alternet--2020-11-05--Georgia could see dual runoffs — and keep narrow door open for Democrats to win Senate

● GA-Sen-A : As more and more absentee votes have been tallied in Georgia , not only has the race for president narrowed considerably , but the odds of a runoff in the Peach State 's regularly scheduled Senate race have grown , creating the possibility that control of the Senate could come down to an extraordinary double runoff on Jan. 5 .
With 4.8 million ballots counted as of late Wednesday night , Republican Sen. David Perdue was sitting on 50.2 % of the vote , just above the majority needed to avoid a second round .
Together , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ % , and Libertarian Shane Hazel , who 's sitting at 2.3 % , need to net just under 15,000 votes in order to push Perdue under 50 % and force him into a runoff with Ossoff .
That target kept shrinking over the course of the day Wednesday as officials counted absentee votes , about 90,000 of which remained to be tallied when we put the Digest to bed—the vast majority in Democratic-leaning counties .
Further updates are reportedly not expected until 10:30 AM ET , but with many election officials working @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 's possible that whether or not we have a runoff could be decided before the sun rises .
If Perdue does in fact finish below that critical majority threshold , Ossoff will do battle once more in early January alongside fellow Democrat Raphael Warnock , who advanced to a runoff with Republican Sen. Kelly Loeffler in the special election for Georgia 's other Senate seat .
At the moment , Democrats and Republicans have each won 48 seats in the Senate , though Republicans are likely to wind up with 50 once races @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ( see our Uncalled Races section below ) .
Should we wind up with a 50-48 Senate favoring the GOP and two runoffs in January , Democrats could seize control of the chamber if they can flip both seats in the event that Joe Biden wins the White House , allowing Kamala Harris to break ties .
If that happens , an already wild election season will come to an even wilder finish in Georgia two months from now .
You can stay on top of of all uncalled Senate and House races @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we 'll be updating continually until every last race is settled .
Here 's where things stand in the key Senate races that the Associated Press had not called as of Wednesday night : • AK-Sen : Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan leads independent Al Gross 62-32 with 191,000 votes counted .
At least 133,000 absentee and early votes have not yet been counted , and that number will grow since ballots are valid so long as they are postmarked by Election Day and received by Nov. 13 .
Absentees will not be counted @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Republican Sen. Thom Tillis leads Democrat Cal Cunningham 49-47 with 5.4 million votes counted .
The North Carolina Board of Elections says that about 116,000 absentee ballots remain outstanding , though it 's not clear how many have been returned .
Ballots are valid so long as they are postmarked by Election Day and received by Nov. 12 .
The News & Observer reports that final tallies will not be known `` until next week . ''
And here 's where things stand in the key House races that the Associated Press had @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Currently , Democrats have won or lead in 219 races and Republicans have won or lead in 216 ( see our `` Summary '' tab here ) .
Several of these results are bound to shift , however , as additional votes are tallied .
• CA-50 : Republican Darrell Issa leads Democrat Ammar Campa-Najjar 52-48 with 261,000 votes counted for this GOP-held open seat .
• GA-07 : Democrat Carolyn Bourdeaux leads Republican Rich McCormick 51-49 with 362,000 votes counted for this GOP-held open seat .
• IA-02 : Republican Mariannette Miller-Meeks @ @ @ @ @ @ @ margin of 282 votes , with 393,000 votes counted for this Democratic-held open seat .
• NY-01 : Republican Rep. Lee Zeldin leads Democrat Nancy Goroff 61-39 with 288,000 votes counted .
New York has not counted any absentee ballots yet and likely wo n't start tallying them for some time , possibly a week or more .
Final results could take many weeks , as was the case following the state 's June primary .
• NY-02 : Republican Andrew Garbarino leads Democrat Jackie Gordon 58-41 with 268,000 votes counted for this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Republican Lisa Scheller leads Democratic Rep. Susan Wild 51-49 with 326,000 votes counted .
Absentee ballots , which have disproportionately favored Democrats , were still being tallied in Pennsylvania on Wednesday .
Secretary of State Kathy Boockvar said Wednesday evening that she expects the `` overwhelming majority '' of ballots to be counted by Thursday .
• TX-24 : Republican Beth Van Duyne leads Democrat Candace Valenzuela 49-47 with 339,000 votes counted for this GOP-held open seat .
The following notable Senate , House , and governor races were called by the Associated @ @ @ @ @ @ @ • AZ-Sen : Democrat Mark Kelly has defeated Republican Sen. Martha McSally , flipping this seat to the Democrats .
• NM-Sen : Democrat Ben Ray Lujan has defeated Republican Mark Ronchetti , holding this open seat for the Democrats .
• MT-Gov : Republican Greg Gianforte has defeated Democrat Mike Cooney , flipping this open seat to the GOP .
• CO-03 : Republican Lauren Boebert , who unseated Rep. Scott Tipton in the GOP primary earlier this year , has defeated Democrat Diane Mitsch Busch , holding this open seat for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Democratic Rep. Lucy McBath has defeated Republican challenger Karen Handel in a rematch of their 2018 race .
• IA-01 : Republican Ashley Hinson has defeated freshman Democratic Rep. Abby Finkenauer , flipping this seat to the GOP .
• IA-03 : Freshman Democratic Rep. Cindy Axne has defeated Republican challenger David Young in a rematch of their 2018 race .
• IN-05 : Republican Victoria Spartz has defeated Democrat Christina Hale , holding this open seat for the GOP .
• ME-02 : Freshman Democratic Rep. Jared Golden has defeated Republican Dale @ @ @ @ @ @ @ carrying the electoral vote for Maine 's 2nd District .
• MI-03 : Republican Peter Meijer has defeated Democrat Hillary Scholten , flipping this seat , which is held by retiring Libertarian Rep. Justin Amash , to the GOP .
• MN-07 : Republican Michelle Fischbach has defeated Democratic Rep. Collin Peterson , flipping this seat to the GOP .
• MT-AL : Republican Matt Rosendale has defeated Democrat Kathleen Williams , holding this open seat for the GOP .
• NM-02 : Republican Yvette Herrell has defeated freshman Democratic Rep. Xochitl Torres @ @ @ @ @ @ @ GOP in a rematch of their 2018 race .
• NE-02 : Republican Rep. Don Bacon has defeated Democratic challenger Kara Eastman in a rematch of their 2018 race .
Bacon won despite Joe Biden carrying the electoral vote for Nebraska 's 2nd District .
• OK-05 : Republican Stephanie Bice has defeated freshman Democratic Rep. Kendra Horn , flipping this seat to the GOP .
• SC-01 : Republican Nancy Mace has defeated freshman Democratic Rep. Joe Cunningham , flipping this seat to the GOP .
• TX-22 : Republican Troy Nehls @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , holding this seat open seat for the GOP .
• TX-23 : Republican Tony Gonzales has defeated Democrat Gina Ortiz Jones , holding this open seat for the GOP .
• VA-02 : Freshman Democratic Rep. Elaine Luria has defeated Republican Scott Taylor in a rematch of their 2018 race .
• VA-05 : Republican Bob Good , who unseated GOP Rep. Denver Riggleman for his party 's nomination in a convention earlier this year , has defeated Democrat Cameron Webb , holding this open seat for the GOP .
• WA-10 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Democrat Beth Doglio in the race to succeed retiring Rep. Denny Heck .
( Heck , by the way , defeated fellow Democrat Marko Liias in the open-seat race for Washington 's lieutenant governor . )
● State Legislatures : Tuesday night was a big disappointment for Democrats at the state legislative level , especially since this is the last election before the 2020s redistricting cycle .
Via the National Conference for State Legislatures , the legislative chambers below are still in doubt .
Democrats failed to flip other targeted chambers such as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ North Carolina Senate and House , and Texas House .
• Alaska : Republicans have again won majorities of seats in the state House and Senate .
However , it 's still possible that moderate Republicans will side with Democrats and independents to form new bipartisan coalitions in either chamber , as has been the case in the House for the last four years .
• Arizona : Enough races to decide majority control in both chambers are undecided .
Democrats still have a chance to flip one or both chambers from GOP @ @ @ @ @ @ @ favored Republicans .
• Michigan : Control over the state House is still undecided as we are waiting on absentee ballots that lean heavily Democratic .
Democrats are hoping to overcome GOP gerrymandering to flip the state House .
The state Senate is only up in midterm years .
• New Hampshire : Republicans regained their majorities with an assist from their gerrymanders , giving them full control over state government heading into redistricting .
Republicans also regained control over the state Executive Council , which is key for certain legislation and approving @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a new majority on the state Supreme Court .
• Pennsylvania : Control over the state House is still undecided as we are waiting on absentee ballots that lean heavily Democratic .
Democrats are hoping to overcome GOP gerrymandering to flip the state House .
Republicans likely cemented their majority in the state Senate , though many absentee ballots are still remaining to be counted for that chamber too .
● CA Ballot : Ride-share giants Uber and Lyft scored a big victory in the most expensive most expensive ballot measure campaign in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 22 by a 58-42 margin .
The passage of Prop .
22 designates drivers for `` App-Based Transportation and Delivery Companies '' as independent contractors with some benefits rather than as employees .
Uber , Lyft , and delivery companies like DoorDash spent more than $ 200 million to pass Prop .
22 , while labor groups were only to muster up a tenth of that in opposition .
● FL Ballot : A proposed constitutional amendment to establish a top-two primary system in state-level races failed to muster up quite enough support @ @ @ @ @ @ @ % of the vote on Tuesday , which was short of the 60 % that constitutional amendments need in Florida .
Unfortunately , though , a 79-21 majority approved Amendment 1 , which will rewrite the Florida constitution to emphasize that `` only a citizen '' may vote instead of `` every citizen . ''
While Amendment 1 does n't alter the status quo , it prevents local governments from experimenting with letting legal permanent residents who lack citizenship vote in local elections , something a handful of small localities in the U.S. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ● MS Ballot : Mississippi voted 78-22 for Measure 2 , which repeals a provision of the state 's Jim Crow-era constitution that deliberately penalizes Black voters and the Democrats they support in elections for statewide office .
The new law requires candidates for posts like governor or attorney general to take a majority of the vote in the general election in order to win outright ; if no one hits this threshold , a runoff would take place between the top-two vote-getters .
This new system , though , is still bad @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lead to a disproportionate drop in Democratic turnout , but it 's better than the 1890 law it replaces .
Until now , statewide candidates needed to win not only a majority of the vote but also a majority of the state House 's 122 districts .
If no candidate surpassed both thresholds , the members of the House would choose the winner , and there was nothing to stop them from picking the person who lost the popular vote .
Voters also supported Measure 3 , which will adopt a new state @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Earlier this year , GOP Gov .
Tate Reeves signed a bill that retired the 126-year-old state flag , which prominently displayed the Confederate battle emblem , in the face of a boycott by the NCAA and SEC .
The Commission to Redesign the Mississippi State Flag was tasked with designing a new flag , and it settled on one with a magnolia in the center and the words `` In God We Trust '' below ; the design was approved by voters on Tuesday .
● St. Louis , MO Ballot : @ @ @ @ @ @ @ supported Proposition D , a ballot measure to make it only the second municipality in America to adopt an `` approval voting '' system for its local elections , by a strong 68-32 margin .
Approval voting will be used for the first time early next year when Democratic Mayor Lyda Krewson is up for a second term .
As we 've written before in the Voting Rights Roundup , all the contenders will face off on one nonpartisan ballot , and voters could cast as many votes as there are candidates , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The top-two vote-getters will then advance to a general election .
The goal of this method of voting is to eliminate the `` spoiler '' problem , where a candidate wins without majority support only because their opposition was divided .
The approval approach attempts to ensure that the most broadly acceptable candidate prevails .
Fargo , North Dakota is the only other American city that uses approval voting , though unlike the St. Louis system , there is no runoff there .
● Miami-Dade County , FL Mayor : Sunshine State @ @ @ @ @ @ @ otherwise dreary Tuesday when Daniella Levine Cava defeated Republican Steve Bovo 54-46 , a result that makes her the first woman to lead Florida 's largest county .
Levine Cava is also the first Democrat to hold this office since 2004 .
● Redistricting : Here 's our look at where control over 2020s redistricting stands as of now , which is shaping up to be bleak for Democrats—and democracy : Democrats failed to gain key legislative chambers in 2020 and break the GOP 's full control over Florida , Georgia , Iowa @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and the Kansas GOP 's supermajorities so that they could uphold the Democratic governor 's vetoes there .
Democrats also gained just one of the two Ohio Supreme Court seats needed for a 4-3 majority that could have curtailed GOP gerrymandering there , while Republicans swept every Supreme Court in Texas to maintain their 9-0 majority .
Democrats also failed to win the governor 's office or break the GOP 's legislative supermajorities to stop a GOP congressional gerrymander in Missouri .
Democrats ' only substantial gain so far was with gaining Oregon @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ensures they will control legislative redistricting instead of potentially letting the GOP gerrymander .
Democrats did gain a 4-3 majority on Michigan 's Supreme Court in addition to Democratic Gov .
Gretchen Whitmer 's existing veto power , though the ability of both to stop the GOP legislature from gerrymandering could be threatened by the U.S. Supreme Court .
One small bit of good news is that Team Blue appears to have stopped the GOP from gaining a filibuster-proof majority that would let them gerrymander Nebraska , though the GOP could always end @ @ @ @ @ @ @ its various factions can overcome their differences , which is not guaranteed .
Democrats additionally stopped the GOP from gaining gerrymandered supermajorities in Wisconsin , but the GOP 's state Supreme Court majority there may yet strip Democratic Gov .
Tony Evers of his power to veto new gerrymanders .
Finally for Team Blue , New Jersey voters also approved Democrats ' cynical ballot measure that will likely postpone legislative redistricting from 2021 to the 2023 elections .
That ballot measure was intended to protect Democratic incumbents both in the primary and general @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to be at stake in such a blue state , maintaining lines based on the 2010 census hurts New Jersey 's growing Asian and Latino populations .
Instead of Democrats making major inroads , Republicans actually gained ground by regaining their gerrymandered majorities in both chambers to assume full control over New Hampshire .
Republicans also gained enough seats to deny Democrats and the left-wing Progressive Party the two-thirds supermajority they had enjoyed in Vermont 's state House ( they failed to break the Democratic-Progressive Senate supermajority ) .
Independents now hold the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Scott 's vetoes , but that looks very unlikely for redistricting and other issues in a state where bipartisan comity remains a rare holdout .
Missouri voters also passed the GOP 's deceptive ballot measure that will roll back 2018 's legislative redistricting reform , ensuring that even its bipartisan legislative commission will enact legislative maps that give the GOP an undue advantage .
Finally , Republicans have gained at least one North Carolina Supreme Court seat and tentatively lead in two more , potentially cutting the 6-1 Democratic majority down to 4-3 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ gerrymanders , though many provisional and absentee ballots are yet to be counted and likely lean Democratic While Virginians voted to create a bipartisan redistricting commission that would prevent Democratic gerrymandering , which should ensure that the legislative districts are relatively fair for 2021 , the inability of Democrats to control congressional redistricting there only further cements the GOP 's national advantage when red states do n't similarly follow suit .
At the national level , Democrats failed to gain enough seats outright to win the Senate , though they may yet do @ @ @ @ @ @ @ depending on the uncalled GA-Sen-A seat held by GOP Sen. David Perdue ; Perdue currently holds just over a majority of the vote with many mail votes left to count .
If Democrats do n't take the Senate , they ca n't pass HR 1 and ban congressional gerrymandering nationally .
Nor can they reform the Supreme Court and get it to stop enabling GOP gerrymanders .

