in the state of Alaska. This is not a great surprise, Joe Biden was only the second Democrat since 1964 to win at least 40 percent, and Kamala Harris has struggled here in polling. Andrew Yang and other candidates definitely getting plenty of support in this independent-minded state, but DeSantis has consistently led in polling throughout almost the entire campaign. Alaska, a relatively easy call for the President-elect.

(On NBC...)
LESTER HOLT: Let's turn now to Kate Snow, who has the latest reports from the presidential campaigns.

KATE SNOW: OK, Lester, here is a Twitter post from the Harris campaign where Biden's deputy Chief of Staff, Jen O'Malley Dillon, who was to have served as chairwoman of Vice President Kamala Harris's transition had she won, tweeted this photo of her with the Vice President and others, including Michigan State Sen. Mallory McMorrow and Veterans Affairs Secretary Denis McDonough, also members of the ill-fated transition team. In this photo, she writes "It has been a biast working with these leaders in our efforts to provide what would have been a smooth transition. But we shall live to fight...Stay strong, Democrats, we have nowhere to go but up!"

Of course, they're trying to bring some levity into an otherwise bleak night for their party, but they sure managed to smile the best they could in spite of the obvious.

Meanwhile, on the DeSantis side, the co-chairs of the President-elect's transition team, Andy Card and Mick Mulvaney, both former Chiefs of Staff to George W. Bush and Donald Trump, respectively, are both shown as the post proclaims "Our work is just getting started...". Mulvaney also served in the South Carolina House of Representatives alongside Nikki Haley and in Congress alongside Ron DeSantis. You may remember Andy Card as the man who whispered to President Bush in that elementary school scene in Sarasota, Florida on September 11, 2001, that the World Trade Center's Twin Towers and the Pentagon were being attacked. No great surprise that these two men have been selected by the campaign to build the President-elect's Cabinet given their backgrounds.

(On CNBC...)
SHEPARD SMITH: Well as we all know, Tyler, the election of Governor DeSantis surely is going to have an impact on the markets, and so far what are we seeing?

TYLER MATHISEN: Yeah, Shepard, as we take a look at the markets in Asia, the Nikkei in Japan is up about 5 percent as talk of optimism on a new trade agreement that benefits American and Japanese workers as a hedge against China has sent stocks in Japan rising. The Hang Seng in Hong Kong as well as the TSEC in Taiwan, where DeSantis has expressed support for the people of those autonomous regions in the face of overbearing demands from China, are up by 7 percent and 9 percent.

The composite in Shanghai is a different story, however, down 6 percent in mid-day trading over in China which DeSantis has vowed to take a hardline approach on, much like former President Donald Trump did, especially on trade and allegations of human rights abuses. President Xi has expressed hope, however, that the incoming administration will engage in peaceful negotiations, and many Chinese business leaders have expressed an openness to not shortchange American workers in any future trade agreements with China, mainly as a means to avoid a confrontation between the two warring powers. When the European markets open in a few hours, I imagine a similar situation of optimism will transpire.

(And Fox Business...)
NEIL CAVUTO: I mean, I am just speechless just how big this mandate has turned out to be. We all knew with the exit polling it was going to be big, but not exactly this demolition derby we are seeing tonight. It doesn't even matter if the baseline Republican was Donald Trump in rural and working-class areas or Mitt Romney in the suburbs or even in some cases the Bushes or Ronald Reagan, this is just downright massive.

CHARLES PAYNE: And clearly, as you can see voters really resonated with Ron DeSantis on the economy, on China, on a whole buffet of issues especially towards the end. This is the kind of spanking that Kamala Harris got, and definitely not a very enjoyable one either. The Democrats are going to have to go into a deep detox and ask themselves how did it go so badly for them? And if they don't change, as Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has suggested, Ron DeSantis could be looking at a 50-state sweep four years from now. It is just that tenuous for them.

