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BREAKING: Dem Gina Raimondo wins election as governor of Rhode Island. @AP race call at 10:08 p.m. EST. #Election2014 #APracecall
- AP Politics (@AP_Politics) November 5, 2014
HuffPost's Mariah Stewart reports:
Voters in Ferguson, Missouri, faced long lines at polls Tuesday after a push by voting rights advocates encouraging residents of the St. Louis suburb to vote.
Some voters in Ferguson, where there have been protests since the police shooting of unarmed teenager Michael Brown in August, were still waiting to vote more than an hour after polls closed. St. Louis Alderman Antonio French said local media reported voters waiting 90 minutes to cast ballots. A St. Louis Post-Dispatch photo showed a long line at a polling location after paper ballots ran out.
Read more here.
Howard Fineman joins HuffPost Live to discuss how President Barack Obama's 'deeply unpopular' polices could affect Sen. Mary Landrieu's (D-La.) chances of being re-elected.
Rep. Scott DesJarlais (R-Tenn.) was handily re-elected to a third term Tuesday, defeating his Democratic opponent by double digits.
'When I first ran for office, I pledged to be an independent conservative voice that would stand up to the Washington establishment and always vote in the interest of hardworking Tennesseans,' DesJarlais said in a statement after his win. 'I look forward to continuing our fight in the next Congress as we work to return our country back to the Constitutional principles it was founded on.'
DesJarlais represents a conservative district, and his real fight for survival came during the GOP primary. In that race, the congressman defeated his opponent by just 38 votes.
DesJarlais has been hounded by criticism since 2012, when The Huffington Post was first to report that he had once pressured his mistress to get an abortion -- even though DesJarlais touts himself as being opposed to abortion. Complicating the matter even more, the woman was a patient of DesJarlais, who is a physician.
DesJarlais also struggled in fundraising this cycle.
-- Amanda Terkel
The Associated Press called Florida's 2nd District for Democrat Gwen Graham Tuesday evening. With 99 percent of precincts reporting, Graham led Rep. Steve Southerland (R-Fla.) by just over 1 percentage point.
Graham's campaign capitalized on a handful of Southerland campaign missteps in this northern Florida district. The Democrat called an all-male campaign fundraiser Southerland hosted in the spring 'offensive.' Southerland laughed off his challenger's criticism in response.
'I live with five women. That's all I'm saying. I live with five women,' Southerland said. 'Listen: Has Gwen Graham ever been to a lingerie shower? Ask her. And how many men were there?'
Graham's last name may also have helped her, as she is the daughter of Democrat Bob Graham, a popular former Florida governor and senator.
Emily's List, which works to elect Democratic women who support abortion rights, referenced Southerland's ads attempting to obfuscate his record on the Violence Against Women Act in a statement congratulating Graham on her victory.
'Gwen Graham took on one of the most extreme Republicans in Congress, and held him accountable for his record of voting against hardworking women and families,' Emily's List President Stephanie Schriock said in a statement Tuesday. 'Steve Southerland made it clear that he was not interested in moving Florida or the country forward, and tried time and time again to mislead women voters about his extreme policies.'
-- Samantha Lachman
Although polls have found almost 90 percent public support for medical marijuana in Florida, a state measure that would have legalized cannabis for medicinal purposes failed on Tuesday.
A majority of voters approved of Amendment 2, about 57 percent, but state law requires a supermajority of support -- that is, 60 percent or higher -- meaning there wasn't enough momentum for the ballot initiative to pass.
Read more here.
--Matt Ferner
Sabrina Siddiqui and Howard Fineman joined HuffPost Live to discuss how Jeanne Shaheen pulled off her big win for the Democrats.
Scott Brown, who was briefly a U.S. senator from Massachusetts, took his talents up the road and tried to get elected in New Hampshire. Things didn't work out. So where should he try next?
Maine: Brown has some ties to Maine -- he was born in Kittery, after all. He'll have to wait until 2018, however, when Sen. Angus King (I-Maine) is up for re-election. But that may work out for the best. In a 2005 report in the Bangor Daily News, Todd Benoit asked political scientist James P. Melcher about how carpetbaggers fare in Maine politics. According to Melcher, 'For the most part, being from away is not a large obstacle politically in Maine once one has put in the time to understand the state.'