LEADING OFF
●GA-Sen-A: As more and more absentee votes have been tallied in Georgia, not only has the race for president narrowed considerably, but the odds of a runoff in the Peach State's regularly scheduled Senate race have grown, creating the possibility that control of the Senate could come down to an extraordinary double runoff on Jan. 5.
With 4.8 million ballots counted as of late Wednesday night, Republican Sen. David Perdue was sitting on 50.2% of the vote, just above the majority needed to avoid a second round. Together, Democrat Jon Ossoff, who has 47.5%, and Libertarian Shane Hazel, who's sitting at 2.3%, need to net just under 15,000 votes in order to push Perdue under 50% and force him into a runoff with Ossoff.
That target kept shrinking over the course of the day Wednesday as officials counted absentee votes, about 90,000 of which remained to be tallied when we put the Digest to bed—the vast majority in Democratic-leaning counties. Further updates are reportedly not expected until 10:30 AM ET, but with many election officials working hard late into the night, it's possible that whether or not we have a runoff could be decided before the sun rises.
If Perdue does in fact finish below that critical majority threshold, Ossoff will do battle once more in early January alongside fellow Democrat Raphael Warnock, who advanced to a runoff with Republican Sen. Kelly Loeffler in the special election for Georgia's other Senate seat.
At the moment, Democrats and Republicans have each won 48 seats in the Senate, though Republicans are likely to wind up with 50 once races in North Carolina and Alaska are called (see our Uncalled Races section below). Should we wind up with a 50-48 Senate favoring the GOP and two runoffs in January, Democrats could seize control of the chamber if they can flip both seats in the event that Joe Biden wins the White House, allowing Kamala Harris to break ties. If that happens, an already wild election season will come to an even wilder finish in Georgia two months from now.
Uncalled Races
You can stay on top of of all uncalled Senate and House races with our key races tracker, which we'll be updating continually until every last race is settled.
SENATE
Here's where things stand in the key Senate races that the Associated Press had not called as of Wednesday night:
AK-Sen : Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan leads independent Al Gross 62-32 with 191,000 votes counted. At least 133,000 absentee and early votes have not yet been counted, and that number will grow since ballots are valid so long as they are postmarked by Election Day and received by Nov. 13. Absentees will not be counted until next week.
: Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan leads independent Al Gross 62-32 with 191,000 votes counted. At least 133,000 absentee and early votes have not yet been counted, and that number will grow since ballots are valid so long as they are postmarked by Election Day and received by Nov. 13. Absentees will not be counted until next week. NC-Sen: Republican Sen. Thom Tillis leads Democrat Cal Cunningham 49-47 with 5.4 million votes counted. The North Carolina Board of Elections says that about 116,000 absentee ballots remain outstanding, though it's not clear how many have been returned. Ballots are valid so long as they are postmarked by Election Day and received by Nov. 12. The News & Observer reports that final tallies will not be known "until next week."
HOUSE
And here's where things stand in the key House races that the Associated Press had not called as of Wednesday night. Currently, Democrats have won or lead in 219 races and Republicans have won or lead in 216 (see our "Summary" tab here). Several of these results are bound to shift, however, as additional votes are tallied.
Election Recaps
SENATE, GUBERNATORIAL, HOUSE
The following notable Senate, House, and governor races were called by the Associated Press after midnight on election night:
AZ-Sen : Democrat Mark Kelly has defeated Republican Sen. Martha McSally, flipping this seat to the Democrats.
: Democrat Mark Kelly has defeated Republican Sen. Martha McSally, flipping this seat to the Democrats. ME-Sen : Republican Sen. Susan Collins has defeated Democratic challenger Sara Gideon.
: Republican Sen. Susan Collins has defeated Democratic challenger Sara Gideon. MI-Sen : Democratic Sen. Gary Peters has defeated Republican challenger John James.
: Democratic Sen. Gary Peters has defeated Republican challenger John James. MN-Sen : Democratic Sen. Tina Smith has defeated Republican challenger Jason Lewis.
: Democratic Sen. Tina Smith has defeated Republican challenger Jason Lewis. MT-Sen : Republican Sen. Steve Daines has defeated Democratic challenger Steve Bullock.
: Republican Sen. Steve Daines has defeated Democratic challenger Steve Bullock. NM-Sen : Democrat Ben Ray Lujan has defeated Republican Mark Ronchetti, holding this open seat for the Democrats.
: Democrat Ben Ray Lujan has defeated Republican Mark Ronchetti, holding this open seat for the Democrats. MT-Gov : Republican Greg Gianforte has defeated Democrat Mike Cooney, flipping this open seat to the GOP.
: Republican Greg Gianforte has defeated Democrat Mike Cooney, flipping this open seat to the GOP. CO-03 : Republican Lauren Boebert, who unseated Rep. Scott Tipton in the GOP primary earlier this year, has defeated Democrat Diane Mitsch Busch, holding this open seat for the GOP.
: Republican Lauren Boebert, who unseated Rep. Scott Tipton in the GOP primary earlier this year, has defeated Democrat Diane Mitsch Busch, holding this open seat for the GOP. GA-06 : Freshman Democratic Rep. Lucy McBath has defeated Republican challenger Karen Handel in a rematch of their 2018 race.
: Freshman Democratic Rep. Lucy McBath has defeated Republican challenger Karen Handel in a rematch of their 2018 race. IA-01 : Republican Ashley Hinson has defeated freshman Democratic Rep. Abby Finkenauer, flipping this seat to the GOP.
: Republican Ashley Hinson has defeated freshman Democratic Rep. Abby Finkenauer, flipping this seat to the GOP. IA-03 : Freshman Democratic Rep. Cindy Axne has defeated Republican challenger David Young in a rematch of their 2018 race.
: Freshman Democratic Rep. Cindy Axne has defeated Republican challenger David Young in a rematch of their 2018 race. IN-05 : Republican Victoria Spartz has defeated Democrat Christina Hale, holding this open seat for the GOP.
: Republican Victoria Spartz has defeated Democrat Christina Hale, holding this open seat for the GOP. ME-02 : Freshman Democratic Rep. Jared Golden has defeated Republican Dale Crafts. Golden won despite Donald Trump carrying the electoral vote for Maine's 2nd District.
: Freshman Democratic Rep. Jared Golden has defeated Republican Dale Crafts. Golden won despite Donald Trump carrying the electoral vote for Maine's 2nd District. MI-03 : Republican Peter Meijer has defeated Democrat Hillary Scholten, flipping this seat, which is held by retiring Libertarian Rep. Justin Amash, to the GOP.
: Republican Peter Meijer has defeated Democrat Hillary Scholten, flipping this seat, which is held by retiring Libertarian Rep. Justin Amash, to the GOP. MI-06 : Republican Rep. Fred Upton has defeated Democratic challenger Jon Hoadley.
: Republican Rep. Fred Upton has defeated Democratic challenger Jon Hoadley. MI-08 : Freshman Democratic Rep. Elissa Slotkin has defeated Republican challenger Paul Junge.
: Freshman Democratic Rep. Elissa Slotkin has defeated Republican challenger Paul Junge. MN-07 : Republican Michelle Fischbach has defeated Democratic Rep. Collin Peterson, flipping this seat to the GOP.
: Republican Michelle Fischbach has defeated Democratic Rep. Collin Peterson, flipping this seat to the GOP. MT-AL : Republican Matt Rosendale has defeated Democrat Kathleen Williams, holding this open seat for the GOP.
: Republican Matt Rosendale has defeated Democrat Kathleen Williams, holding this open seat for the GOP. NJ-03 : Freshman Democratic Rep. Andy Kim has defeated Republican challenger David Richter.
: Freshman Democratic Rep. Andy Kim has defeated Republican challenger David Richter. NJ-07 : Freshman Democratic Rep. Tom Malinowski has defeated Republican challenger Tom Kean.
: Freshman Democratic Rep. Tom Malinowski has defeated Republican challenger Tom Kean. NM-02 : Republican Yvette Herrell has defeated freshman Democratic Rep. Xochitl Torres Small, flipping this seat to the GOP in a rematch of their 2018 race.
: Republican Yvette Herrell has defeated freshman Democratic Rep. Xochitl Torres Small, flipping this seat to the GOP in a rematch of their 2018 race. NE-02 : Republican Rep. Don Bacon has defeated Democratic challenger Kara Eastman in a rematch of their 2018 race. Bacon won despite Joe Biden carrying the electoral vote for Nebraska's 2nd District.
: Republican Rep. Don Bacon has defeated Democratic challenger Kara Eastman in a rematch of their 2018 race. Bacon won despite Joe Biden carrying the electoral vote for Nebraska's 2nd District. OK-05 : Republican Stephanie Bice has defeated freshman Democratic Rep. Kendra Horn, flipping this seat to the GOP.
: Republican Stephanie Bice has defeated freshman Democratic Rep. Kendra Horn, flipping this seat to the GOP. PA-01 : Republican Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick has defeated Democratic challenger Christina Finello.
: Republican Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick has defeated Democratic challenger Christina Finello. PA-06 : Freshman Democratic Rep. Chrissy Houlahan has defeated Republican challenger John Emmons.
: Freshman Democratic Rep. Chrissy Houlahan has defeated Republican challenger John Emmons. SC-01 : Republican Nancy Mace has defeated freshman Democratic Rep. Joe Cunningham, flipping this seat to the GOP.
: Republican Nancy Mace has defeated freshman Democratic Rep. Joe Cunningham, flipping this seat to the GOP. TX-06 : Republican Rep. Ron Wright has defeated Democratic challenger Stephen Daniel.
: Republican Rep. Ron Wright has defeated Democratic challenger Stephen Daniel. TX-07 : Freshman Democratic Rep. Lizzie Fletcher has defeated Republican challenger Wesley Hunt.
: Freshman Democratic Rep. Lizzie Fletcher has defeated Republican challenger Wesley Hunt. TX-10 : Republican Rep. Michael McCaul has defeated Democratic challenger Mike Siegel.
: Republican Rep. Michael McCaul has defeated Democratic challenger Mike Siegel. TX-21 : Freshman Republican Rep. Chip Roy has defeated Democratic challenger Wendy Davis.
: Freshman Republican Rep. Chip Roy has defeated Democratic challenger Wendy Davis. TX-22 : Republican Troy Nehls has defeated Democratic challenger Sri Preston Kulkarni, holding this seat open seat for the GOP.
: Republican Troy Nehls has defeated Democratic challenger Sri Preston Kulkarni, holding this seat open seat for the GOP. TX-23 : Republican Tony Gonzales has defeated Democrat Gina Ortiz Jones, holding this open seat for the GOP.
: Republican Tony Gonzales has defeated Democrat Gina Ortiz Jones, holding this open seat for the GOP. VA-02 : Freshman Democratic Rep. Elaine Luria has defeated Republican Scott Taylor in a rematch of their 2018 race.
: Freshman Democratic Rep. Elaine Luria has defeated Republican Scott Taylor in a rematch of their 2018 race. TX-25 : Republican Rep. Roger Williams has defeated Democratic challenger Julie Oliver.
: Republican Rep. Roger Williams has defeated Democratic challenger Julie Oliver. VA-05 : Republican Bob Good, who unseated GOP Rep. Denver Riggleman for his party's nomination in a convention earlier this year, has defeated Democrat Cameron Webb, holding this open seat for the GOP.
: Republican Bob Good, who unseated GOP Rep. Denver Riggleman for his party's nomination in a convention earlier this year, has defeated Democrat Cameron Webb, holding this open seat for the GOP. WA-10 : Democrat Marilyn Strickland has defeated fellow Democrat Beth Doglio in the race to succeed retiring Rep. Denny Heck. (Heck, by the way, defeated fellow Democrat Marko Liias in the open-seat race for Washington's lieutenant governor.)
