Trump declares victory in race for White House
Republicans win Senate; House still too close to call
Also in today’s edition of “Regular Order” for November 6, 2024:
GOP could have as many as 56 Senate seats.
Harris says nothing as race slips away.
Final House tally could take weeks.
2024. I talked the other day about how close races often fall in the same direction. That was true in key swing states in 2016 when Donald Trump won the White House the first time. It was true in 2020 when Joe Biden narrowly defeated Trump by stringing together his own series of victories. And it happened again last night as Trump punctured the Democrats' 'Blue Wall.’
VICTORY. "We overcame obstacles that nobody thought possible," Trump said as he declared victory after 2:30 am, vowing to fight for the issues he outlined repeatedly in his campaign. "We have a country that needs help, and it needs help very badly. We're going to fix our borders. We're going to fix everything about our country."
CELEBRATION. “I think that we just witnessed the greatest political comeback in the history of the United States of America,” said Sen. JD Vance (R-OH), standing with Trump on stage at their victory party in Florida.
CONGRESS. GOP lawmakers joined in. "American voters have spoken loud and clear," said Rep. Lance Gooden (R-TX), as Republicans vowed to press ahead with Trump's plans on border security and more.
MRS. GREENE OF GEORGIA. "God spared Trump's life for a reason," said Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), referring to the failed assassination attempt against him back in July. "That reason was to make Donald Trump the 47th President of the United States."
STRATEGY. There will be plenty of time to talk about why Trump prevailed. GOP polling guru Frank Luntz said one reason was that Democrats made a clear strategic mistake. "Kamala Harris lost this election when she pivoted to focus almost exclusively on attacking Donald Trump," Luntz said.
HISTORY. Trump will now join Grover Cleveland as the only Presidents to serve one term in office, lose a bid for reelection, and then win back the White House. Here’s his speech.
REPEAT. In many ways, the events of early this morning were almost a repeat of what transpired in 2016. Back then, Hillary Clinton did not speak to her victory party as the race slipped away. Last night, Kamala Harris did the same thing. "We have a lid for the night," the White House Pool was told just before 1 am, as Harris went back to the Vice President's residence without making any statement.
SENATE. Republicans won clear control of the Senate last night, avoiding a repeat of 2022 when they blew their chance by running a series of bad candidates. This time, the GOP flipped Democratic seats in West Virginia and Ohio - and could still win five more seats in Montana, Wisconsin, Michigan, Nevada, and Pennsylvania. If the votes go their way, Republicans could have a 56-44 edge in the new Senate.
NRSC. “We still have a number of competitive races we are watching across the country that remain to be called," said Sen. Steve Daines (R-MT), who was in charge of Senate GOP election efforts in 2024.
THUNE. "With Republicans reclaiming majority control of the U.S. Senate, we can begin to turn the page on this expensive and reckless chapter of American history," said Sen. John Thune (R-SD), one of the candidates for Senate Majority Leader.
VICTORY. "America can sleep well tonight knowing that with a Republican Senate, your country will not be turned upside down by liberal Democrats," said Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC). "Voters are trusting a new Senate Republican majority with America’s priorities," added Sen. John Barrasso (R-WY), as GOP Senators took a victory lap.
NEBRASKA SENATE. The path to the Republican majority included a narrow win for Sen. Deb Fischer (R-NE) in Nebraska, as she edged independent Dan Osborn - who threw a scare into the GOP establishment in the Cornhusker State. Osborn won solid majorities around Omaha and Lincoln, but it wasn't enough.
BUCKEYE STATE. It was a grim result for Democrats. "This is a disappointment, but not a failure," Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) told his supporters, as he was defeated by Republican Bernie Moreno. Brown was elected to the Senate in 2006 and had weathered difficult races before - but having Trump on the ballot was just too much for the Ohio Democrat.
HOUSE. While Trump declared victory in the race for the White House and Republicans laid claim to the Senate, we still don't know which party will control the House. As of early this morning, Democrats had won or were leading in 219 House seats, one more than needed for a majority. But a change of just a few votes here and there could end up keeping the GOP in power.
TIME. I really want to emphasize something - we probably won't know which party will have the majority for at least another week or two. That's how close things are.
EMPIRE STATE. The fight for the House majority started in New York, where Democrats defeated two GOP incumbents and have a third on the ropes. "Thank you NY for laying down a strong foundation for House Democrats," tweeted House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries - who will be Speaker if his party can squeeze out 218 seats in the House.
WEST. Democrats might be able to win more seats in Arizona, where Rep. David Schweikert is behind by 2 percent. Freshman Rep. Juan Ciscomani (R-AZ) is in deeper trouble, down 8 points in his reelection race.
GOLDEN STATE. Out in California, five seats were still in play as of early this morning, with two Republicans - Rep. John Duarte and Rep. Mike Garcia - leading by less than 1 percent.
NORTH CAROLINA. Republicans offset some of the gains by Democrats by picking up three House seats just from the Tar Heel State on Tuesday - all because of a big partisan gerrymander that changed the district lines for Congress.
DOWN BALLOT. While Democrats lost the presidential race in North Carolina, they did win a battle down the ballot between two U.S. House incumbents in the race for state Attorney General - as Rep. Jeff Jackson (D-NC) edged Rep. Dan Bishop (R-NC) by a 52-48 margin.
ELBRIDGE GERRY. Jackson was one of three North Carolina Democrats who left the U.S. House because the GOP legislature used a partisan gerrymander to redraw the district lines for Congress. That generated three new seats for Republicans - and could prove the difference in helping the GOP keep control of the House.
RAP SHEET. A New Jersey man was found guilty this week of assaulting police on Jan. 6 at the U.S. Capitol. Brian Bingham - a U.S. Army veteran - scrapped with police who trying to clear rioters out of the building, at one point slugging one officer in the face and starting a melee off the House floor soon after police shot and killed Ashli Babbitt. "I just man handled 5 cops," Bingham told friends by text.
MUSE OF HISTORY. November 6, 1984. On this date, there was no question about the outcome in the race for President, as Ronald Reagan won a second term in office with a 49-state landslide over Democratic nominee Walter Mondale. The TV networks called the race for Reagan soon after 8 pm ET, well before polls were closed on the West Coast. Lawmakers in Congress had complained the quick calls suppressed voter turnout.
LEGISLATIVE PROGRAM:
The House next has votes on November 12.
The Senate comes back for votes on November 12.
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I listened to a few podcasts episodes (Audie Cornish segent from John King; and NPR Code Switch) in recent days that had me startled.
As I saw the results in bellwhethee counties with first polls closed, I felt the 2016 emotions. And it never stopped. White women failed this country again. Quelle surprise.
Now I need Biden to resign a few weeks early to have a spite presidency for Kamala. It won't happen, but it would be amusing.
Jamie, I hope you're not planning to retire because your coverage is what I need to stay sane.
Going to work in a couple hours after basically pulling an all nighter. Many of you reading this will be dead, incarcerated, or will have left the country permanently on the 4th anniversary of today - which should be a Presidential election that won't be held. I'm certain I'll be one of those 3 myself. Weep for this country that has now ended, right before our very eyes.