Unhappy With The Election Results

Unhappy With The Election Results? Just Look At The People Your Neighbors Voted Into Office

As the dust settles and we take a closer look at Tuesday night's election results, we can't help but wonder what some voters were thinking. As with every election, there were the incumbents who were able to win re-election, like Rep. Michael Grimm (R-N.Y.), who threatened to throw a reporter off a balcony, Rep. Charlie Rangel (D-N.Y.), who just won a 23rd term in Congress despite being found guilty of a number of ethics violations in 2010, and Rep. Don Young (R-Alaska), who joked about suicide just weeks before the election.

And that's just the tip of the iceberg in Congress. All hail the power of incumbency.

But there are some even stranger figures who got elected across the nation this week. Here are a few of them.

Jody 'Abortion Is Worse Than Hitler' Hice

Republican Jody Hice of Georgia had no problem winning his state's deep-red 10th Congressional District on Tuesday. Salon documents some of the most controversial viewpoints of the soon-to-be congressman: Hice has said Islam is not a real religion and doesn't deserve First Amendment protections, that legal abortion is "worse than Hitler's six million Jews or Mussolini's three hundred thousand," and that the gay community is trying to seduce and sodomize your children.

There's more. From supporting nullification to wanting to re-litigate the Civil War to suggesting that women should ask their husbands for permission to enter politics, the list goes on. And on.

(It's worth noting that Hice will take the seat formerly held by Rep. Paul Broun, who once declared that evolution and the Big Bang are "lies from the pit of hell." It seems fair to predict that Hice will represent the district with a similar mindset.)

Ryan 'Hillary Clinton Is The Anti-Christ' Zinke

Former Navy SEAL Ryan Zinke of Montana handily won a seat in Congress on Tuesday, despite expressing a number of controversial views throughout his campaign. Perhaps the most surprising of these was calling former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton the "anti-Christ." Zinke later claimed the comments were a joke.

Zinke has been an equally ardent critic of President Barack Obama. He previously led an anti-Obama super PAC that claimed the president "conveniently took credit for killing Osama Bin Laden for political gain." Earlier this year, Zinke also appeared to suggest that he would support impeaching Obama if given the option when he gets to Congress.

Glenn 'What Do We Need Weekends For, Anyway?' Grothman

Glenn Grothman, a Wisconsin Republican running for the seat of retiring GOP Rep. Tom Petri, cruised to victory over his Democratic challenger on Tuesday. Grothman, like Hice, has established himself as a far-right politician with a number of divisive views. He once told The Huffington Post it was "a little ridiculous" that Wisconsin had laws against a seven-day workweek. In 2012, he claimed to the Daily Beast that women get paid less because "money is more important for men."

Grothman also believes that teachers should be banned from discussing homosexuality in the classroom because it could turn kids gay, that people on food stamps eat too well and that Planned Parenthood is "the most overtly racist organization." These are just some of the views Grothman will be taking to Washington.

Michael 'The Gays Are Out To Recruit Your Children' Peroutka

Michael Peroutka, a former Constitution Party candidate who has since turned Republican, won a seat on the Anne Arundel County Council in Maryland on Tuesday, receiving 53 percent of the vote against his Democratic opponent. Peroutka attracted scrutiny throughout his campaign for his involvement with the League of the South, a Southern secessionist group, which he severed ties with last month amid the controversy.

In October, Peroutka also decried what he called the LGBT "deathstyle," which he said needed to "recruit your children" to maintain its ways. He has also suggested that "there is no such thing as a civil right," and that gay people don't deserve protections because of their sexuality.

Mark 'Let's Go To War With Mexico' Walker

Republican Mark Walker secured an easy victory Tuesday in his race to replace retiring Rep. Howard Coble (R-N.C.). Walker raised some eyebrows on the campaign trail when he suggested that a solution to southern border violence and undocumented immigration would be to "blitz somebody with a couple of fighter jets for a little while." He went on to say he had no qualms with going to war against Mexico, though he later claimed he was joking.

