11:50 p.m. The Democrats have regained control of congress. We needed 15 and we have won 19 so far; with several more that we could take in the next few hours. From here on out it's all gravy for the Democrats in the house.
Tester has an insurmountable lead over Conrad Burns. He leads 53% to 45%. Lets call it. That's four senate seats, Democrats.
One more Democratic house seat, the Wisconsin 08 flips to the Democrats. That's twenty.
I'll be back after midnight. I'm following Claire for a few more hours.
Boyda's victory has been offset by a loss by Tammy Duckworth in the Illinois 06. Too bad. And fuck the VFW. Fuck 'em. I don't care that they are supposed to be the "greatest generation" because they sure didn't do the right thing this time. Miserable old pricks.
11:35 p.m. Holy Shit. Against all odds, the fucking light-rail initiative appears to have passed. Kansas City never does anything good for public transportation. This is a shocker. I was so certain that it would only get about 95 votes that I didn't even mention it in the pre-election build-up.
We're getting a train! Yay! We're going to be a real city!
Tester is leading Burns by a 10% margin, but Corker has prevailed in Tennessee to hold the seat being vacated by Bill Frist for the Republicans.
Every statewide Republican candidate who has won office in Missouri has won Greene County by 60%. Tonight Jim Talent won Greene County by 53%. This one is too close to call.
11:15 p.m. Webb is still closing on George Felix in Virginia. The lead isnow about 2500.
Well never mind! Webb just took the lead by 3500 votes.
In Montana, Tester leads Burns by 56% to 42%.
CNN has decided to join me in declaring Nancy Boyda the winner of the race for US House in the KS-02. If anyone gave her money or your vote because of anything I wrote, I sincerely thank you. You did the right thing for the Kansas 02 and the soldiers at Leavenworth and Fort Riley.
11:00 p.m. and in Virginia, Webb is doggedly pursuing Allen through the final two percent of outstanding precincts and closing the gap five hundred votes at a time. Less than
I'm holding off on Missouri prognostications because the urban vote isn't in, and lets face it, there 's more of us, so look for Claire and Amendment 2 to rally further when our votes are reported.
The Republicans have held on to the Arizona Senate seat occupied by John Kyl.
John Tester is leading Conrad Burns for Burns Senate seat in Montana. Bush's visit to Billings didn't help much. The next day, the Billings Gazette put him on the front page, but he was below the fold. Above the fold was the flag-draped coffin of Petty Officer 2nd Class Chuck Kampaa arriving at Billings International Airport, making his final journey home.
10:45 p.m. Phill Kline has conceeded to Paul Morrison in the Kansas Attorney General's race, Kathleen Sebelius has been re-elected to another term as Kansas Governor. Nancy Boyda is still ahead of Jim Ryun by a 52% to 45% margin. Dennis Moore has secured another term in the house representing the Kansas 03.
The House is in Democratic control. Meet Speaker Pelosi, America. You family values types are gonna hate her because she actually has some. Deal.
10:15 p.m. and we find ourselves on the left coast. In Washington State, Maria Cantwell is leading her challenger 54% to 43%, and it looks like that seat we need to hold will be held.
Back on the east coast, Webb has closed the gap to just under ten thousand votes with three percent outstanding. I said this one would be a nailbiter and I think that was an understatement.
In Missouri, Talent leads Claire by a 51% to 45% margin with 46% of all precincts reporting, and there are counting problems in St. Louis and Kansas City, the Democratic areas, so this is a false lead that Talent is experiencing right now. Ditto Stem Cells. Look for the numbers to flip when the urban votes are counted. Don't panic yet. I guess that I can always just work at KU Med if Missouri looses it's mind on this issue.
And before I get the update finished, CNN calls the Washington race for Cantwell. We held the two we needed to, and we have gained three so far with possible Democratic outcomes in the other three. It ain't over yet, but it looks possible.