: Democrat Marilyn Strickland has defeated fellow Democrat Beth Doglio in the race to succeed retiring Rep. Denny Heck. (Heck, by the way, defeated fellow Democrat Marko Liias in the open-seat race for Washington's lieutenant governor.) WI-03: Democratic Rep. Ron Kind has defeated Republican challenger Derrick Van Orden.
LEGISLATIVE
●State Legislatures: Tuesday night was a big disappointment for Democrats at the state legislative level, especially since this is the last election before the 2020s redistricting cycle. Via the National Conference for State Legislatures, the legislative chambers below are still in doubt. Democrats failed to flip other targeted chambers such as the Iowa House, Minnesota Senate, North Carolina Senate and House, and Texas House.
Alaska : Republicans have again won majorities of seats in the state House and Senate. However, it's still possible that moderate Republicans will side with Democrats and independents to form new bipartisan coalitions in either chamber, as has been the case in the House for the last four years.
: Republicans have again won majorities of seats in the state House and Senate. However, it's still possible that moderate Republicans will side with Democrats and independents to form new bipartisan coalitions in either chamber, as has been the case in the House for the last four years. Arizona : Enough races to decide majority control in both chambers are undecided. Democrats still have a chance to flip one or both chambers from GOP control, though later-counted votes have largely favored Republicans.
: Enough races to decide majority control in both chambers are undecided. Democrats still have a chance to flip one or both chambers from GOP control, though later-counted votes have largely favored Republicans. Michigan : Control over the state House is still undecided as we are waiting on absentee ballots that lean heavily Democratic. Democrats are hoping to overcome GOP gerrymandering to flip the state House. The state Senate is only up in midterm years.
: Control over the state House is still undecided as we are waiting on absentee ballots that lean heavily Democratic. Democrats are hoping to overcome GOP gerrymandering to flip the state House. The state Senate is only up in midterm years. New Hampshire : Republicans regained their majorities with an assist from their gerrymanders, giving them full control over state government heading into redistricting. Republicans also regained control over the state Executive Council, which is key for certain legislation and approving executive appointments such as giving the GOP a new majority on the state Supreme Court.
: Republicans regained their majorities with an assist from their gerrymanders, giving them full control over state government heading into redistricting. Republicans also regained control over the state Executive Council, which is key for certain legislation and approving executive appointments such as giving the GOP a new majority on the state Supreme Court. Pennsylvania: Control over the state House is still undecided as we are waiting on absentee ballots that lean heavily Democratic. Democrats are hoping to overcome GOP gerrymandering to flip the state House. Republicans likely cemented their majority in the state Senate, though many absentee ballots are still remaining to be counted for that chamber too.
BALLOT MEASURES
●CA Ballot: Ride-share giants Uber and Lyft scored a big victory in the most expensive most expensive ballot measure campaign in Californian—and perhaps American—history when voters backed Proposition 22 by a 58-42 margin.
The passage of Prop. 22 designates drivers for "App-Based Transportation and Delivery Companies" as independent contractors with some benefits rather than as employees. Uber, Lyft, and delivery companies like DoorDash spent more than $200 million to pass Prop. 22, while labor groups were only to muster up a tenth of that in opposition.
●FL Ballot: A proposed constitutional amendment to establish a top-two primary system in state-level races failed to muster up quite enough support to pass. Amendment 3 earned 57% of the vote on Tuesday, which was short of the 60% that constitutional amendments need in Florida.
Unfortunately, though, a 79-21 majority approved Amendment 1, which will rewrite the Florida constitution to emphasize that "only a citizen" may vote instead of "every citizen." While Amendment 1 doesn't alter the status quo, it prevents local governments from experimenting with letting legal permanent residents who lack citizenship vote in local elections, something a handful of small localities in the U.S. and many European democracies already allow.
●MS Ballot: Mississippi voted 78-22 for Measure 2, which repeals a provision of the state's Jim Crow-era constitution that deliberately penalizes Black voters and the Democrats they support in elections for statewide office. The new law requires candidates for posts like governor or attorney general to take a majority of the vote in the general election in order to win outright; if no one hits this threshold, a runoff would take place between the top-two vote-getters.
This new system, though, is still bad for Team Blue because a runoff could lead to a disproportionate drop in Democratic turnout, but it's better than the 1890 law it replaces. Until now, statewide candidates needed to win not only a majority of the vote but also a majority of the state House's 122 districts. If no candidate surpassed both thresholds, the members of the House would choose the winner, and there was nothing to stop them from picking the person who lost the popular vote.
Voters also supported Measure 3, which will adopt a new state flag, by a 72-28 margin. Earlier this year, GOP Gov. Tate Reeves signed a bill that retired the 126-year-old state flag, which prominently displayed the Confederate battle emblem, in the face of a boycott by the NCAA and SEC. The Commission to Redesign the Mississippi State Flag was tasked with designing a new flag, and it settled on one with a magnolia in the center and the words "In God We Trust" below; the design was approved by voters on Tuesday.
●St. Louis, MO Ballot: Voters in the city of St. Louis supported Proposition D, a ballot measure to make it only the second municipality in America to adopt an "approval voting" system for its local elections, by a strong 68-32 margin. Approval voting will be used for the first time early next year when Democratic Mayor Lyda Krewson is up for a second term.
As we've written before in the Voting Rights Roundup, all the contenders will face off on one nonpartisan ballot, and voters could cast as many votes as there are candidates, with up to one vote per candidate. The top-two vote-getters will then advance to a general election.
The goal of this method of voting is to eliminate the "spoiler" problem, where a candidate wins without majority support only because their opposition was divided. The approval approach attempts to ensure that the most broadly acceptable candidate prevails. Fargo, North Dakota is the only other American city that uses approval voting, though unlike the St. Louis system, there is no runoff there.
MAYORAL
●Miami-Dade County, FL Mayor: Sunshine State Democrats got a bright spot on an otherwise dreary Tuesday when Daniella Levine Cava defeated Republican Steve Bovo 54-46, a result that makes her the first woman to lead Florida's largest county. Levine Cava is also the first Democrat to hold this office since 2004.
REDISTRICTING ROUNDUP
●Redistricting: Here's our look at where control over 2020s redistricting stands as of now, which is shaping up to be bleak for Democrats—and democracy:
Democrats failed to gain key legislative chambers in 2020 and break the GOP's full control over Florida, Georgia, Iowa, North Carolina, or Texas, and the Kansas GOP's supermajorities so that they could uphold the Democratic governor's vetoes there. Democrats also gained just one of the two Ohio Supreme Court seats needed for a 4-3 majority that could have curtailed GOP gerrymandering there, while Republicans swept every Supreme Court in Texas to maintain their 9-0 majority. Democrats also failed to win the governor's office or break the GOP's legislative supermajorities to stop a GOP congressional gerrymander in Missouri.
Democrats' only substantial gain so far was with gaining Oregon's secretary of state office, which ensures they will control legislative redistricting instead of potentially letting the GOP gerrymander. Democrats did gain a 4-3 majority on Michigan's Supreme Court in addition to Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's existing veto power, though the ability of both to stop the GOP legislature from gerrymandering could be threatened by the U.S. Supreme Court.
One small bit of good news is that Team Blue appears to have stopped the GOP from gaining a filibuster-proof majority that would let them gerrymander Nebraska, though the GOP could always end the filibuster with a simple majority if its various factions can overcome their differences, which is not guaranteed. Democrats additionally stopped the GOP from gaining gerrymandered supermajorities in Wisconsin, but the GOP's state Supreme Court majority there may yet strip Democratic Gov. Tony Evers of his power to veto new gerrymanders.
Finally for Team Blue, New Jersey voters also approved Democrats' cynical ballot measure that will likely postpone legislative redistricting from 2021 to the 2023 elections. That ballot measure was intended to protect Democratic incumbents both in the primary and general, and while partisan control was unlikely to be at stake in such a blue state, maintaining lines based on the 2010 census hurts New Jersey's growing Asian and Latino populations.
Instead of Democrats making major inroads, Republicans actually gained ground by regaining their gerrymandered majorities in both chambers to assume full control over New Hampshire. Republicans also gained enough seats to deny Democrats and the left-wing Progressive Party the two-thirds supermajority they had enjoyed in Vermont's state House (they failed to break the Democratic-Progressive Senate supermajority). Independents now hold the key to overriding GOP Gov. Phil Scott's vetoes, but that looks very unlikely for redistricting and other issues in a state where bipartisan comity remains a rare holdout.
Missouri voters also passed the GOP's deceptive ballot measure that will roll back 2018's legislative redistricting reform, ensuring that even its bipartisan legislative commission will enact legislative maps that give the GOP an undue advantage. Finally, Republicans have gained at least one North Carolina Supreme Court seat and tentatively lead in two more, potentially cutting the 6-1 Democratic majority down to 4-3 Democratic and weakening a check against their gerrymanders, though many provisional and absentee ballots are yet to be counted and likely lean Democratic
While Virginians voted to create a bipartisan redistricting commission that would prevent Democratic gerrymandering, which should ensure that the legislative districts are relatively fair for 2021, the inability of Democrats to control congressional redistricting there only further cements the GOP's national advantage when red states don't similarly follow suit.
At the national level, Democrats failed to gain enough seats outright to win the Senate, though they may yet do so in Jan. 5 runoffs in Georgia depending on the uncalled GA-Sen-A seat held by GOP Sen. David Perdue; Perdue currently holds just over a majority of the vote with many mail votes left to count. If Democrats don't take the Senate, they can't pass HR 1 and ban congressional gerrymandering nationally. Nor can they reform the Supreme Court and get it to stop enabling GOP gerrymanders.


