Georgia gubernatorial candidate Brian Kemp (R) had some voting issues when he went to the polls, WSB-TV reports.
When he tried to vote, his voter card said “invalid.” He had to go back and get another card.
Bonus Quote of the Day
“Warning: exit polls are like online dating profiles. Things may not be as they appear. And they may break your heart.”
— 2016 Clinton campaign manager Robby Mook, on Twitter.
Exit Polls Show Election Is About Trump
CNN: “Two-thirds of voters say their vote in today’s congressional election is about Donald Trump, according to early exit polls, and more say they’re showing up at the polls to express opposition than support for the President.”
“The President’s approval rating is net negative among the nation’s voters, and more say things in the country are on the wrong track than that they are going in the right direction.”
Also interesting: “A big majority of voters, about two-thirds, made their 2018 election decision before the last month, according to preliminary exit poll results. Only one-in-five said they decided in the last month and even fewer said they made up their minds in the last few days or last week.”
Two Roger Stone Associates Testify Before Grand Jury
“Two more associates of Roger Stone, the longtime adviser to President Trump, testified recently before a grand jury hearing evidence in the investigation into Russia’s interference in the 2016 presidential election — the latest in a series of witnesses connected to Stone whose testimony has been sought by the special counsel,” the Washington Post reports.
Pelosi Tells Allies Democrats Will Make Big Gains
“House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi predicted sweeping Democratic gains in the midterm elections at a private meeting with political allies in Washington on Tuesday, but warned that President Trump might attempt to brand the election as ‘rigged’ if the ultimate result was close,” the New York Times reports.
“Going state by state over the political map, Ms. Pelosi said she expected Democrats to capture three or four Republican-held seats in Pennsylvania, between two and four in New Jersey and up to three in Illinois…. In several smaller states, Ms. Pelosi predicted a Democratic sweep of the most competitive congressional races, including gains of two seats each in Iowa and Kansas, and one seat in New Mexico.”
“That supremely optimistic outlook on the night reflects just how high Democratic hopes have risen for a takeover in the House, and one person who attended the event expressed surprised at just how far Ms. Pelosi went in the direction of predicting a robust victory.”
Trump and Health Care Are Key Issues for Midterms
A new Washington Post-Schar School poll finds that voters who will decide control of the U.S. House said President Trump and health care were two of the most important factors as they chose their candidates in the midterm election.
“More than four in 10 who cast early or absentee ballots or voted early Tuesday mentioned Trump or health care as the most important or second-most important factor for their vote, the preliminary results showed. The economy and immigration were close behind, receiving mention from over 3 in 10 voters in the results.”
“Roughly 8 in 10 voters rated the economy positively, after months of job and wage growth, but even so, a small majority said they thought the country was headed in the wrong direction.”
One Forecast That Will Come True
Seth Masket: “The forecast I’m most confident in for today’s elections is that, if Democrats have a remotely good night, Trump will claim that some sort of voter fraud took place in one or several races. This is especially likely if Democrats take over one or both chambers of Congress, in which case Trump may make such claims in order to call into question the legitimacy of any new Democratic majority. He’s already hinted at this, and he said in 2016 that he’d only accept the results of that year’s presidential election if he won it. He even claimed voter fraud after he won.”
Menendez Campaign Thanks Trump for Hugin Endorsement
New Jersey U.S. Senate candidate Bob Hugin (R) “has spent his entire campaign distancing himself from President Trump. A last-second endorsement from the president likely will not help his long-shot bid to unseat scandal-wracked Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ),” CNBC reports.
In an Election Day tweet, the president said Hugin “would be a great senator from New Jersey.” Trump added: “He has my complete and total endorsement!”
A Menendez campaign spokesman responded simply: “Thank you.”
The Dials Are Back
Trump Braces for Grim Political News
“President Trump began Election Day bracing for grim political news as people across the country voted in midterm contests that will deliver the first nationwide referendum on his presidency,” the New York Times reports.