New Jersey: Brown received his basic training for the Massachusetts Army National Guard at Fort Dix in New Jersey. There won't be an opportunity to run, however, until Democrat Bob Menendez is up for re-election in 2018. But it's not a particularly favorable electorate for Republicans. Aside from the brief period of time that Chris Christie appointee Jeff Chiesa warmed the seat, the Garden State hasn't had a GOP senator since Nicholas Brady did a similar seat-warming act in 1982. The last time New Jersey elected a Republican senator was Clifford P. Case in the 70's.
New York: Back when Brown was having his hot body photographed by Wilhemina Models, he attended the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law. So he has some thin ties to the Empire State. And we know that New York doesn't mind electing someone from out of state to the Senate, right? The problem is, his next chance will come in 2016 against Chuck Schumer, and it's going to take someone of greater skill than Brown to unseat him.
Vermont: I suppose Brown could just go a few miles west and set up shop in Vermont? 'Hey, this is just an upside-down version of New Hampshire,' Brown will say to himself, adding, 'I can take this, brah.' Of course, Vermont is famously liberal. But come on, wouldn't you want to see a 2018 debate with Scott Brown getting straight owned by Bernie Sanders? I would watch the hell out of that.
Connecticut: The capital of all things posh, white-bread, and vapid, I think Connecticut presents the best opportunity for Brown. Watch out, Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.).
-- Jason Linkins
The 2014 midterms are being watched far beyond America's border, and one observer has already made it up its mind: the midterms prove that President Barack Obama is a failure.
Global Times, an English-language subsidiary of the Chinese Communist Party-run People's Daily, published a typically strong-worded editorial on Election Night 2014 that took direct aim at the president.
'Obama always utters 'Yes, we can,' which led to the high expectations people had for him. But he has done an insipid job, offering nearly nothing to his supporters. U.S. society has grown tired of his banality,' Global Times wrote, citing the president's failure to stem income inequality and the rise of ISIS.
The paper noted that Obama's ability to effect change is limited because he operates in an increasingly partisan political environment. But it used that understanding to make a broader critique of U.S. society: 'That party interests are placed higher than the interests of the country and its people is an inherent shortcoming of Western political systems. The problem is particularly acute when the US undergoes difficulties. Cohesion in American society is diminishing.'
The bleak editorial concludes by saying that as it watches these elections, China is more familiar with the U.S. -- and its shortcomings -- than ever.
'With China's rise, we gradually have the ability to have a clear understanding of the US. The country is too lazy to reform. US society selected Obama, but there is no great American president in this era,' the editorial said.
-- Akbar Shahid Ahmed
Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott (R) was elected governor of Texas on Tuesday, prompting outrage and warnings from national reproductive rights advocates.
'Today is an alarming day for the women of Texas. Make no mistake: The election of Greg Abbott poses a direct threat to what remains of the reproductive health and rights of Texas women,' said Nancy Northup, president and CEO at the Center for Reproductive Rights.
Abbott has been defending Texas' draconian anti-abortion laws this year against legal challenges brought by the center. The laws have shut down dozens of abortion and reproductive health clinics throughout the state.
State Sen. Wendy Davis (D), Abbott's Democratic challenger, became a household name in 2013 when she stood for 11 hours to filibuster the package of abortion restrictions that has since made it impossible for many abortion providers to stay open.
Northop said more anti-abortion laws are likely on the way for Texas women now that Abbott is governor.
'An Abbott administration threatens more underhanded attacks on women's constitutional rights like those that have already forever altered the reproductive health care landscape in Texas,' she said.
-- Laura Bassett
Orman leads Roberts 48.4%-48.1% in #KSSEN with 7% reporting http://t.co/DwkUL2EtiJ #election2014
- HuffPost Politics (@HuffPostPol) November 5, 2014
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) on Tuesday was re-elected to a second term in office after defeating Republican challenger Rob Astorino.
Read more here.
Coloradans largely agree with Sen. Mark Udall (D-Colo.) on his pro-choice positions, which he has pushed in his campaign. But those issues aren't a deciding factor for many voters.
Early exit polls show that Colorado voters are twice as likely to say abortion should be legal as illegal. But 30 percent of voters who support legal abortion still said they were voting for Republican challenger Cory Gardner, as did 35 percent who oppose the state's controversial personhood amendment.
-- Ariel Edwards-Levy
President Barack Obama has asked congressional leaders from both chambers to come to the White House this Friday for a meeting, a White House aide confirmed to The Huffington Post.