alternet--2020-11-05--Trump’s spiritual advisor had a frantic election meltdown. The internet responded with these hilario

Trump’s spiritual advisor had a frantic election meltdown. The internet responded with these hilarious remixes

President Donald Trump 's `` spiritual adviser '' went off in an election-related meltdown that was supposed to resemble a @ @ @ @ @ Paula White ranted that international people should come to the United States to somehow stop @ @ @ @ @ .
That would technically mean a declaration of war .
She was generally ridiculed for @ @ @ @ @ for help from a different continent .
`` Angels have been dispatched from Africa !
@ @ @ @ @ was something fact-checked by many on Twitter since Trump referred to those countries as `` @ @ @ @ @ the replies and fact-checks about an international overthrow of the United States , however , @ @ @ @ @ where White was remixed with hilarious outcomes .
You can see some of them below @ @ @ @ @ responding to the rant :

President Donald Trump's "spiritual adviser" went off in an election-related meltdown that was supposed to resemble a sermon. In it, Paula White ranted that international people should come to the United States to somehow stop the votes from being tallied. That would technically mean a declaration of war.
She was generally ridiculed for the context and her demand for help from a different continent.
"Angels have been dispatched from Africa!" shouted White. It was something fact-checked by many on Twitter since Trump referred to those countries as "sh*thole nations."
Beyond the replies and fact-checks about an international overthrow of the United States, however, there a series of videos where White was remixed with hilarious outcomes.
You can see some of them below:
And then a cat responding to the rant:


alternet--2020-11-05--Vengeful Trump and his Republican cronies are plotting to make life hell for everyone

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Joe Biden just won more votes than anyone else in American history , but the next four years may go down in history as the stymied presidency .
That 's because it looks highly unlikely that the Democrats will get a majority in the Senate , leaving the chamber under the ironfisted control of Mitch McConnell , patron saint of polluters and profiteers .
Even before noon @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump will be in a position to do enormous harm that will complicate the Biden presidency .
Indeed , we should expect Trump is already looking for ways to use his last eight weeks in office to punish our nation — or at least the states that voted for Biden .
That assessment comes not from me , but from Trump himself .
His life philosophy is a single word : revenge .
Trump wrote that in his book Think Big .
Then he went on for 16 pages about how what gives @ @ @ @ @ @ @ anyone who does not do as he asks .
His long diatribe was intermingled with observations about his desires to do violence , especially against women , some of whom he has named like actress and talk show co-host Rosie O'Donnell .
`` If you do n't get even you are just a schmuck ! ''
Trump , via his ghostwriter , wrote .
`` I really mean it , too . ''
That Trump ruined the life of a woman executive at the Trump Organization simply because she declined , for solidly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ call , you can imagine the vengeance he is thinking about as he smolders in his easy chair watching even Fox News mocks some of his ridiculous claims about vote fraud and his winning the 2020 popular vote .
And if you think Trump might have changed his views against Christianity and renounced revenge since his book was published 12 years ago , consider this : at this year 's National Prayer Breakfast where he rejected forgiveness , a foundational tenant of the Christian faith he falsely claims to embrace .
But whatever @ @ @ @ @ @ @ two months , McConnell will be in a position to do lasting damage until at least Jan. 3 , 2023 , the next date when Democrats might seat enough senators to make McConnell minority leader .
McConnell 's conduct shows that has no respect for the will of the people unless it matches his views .
This is the same Mitch McConnell who declared that he wanted to make Obama 's first term his only one and a failure .
sent three right wing Senators to plot against Obama on the night of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that the presidency of Barack Obama would be a one-term failure .
As The Washington Post headlined a column by Jonathan Capehart , `` Republicans Had It In for Obama Before Day 1 . ''
That 2009 meeting , secret at the time but since acknowledged by most of the 14 participants , was just one example of how McConnell 's evil lust for power has held back progress in America for most of this century .
McConnell literally looks down his nose when asked by journalists about imposing his narrow mined and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ trust fund kid grown old and very rich , McConnell regularly displays his utter contempt for , our Constitution except for the parts that allow him to impose his will on America .
Just as McConnell refused to give an audience to Merrick Garland , the exceptionally qualified and centrist federal appeals judge who Obama nominated for the Supreme Court , the senior senator from the Bluegrass state can refuse to confirm Biden 's nominees to the cabinet and more than 1,000 other political appointments requiring the advice and consent of the Senate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the way at gross disregard for federal laws governing appointees .
Just consider how Trump installed Matthew Whitaker as the de facto attorney general even though it violated our Constitution and a host of federal laws .
McConnell also has the power , assuming Republicans retain control of the Senate , to refuse any further coronavirus relief to be unemployed , landlords and small business owners .
You can be absolutely sure that he will use his position to grant as little relief as possible while pushing for more of the lopsided coronavirus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ when big business made out very nicely .
Elections have consequences .
Welcome to the consequences of split government and the power of one man elected by people in a state with fewer than five million people to overcome the more than 71 million who voted for Biden .

