dailysignal--2020-11-05--The Media and Pollsters Are the Biggest Losers of 2020

There was no blue wave at all , regardless of what ultimately happens in the presidential election .
As of the writing of this piece , we still don ’ t know who won the 2020 presidential election .
Contested vote counts could turn the process of sorting it out into a dragged-out legal battle .
Nevertheless , the result was certainly an upset , especially if you relied on traditional media and polling sources .
Former Vice President Joe Biden did not usher in a blue wave to defeat President Donald Trump and Republicans down ticket .
Instead , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the closest in history , Republicans may well retain the Senate , and may actually make up ground in the House of Representatives .
The fact that this election turned out to come down to the wire is a stunning rebuke of both the mainstream polling industry and the media in general .
Across the board it appears that major pollsters got state after state wrong , and often by large margins .
Referring to the RealClearPolitics polling averages , which include data from several polling firms , one person on Twitter observed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ what exactly these polls are for .
Are they there to bring reliable information to the American electorate , or as a means for media to wish cast for the success of their preferred party ?
It seems that when the polls are wildly off , they are wildly off in one direction .
Time and again we ’ ve seen them vastly underestimate the numbers voting on the right as opposed to the left .
As Washington Post columnist Walter Olson wrote , these polling errors can ’ t simply be swept @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Elections ’ Nathan Gonzales wrote , partisan pollsters were wrong , too , ” Olson wrote .
“ House races that were supposed to be close or leaning to the Democrats , such as in Texas ’ s 21st and 23rd congressional districts , ended up being comfortable wins for the Republicans .
Others that were supposed to tilt in Democrats ’ favor , such as South Carolina ’ s first , ended up being Republican wins .
Every level of the industry , except perhaps the outliers at the Trafalgar Group , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” Trafalgar , it must be noted , was roundly mocked by journalists and many mainstream election “ gurus , ” like Nate Silver , the editor of FiveThirtyEight .
It turns out that the “ shy Trump voter ” was absolutely something pollsters missed , and the media dismissed .
In the world of “ cancel culture ” and empowered social justice warriors , is it any wonder right-leaning Trump voters are uncomfortable transmitting their views in a public forum ?
Even Republican senators holding mainstream American views have essentially been purged @ @ @ @ @ @ @ having views that make people feel “ unsafe.
” We saw this when The New York Times essentially denounced an editorial it ran this summer about shutting down riots by Sen. Tom Cotton , R-Ark .
And now they sit around scratching their heads saying , “ How did we not understand half the country ?
” The media missed other trends too , including the significant shift of key voting demographics to Trump .
There was a significant movement of black men voting for Trump as well .
Some “ woke ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to these changes .
It seems simply dumping Americans into simplified critical race theory boxes isn ’ t panning out like expected .
If anything , Biden ’ s election chances seem to hinge mostly on shifts among white voters .
Will media pundits call this another “ whitelash , ” as several notable commentators , including CNN ’ s Van Jones , did following the 2016 election ?
For a media high on the frenzy of the woke crusades to paint America as a hopelessly and structurally racist society , it is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ gains with nonwhite voters who clearly didn ’ t buy in .
It turns out not all of America is a college campus after all .
There is still a healthy diversity of views among the American electorate , perhaps one that is tired of being told how to think and vote .
Predictably , most of the media missed this .
The revolution has been thwarted , for now .
As Ben Domenech wrote for The Transom , the media and polling industries took no lessons from 2016 and doubled down on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ media in 2016 was written off as a fluke , ” Domenech wrote .
“ They wanted to pretend that Donald Trump snuck up on them , and that there were always warning signs , and caveats , and so on .
This time around , their hubris was even more evident , confidently projecting outcomes that never came.
” The bottom line is that whoever the winner of the 2020 presidential election is , the biggest loser is the media followed closely by pollsters .
If history is any guide , they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ time around either .