“The mood inside the White House was gloomy, according to aides and people in contact with the president. Mr. Trump, who had no public events on his schedule, waited to see whether his dark closing message about the dangers of illegal immigration could once again help him defy the polls — this time showing that Democrats are likely to win control of the House and many governorships.”
Steve King Bars Newspaper from Election Night Event
Rep. Steve King (R-IA) has barred the Des Moines Register from his election night event in Sioux City, the Des Moines Register reports.
Said Jeff King, who is Steve King’s son and a paid staffer of his campaign: “We are not granting credentials to the Des Moines Register or any other leftist propaganda media outlet with no concern for reporting the truth.”
Key Early Races to Watch
Aaron Blake: “Election night is long — sometimes very long. Sometimes it lingers for weeks or even months. And even longtime analysts like yours truly have a difficult time processing the results of 435 House races and 33-35 Senate races, in real time, to figure out what it all means.”
“One method I’ve always found helpful is to zero in on a few key races — ones that are early in the night, representative of the broader electoral battle, and/or might signal a wave for either party (in this case, the Democrats).”
Here are some of those races: IN-Sen, FL-Sen, KY-6, GA-6, VA-7
What If Democrats Blow It?
Ryan Lizza: “What if the darkest aspects of Trumpism—the racist appeals, the contempt for truth and facts, the assault on the press—not only survive a midterm correction, but are bolstered by it?”
Election Worker Caught on Video Screaming at Voter
A county election supervisor in Texas has resigned following an incident in which she was caught on camera screaming at a voter who was reportedly confused about where to vote, KVUE-TV reports.
At one point in the video — which was recorded by another voter — election supervisor and judge Lila Guzman can be heard yelling at the voter to leave: “Get out. Get out. Get out. You are rude. You are not following the law. Go. Go.”
Reports of Long Lines and Broken Voting Machines
“Long lines and malfunctioning machines marred the first hours of voting in some precincts across the country Tuesday. Some of the biggest problems were in Georgia, a state with a hotly contested gubernatorial election, where some voters reported waiting up to three hours to vote,” the AP reports.
“At a polling place in Snellville, Georgia, more than 100 people took turns sitting in children’s chairs and on the floor as they waited in line for hours. Voting machines at the Gwinnett County precinct did not work, so poll workers offered provisional paper ballots while trying to get a replacement machine.”
Houston Chronicle: “Voters are seeing long lines at multiple polling places across Houston due to technical difficulties.”
Democrats Still See a Chance at Taking Senate
New York Times: “Nevada polls recently have shown Dean Heller and the Democratic nominee, Rep. Jacky Rosen, trading off in the lead; Arizona polls have shown a neck-and-neck race between the Democrat, Rep. Kyrsten Sinema, and the Republican, Rep. Martha McSally. The mere fact that the Republican Senate candidates haven’t put away the race in those two states has been enough to lead some Democrats to think that Tuesday’s election could lead to a very late night, with the East Coast waiting for the results out West to see who controls the Senate.”
FiveThirtyEight gives Democrats a 19% chance of winning control of the Senate.
Issa Says His Seat Will Flip
Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA) said early Tuesday morning that Mike Levin (D), the Democrat candidate running for his seat, is poised to win, The Hill reports.
Said Issa: “Quite frankly, we know the results already. It will be a Democrat representing La Jolla to Solana Beach for the first time in a number of years.”
Year of the Governor
The Atlantic: “Whatever happens on Tuesday, there’s not much Democrats can do to assume control in Washington. They’re running as a check on Donald Trump’s presidency, playing defense, positioning themselves for the long term, at best. Take the House, and even the Senate, and it’s still about playing to a stalemate.”
“But if results break in their favor on Tuesday, Democrats could take control of state governments that have been in Republican control since 2010 or longer. That year, the GOP picked up six governor seats in what was considered a wave of its own. Democrats are expected to pick up at least that many across the country this year.”
“The result would rework all sorts of state policy, provide a massive injection of talent to the Democratic bench, force pundits to think anew about what the country wants, and through changes to gerrymandering, reshape the next decade in terms of who gets elected to state legislatures and the House.”