This article was paid for by Raw Story subscribers. Not a subscriber? Try us and go ad-free for $1. Prefer to give a one-time tip? Click here.
Joe Biden just won more votes than anyone else in American history, but the next four years may go down in history as the stymied presidency. That's because it looks highly unlikely that the Democrats will get a majority in the Senate, leaving the chamber under the ironfisted control of Mitch McConnell, patron saint of polluters and profiteers.
Even before noon on January 20, 2021, Donald Trump will be in a position to do enormous harm that will complicate the Biden presidency. Indeed, we should expect Trump is already looking for ways to use his last eight weeks in office to punish our nation — or at least the states that voted for Biden.
That assessment comes not from me, but from Trump himself. His life philosophy is a single word: revenge.
Trump wrote that in his book Think Big. Then he went on for 16 pages about how what gives him pleasure is ruining the lives of anyone who does not do as he asks. His long diatribe was intermingled with observations about his desires to do violence, especially against women, some of whom he has named like actress and talk show co-host Rosie O'Donnell.
"If you don't get even you are just a schmuck!" Trump, via his ghostwriter, wrote. "I really mean it, too."
That Trump ruined the life of a woman executive at the Trump Organization simply because she declined, for solidly ethical reasons, to make a telephone call, you can imagine the vengeance he is thinking about as he smolders in his easy chair watching even Fox News mocks some of his ridiculous claims about vote fraud and his winning the 2020 popular vote.
And if you think Trump might have changed his views against Christianity and renounced revenge since his book was published 12 years ago, consider this: at this year's National Prayer Breakfast where he rejected forgiveness, a foundational tenant of the Christian faith he falsely claims to embrace.
But whatever damage Trump can wreak in the next two months, McConnell will be in a position to do lasting damage until at least Jan. 3, 2023, the next date when Democrats might seat enough senators to make McConnell minority leader.
McConnell's conduct shows that has no respect for the will of the people unless it matches his views. This is the same Mitch McConnell who declared that he wanted to make Obama's first term his only one and a failure. sent three right wing Senators to plot against Obama on the night of January 20, 2009, to ensure that the presidency of Barack Obama would be a one-term failure. As The Washington Post headlined a column by Jonathan Capehart, "Republicans Had It In for Obama Before Day 1."
That 2009 meeting, secret at the time but since acknowledged by most of the 14 participants, was just one example of how McConnell's evil lust for power has held back progress in America for most of this century. McConnell literally looks down his nose when asked by journalists about imposing his narrow mined and corporatist views on everyone else. A trust fund kid grown old and very rich, McConnell regularly displays his utter contempt for, our Constitution except for the parts that allow him to impose his will on America.
Just as McConnell refused to give an audience to Merrick Garland, the exceptionally qualified and centrist federal appeals judge who Obama nominated for the Supreme Court, the senior senator from the Bluegrass state can refuse to confirm Biden's nominees to the cabinet and more than 1,000 other political appointments requiring the advice and consent of the Senate.
Under Trump, McConnell has looked the way at gross disregard for federal laws governing appointees. Just consider how Trump installed Matthew Whitaker as the de facto attorney general even though it violated our Constitution and a host of federal laws.
McConnell also has the power, assuming Republicans retain control of the Senate, to refuse any further coronavirus relief to be unemployed, landlords and small business owners. You can be absolutely sure that he will use his position to grant as little relief as possible while pushing for more of the lopsided coronavirus relief we saw last Spring and Summer when big business made out very nicely.
Elections have consequences. Welcome to the consequences of split government and the power of one man elected by people in a state with fewer than five million people to overcome the more than 71 million who voted for Biden.


alternet--2020-11-05--Will an Electoral College tie be the next 2020 curveball? Here's how that could play out

Could there possibly be an Electoral College tie ?
Well in 2020 , anything is possible .
A report published by USA Today delves into the possibility that President Donald Trump and Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden end up at a 269 - 269 Electoral College impasse .
Although the scenario is one of the least likely outcomes , it is still a possibility .
If the presidential election ends in an Electoral College tie , the Democratic-controlled House of Representatives would be responsible for deciding the presidential election while the Senate would make the selection for vice presidential election @ @ @ @ @ @ @ process unfolds in the days and weeks that follow Election Day : '' The president is n't technically chosen on Election Day .
Members of the Electoral College gather in their states on the first Monday after the second Wednesday in December following the election to officially elect the president .
The electors will meet on Dec. 14 this year . ''
Since it looks like Republicans will maintain control of the Senate , Vice President Mike Pence would likely be re-elected for his role regardless of which candidate the House selects for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ results update appears to be favorable for Biden .

Could there possibly be an Electoral College tie? Well in 2020, anything is possible. A report published by USA Today delves into the possibility that President Donald Trump and Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden end up at a 269 - 269 Electoral College impasse.
Although the scenario is one of the least likely outcomes, it is still a possibility. If the presidential election ends in an Electoral College tie, the Democratic-controlled House of Representatives would be responsible for deciding the presidential election while the Senate would make the selection for vice presidential election.
The report explains how the electoral process unfolds in the days and weeks that follow Election Day:
"The president isn't technically chosen on Election Day. Members of the Electoral College gather in their states on the first Monday after the second Wednesday in December following the election to officially elect the president. The electors will meet on Dec. 14 this year."
Since it looks like Republicans will maintain control of the Senate, Vice President Mike Pence would likely be re-elected for his role regardless of which candidate the House selects for president. However, the latest election results update appears to be favorable for Biden.


alternet--2020-11-05--Here are 3 reasons why Biden flipped Michigan and Wisconsin

On Wednesday , November 4 — the day after the 2020 presidential election — the Associated Press reported that former Vice President Joe Biden flipped two of the midwestern Rust Belt states that President Donald Trump had won in 2016 : Michigan and Wisconsin .
Journalist Tim Alberta , in an article published in Politico around 9:30 p.m. Wednesday night , analyzes Biden 's victories in those states .
In 2016 , Trump won Ohio — a Rust Belt state that went to President Barack Obama in 2008 and 2012 — and Trump won it again in 2020 .
Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ surprising : of all the Rust Belt states , Ohio is the heaviest lift for Democrats .
But the fact that Biden won Michigan and Wisconsin was much bigger news .
Those were two states that had been going Democratic in presidential elections before 2016 , and Trump 's win in Michigan and Wisconsin as well as in Pennsylvania four years ago was a political shocker .
On Wednesday night and early Thursday morning , the vote counting continued in Pennsylvania .
Trump still had a lead over Biden , but it had @ @ @ @ @ @ @ were noting that many votes remained uncounted in heavily Democratic Philadelphia .
Alberta noted , `` With nearly a million ballots still outstanding—the lion 's share of them coming from dark blue precincts in Philadelphia and elsewhere — Trump 's lead is expected to shrivel over the coming 24 hours and then disappear completely .
How much Biden ultimately might win by is unclear .
But it may not be by much more than Trump 's victorious margin four years ago of 44,292 votes . ''
The Politico journalist offers three reasons why @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 1 ) `` Biden kept Trump from running up the score with working-class whites , '' ( 2 ) , `` Biden peeled away Trump 's support in conservative suburbs , '' and ( 3 ) `` Biden got Black voters to turn out in big numbers . ''
Alberta cites Macomb County , Michigan as a prime example of Reason # 1 .
`` The blue-collar suburbs of Detroit figured to test the president 's theory of how he could grow his vote in 2020 , '' Albert explains .
`` Fully @ @ @ @ @ @ @ areas , Trump 's team was determined to drive up bigger margins in the middle-class communities like those in Macomb County .
Home to the fabled 'Reagan Democrats ' of the 1980s , Macomb has drifted steadily rightward over the past three presidential elections .
Democrats carried it by nearly 9 points in 2008 and by 4 points in 2012 , only to watch Trump dominate the county with a 12-point win in 2016 . ''
Alberta adds , `` There was real reason for optimism , among Republicans in southeast Michigan , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 4 points to that spread , padding his margins in friendly territory .
Instead — once again — the opposite happened .
Trump won Macomb County by 8 points , losing 4 points off his 2016 total . ''
Discussing Reason # 2 , Alberta notes Biden 's performance in three suburban counties outside Milwaukee : Waukesha , Ozaukee and Washington .
Biden 's performance in those counties , according to Alberta , offers `` a picture of suburban Milwaukee '' and `` a wider snapshot of wealthy white suburbs across the Midwest @ @ @ @ @ @ @ President Trump and a President Biden . ''
All summer and into the fall , countless pundits noted that Biden would need a heavy Black turnout in the Rust Belt if he wanted to flip Michigan , Wisconsin or Pennsylvania — and Black voters , Alberta emphasizes , were an important part of Biden 's Michigan and Wisconsin victories .
`` Some things in politics are pretty straightforward , '' Alberta explains .
`` This is one of those things : Clinton lost to Trump because she did not mobilize Black voters .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ two major cities where Black voters were crucial for Biden .
And if Biden wins Pennsylvania , Black voters in Philadelphia will be an important part of that .
Philly is largely Democratic — the city has n't had a Republican mayor since the early 1950s — and the city 's population , according to the U.S. Census , is 43 % Black .
Three of Philly 's Democratic mayors have been Black : Wilson Goode , John Street and Michael Nutter .
According to Alberta , `` While there 's still a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it appears Biden will blow past both the Obama 2012 and Clinton 2016 numbers in Philadelphia County : He has already banked 458,000 votes , and with hundreds of thousands of votes from the area still outstanding , he figures to get well into the 600,000-vote range . ''