The meeting will mark the informal launch of the lame duck period, during which the president will be pushing some of the most critical parts of his agenda in hopes of sneaking them through Congress before Republicans potentially take control of the Senate.
The aide declined to detail what items are on the lame duck agenda, though one could guess that getting judicial nominees and ambassadors confirmed is a high priority. What the aide did note is that White House Chief of Staff Denis McDonough 'has been running a process to prepare for the lame duck.'
As for the larger post-election agenda (the one that will extend beyond the lame duck period), the president is expected to look at corporate tax reform to pay for infrastructure repairs and to call for Ebola funding and cybersecurity measures. The aide said there will be a continued focus on the minimum wage, both pushing for an increase in the federal standard and working on the state level in a piecemeal fashion.
-- Sam Stein
Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) hung onto her seat Tuesday night thanks to a huge gender gap that worked in her favor.
According to exit polls, Shaheen won women by 18 points-- 59 to 41 percent. She was especially popular among unmarried women, with 63 percent of them voting for her compared to 36 percent for Republican Scott Brown.
The men, meanwhile, preferred Brown by a margin of 55 to 45 percent.
Brown's record on abortion was a major issue in the race. He repeatedly claimed he was 'pro-choice,' but Shaheen's campaign pointed to his past anti-abortion votes. Brown also opposes the provision of the Affordable Care Act that requires insurance plans to cover birth control.
-- Laura Bassett
Coloradans largely agree with Sen. Mark Udall (D-Colo.) on his pro-choice positions, but despite his focus on the issues, they're not a dealbreaker for all voters.
Early exit polls show that Colorado voters are twice as likely to say abortion should be legal than illegal. But 30 percent of voters who supported legal abortion still said they were voting for Republican Cory Gardner, as did 35 percent who opposed the state's controversial personhood amendment.
-- Ariel Edwards-Levy
HuffPost's Dave Jamieson reports:
Voters in Arkansas overwhelmingly approved a ballot initiative to raise their state minimum wage on Tuesday, sending another message to Washington that Americans support a higher wage floor.
Binding minimum wage referendums were on the ballot in Alaska, Arkansas, Nebraska and South Dakota on Tuesday, with polls suggesting ahead of election day that all would pass.
Arkansas voters approved their initiative by a 2 to 1 margin, according to early returns. The measure will increase the wage incrementally to .50 per hour by 2017.
The federal minimum wage is just .25 per hour and hasn't been raised since 2009, though states have the option of setting their own minimum wages instead. Arkansas will now join 24 other states that are slated to have a higher wage floor than the federal level next year.
'We Report. You Decide,' Fox News used to say. In this instance, it's more about viewers deciding what kind of news they want to hear.
-- Akbar Shahid Ahmed
The ruling on Tuesday that Kansas' gay marriage ban was unconstitutional has the support of about half the state's voters.
Early exit polls find that 46 percent of voters think Kansas should legally recognize gay marriage, and 49 percent who think it shouldn't.
Nationwide, most Americans support gay marriage.
-- Ariel Edwards-Levy
HuffPost's Kate Abbey-Lambertz reports:
Congressman Gary Peters (D-Mich.) defeated Republican Terri Lynn Land in Michigan's Senate race Tuesday. Peters will replace retiring Sen. Carl Levin, a fellow Democrat.
Peters is serving his third term in the U.S. House and currently represents Michigan's 14th District, which covers parts of Detroit and the metropolitan area. He sits on the House Committee on Financial Services. He has mostly adhered to party line, though the Detroit News, in a rare endorsement for a Democrat, notes he has crossed the aisle to cast several pro-business votes.
Read more here.
HuffPost's Alana Horowitz reports:
It happens to the best of us, Tom.
While iconic newsman Tom Brokaw was discussing the Tuesday's midterm election results on MSNBC, a fire alarm-like sound began to blare. After a few moments of confusion, Brokaw realized the dreadful noise was actually his phone going off. Without missing a beat, though, he picked it up and pretended to be talking to his wife about grocery shopping.
Read more here.