The big loser in all this, not surprisingly, is China. Ron DeSantis has vowed to take a hard line on China, especially on trade and manufacturing, not to mention the sort of human rights abuses and concerns about nuclear war. They are pretty much to today where the Soviet Union was in the Reagan era, and it seems like history definitely is repeating itself tonight. Just waiting to see who China's Boris Yeltsin will be next time he goes to a grocery store in Houston...

(And...MTV?)
DOMETI PONGO: What are we seeing from young people tonight? Well as you can see, while Kamala Harris appears to have a plurality of Zoomers at about 47 percent to Ron DeSantis's 37 percent, Millennials appear to have gone for DeSantis, 47 to 37, near exact reverse. In both demos, Andrew Yang got about 10 percent and the Libertarian, Dave Smith, got about two percent. This is pretty much an election where the young and wild hearts of the Obama era appear to have grown up, in some cases even voting against their parents in some historically Democratic households in Black and Hispanic circles.

ANA MARIE COX: I mean, it's almost like those Progressive ads, especially the ones that don't have Flo, about young people struggling to not become their parents, and they have tonight. It's almost as if we became the voters we hoped not to become! Kind of like when your mom grounded you for sneaking out to some midnight concert, smoking weed, only to become exactly that stern, Dad-bod, Dad-joke Phil Dunphy wannabe.

(And now, back to CNN for a big Senate projection...)

WOLF BLITZER: This just in: CNN is now projecting another big first that hasn't happened on this network since we first went on the air. For the first time since 1972, a Republican has won a U.S. Senate election in New Jersey, as we can now project that Dr. Mehmet Öz, TV doctor and former talk show host introduced to millions of Americans about two decades ago by none other than Oprah Winfrey, two years removed from his defeat in Pennsylvania against John Fetterman, has defeated Sen. Bob Menendez in this closely watched race.

Menendez was first appointed to the seat in 2006 after Jon Corzine became Governor, and had faced a number of spirited Senate campaigns from the Republican side that had great expectations, but ultimately did not lead to a victory on Election Night, and gave rise to the phenomenon of the New Jersey Republican who dreamt big of winning a Senate seat in the Garden States, but never achieving that goal. Jake Tapper, this is definitely historic in many ways.

JAKE TAPPER: Most definitely, Wolf. The last time a Republican won a Senate seat, the winner was incumbent Republican Clifford Case, who won a fourth term in 1972, ran for a fifth but lost to the more conservative Jeff Bell who went on to lose to former New York Knicks star Bill Bradley in 1978, who later had an underdog run for President in 2000 against then-Vice President Al Gore. There have been two appointed Republican Senators since then: the first coming in 1982 when Nick Brady was appointed to the seat that was up for election tonight after Pete Williams, a Democrat, resigned rather than be expelled from the Senate over his conviction for bribery and conspiracy in the Abscam scandal involving an FBI sting operation.

That seat ultimately got filled by Frank Lautenberg, who held that seat for three terms before retiring in 2000 and replaced by Jon Corzine. Lautenberg then regretted his move and returned to the Senate in 2002 after Robert Torricelli chose not to seek reelection in the face of his own corruption charges, staying there until he died in 2013. Jeffrey Chiesa, then the state Attorney General, was appointed by Republican Gov. Chris Christie to serve until Cory Booker won a special election in 2013 that Chiesa did not run in. Chiesa did vow to run for office in the future at the time, and could very well run against Booker in 2026 if given the chance.

But tonight, it has finally happened. A Republican has won a U.S. Senate election in New Jersey in the 21st century. And his name is Dr. Mehmet Öz, who also becomes the first Muslim to serve in the U.S. Senate, and also the first Muslim in either the House or Senate to be elected as a Republican. There have been Muslims elected to Congress already, all of them Democrats, but Dr. Öz will be the first as a Republican, in a demographic that has not voted Republican since September 11th. They voted 3-2 for George W. Bush in 2000, but swung sharply to the left in the face of anti-Muslim attacks from conservatives and supporters of the War on Terror. What a dramatic sea change in these last two decades, Wolf...