On Wednesday, November 4 — the day after the 2020 presidential election — the Associated Press reported that former Vice President Joe Biden flipped two of the midwestern Rust Belt states that President Donald Trump had won in 2016: Michigan and Wisconsin. Journalist Tim Alberta, in an article published in Politico around 9:30 p.m. Wednesday night, analyzes Biden's victories in those states.
In 2016, Trump won Ohio — a Rust Belt state that went to President Barack Obama in 2008 and 2012 — and Trump won it again in 2020. Trump's victory in Ohio wasn't terribly surprising: of all the Rust Belt states, Ohio is the heaviest lift for Democrats. But the fact that Biden won Michigan and Wisconsin was much bigger news. Those were two states that had been going Democratic in presidential elections before 2016, and Trump's win in Michigan and Wisconsin as well as in Pennsylvania four years ago was a political shocker.
On Wednesday night and early Thursday morning, the vote counting continued in Pennsylvania. Trump still had a lead over Biden, but it had dwindled to 2% — and pundits were noting that many votes remained uncounted in heavily Democratic Philadelphia.
Alberta noted, "With nearly a million ballots still outstanding—the lion's share of them coming from dark blue precincts in Philadelphia and elsewhere — Trump's lead is expected to shrivel over the coming 24 hours and then disappear completely. How much Biden ultimately might win by is unclear. But it may not be by much more than Trump's victorious margin four years ago of 44,292 votes."
The Politico journalist offers three reasons why Biden flipped Michigan and Wisconsin: (1) "Biden kept Trump from running up the score with working-class whites," (2), "Biden peeled away Trump's support in conservative suburbs," and (3) "Biden got Black voters to turn out in big numbers."
Alberta cites Macomb County, Michigan as a prime example of Reason #1.
"The blue-collar suburbs of Detroit figured to test the president's theory of how he could grow his vote in 2020," Albert explains. "Fully expecting losses among college-educated voters in upscale areas, Trump's team was determined to drive up bigger margins in the middle-class communities like those in Macomb County. Home to the fabled 'Reagan Democrats' of the 1980s, Macomb has drifted steadily rightward over the past three presidential elections. Democrats carried it by nearly 9 points in 2008 and by 4 points in 2012, only to watch Trump dominate the county with a 12-point win in 2016."
Alberta adds, "There was real reason for optimism, among Republicans in southeast Michigan, that Trump could add another 3 or 4 points to that spread, padding his margins in friendly territory. Instead — once again — the opposite happened. Trump won Macomb County by 8 points, losing 4 points off his 2016 total."
Discussing Reason #2, Alberta notes Biden's performance in three suburban counties outside Milwaukee: Waukesha, Ozaukee and Washington. Biden's performance in those counties, according to Alberta, offers "a picture of suburban Milwaukee" and "a wider snapshot of wealthy white suburbs across the Midwest — they are the difference between a President Trump and a President Biden."
All summer and into the fall, countless pundits noted that Biden would need a heavy Black turnout in the Rust Belt if he wanted to flip Michigan, Wisconsin or Pennsylvania — and Black voters, Alberta emphasizes, were an important part of Biden's Michigan and Wisconsin victories.
"Some things in politics are pretty straightforward," Alberta explains. "This is one of those things: Clinton lost to Trump because she did not mobilize Black voters."
Alberta cites Milwaukee and Detroit as two major cities where Black voters were crucial for Biden. And if Biden wins Pennsylvania, Black voters in Philadelphia will be an important part of that. Philly is largely Democratic — the city hasn't had a Republican mayor since the early 1950s — and the city's population, according to the U.S. Census, is 43% Black. Three of Philly's Democratic mayors have been Black: Wilson Goode, John Street and Michael Nutter.
According to Alberta, "While there's still a ways to go in the counting, it appears Biden will blow past both the Obama 2012 and Clinton 2016 numbers in Philadelphia County: He has already banked 458,000 votes, and with hundreds of thousands of votes from the area still outstanding, he figures to get well into the 600,000-vote range."


alternet--2020-11-05--Mental health professional explains why Trump's behavior on Election Night was 'just like a child pl

Mental health professional explains why Trump's behavior on Election Night was 'just like a child playing pretend'

What you saw on Election Night from Trump and his entire `` cast '' was a performance , an event orchestrated to send a message to you and to Trump , himself , regarding his greatness and his singular importance .
What happens during charades like this is that Trump , just like a child playing `` let 's pretend , '' actually believes that he is truly the great and important man that the audience and the presidential setting imply .
Even though Trump likely wrote the entire script and cast the actors in their respective parts , he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ real .
For these moments as the undisputed center of attention , he is finally the adored one ... a feeling he never had as an infant or young child .
He expresses his unconscious , archaic grievances against the inattentive mother and indifferent father of his childhood , tonight played by the Americans who did n't vote for him , but this time he has a rapt audience applauding his anger and outrage and expressing its undying affection and support .
This is a grand enactment of something Trump longed for but @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
So now , when he has the chance , he expresses the delusional and paranoid belief that Joe Biden , who is getting the attention that Trump `` deserves , '' is stealing the election from him .
How can it be that more people want Joe than want him ?
That is shatteringly inconceivable to Trump so he calls it a hoax , a fraud , a theft , a rigged election , and by golly he 'll get his followers to agree and then he 'll get the courts to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Biden will restore Trump to his rightful place as the undisputed center of attention which he desperately needs to believe he is .
Sadly for us and for him we are watching a delusional man re-enact a longed-for scenario from his achingly lonely childhood and we are observing the people in the present moment who are enabling this charade by playing the parts he demands that they play .
How much of this compensatory scenario will Americans agree to co-enact if it means we have to neglect our own life and death concerns @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ?
How can we allow ourselves to be bullied into abandoning our own health and safety so that one man gets to finally feel important ?
And by the way , Trump 's unconscious , deep well of need will never be fulfilled no matter how his followers adore him and sacrifice themselves .
He leaves them stranded in the cold , waiting for buses , because he does n't care anything about them except that they provide him with the momentary attention and approbation that he repeatedly needs .
An actor in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ audience but never concerns himself with how they are going to get home .
On a psychological level , is Trump chronically enacting his own play and are we just his momentary , but perpetually captured audience , silently colluding by permitting the play to go on ?
Is it acceptable that a man like this has the nuclear codes and the power to decide the fate of all of us , perhaps even the entire planet ?
If it 's not acceptable , we must act .
Even if Biden legally wins @ @ @ @ @ @ @ contend with Trump 's reaction .
Will we , the people , the media , the Congress , the judiciary , continue to passively collude in his delusion that he was deprived of what was rightfully his ?
Or will we firmly protect our democratic institutions from abuse by an angry toddler in a suit and tie ?
I sense that the country is frightfully divided on this .
Madeline Tayler , Ph.D. , is a licensed marriage and family therapist residing in Los Angeles .

What you saw on Election Night from Trump and his entire "cast" was a performance, an event orchestrated to send a message to you and to Trump, himself, regarding his greatness and his singular importance.
What happens during charades like this is that Trump, just like a child playing "let's pretend," actually believes that he is truly the great and important man that the audience and the presidential setting imply.
Even though Trump likely wrote the entire script and cast the actors in their respective parts, he lives it out as if it were real. For these moments as the undisputed center of attention, he is finally the adored one...a feeling he never had as an infant or young child. He expresses his unconscious, archaic grievances against the inattentive mother and indifferent father of his childhood, tonight played by the Americans who didn't vote for him, but this time he has a rapt audience applauding his anger and outrage and expressing its undying affection and support.
This is a grand enactment of something Trump longed for but never had at the developmentally appropriate ages. So now, when he has the chance, he expresses the delusional and paranoid belief that Joe Biden, who is getting the attention that Trump "deserves," is stealing the election from him. How can it be that more people want Joe than want him? That is shatteringly inconceivable to Trump so he calls it a hoax, a fraud, a theft, a rigged election, and by golly he'll get his followers to agree and then he'll get the courts to agree. A power greater than Joe Biden will restore Trump to his rightful place as the undisputed center of attention which he desperately needs to believe he is.
Sadly for us and for him we are watching a delusional man re-enact a longed-for scenario from his achingly lonely childhood and we are observing the people in the present moment who are enabling this charade by playing the parts he demands that they play.
How much of this compensatory scenario will Americans agree to co-enact if it means we have to neglect our own life and death concerns such as Covid and the climate crisis? How can we allow ourselves to be bullied into abandoning our own health and safety so that one man gets to finally feel important?
And by the way, Trump's unconscious, deep well of need will never be fulfilled no matter how his followers adore him and sacrifice themselves. He leaves them stranded in the cold, waiting for buses, because he doesn't care anything about them except that they provide him with the momentary attention and approbation that he repeatedly needs. An actor in a play accepts the applause of his audience but never concerns himself with how they are going to get home.
On a psychological level, is Trump chronically enacting his own play and are we just his momentary, but perpetually captured audience, silently colluding by permitting the play to go on? Is it acceptable that a man like this has the nuclear codes and the power to decide the fate of all of us, perhaps even the entire planet?
If it's not acceptable, we must act. Even if Biden legally wins the presidency, we will have to contend with Trump's reaction. Will we, the people, the media, the Congress, the judiciary, continue to passively collude in his delusion that he was deprived of what was rightfully his? Or will we firmly protect our democratic institutions from abuse by an angry toddler in a suit and tie? I sense that the country is frightfully divided on this.
Madeline Tayler, Ph.D., is a licensed marriage and family therapist residing in Los Angeles.