Gordon 'Obama Is Literally Possessed By Demons' Klingenschmitt

Gordon Klingenschmitt cake-walked to a seat in the Colorado state house on Tuesday, taking nearly 70 percent of the vote in the state's heavily Republican House District 15. Klingenschmitt, a former Navy chaplain, has made a name for himself as a prominent voice on the religious right. He has frequently made extreme anti-gay claims and suggested in his book that Obama is possessed by "demonic spirits," which, according to the Bible, has led the president to actions that are "worthy of death."

(Read more about Klingenschmitt at Right Wing Watch, which has tirelessly tracked his career.)

Saira 'NRA-Endorsed College Freshman' Blair

On Tuesday, 18-year-old Saira Blair won a seat in West Virginia's state legislature, securing the distinction of being the youngest lawmaker in the nation. Blair began her campaign at the age of 17 and, according to the Wall Street Journal, did most of her campaigning out of her college dorm at West Virginia University, where she is enrolled as a freshman. In May, she defeated a 66-year-old Republican incumbent in the GOP primary, and in the general election on Tuesday, she trounced her Democratic opponent, 44-year-old attorney Layne Diehl.

Blair is ultra-conservative. She has the NRA's endorsement and believes life begins at conception. She opposes Plan B contraception, gay marriage and labor unions, and says her focus is bringing jobs back to West Virginia.

The 18-year-old will join her father, a sitting state senator, in the upcoming legislative session, at which time she says she'll defer her spring semester of college. Source

Election Results Republicans Seize Senate Gain Full Control of Congress

Election Results: Balance of Power Shifts as Republicans Seize Senate, Gain Full Control of Congress

A Republican tide ripped the Senate away from Democrats Tuesday, giving the GOP full control of Congress and the power to pin down President Barack Obama during his last two years in office.

The thumping win upends the balance of power between the White House and Capitol Hill only six years after Obama’s Democrats swept to power and marginalized Republicans in a rush to reform health care, Wall Street and pass a huge stimulus package.

Now, it’s Democrats who will take the back seat on Capitol Hill, relying mostly on the power of the filibuster to stymie Republicans and keep Obama’s legacy intact.

“For too long, this administration has tried to tell the American people what is good for them and then blame somebody else when their policies didn’t work out,” Mitch McConnell, who is expected to become the next Senate majority leader, said in a victory speech.

In the House, the GOP won 246 seats, its largest majority since World War II. Speaker John Boehner, celebrating a widened majority, said he is “humbled by the responsibility the American people have placed with us.”

“But this is not a time for celebration,” he said. “It’s time for government to start getting results and implementing solutions to the challenges facing our country, starting with our still-struggling economy.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, who has controlled the Senate since 2007, congratulated Republicans on their victory.

“The message from voters is clear: they want us to work together,” Reid said. “I look forward to working with Senator McConnell to get things done for the middle class.”

But there was silence from the White House after Tuesday’s results became clear. Obama will make a public statement Wednesday on an election many will see as a repudiation of his presidency, and he will host bipartisan leaders on Friday to try to chart a way forward.

Democratic losses pile up

Democratic fears of a rout came true, as party candidates struggled to defend seats won in the 2008 Obama wave in conservative territory, and couldn’t get out from under an unpopular president limping through his second term. The losses in Colorado and Iowa will sting especially hard, as those two states enjoyed a fabled place in Obama’s world, as drivers of the president’s unlikely bid for the White House in 2008.

The GOP also piled up wins in Montana, South Dakota, Arkansas, West Virginia and North Carolina — all seats that had been in Democratic hands — to surpass their magic number of six net gains. With seats still to be decided in Virginia, Alaska and Louisiana — where there will be a runoff in December — the GOP currently has 52 seats in the Senate.

Republican numbers stood up when the GOP managed to hold on to seats in Kansas and Georgia which had threatened to fall from their grasp and complicate the Senate math.

It was a night of almost unrelenting misery for Democrats:

–In Iowa, Iraq war veteran Joni Ernst became the first woman elected to Congress from her state, after turning around her Republican campaign with an ad in which she boasted about castrating hogs.

–In North Carolina, Democrat Kay Hagan was felled by Thom Tillis, who repeatedly pummeled her for standing shoulder-to-shoulder with Obama.