WOLF BLITZER: And you have another projection to report as well.

JAKE TAPPER: Yes, in fact we do. In Vermont, CNN projects that Vermont Progressive Party candidate David Zuckerman, a staunch liberal endorsed by retiring Sen. Bernie Sanders, will win the U.S. Senate race in Vermont, a narrow 37 percent win over former Lt. Gov. Brian Dubie, the Republican, and former state Attorney General T.J. Donovan. The split between more moderate and establishment Democrats who favored Donovan and more progressive ones who favored Zuckerman created an opening for Dubie to become the first GOP Senator from Vermont since the moderate Republican Jim Jeffords became an independent and started to caucus with the Democrats, which flipped the Senate to Democratic control after briefly being split between the two parties after the 2000 election.

But Zuckerman not only benefited from the Sanders endorsement, he also benefited from ads tying Dubie, a moderate Republican, to Ron DeSantis and especially Donald Trump, while also attacking Donovan as a "corporate Democrat out of touch with working families". That obviously played into Zuckerman's favor tonight.

WOLF BLITZER: And this also means that that same Senate seat Jeffords flipped to independent a few months before September 11th will remain in the hands of someone not affiliated with either party. Zuckerman has vowed to caucus with the Democrats, much like Bernie Sanders has, but he will become the first actual member of the Vermont Progressive Party to serve in Congress. Sanders is affiliated with them, but does not necessarily serve as a member of that party.

Next: More Senate results, as The Day After approaches...

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

What was DeSantis's position on healthcare and the like? I can't imagine you can come close to winning Vermont while advocating for total privatization.

[2016]

Some thoughts

# 1 It was a really good Victory Speech by President-elect Ron DeSantis. He called for UNITY which is very important.

# 2 Phenomenal Decision to select Mick Mulvaney & Andy Card to head his Transition Team. These two guys kinda knew what they are doing.

# 3 The next calls are likely to come from New Jersey, Connecticut and possibly Illinois at the Presidential Level. A little bit surprising to see Colorado called before New Mexico but that's the way it is sometimes.
In Nevada, Oregon and Washington State CNN will probably hold of CALLS until every Vote is counted. It could very well be that fewer than 10,000 will seperate DeSantis and Harris in each of those 3 States so it's smart to hold off just to be sure.

# 4 On the Senate Side Maine will almost certainly go to the Ranked-Choice-Voting and Rep. Pingree is certainly favoured in that. Montana will probably called soon for the Republicans while Pennsylvania will most likely called for Senator Casey soon as well. As far as the other outstanding Seats are concerned: The Michigan Senate Seat did not get called by CNN in 2000 until after 8am when Debbie Stabenow beat then Senator Spencer Abraham. And given previous close 3-way Races in Minnesota (Coleman-Franken-Barkley in 2008) that won't be called soon either.
And in Nevada, Arizona and Washington State you have to wait until everything is in. Sinemas' Election in 2018 did not get called until Thursday. As for Washington State we probably have to wait until the week after the Election. Hopefully it's not as close as the 2004 Governor Race between Dino Rossi and Christine Gregoire.
The big irony is that Michigan, Home of Vice President Harris Running Mate Gary Peters, could be the State that puts Republicans at the Magic Number of 60.