There was no blue wave at all, regardless of what ultimately happens in the presidential election.
As of the writing of this piece, we still don’t know who won the 2020 presidential election. Contested vote counts could turn the process of sorting it out into a dragged-out legal battle.
Nevertheless, the result was certainly an upset, especially if you relied on traditional media and polling sources. Former Vice President Joe Biden did not usher in a blue wave to defeat President Donald Trump and Republicans down ticket.
Instead, the election appears to be one of the closest in history, Republicans may well retain the Senate, and may actually make up ground in the House of Representatives.
The fact that this election turned out to come down to the wire is a stunning rebuke of both the mainstream polling industry and the media in general.
Across the board it appears that major pollsters got state after state wrong, and often by large margins. Referring to the RealClearPolitics polling averages, which include data from several polling firms, one person on Twitter observed:
We're not final yet of course, but a look at how much Trump overperfomed the RCP averages in swing states:
OH: +7
WI: +6
IA: +6
TX: +5
FL: +4.5
NC: +1
GA: +1
AZ: -2.5
MN: -3
This could end up being a much worse night for polling than 2016, which is pretty remarkable. — Josh Jordan (@NumbersMuncher) November 4, 2020
At some point, one wonders what exactly these polls are for. Are they there to bring reliable information to the American electorate, or as a means for media to wish cast for the success of their preferred party?
It seems that when the polls are wildly off, they are wildly off in one direction. Time and again we’ve seen them vastly underestimate the numbers voting on the right as opposed to the left.
As Washington Post columnist Henry Olsen wrote, these polling errors can’t simply be swept under the rug.
“As Inside Elections’ Nathan Gonzales wrote, partisan pollsters were wrong, too,” Olson wrote. “House races that were supposed to be close or leaning to the Democrats, such as in Texas’s 21st and 23rd congressional districts, ended up being comfortable wins for the Republicans. Others that were supposed to tilt in Democrats’ favor, such as South Carolina’s first, ended up being Republican wins. Every level of the industry, except perhaps the outliers at the Trafalgar Group, has to ask itself what went wrong.”
Trafalgar, it must be noted, was roundly mocked by journalists and many mainstream election “gurus,” like Nate Silver, the editor of FiveThirtyEight.
It turns out that the “shy Trump voter” was absolutely something pollsters missed, and the media dismissed. In the world of “cancel culture” and empowered social justice warriors, is it any wonder right-leaning Trump voters are uncomfortable transmitting their views in a public forum?
Even Republican senators holding mainstream American views have essentially been purged from the elite media thought bubbles for having views that make people feel “unsafe.” We saw this when The New York Times essentially denounced an editorial it ran this summer about shutting down riots by Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark.
And now they sit around scratching their heads saying, “How did we not understand half the country?”
Maybe don't fire your editor for publishing conservatives. https://t.co/oSH23bDHY4 — Tom Cotton (@TomCottonAR) November 4, 2020
The media missed other trends too, including the significant shift of key voting demographics to Trump.
The Daily Signal’s Fred Lucas reported:
In an evaluation of the states of Florida, North Carolina, and Georgia, The New York Times determined that Hispanics increased their vote for Trump by 11 percentage points, having voted 62% for Hillary Clinton in 2016, but just 51% for Joe Biden in 2020. Cuban American voters increased their vote for Trump by 14 percentage points in 2020 from four years ago, shifting from 55% for Clinton in 2016 to 59% for Trump in 2020.
That’s not all.
There was a significant movement of black men voting for Trump as well. Some “woke” media pundits didn’t take kindly to these changes.
This is so personally devastating to me: the black male vote for Trump INCREASED from 13% in 2016 to 18% this year. The black female vote for Trump doubled from 4% in 2016 to 8% this year. pic.twitter.com/PvIM26Pz19 — Charles M. Blow (@CharlesMBlow) November 4, 2020
Oh wow. It looks like Nikole Hannah-Jones fired off a bunch of racist election night tweets, including against my Mexican ancestors… pic.twitter.com/51rAMg7B8i — Phil Magness (@PhilWMagness) November 4, 2020
It seems simply dumping Americans into simplified critical race theory boxes isn’t panning out like expected. If anything, Biden’s election chances seem to hinge mostly on shifts among white voters.
Will media pundits call this another “whitelash,” as several notable commentators, including CNN’s Van Jones, did following the 2016 election?
Don’t count on it.
For a media high on the frenzy of the woke crusades to paint America as a hopelessly and structurally racist society, it is a stinging rebuke that Trump actually made gains with nonwhite voters who clearly didn’t buy in.
It turns out not all of America is a college campus after all. There is still a healthy diversity of views among the American electorate, perhaps one that is tired of being told how to think and vote.
Predictably, most of the media missed this. The revolution has been thwarted, for now.
As Ben Domenech wrote for The Transom, the media and polling industries took no lessons from 2016 and doubled down on hubris.
“The failure of the media in 2016 was written off as a fluke,” Domenech wrote. “They wanted to pretend that Donald Trump snuck up on them, and that there were always warning signs, and caveats, and so on. This time around, their hubris was even more evident, confidently projecting outcomes that never came.”
The bottom line is that whoever the winner of the 2020 presidential election is, the biggest loser is the media followed closely by pollsters.
If history is any guide, they won’t learn their lesson this time around either.
This article has been corrected to note that Henry Olsen is The Washington Post columnist who wrote about 2020 polls.