–Arkansas Sen. Mark Pryor lost Tom Cotton, who, like Ernst, is an Iraq war veteran. Pryor’s loss comes despite former president Bill Clinton’s efforts to save him in his beloved home state.

–Democrats thought they had Colorado, with its mix of young voters, Hispanics and students locked down for a generation. But Sen. Mark Udall tumbled to charismatic challenger Cory Gardner who shook off claims he was anti-women.

–Virginia Democratic Sen. Mark Warner is having a tougher ride than expected against Republican challenger Ed Gillespie in a state Democrats had thought was reliably theirs after Obama won it twice.

A rare ray of hope for Democrats came in New Hampshire, where Senator Jeanne Shaheen bested challenger Scott Brown. And Pennsylvania’s governor’s mansion reverted back to Democrats when Tom Wolf unseated Republican Gov. Tom Corbett in a marquee race.
Governors

Two other Republican governors meanwhile won reelection and stirred buzz for their own 2016 White House prospects — John Kasich in swing state Ohio, and conservative Republican Scott Walker in Wisconsin. In New Mexico, Republican Gov. Susana Martinez, often mentioned as a possible GOP vice presidential pick, strolled to reelection.

Maryland — a traditionally Democratic state — elected Republican Larry Hogan as governor. And Illinois, Obama’s home state, ousted its Democratic governor.

Republicans will now look with some optimism on the 2016 presidential election.

But Democrats will console themselves with a more favorable Senate map in two years time and the belief that shifting demographics and an unresolved war between the Republican grassroots and the party establishment will make the next presidential race a tough climb for the GOP. Source

Election Results 2014 Republicans Control Governorships MD, AR

Election Results 2014: Republicans Take Control of Governorships in MD, AR, IL, MA

Republicans, now projected to take control of the Senate and build on their House majority, also made a strong showing in gubernatorial races around the country. GOP candidates in Maryland, Arkansas, Illinois and Massachusetts all took control of governor's seats that were previously held by Democrats.

Maryland

In a major upset, Republican candidate for Maryland governor Larry Hogan is now projected to win the state’s highest office, according to ABC News. Hogan, a businessman, will replace outgoing Democratic Gov. Martin O’Malley, representing a party switch for the state. In the last 45 years in the state, Robert Ehrlich Jr. was the only Republican to serve as governor and for only one term from 2003-2007.

Massachusetts

Massachusetts’s highest office is now projected to switched party hands again. According to ABC News, Republican Charlie Baker will likely defeat Democrat Martha Coakley, and take over for outgoing Deval Patrick, a Democrat. The last serving Republican governor in the state was Mitt Romney, who was elected in 2002. Baker is a Massachusetts native from Needham, just outside Boston. He ran on a centrist platform, highlighting his previous business and management experience as both a former healthcare CEO and former Secretary of Administration and Finance under Governors Weld and Cellucci in the early 1990s. Coakley, a two-term attorney general, also lost a statewide race for Senate in 2010 to Republican Scott Brown. Coakley and Baker came down on opposite sides of several key initiatives on the Massachusetts ballot this year, including a repeal of an incremental gas tax increase, a 5 cent plastic bottle deposit, and expanded requirements for paid sick leave.

Vermont

In a surprising development, neither incumbent Democratic Gov. Peter Shumlin, the chair of the Democratic Governors Association, nor Republican challenger Scott Milne in Vermont is projected to reach the 50 percent needed to win the election. The race will now likely be decided by the state legislature, which is currently controlled by the Democrats.

Shumlin was expected to win the election handily, coming in with a much stronger donor base and name recognition. According to the latest campaign finance report, Shumlin raised four times as much money as Milne. Polling throughout the election had Shumlin consistently ahead by a wide margin -- the latest poll by CBS/NYT/YouGov showed Shumlin with a 12-point lead. The day that Milne filed his candidacy for the governorship of the Green Mountain State, he put his chances of winning the election at 1 percent. Milne has never held elected office and is the president of his family-owned business, Milne Travel. Shumlin is seeking his third two-year term, as there is no term limit in the state.