Urban vote is coming in and Claire just jumped into the fight with the vote in so far and it's Talent 49% and Claire 48%.
9:45 p.m. I am feeling really smug in my Boyda predictions. I took a lot of flak for never waivering in my support for Nancy. And now she has done it. She is declaring victory with a 54% to 43 % edge over Jim Ryun with 59% of precincts reporting. Thank you George Bush for coming to campaign for Ryun last weekend and energizing our side.Allen is hanging on to a slim lead over Webb in Virginia (50% to 49%) and Talent is leadign McCaslill 51% to 45% with 38% of the precincts reporting.
In Montana John Tester is leading Conrad Burns by a margin of 51% to 47%. Wilson in New Mexico and Cubin in Wyoming are still sucking wind.
9:15 p.m. and Wyoming is rebuking Bush by sending Barbara Cubin packing. Gary Trauner is leadign 54% to 42% in the house race there. Cubin has been a loyal Bush bootlick and seeing her lose is sweet indeed. Democrats have held the Wyoming governors mansion, with Freudenthal soundly defeating the Republican challenger.
9:00 p.m. To recap - we have picked up three of the six Senate seats we need, Brown in Ohio has defeated DeWine, Whitehouse in Rhode Island has defeated Chaffee. And sweetest of all: Santorum is toast! Casey has defeated him for his senate seat.
In the house, we need to pick up fifteen seats, and we have picked up nine so far. I'm going to say ten. I'm calling Boyda the winner in the KS-02.
Missouri's poor caught a break, and the minimum wage increase has passed. Russ Carnahan in the Mo-03 is leading his challenger by over 50% to hold his seat in the congress.
Initial results in New Mexico has Bush administration favorite Heather Wilson trailing Patricia Madrid in the New Mexico First.
8:45 p.m. and the results are coming in for states west. In the Colorado-04 Musgrave and Paccione are running neck-and-neck. Marilyn Methgrave needs to go. Anyone who would saccrifice a soldier to prevent a gay marriage...
8:30 p.m. Dennis Moore is arriving at his victory party location. There was never really a race in the KS-03. This is the year to be a Democrat in Kansas. Fifteen percent of precincts reporting in the KS-02 have Nancy Boyda leading with 55% of the vote to 42% for Ryun.
The Democratic challenger is whooping up on Jeanne "Cun & Run" Schmidtt is losing that seat she bought last year. It will be the first time in nearly 60 years that a Democrat will occupy the Ohio -02 congressional seat.
Harold Ford Jr. isn't dead yet in Tennessee. He is battling back, 48% to 51%.
Sheldon Whitehouse has defeated Lincoln Chaffee in Rhode Island, with 2/3 of the vote. Sorry Linc. I like you, but Bush had to be sent a message. There's number three.
8:10 p.m. NPR is calling Lieberman the winner in Connecticut. Sorry Al. He said he would caucus with Democrats. Is he still a mensch? We will see.
Claire is up, 50% to 47%.
Governors mansions in Ohio, New York and Massachusettes have changed hands, from Republican to Democratic.
8:00 p.m. and Claire has an early lead. She is leading 51% to 46%. Let's hope this is a trend. Montana poll workers are reporting a higher than average turnout and exit polls indicate disgust with the war as a driving force behind the imminent ouster of Conrad Burns. Democrats are taking governors mansions in Massachusettes and
CNN is calling Brown over DeWine in Ohio. There's two, Democrats!!!
Santorum didn't just lose - Casey made him his bitch, commandeering 67% of the vote.
7:50 p.m. KCUR is reporting on the ballot initiatives. Stem Cells are up - barely, and the tobacco tax is down. Amendment 7 is passing and the minimum wage issue is passing by overwhelming numbers. Boyda is leading Ryun!!! This notion was considered fantasy three months ago, when I decided Ryun had to go.
Menendez in New Jersey has defeated Thomas Kaine, Jr. Congratulations to my friend Bob. in Jersey. I know you worked hard to fend off the challenge. We needed to hold it, and we did.