Greg Abbott defeats Wendy Davis in Texas governor's race, @AP projects http://t.co/x8zvDVQksC #election2014
- HuffPost Politics (@HuffPostPol) November 5, 2014
Former Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas) has always been unafraid to hold positions that aren't widely shared by his party. Tonight, with the GOP likely to take over the Senate, the elder Paul threw caution--and concerns about the political future of his son, presumed presidential hopeful Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.)--to the wind and just told shared how he felt:
-- Akbar Shahid Ahmed
After winning a special election to replace Rep. Mel Watts (D-N.C.) earlier this year, Democrat Alma Adams on Tuesday became the 100th woman in Congress.
Adams is the only African American woman in North Carolina's Congressional delegation. Her campaign was supported by EMILY's List, a progressive PAC dedicated to electing women who support abortion rights.
'Alma Adams is a trailblazer and champion for women and families who is now poised to make history as the 100th woman serving in Congress,' said Stephanie Schriock, president of EMILY's List. 'Working families need leaders like Alma, who will unapologetically fight to protect women's reproductive healthcare access and economic security. And with the help of the EMILY's List community -- now more than three million members strong -- Alma is on her way to igniting change in Congress.'
-- Laura Bassett
Arkansas Republican Rep. Tom Cotton's victory over incumbent Sen. Mark Pryor (D) could be bad news for the longstanding link between farm subsidies and food stamps.
During the campaign, Pryor made a big deal out of Cotton's vote against the traditional farm bill, which for decades has passed Congress thanks to an 'I scratch your back, you scratch mine' deal between urban and rural lawmakers. Cotton stood firm, defending his vote and arguing that farm subsidies and food stamps should be handled separately.
Cotton was one of a small number of conservative House Republicans who attacked the business-as-usual approach to agriculture and nutrition policy. Their strategy ultimately failed when Congress passed a regular farm bill, but Cotton's win shows his vote against the farm bill wasn't the political weakness in rural America that Pryor had hoped.
-- Arthur Delaney
Former Senate Majority Leader George Mitchell joined HuffPost Live to discuss whether or not Harry Reid's strategy should change if the Democratic party loses the Senate.
HuffPost's Dana Liebelson and Ryan Reilly report:
In June 2013, the Supreme Court struck down the part of the Voting Rights Act that prevented certain states with a history of discrimination from enacting changes to their voting process without permission from the federal government or a panel of judges.
Following that decision, voting rights advocates pushed for Congress to pass legislation preventing states from making potentially discriminatory changes to election laws that could prevent citizens from casting their votes. The initiative even gained limited Republican support. But Congress failed to act.
The ramifications of congressional inaction are now being felt not only by Texas voters, but by residents of a number of other states as well.
Read more here.
HuffPost's Ryan Grim reports:
With midterm election returns beginning to come in, Republicans are expanding their majority in the House of Representatives and picking up seats in the Senate, as voters register their anger with the direction and structure of the economy.
Attitudes measured in exit polls were negative in the extreme, with eight in 10 saying they were dissatisfied by the performance of Congress and 54 percent giving the thumbs down to President Barack Obama. A potent majority was unhappy with the U.S. economic system itself, with nearly two-thirds of voters saying it's unfair and favors the wealthy and only 32 percent saying it's fair to most people, a shift even since 2012. (One percent deemed the economy 'excellent.')
Insecurity and fear, leading motivators of voters, have been in abundant supply over the past several years, exacerbated over the summer by the sudden rise of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria and an Ebola outbreak that has captivated world attention.
Ahead of the election, John Cornyn of Texas, the number two Republican in the Senate and the next majority whip if the GOP takes control, laid out the politics in crisp terms. 'It's not as though people have all a sudden fallen in love with Republicans,' Cornyn said. 'It's just a loss of confidence in the administration. It's national security, personal security and job security. People are on edge. And that's not good if you're the party in power.'
For all of New Hampshire Republican Senate candidate Scott Brown's rhetoric against immigration reform, a majority of voters in the state actually support allowing undocumented immigrants to earn legal status, according to exit polls.
Brown made immigration key to his campaign against incumbent Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, and his statements were nearly all negative. He warned that undocumented immigrants could bring Ebola and terrorism across the border, and went after Shaheen for supporting immigration reform that passed the Senate last year.
According to the exit polls as of this writing, 56 percent of New Hampshire voters think undocumented immigrants should be offered a chance to apply for legal status, including 26 percent of Brown supporters. Forty percent of New Hampshire voters said undocumented immigrants should be deported -- 27 percent of Shaheen supporters and 73 percent of Brown supporters said so.
Only 14 percent said immigration was the most important issue facing the country.
-- Elise Foley
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