[PRESIDENT STANTON]

I think he might have a similar view to Trump on the issue of lower costs. Also Vermont might take the pragmatic view, that maybe DeSantis would be better on the issue, as Democrats under Biden were not actually improving matters that much. Also Yang's presence on the ballot is a factor that can't be ruled out. Also the news on the debt and social security, may was an example of sticker shock to those in Vermont and changes will be needed. There's no way around it. Maybe overall voter's took the view that Harris was incapable of ushering in any kind of change and judging from her response to the China 🇨🇳 problem in the debate, that view waa only cemented. I think the reason why DeSantis is winning in such a decisive manner, is that voter's may see that narrow victories and lack of clear cut majorities in either chamber leads to the gridlock that has occurred over the last 8+ years. By winning by such a decisive margin DeSantis has a mandate and Democrats whether they like it or not, will have to realize that Republican's now can and will be able to drive an agenda which can be implemented. Republican's if they can get understand this, must realize that deficit spending is a recipe for disaster. Hopefully Card and Mulvaney help DeSantis find individuals to run the Budget office, Treasury and Defense and ensure that it's no longer business as usual. The wasteful practices at the Pentagon have to end. Perhaps Haley should head up a task force on the reduction of wasteful spending practices. A task force with enforcement powers. Merely being advisory ensures that nothing occurs. Just a few idea's.

[SaintStan86]

It's almost 2:00AM...

Continuing with CNN...

WOLF BLITZER: In addition to electing Dr. Öz, we can also project, Jake, that New Jersey goes for Gov. DeSantis who is getting 49 percent. While some Democratic ballots are still out there in absentee balloting, they weren't enough to help Bob Menendez, and they certainly won't be enough to sway the outcome on the presidential race here. That's another 14 electoral votes for DeSantis, in a state that hasn't voted for a Republican presidential candidate since 1988. It's also a state where Andrew Yang had an impact, winning seven percent including about 12 percent in Middlesex County - which has a sizable Asian American vote, and as much as 15 percent in some mostly Asian parts of Bergen County, which flipped to both DeSantis and Öz with absolute majorities tonight.

CNN also projects that Nevada with its six electoral votes will go to Ron DeSantis, who has led in every county across the state, winning a majority in every county including Clark County, where DeSantis is getting over 50 percent, which explains his 52 percent to Kamala Harris's 36 percent - the worst performance by any Democrat since Walter Mondale in 1984. Andrew Yang is getting seven percent, and Libertarian Dave Smith is getting about two percent. One percent of voters even voted for "None of these candidates", which is an actual entry on the ballot in Nevada, has always been.

There are still 51 outstanding electoral votes remaining on the map, the largest being Illinois, where Ron DeSantis has 49 percent with Kamala Harris getting 45 percent. Connecticut also has not been called - that state still has DeSantis up 48-44. And in New Mexico, Gov. DeSantis, with 90 percent of the vote in, is getting 51 percent of the vote, and - just as we're taking a look at this - it is now being called for DeSantis. New Mexico goes Republican for the first time since George W. Bush narrowly flipped it in 2004, another five electoral votes.

John King, that means only 46 electoral votes remain now. And in Washington and Oregon, where a lot of folks vote by mail, it in fact is the standard in the latter, we're looking at historic lows for the Democrats and some very interesting trends on the Asian American vote.

JOHN KING: Yes, Wolf, in Washington state, we are looking at 40 percent of the vote in, but so far it looks like it will be a while before we make a call on this one. DeSantis is winning 46 percent so far - higher than what George W. Bush got in 2004, and 70 percent of the vote in King County is in, where Kamala Harris is getting only 52 percent - the lowest since 1992. Ron DeSantis is only winning 33 percent, though, while Andrew Yang strikes again - getting nine percent, and this is also speaking volumes of the significance of the Asian American vote, with some Asian voters even considering Yang to be a more "pro-Asian" candidate than Harris.

And certainly more liberal Asians; the Asians that vote conservative already have backed DeSantis from the get-go. What's interesting is that Norman Solomon, the Green Party candidate, has four percent, a good portion of it concentrated in the city of Seattle, which Harris is winning handily itself, but not by the overwhelming margins we're used to seeing.

WOLF BLITZER: And that precinct map is looking a little different, is it not?

JOHN KING: Yes, the Eastside of King County, Bellevue, Sammamish, other areas, plenty of pink for DeSantis and only moderate shades of blue for Harris. The tech vote certainly is influencing the map to the left, but concerns about China, default, and the Yang campaign are making the outcomes precinct-by-precinct very interesting.