dailysignal--2020-11-05--Trump Gains Ground Among Minority Voters, but Loses Some With Whites

President Donald Trump expanded his share of both the black and Hispanic vote from four years ago , based on exit polling , even as the presidential race remains undecided .
Trump ’ s share of votes fell by nearly the same proportion among white and male voters , according to exit polling by The New York Times compared to its 2016 exit polling .
The president held on to the same slice of the female vote , 42 % , as four years ago .
He also doubled his percentage of votes among LGBT voters , a comparison of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and 2020 shows .
The Times ’ latest exit polling found that Trump won 31 % of the Hispanic vote , up from 29 % in 2016 .
An increase in his share of the Hispanic vote was key to Trump ’ s larger-than-expected win in Florida .
Florida , where the Latino community is diverse , went for Trump at a higher level than the nation as a whole .
The president won 55 % of the Cuban American vote in Florida , NBC News reported , and 30 % of Puerto @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Latinos ” backed Trump .
Trump won 11 % of the black vote in 2020 , up from 8 % in 2016 , according to the Times ’ exit polling .
By a separate count , Republicans gained their highest nonwhite percentage of the vote since 1956 , according to GOP consultant Adrian Gray , who worked in the George W. Bush administration and for the Republican National Committee .
A preliminary estimate shows Trump with 26 % of the nonwhite vote compared with 21 % in 2016 , Gray says .
That @ @ @ @ @ @ @ nominee Dwight Eisenhower got in 1952 .
In 1956 , Eisenhower won 39 % of the nonwhite vote on his way to a decisive reelection victory , according to Gray .
Eisenhower ’ s vice president , Richard Nixon , won 32 % of the nonwhite vote in losing to Democrat John F. Kennedy in 1960 .
In every presidential election year from 1964 through 2012 , the Republican nominee gained less than 20 % of the nonwhite vote .
Interestingly , Trump ’ s percentage of white voters fell from 58 % @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Trump improved his performance among what is presumably a reliable voting bloc for Democrats by nearly doubling his 14 % of LGBT voters in 2016 to 27 % this week , according to the Times ’ exit polling .
The New York Times ’ exit polling showed that Trump actually lost ground among all age categories .
Trump appears to have gained 33 % of the votes of younger voters , ages 18-29 .
That ’ s down from 2016 , when Trump claimed 37 % of younger voters .
Trump won @ @ @ @ @ @ @ up by just a percentage point from 42 % in 2016 .
His percentage fell among voters ages 45-64 , from 53 % in 2016 to 48 % in 2020 .
Among senior voters , ages 65 and older , Trump also lost some ground , dropping from 53 % in 2016 to 51 % this time .