alternet--2020-11-05--More Republicans are piling onto conspiracy theories about vote counting

To read Donald Trump 's Twitter feed , you 'd think that counting votes is an inherently suspicious activity .
As his campaign files lawsuits to try to stop votes from being counted in Michigan and Pennsylvania , Trump is frenetically trying to whip up his base against any vote-counting activity that might not help him—and a series of House Republicans are acting as his winged monkeys , throwing their weight into legitimizing Trump 's efforts to delegitimize the basis of democracy .
Trump has promoted a Breitbart piece attacking Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro , and announced , as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ `` We are winning Pennsylvania big , but the PA Secretary of State just announced that there are 'Millions of ballots left to be counted . '
'' Four of Trump 's tweets in the past 24 hours have gotten Twitter warning messages that `` Some or all of the content shared in this Tweet is disputed and might be misleading about an election or other civic process . ''
He has help .
Rep. Paul Gosar bragged about having joined Trump supporters outside the site where ballots were being counted in Maricopa @ @ @ @ @ @ @ motivated by a conspiracy theory about votes being changed rather than counted , and it included far-right anti-immigration activists and threatened reporters .
Rep. Kevin Brady repeated Trump 's lies about vote counting being conducted in secrecy , cloaking a lie as a call for transparency .
That transparency already exists , however—though law enforcement in more than one city has had to defend vote-counting sites against mobs of Trump supporters trying to get inside to disrupt counting .
Rep. Jim Banks tied together a Peter Strzok conspiracy theory with a reference to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ WI , MI and PA. '' You know , the ballot counting .
Which Republicans insist must be shady , because it 's not going their way .
The majority of the Pennsylvania state House tweeted that `` The failure of Pennsylvania to have firm election results on Election Day is an openly partisan failure by Democrats from the Wolf administration to the PA Supreme Court . ''
Except the failure of Pennsylvania to have firm election results on Election Day is a direct result of Republican legislators blocking election officials from counting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Day !
Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich enthusiastically jumped on board with claims that `` Wisconsin , Michigan and Pennsylvania are all being stolen by Democrats . ''
Again , because votes are being counted .
That 's the substance of Republican angst : Votes are being counted , and those votes may not go the way Republicans want them to go .
That must be the result of conspiracy and cheating and outright theft by Democrats , they claim , with a big dose of rage that the votes of Black people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Joe Biden 's message is simple : `` Every vote must be counted . ''

To read Donald Trump's Twitter feed, you'd think that counting votes is an inherently suspicious activity. As his campaign files lawsuits to try to stop votes from being counted in Michigan and Pennsylvania, Trump is frenetically trying to whip up his base against any vote-counting activity that might not help him—and a series of House Republicans are acting as his winged monkeys, throwing their weight into legitimizing Trump's efforts to delegitimize the basis of democracy.
Trump has promoted a Breitbart piece attacking Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro, and announced, as if it was evidence of wrongdoing, "We are winning Pennsylvania big, but the PA Secretary of State just announced that there are 'Millions of ballots left to be counted.'" Four of Trump's tweets in the past 24 hours have gotten Twitter warning messages that "Some or all of the content shared in this Tweet is disputed and might be misleading about an election or other civic process."
He has help.
Rep. Paul Gosar bragged about having joined Trump supporters outside the site where ballots were being counted in Maricopa County. The aggressive group was apparently motivated by a conspiracy theory about votes being changed rather than counted, and it included far-right anti-immigration activists and threatened reporters.
Rep. Kevin Brady repeated Trump's lies about vote counting being conducted in secrecy, cloaking a lie as a call for transparency. That transparency already exists, however—though law enforcement in more than one city has had to defend vote-counting sites against mobs of Trump supporters trying to get inside to disrupt counting. Rep. Jim Banks tied together a Peter Strzok conspiracy theory with a reference to "the shady ballot counting happening in WI, MI and PA." You know, the ballot counting. Which Republicans insist must be shady, because it's not going their way.
The majority of the Pennsylvania state House tweeted that "The failure of Pennsylvania to have firm election results on Election Day is an openly partisan failure by Democrats from the Wolf administration to the PA Supreme Court." Except the failure of Pennsylvania to have firm election results on Election Day is a direct result of Republican legislators blocking election officials from counting or even processing mail ballots before Election Day!
Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich enthusiastically jumped on board with claims that "Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania are all being stolen by Democrats." Again, because votes are being counted.
That's the substance of Republican angst: Votes are being counted, and those votes may not go the way Republicans want them to go. That must be the result of conspiracy and cheating and outright theft by Democrats, they claim, with a big dose of rage that the votes of Black people are being counted at all.
Meanwhile, Joe Biden's message is simple: "Every vote must be counted."


alternet--2020-11-05--Trump adviser Pam Bondi falters under pressure from Fox & Friends on ‘fake ballot’ claims

Pam Bondi wilted under light pressure from a `` Fox & Friends '' host to substantiate her claims of voter fraud in Pennsylvania .
The former Florida attorney general , who 's now an adviser to President Donald Trump 's campaign , argued that ballots arriving after the Nov. 3 election should be rejected as `` fake , '' despite a Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruling that said those ballots should be counted unless there was evidence they were mailed after Election Day .
`` We love democracy and we all want every legal vote counted , '' Bondi began .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ late , that was postmarked late , yes , after Nov. 4 , on Nov. 4 , that discounts every legal vote that comes in .
That means all the good residents who are all supporting us in Pennsylvania , their votes do n't count by these fake ballots that are coming in late , and they are not letting us watch the process . ''
Co-host Steve Doocy pricked up his ears and interrupted to seek clarification for one of Bondi 's claims .
`` Pam , did you just say fake @ @ @ @ @ @ @ There could be , that 's the problem , '' Bondi said , but that was n't enough proof for Doocy .
`` Do you have any , have you heard stories of , you know , ballots that are fake and , if so , just tell us what you know , '' he said .
Bondi cited one debunked example and another case where man is facing prosecution to cast doubt on the absentee ballots the state court ruling allowed , and which the U.S. Supreme Court declined to block .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ have been dumped there were ballots that were found early on , '' Bondi said .
`` We have heard people were receiving ballots that were dead , you know , the thing that 's happening . ''
Doocy asked if those were legal ballots , and Bondi admitted they were not .
`` Well , no , '' she said .
`` Not if people were receiving ballots where they were deceased .
That 's the problem .
That 's why the supervisor of elections can not extend — she wants to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lawsuits go hand in hand .
All we want to do is observe what 's happening right now within that convention center .
They have now — I heard this late last night .
We were with all the people on the ground at 10:10 o'clock last night .
They told us now they have put up huge trash cans .
If something is not wrong , why wo n't they let us observe ? ''
Co-host Ainsley Earhardt then asked if anyone counting the votes reported any postmarks from after the Nov. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ had not .
`` You know , we talked about that last night , '' Bondi said , `` and there are good people working in that room .
We do n't want them to lose their jobs for coming forward and talking to us , so that we do n't know but , Ainsley , why wo n't they let us watch ?
It 's our legal right to watch . ''

Pam Bondi wilted under light pressure from a "Fox & Friends" host to substantiate her claims of voter fraud in Pennsylvania.
The former Florida attorney general, who's now an adviser to President Donald Trump's campaign, argued that ballots arriving after the Nov. 3 election should be rejected as "fake," despite a Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruling that said those ballots should be counted unless there was evidence they were mailed after Election Day.
"We love democracy and we all want every legal vote counted," Bondi began. "For every vote that came in late, that was postmarked late, yes, after Nov. 4, on Nov. 4, that discounts every legal vote that comes in. That means all the good residents who are all supporting us in Pennsylvania, their votes don't count by these fake ballots that are coming in late, and they are not letting us watch the process."
Co-host Steve Doocy pricked up his ears and interrupted to seek clarification for one of Bondi's claims.
"Pam, did you just say fake ballots?" Doocy said.
"There could be, that's the problem," Bondi said, but that wasn't enough proof for Doocy.
"Do you have any, have you heard stories of, you know, ballots that are fake and, if so, just tell us what you know," he said.
Bondi cited one debunked example and another case where man is facing prosecution to cast doubt on the absentee ballots the state court ruling allowed, and which the U.S. Supreme Court declined to block.
"Well, we know that ballots have been dumped there were ballots that were found early on," Bondi said. "We have heard people were receiving ballots that were dead, you know, the thing that's happening."
Doocy asked if those were legal ballots, and Bondi admitted they were not.
"Well, no," she said. "Not if people were receiving ballots where they were deceased. That's the problem. That's why the supervisor of elections cannot extend — she wants to keep extending this process. These two lawsuits go hand in hand. All we want to do is observe what's happening right now within that convention center. They have now — I heard this late last night. We were with all the people on the ground at 10:10 o'clock last night. They told us now they have put up huge trash cans. If something is not wrong, why won't they let us observe?"
Co-host Ainsley Earhardt then asked if anyone counting the votes reported any postmarks from after the Nov. 3 election, and Bondi admitted they had not.
"You know, we talked about that last night," Bondi said, "and there are good people working in that room. We don't want them to lose their jobs for coming forward and talking to us, so that we don't know but, Ainsley, why won't they let us watch? It's our legal right to watch."


alternet--2020-11-05--'Then Biden wins': Internet explodes after Trump demands vote-counting stop

On Thursday morning , November 5 — with former Vice President Joe Biden having won Wisconsin and Michigan and the vote counting continuing in Pennsylvania , Georgia and other states — President Donald Trump tweeted , `` STOP THE COUNT ! ''
.
And Twitter is blowing up with reactions from users who stressed that if the vote counting stopped in Arizona and Nevada — where Biden was ahead in the vote count — Trump would lose the election .
New York Times reporter Maggie Haberman noted , `` If this happened , Biden would win based on what he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Booth , @ ActorAaronBooth , implied that Trump was shooting himself in the foot with that tweet , posting , `` If counting stopped now , Biden would win Arizona and Nevada and therefore 270 electoral voted to Trump 's 268 .
Trump 's best chance would be faithless electors . ''
Emily C. Singer , @ CahnEmily , a reporter for the American Independent , had similar thoughts , tweeting , `` OK , then Biden wins . ''
And BuzzFeed reporter Matt Berman noted , `` If this happened right now @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Neil King , formerly of the Wall Street Journal , wrote , `` The Madness of King Donald . ''
And CNN 's Chris Cillizza posted , `` This is fundamentally un-democratic . ''
@ Paulyouk was outraged by Trump 's tweet , posting , `` Shutting down the vote ( count ) is full scale , 'democracy is dead ' level authoritarianism , not 'authoritarian-lite . '
'' And political science professor Pierre Atlas , @ PierreAtlas , tweeted , `` The traditional American expression on Election Day is , 'Let the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The Trump re-election strategy : keep the chips from falling .
This is not normal .
This is un-American . ''