Let's go back to the countywide map, up to Snohomish County, where DeSantis is getting 47 percent and winning there, as well as in Pierce County with 49 percent, home to Tacoma where the same blue-collar swing, suburban comebacks and left-wing splinters persist. As with Illinois, the DeSantis campaign made it clear: "We are a 50-state campaign, we're going to act like it", and this apparently is the fruit of their results. You're seeing, back up to Snohomish now, Everett, where blue-collar workers are concerned about trade and manufacturing, also places like Marysville, traditional suburban bellwethers in Washington state politics, and then you have Edmonds, down here which is a liberal bastion, remaining true to form but not as deep blue as previous elections would suggest. This is also where Yang and to a lesser extent Solomon are splintering votes from Harris.

Of course, east of the Cascades, DeSantis is showing usually strong Republican numbers, and in southwest Washington he's ahead in Clark County, which is Vancouver across from Portland, Oregon. The county to watch here is Clallam, which is Port Angeles across the Puget Sound and also across from the Strait of Juan de Fuca, across from Canada. That county has predicted the presidential winner since 1980, and tonight it's breaking for DeSantis with 53 percent.

WOLF BLITZER: What about Oregon?

JOHN KING: Well the mail-in ballots are rolling in slowly but surely, but so far in Oregon Clackamas County is voting for Ron DeSantis with 52 percent. Marion County, which is the state capital of Salem plus several outer suburban, exurban areas of Portland, giving 56 percent to DeSantis. Then you have Linn County which is very Republican, and then you have Lane County, home to Eugene and the University of Oregon, 42 percent for DeSantis, only 46 for Kamala Harris. Benton County, where Corvallis and Oregon State University is is also telling: 37 percent for Ron DeSantis, nowhere near competitive, but Kamala Harris is only getting 53 percent.

The rest of the state is mostly Republican red, but DeSantis is even exceeding a quarter of the vote with 28 percent in Multnomah County, which is Portland. 60 percent for Kamala Harris is the smallest we've seen in the 21st century here, Yang and Solomon clearly splintering liberal votes. And then you have Washington County, the big suburban county west of the city, which put Republican Gov. Christine Drazan in office. It is giving DeSantis 52 percent tonight - which is what George H.W. Bush got in 1988. But still a lot of vote out there, and if this holds, we could be looking at a red uprising in the Pacific Northwest.

WOLF BLITZER: Obviously, the suburban voters in Portland getting sick and tired of being associated with some of the famous activism that sometimes gets out of hand in that city, which has long been known as a hotbed of intense progressive activism, to the point where the elder Bush called the city 'Little Beirut' following a visit there during his presidency.

JOHN KING: Most certainly.

WOLF BLITZER: We also now have some Senate and gubernatorial projections, let's go to Jake Tapper with those.

JAKE TAPPER: Wolf, in Delaware there will be a Republican Governor for the first time since the early 90s, as former State Treasurer Ken Simpler will defeat Matthew Denn, the former state Attorney General who succeeded the President's late son, Beau Biden, in that position. As you can see, Simpler won 52 percent tonight to 48 percent for Denn.

He will be the first Republican Governor of that state since Michael Castle won his second term in 1988. Castle then moved to the U.S. House in 1992 as the state's at-large Congressman, trading places with Democrat Tom Carper who became Governor and then defeated five-term Republican William Roth, who had been plagued by health problems, in 2000.

Carper is now retiring from the Senate, and this will be his replacement: Republican Ben duPont, with 54 percent of the vote, will be the next U.S. Senator from Delaware. He originally planned to run for Congress, but chose instead to jump to the Senate, where he will join his wife's in-law, Dr. Mehmet Öz, who won tonight in New Jersey. DuPont, from the famous chemical company fortune, defeated Congresswoman Lisa Blunt Rochester, who hoped to become Delaware's first African-American and first female U.S. Senator. 59 Republican Senators now, one away from the magical 60 seat threshold.