Maine

Despite heavy storms and power outages across the state Tuesday, Mainers have voted and ABC News is projecting that the blunt and sometimes inflammatory Republican Gov. Paul LePage will win a second term. LePage faced a tough race with two challengers: Democratic candidate Mike Michaud and Independent Eliot Cutler. Culter was polling around 10 percent heading into Election Day and may have siphoned off enough votes from Michaud to help LePage secure a victory. In 2010, LePage won with only 38 percent of the vote. He faced tough criticism during the majority of his first term after making some large tax cuts.

Florida

Based on ABC's analysis of the vote so far, Republican Gov. Rick Scott is projected to fend off a tough challenge from Democratic candidate Charlie Crist. In a brutal and expensive campaign that will likely be remembered for how unpopular both candidates emerged from it, Scott defeated his Republican-turned-independent-turned-Democrat opponent Crist, ABC New projects.

Crist attempted to seize on Scott’s sagging poll numbers in the state, while Scott looked to paint Crist as a candidate who would take any position just to get a vote. One of the more memorable exchanges between the two came when Scott refused to debate for nearly 10 minutes over a fan that was set up below Crist’s podium. Carlos Lopez-Cantera will stay on as Scott’s lieutenant Governor.

Illinois

ABC News can project that Republican Bruce Rauner has defeated Democratic incumbent Gov. Pat Quinn, in a campaign that doubled fundraising records in President Barack Obama’s home state. Rauner threw millions of his own fortune into the race, running as a socially moderate anti-corruption businessman.

Georgia

Georgia Republican Gov. Nathan Deal is now projected to secure a second term and defeat Democratic challenger Jason Carter, in a race that was neck-and-neck heading into Election Day. Deal suffered from low approval ratings for most of his first term after facing ethical investigations related to campaign finance rules. Carter, grandson of former President Jimmy Carter and a former state senator, was able to run a successful campaign and kept the race exciting until the end. He pitched himself as a defender of the middle class.

Wisconsin

In one of the most closely watched races of the midterm election, Wisconsin incumbent Republican Gov. Scott Walker has defeated Democratic challenger Mary Burke, ABC News projects.

Walker, a possible contender for the GOP presidential nomination in 2016, wins his third gubernatorial election in four years -- becoming the first governor to achieve the feat in U.S. history.

On Oct. 28 in Milwaukee, President Obama made a rare campaign appearance with Burke, a former business executive and commerce secretary under former Democratic Gov. Jim Doyle. Her loss is a major disappointment for state and national Democrats, who were hoping to take Walker out of the 2016 presidential conversation before it began.

Texas

The gubernatorial race in Texas has also made national headlines. The race to replace Republican Gov. Rick Perry was thrust into the national spotlight after Democrat Wendy Davis emerged as a star after her 11-hour filibuster to block an anti-abortion bill last summer. However, ABC News projects that the highest office in the Lone star state will stay in Republican hands with Republican Greg Abbott.

From the beginning, Davis faced a long uphill climb. The Lone-Star state hasn't elected a Democratic governor since 1990, and Abbott made a name for himself among conservatives after battling to the Supreme Court to keep the Ten Commandments on display on the grounds of the State Capitol complex in Austin.

Pennsylvania

Democrats have already enjoyed one major upset in Pennsylvania. Democrat Tom Wolf is projected to beat incumbent Republican Gov. Tom Corbett in an historic election. In 40 years, since the state started permitting two gubernatorial terms, no sitting governor seeking re-election had been defeated before tonight.

Corbett was understood to be one of the most vulnerable governors this campaign season. He spent most of his term facing strong opposition to his dramatic cuts in the state's education budget and faced a gap in charisma and likeability compared to Wolf.

Arkansas

Republicans have also netted one party switch. Republican Asa Hutchinson is projected to beat Democratic candidate Mike Ross, and take over from outgoing Democrat Mike Beebe in Arkansas.

Source

Election Results 2014 Key Races Close

Election Results 2014: Here Are the Key Races That Are Still Too Close to Project

Voters in states across the nation handed Republicans control of the U.S. Senate on Election Day 2014, strengthened their majority control of the House of Representatives and also made a strong showing in gubernatorial races.