:) , Bob!!!
7:29 p.m. and Webb is back on top. NPR just called Pennsylvania for Casey. There's one of the six Senate seats we need. We are five away from cloture.
Susan Montee has an early and clear lead over Sandra Thomas in the race for Missouri Auditior. Across the state line, Paul Morrisson has the lead over Phill Kline. The first numbers in the Claire/Talent race just posted, and it's 49% and 49%.
My friend Alison in Connecticut is dancing in her jammies at the initial lead Lamont has over Lieberman.
7:25 p.m. and I am anxiously awaiting the first reporting precincts in the Talent McCaskill race. Webb and Allen have flipped positions. I look for that to go on back and forth until midnight. A mere 79 votes separate them with 40% of precincts reporting.In Tennessee, Corker leads by 52% to 47% with 3% of precincts reporting.
6:40 p.m. WEBB IS IN THE LEAD!!! With 25% of precincts reporting, Webb is at 50% and Allen is at 49%. I was right about the initial reports not being representative, aparently. This one is going to be a nail-biter.
6:40 p.m. The east coast precincts are reporting and initially Allen has the mojo in Virginia, but I think the 5% reporting are not representative of the state. And at 6:45 Webb has gained 4% of his deficit, but he is still lagging at 45% to 54% with 9% reporting. In Ohio, Sherrod Brown is leading Mike Dewine 57% to 43%.
Webb is rallying. With 14% of precincts reporting, it's now 52% to 47%.
5:45 p.m. Well, here we go. In 15 minutes the polls close on the east coast. I think I'll circle up the buds for That 70's Show and come back at 6:30 when the first prognostications come out and the exit polls are released. Hopefully the wind is blowing favorably for Webb in Virginia, Whitehouse in Rhode Island and Casey in Pennsylvania. I just want to taunt Rick Santorm with a "15 minutes, bitch."
5:00 p.m. - NBC Action News is reporting that there have been some reports of voter rolls being cleansed and poll working asking for photo ID.
4:20 p.m. My youngest child just called from our precinct where she just cast her ballot. The touch screen machine is down and everyone is voting optical scan. There is one relatively tamper-proof precinct.
4:15 p.m. National Public Radio is reporting on election chicanery, and talking about Robin Carnahan's difficulty casting her ballot last week. They are now moving on to the McCaskill-Talent race. Frank Langfitt from the field in St. Louis. What is driving the voters in St. Louis? Stem Cells. Iraq is also on everyones mind. Predictions of 60% turnout are not unreasonable this election. That is amazing for a midterm. Strannix has a good piece on Robin Carnahan over at his place. He called Shenanigans! Who was that a hat-tip to? South Park, or me?.
3:40 p.m. Tuesday If you hear of any malfeasance at the polls, shoot an email to the folks at Fired Up! Missouri on their tip line. Apparently when Secretary of State Robin Carnahan went to vote absentee last friday she was asked for photo ID and the election worker argued with the Secretary of State about what ID was acceptable, even though the Voter ID law was todded by the courts. I wasn't asked for ID but a friend I hadn't seen in a while was one of the election workers. She not only knows me, she knows I only drink single malt scotch and she know I drink it neat. Hell, she even knows some of my secrets. I'm confident my vote got counted.
There have been no problems at the polliing place in my neighborhood, but this is Westport. We are the bluest precinct in the bluest zip code in the bluest county in this purple-tinged red state.
3:15 p.m. Tuesday If there is a God, she's a Missouri Democrat, and she gave us one of the best days she ever made. The day is glorious. The sun is shining and the air is warm. The kind of day that fills ones heart with hope and inspires even the apathetic to get out and practice democracy.
I just got home from school and I went by the polling place on my way home and talked to a couple of election workers who were on their break. The turnout is higher than normal for a midterm and Amendment 2 is driving people to turn out and vote this election season. I will be back with an update after the local news.