The Senate races remain close in Michigan, where GOP Congressman John James maintains a 51-48 lead over former Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, and in Minnesota, where Michele Tafoya is up 48-46 over Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan, who hoped to join a long line of progressive Senators from here from Eugene McCarthy to Paul Wellstone to Al Franken, but apparently may not be the case. And in Pennsylvania, Bob Casey Jr. has a narrow lead over Dave McCormick, 49-48, this make days to confirm a winner. Also with Chellie Pingree in Maine, who is now a few hundred votes behind Rick Bennett, at 47.6 to 48.2, as Portland and other liberal strongholds rolled in with only a slight number of votes remaining - ranked-choice voting likely could benefit her in the final vote count.

Out west, the Senate picture is also looking close as well. In New Mexico, we have Mark Ronchetti still up 51-48 over Sen. Martin Heinrich with almost all the boxes in, we could be looking at a call soon on that race. There has not been a Republican Senator from New Mexico since Pete Domenici retired in 2008, but DeSantis's Latino voting strength and the nuclear power issue, which DeSantis seized on in his campaign, working in his favor and also benefiting Ronchetti, a former TV meteorologist on the CBS affiliate in Albuquerque, KRQE, which is also one of our affiliates there in New Mexico.

In Nevada, Jacky Rosen is hanging in there against Republican Sam Brown, but she is down four now with Washoe County in. There are pockets of Clark County still outstanding that will further affect the outcome, but it's going to be an 11th hour miracle if it comes to that. Trying to win a second term, but some feel that Rosen did not do much to distinguish herself in her first. It is now 50 to 46, with two percent preferring no candidates.

Then you have Arizona, where Kyrsten Sinema is still up 50-45 on David Schweikert. Sinema benefiting from her moderate voting record, endorsement by the usually right-leaning Arizona Republic, and lingering bitterness from some of Schweikert's Republican detractors, including the Republic who singled out his ethical issues as well as right-wing Congressman Paul Gosar, who admitted to having no ill will towards Schweikert, but wished that the GOP nominee were more honest about his ethical shortcomings.

As if Arizona Republicans needed another thing to worry about after the 2020 election, the challenge that set off the insurrection at the Capitol and Donald Trump's second impeachment, Trump's own ill will towards then-Gov. Doug Ducey, the 2022 midterm Senate and gubernatorial losses, and now this. I'll be surprised if there's not another housecleaning of sorts at the Arizona GOP, even though Ron DeSantis won this state without much of a struggle tonight.

Montana, we still have Matt Rosendale ahead, but with the liberal areas coming in for Tester, the margin is now 49-47. Too close for comfort, but Rosendale, who did represent the obviously more liberal western part when Montana still had the one at-large congressional seat in his first term - before being broken off into a safely Republican seat from Billings and all points east in 2022, pretty much could be headed back to DC as a U.S. Senator. They're still waiting on the mail-in votes, but that's about it.

Washington state, Maria Cantwell is retiring, and in this battle of Congresswomen, Suzan DelBene from the Seattle suburbs is leading with 53 percent to 47 percent for Cathy McMorris Rodgers out of Spokane, who rented a second property around Snoqualmie for better access to the deeply populated Puget Sound region. Definitely a closer margin than Jay Inslee's numbers for a fourth term as Governor, but this is still a close race.

And look at this, Wolf, in California, with 40 percent in, Speaker Kevin McCarthy is leading 58 to 42 in this all-Republican Senate battle with Donald Trump's former U.S. Ambassador to Germany, Richard Grenell. McCarthy's biggest stronghold is in the Central Valley from Fresno to his base in Bakersfield, also in Orange County, but what's intriguing is where Grenell is leading - over in San Diego and also in the San Francisco Bay Area, where his status as an openly gay Republican apparently has played a factor in his support there, especially considering Grenell is endorsed by Trump and is the conservative candidate, and he's beating or tied with McCarthy in the most liberal metro area in the country.