On Thursday morning, November 5 — with former Vice President Joe Biden having won Wisconsin and Michigan and the vote counting continuing in Pennsylvania, Georgia and other states — President Donald Trump tweeted, "STOP THE COUNT!". And Twitter is blowing up with reactions from users who stressed that if the vote counting stopped in Arizona and Nevada — where Biden was ahead in the vote count — Trump would lose the election.
New York Times reporter Maggie Haberman noted, "If this happened, Biden would win based on what he has in now.
Twitter user Aaron Booth, @ActorAaronBooth, implied that Trump was shooting himself in the foot with that tweet, posting, "If counting stopped now, Biden would win Arizona and Nevada and therefore 270 electoral voted to Trump's 268. Trump's best chance would be faithless electors."
Emily C. Singer, @CahnEmily, a reporter for the American Independent, had similar thoughts, tweeting, "OK, then Biden wins." And BuzzFeed reporter Matt Berman noted, "If this happened right now, Trump would lose."
Reporter Neil King, formerly of the Wall Street Journal, wrote, "The Madness of King Donald." And CNN's Chris Cillizza posted, "This is fundamentally un-democratic."
Twitter user Michael Simon, @MBSimon, sarcastically posted, "*Offer not valid in Arizona."
@Paulyouk was outraged by Trump's tweet, posting, "Shutting down the vote (count) is full scale, 'democracy is dead' level authoritarianism, not 'authoritarian-lite.'" And political science professor Pierre Atlas, @PierreAtlas, tweeted, "The traditional American expression on Election Day is, 'Let the chips fall where they may.' The Trump re-election strategy: keep the chips from falling. This is not normal. This is un-American."


alternet--2020-11-06--'Hopefully Amy Coney Barrett will come through': Adviser Admits Trump is hoping for Supreme Court re

'Hopefully Amy Coney Barrett will come through': Adviser Admits Trump is hoping for Supreme Court rescue

With the Trump campaign frantically attempting to challenge vote-counting procedures in several battleground states where the president 's early leads have evaporated , a prominent conservative attorney and co-chair of Lawyers for Trump openly admitted in a television interview Thursday that the campaign 's ultimate hope is for newly confirmed Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett to `` come through '' and decide the election .
`` Republicans consider the Supreme Court their insurance policy for when they lose elections . ''
—Brian Fallon , Demand Justice Harmeet Dhillon , a legal adviser to the Trump campaign , said in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we 're waiting for the United States Supreme Court—of which the president has nominated three justices—to step in and do something . ''
`` And hopefully Amy Coney Barrett will come through and pick it up , '' added Dhillon , who parroted the president 's baseless claims of suspicious activity by election officials in Pennsylvania and elsewhere .
`` There 's no guarantee of that ... so we have to fight this on the ground and make sure that we challenge in every place , and we are . ''
Dhillon 's @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by a Trump campaign surrogate that the incumbent , with his path to victory through the democratic process narrowing rapidly , is desperately counting on the high court—and , in particular , a justice he and the Republican Senate installed just over a week before Election Day—to intervene and secure his reelection .
Trump himself said as much in the early hours of Wednesday morning , declaring , `` We want the law to be used in the proper manner .
So we 'll be going to the U.S. Supreme Court . ''
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ , on cable television , that it installed its 6-3 Supreme Court majority in order to steal elections , '' tweeted Rep.-elect Mondaire Jones ( D-N.Y. ) .
`` Believe them . ''
Brian Fallon , executive director of advocacy group Demand Justice , said Dhillon 's comments represented further evidence that `` Republicans consider the Supreme Court their insurance policy for when they lose elections . ''
The problem for the Trump campaign 's stated last-ditch strategy of relying on the Supreme Court , as Buzzfeed 's Zoe Tillman explained Thursday , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the campaign so far do n't present the kind of election-defining legal questions the court would be likely to take up ; plus , it was n't clear if the one case already pending before the court would be relevant to who wins . ''
`` Pennsylvania Republicans are challenging a state Supreme Court order that extended the deadline for election officials to accept absentee ballots , from Election Day to Nov. 6 , '' Tillman noted .
`` Trump 's campaign filed a request this week to join the case at the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ GOP 's position .
But that case would only become another Bush v. Gore ... if the election comes down to Pennsylvania 's 20 electoral votes , and if the number of ballots that arrived between Nov. 3 and Nov. 6 are large enough to affect the final tally . ''
Other legal challenges the Trump campaign has brought thus far have been laughably weak , coming nowhere close to substantiating the president 's claim of a sprawling Democratic conspiracy to deny him the election through mass ballot fraud .
The Washington Post @ @ @ @ @ @ @ suits the campaign filed after Election Day in Georgia and Michigan : On Thursday , a federal judge in Pennsylvania—where the president holds an increasingly slim lead as counting continues—dismissed a Trump campaign lawsuit alleging that Philadelphia officials are not allowing Republican election observers sufficient access during the ballot tabulation process .
Judge Paul Diamond of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania , a George W. Bush appointee , made little effort to hide his annoyance with the Trump campaign 's flimsy complaint throughout a hearing on the suit @ @ @ @ @ @ @ campaign lawyer on whether Republican observers are currently present at the counting site , the attorney responded : `` There 's a non-zero number of people in the room . ''
Asked once more to provide a clear answer , the Trump campaign attorney said , `` Yes . ''
`` I 'm sorry , '' Diamond responded , `` then what 's your problem ? ''

With the Trump campaign frantically attempting to challenge vote-counting procedures in several battleground states where the president's early leads have evaporated, a prominent conservative attorney and co-chair of Lawyers for Trump openly admitted in a television interview Thursday that the campaign's ultimate hope is for newly confirmed Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett to "come through" and decide the election.
"Republicans consider the Supreme Court their insurance policy for when they lose elections."
—Brian Fallon, Demand Justice
Harmeet Dhillon, a legal adviser to the Trump campaign, said in an appearance on Fox Business that "we're waiting for the United States Supreme Court—of which the president has nominated three justices—to step in and do something."
"And hopefully Amy Coney Barrett will come through and pick it up," added Dhillon, who parroted the president's baseless claims of suspicious activity by election officials in Pennsylvania and elsewhere. "There's no guarantee of that... so we have to fight this on the ground and make sure that we challenge in every place, and we are."
Watch:
Dhillon's remarks were viewed as a frank admission by a Trump campaign surrogate that the incumbent, with his path to victory through the democratic process narrowing rapidly, is desperately counting on the high court—and, in particular, a justice he and the Republican Senate installed just over a week before Election Day—to intervene and secure his reelection.
Trump himself said as much in the early hours of Wednesday morning, declaring, "We want the law to be used in the proper manner. So we'll be going to the U.S. Supreme Court."
"The GOP is telling the nation, on cable television, that it installed its 6-3 Supreme Court majority in order to steal elections," tweeted Rep.-elect Mondaire Jones (D-N.Y.). "Believe them."
Brian Fallon, executive director of advocacy group Demand Justice, said Dhillon's comments represented further evidence that "Republicans consider the Supreme Court their insurance policy for when they lose elections."
The problem for the Trump campaign's stated last-ditch strategy of relying on the Supreme Court, as Buzzfeed's Zoe Tillman explained Thursday, is that "the lawsuits filed by the campaign so far don't present the kind of election-defining legal questions the court would be likely to take up; plus, it wasn't clear if the one case already pending before the court would be relevant to who wins."
"Pennsylvania Republicans are challenging a state Supreme Court order that extended the deadline for election officials to accept absentee ballots, from Election Day to Nov. 6," Tillman noted. "Trump's campaign filed a request this week to join the case at the U.S. Supreme Court to back the state GOP's position. But that case would only become another Bush v. Gore... if the election comes down to Pennsylvania's 20 electoral votes, and if the number of ballots that arrived between Nov. 3 and Nov. 6 are large enough to affect the final tally."
Other legal challenges the Trump campaign has brought thus far have been laughably weak, coming nowhere close to substantiating the president's claim of a sprawling Democratic conspiracy to deny him the election through mass ballot fraud.
The Washington Postsummarized the outcomes of a pair of suits the campaign filed after Election Day in Georgia and Michigan:
In Georgia, a local judge in Chatham County, home of Savannah, denied the Trump campaign's effort to disqualify ballots that a Republican poll watcher claimed may have arrived after the 7 pm deadline on Election Day. In court, the poll watcher offered no evidence that the ballots had arrived late, and county election officials testified that they had arrived on time.
And in Michigan, a Court of Claims judge said she would deny the campaign's request for an emergency halt to the counting of votes in the state. She noted that the request made little sense, given that the counting has essentially been finished in the state, with former vice president Joe Biden ahead by about 150,000 votes. He has been declared the winner of the state by national news organizations. Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson's office described Trump's request as an "attempt to unring a bell."
On Thursday, a federal judge in Pennsylvania—where the president holds an increasingly slim lead as counting continues—dismissed a Trump campaign lawsuit alleging that Philadelphia officials are not allowing Republican election observers sufficient access during the ballot tabulation process.
Judge Paul Diamond of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, a George W. Bush appointee, made little effort to hide his annoyance with the Trump campaign's flimsy complaint throughout a hearing on the suit Thursday.
When Diamond pressed a Trump campaign lawyer on whether Republican observers are currently present at the counting site, the attorney responded: "There's a non-zero number of people in the room." Asked once more to provide a clear answer, the Trump campaign attorney said, "Yes."
"I'm sorry," Diamond responded, "then what's your problem?"