But several key contests remain undecided as of this morning, and may not be resolved for some time, even sparking talk of recounts in some states and districts. Here’s a roundup of the races that have truly come down to the wire.
5 Winners and Losers From the Midterm Elections

Virginia -- Senate

The Virginia Senate race between Sen. Mark Warner and Republican candidate Ed Gillespie was expected to be a bright spot in an otherwise bleak night for Democrats. But even one of the most favorable races for the president’s party ended much tighter than anticipated, with a recount all but certain. As of this morning, Warner leads Gillespie by just 12,150 votes, or roughly half a percentage point of the electorate: 49.1 percent to 48.6.

The race was one of several where third-party candidates received single-digit support that could have decided the contest: Robert Sarvis, a Libertarian, received 2.5 percent of the vote. While the race was too close for ABC News to project a winner, Warner declared victory by midnight on Election Night. “It was a hard-fought race. It went a little longer than we thought,” Warner told supporters. “I want to congratulate Ed Gillespie. He ran a hard fought campaign.” Gillespie has not conceded, and can request a recount under Virginia law, as the difference between the two candidates is less than 1 percent of the total votes cast. Brian W. Schoeneman, Fairfax County Electoral Board secretary, said such a count is possible. “We’re in recount territory,” he said.

Warner’s team said they do not envision the Virginia Senate race leading to a recount, but instead think it will be a victory for the incumbent Democrat.

“I don’t see any basis for a recount or a contest at this point,” Marc Elias, a lawyer for Warner’s campaign and chair of the Perkins Coie political law practice, said in a conference call today. “12,000 votes is a close election, but it’s not a recountable election.”

Asked if Warner jumped the gun by declaring victory Tuesday night despite the fact that the race had yet to be project, Elias said no, adding “He won this election and he appropriately declared victory.”

Alaska -- Senate

Polls closed early this morning, but the outcome of the Alaska Senate race could be unclear for days because of slow ballot-counting procedures in far-flung communities. First elected to the Senate the same year as Barack Obama won the presidency, Democratic Sen. Mark Begich is fighting to secure a second term in the U.S. Senate in a year when three of his Democratic colleagues lost their seats. He’s opposed by Republican Dan Sullivan, the state’s former attorney general and a lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Marine Corps. As of this morning, Sullivan leads Begich, 110,203 votes to 102,054.

Democrats are banking on their strong ground game in distant areas to help Begich keep his seat, but Republicans hope Sullivan’s efforts to link Begich to Obama will help him win another seat for the GOP. Over the weekend, Sen. Ted Cruz and former GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney swooped into the state to help Sullivan shore up support among the conservative base. With 100 percent of precincts reporting, Sullivan leads Begich by just over 8,000, votes, but the race has yet to be projected.

Arizona -- Second Congressional District

Possibly the most competitive House race this election between Democratic Rep. Ron Barber and Former Air Force Col. Martha McSally, a Republican, remains in play. As of this morning, the race is a 50 percent to 50 percent tie, with McSally holding a slim 36-vote lead. This race looked much like the duo’s 2012 faceoff, which was similarly tossup-race tight, when the victor, Barber, was declared 12 days after Election Day. The congressman squeaked by with fewer than 2,500 votes more than McSally to win in that race. The race likely will not be called until a full count of all absentee and early voting ballots are complete, an arduous, meticulous task given how few votes separated the two in 2012.

California -- 52nd Congressional District

It still remains unknown whether scandal-stricken former San Diego City Councilman and openly gay Republican Carl DeMaio was able to beat incumbent Rep. Scott Peters after a House race marked by nasty attack ads, allegations of sexual assault, and a mysterious campaign headquarters break-in. The race is razor this this morning. DeMaio leads, slightly with 72,431 votes compared with Peters, who won 71,679 votes.

New York – 25th Congressional District

Democratic incumbent Rep. Louise Slaughter, first elected to congress in 1987 and currently vying for her 15th term, remains locked in a tight race with Republican challenger Mark Assini. Though Slaughter initially claimed victory – “it wasn’t a landslide … but we did win and we’re happy about that,” she said last night -- as of Wednesday morning, the contest remains too close to project, with Slaughter leading Assini by just over 500 votes, 93,053 to 92,471. Slaughter is the ranking Democrat on the powerful House Rules Committee. Source