And now, it's time for some of the networks to go to bed...

(On CBS...)
NORAH O'DONNELL: It is always our pleasure to give to you the most unbiased, factual and accurate coverage of elections, including this presidential election. And it was our honor to deliver the news of this presidential election to you in exactly that fashion, as we have now elected a new President and enter an uncharted path where as always - the mission is clear, but the outcome can always affect the course of history.

We'll have more on tonight's election at CBSNews.com and on CBS News Streaming. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, and you also can see more coverage on the Morning News as well as your local news and check back with us on CBS Mornings, live from Times Square. From all of us at CBS News here in Washington and across the nation, I'm Norah O'Donnell.

(On NBC...)
LESTER HOLT: And we have come to the conclusion of another election, as Ron DeSantis, the 46th Governor of Florida, will now become the 47th President of the United States, and while the process will take just over 75 days, it will be a very busy process as the President prepares to build up his Cabinet, and as a new Congress - now more Republican than we've seen in many years, begins to take shape.

There will be more coverage on CNBC and MSNBC, and also on NBCNews.com and the NBC News app, as well as our streaming channel, NBC News NOW. There will also be additional coverage later this morning on your local NBC station and on the Today show. For all of us here at NBC News, live from Democracy Plaza in Rockefeller Center, I'm Lester Holt. Good night and good morning.

(On ABC...)
DAVID MUIR: We appreciate you being part of your election night viewing, and thank you for watching as we have gone through another Election Night together, with Ron DeSantis now set to become the 47th President of the United States. We will now turn over to World News Now for more on this election, and there will be more coverage on ABCNews.com and the ABC News app, as well as ABC News Live and tomorrow morning on Good Morning America. I'm David Muir with George Stephanopoulos, live from our Election Night headquarters in Times Square, thank you for watching. Good night.

(And, on Fox broadcast affiliates...)
BRET BAIER: And to our affiliates across the country, including those on the West Coast, we thank you for tuning in for this special edition of Fox News Democracy 2024, as Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is now set to become President Ron DeSantis in 75 days, with the Cabinet speculation already beginning to heat up. We'll have more coverage and reaction over on Fox News Channel and the Fox News app, as well as on your local Fox station. For now, I'm Bret Baier with Shannon Bream in New York, good night.

Next: The rest of the wee hours proceed as America sleeps...

[Zedonathin2020]

How I think the remaining states will vote

[PRESIDENT STANTON]

It would be interesting to see how DeSantis performed in the popular vote, what was his popular vote majority? My guess is around 8 to 9 million vote majority or perhaps 11 million votes? He will probably do as well as Obama did. If Minnesota, Montana, New Mexico, Maine, Michigan and Nevada go Republican in the Senate Its a 65-34-1 Senate, a 13 seat pick-up! Overall with Baldwin, Brown, Heinrich, Kaine, Menendez, Rosen and Tester gone, that means 7 Democrats Incumbent gone! I presume Casey and Sinema hold on. I wonder how Cornyn handles a top heavy majority, caucus discipline will be a challenge, even with a narrow majority it can be trying. DeSantis won't have to much of a problem getting his legislative priorities passed in such an environment. Hopefully hubris doesn't do him in.

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

I'm thinking this, with all the Harris votes thrown out by the GOP Congress.

[PRESIDENT STANTON]

Not happening if DeSantis expects goodwill and some sort of honeymoon. Besides Republican's can afford to be magnanimous in victory, but if Democrats try any shenanigans in attempting to undermine DeSantis as they did with Trump; Republican's will likely respond ruthlessly and Cornyn nor Scalise will give Democrats diddly squat. All they can expect is nothing but crumbs from the Republican's high table. My cautionary word to Democrats is to "Behave".