President Donald Trump expanded his share of both the black and Hispanic vote from four years ago, based on exit polling, even as the presidential race remains undecided.
Trump’s share of votes fell by nearly the same proportion among white and male voters, according to exit polling by The New York Times compared to its 2016 exit polling.
The president held on to the same slice of the female vote, 42%, as four years ago.
He also doubled his percentage of votes among LGBT voters, a comparison of the Times’ exit polling in 2016 and 2020 shows.
The Times’ latest exit polling found that Trump won 31% of the Hispanic vote, up from 29% in 2016. An increase in his share of the Hispanic vote was key to Trump’s larger-than-expected win in Florida.
Florida, where the Latino community is diverse, went for Trump at a higher level than the nation as a whole. The president won 55% of the Cuban American vote in Florida, NBC News reported, and 30% of Puerto Ricans and 48% of “other Latinos” backed Trump.
Trump won 11% of the black vote in 2020, up from 8% in 2016, according to the Times’ exit polling.
By a separate count, Republicans gained their highest nonwhite percentage of the vote since 1956, according to GOP consultant Adrian Gray, who worked in the George W. Bush administration and for the Republican National Committee.
GOP share of non-white vote, presidential elections (%)
1952: 21
1956: 39
1960: 32
1964: 6
1968: 12
1972: 13
1976: 15
1980: 10
1984: 13
1988: 18
1992: 11
1996: 12
2000: 9
2004: 17
2008: 10
2012: 11
2016: 21
2020: 26 (preliminary) — Adrian Gray (@adrian_gray) November 4, 2020
A preliminary estimate shows Trump with 26% of the nonwhite vote compared with 21% in 2016, Gray says. That would be on par with what Republican nominee Dwight Eisenhower got in 1952.
In 1956, Eisenhower won 39% of the nonwhite vote on his way to a decisive reelection victory, according to Gray. Eisenhower’s vice president, Richard Nixon, won 32% of the nonwhite vote in losing to Democrat John F. Kennedy in 1960.
In every presidential election year from 1964 through 2012, the Republican nominee gained less than 20% of the nonwhite vote.
Interestingly, Trump’s percentage of white voters fell from 58% in 2016 to 55% in 2020.
Trump improved his performance among what is presumably a reliable voting bloc for Democrats by nearly doubling his 14% of LGBT voters in 2016 to 27% this week, according to the Times’ exit polling.
The New York Times’ exit polling showed that Trump actually lost ground among all age categories.
Trump appears to have gained 33% of the votes of younger voters, ages 18-29. That’s down from 2016, when Trump claimed 37% of younger voters.
Trump won 43% of those ages 30-44, up by just a percentage point from 42% in 2016.
His percentage fell among voters ages 45-64, from 53% in 2016 to 48% in 2020.
Among senior voters, ages 65 and older, Trump also lost some ground, dropping from 53% in 2016 to 51% this time.


dailysignal--2020-11-04--Count Every Legal Vote—No More, No Less

Count Every Legal Vote—No More, No Less

Conservatives have every reason to be optimistic about the outcome of this election .
As we await the results , America needs a secure , transparent , and peaceful vote-counting process .
Every legal vote must count and every election official has the duty to report all potentially illegal and fraudulent activity in their jurisdictions .
The functioning of our republic depends on accurate and reliable election results .
The longer the process drags out , the more open it is to fraud and abuse .
We know this situation was entirely avoidable .
Officials at the state and local @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to prevent this uncertainty , but they didn ’ t rise to the challenge .
Instead , too many put their partisan interests above our right to vote .
Heritage Foundation experts and our allies will work on behalf of the American people to monitor the process through our election integrity project .
We ’ ll be in constant communication with government officials , the media , and the public as this process unfolds .
And we ’ ll continue to call out any attempts to subvert election integrity .
In the end @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s still much work to be done , and The Heritage Foundation isn ’ t pausing .
We ’ re continuing to address America ’ s threats from within and from abroad .
Heritage will continue to advise policymakers on the best ways to counter the pandemic and its economic fallout , violent unrest in our streets , runaway federal spending , the push for more socialist policies , and many more of the serious threats we face .
Heritage has fought for the interests of the American people for nearly 50 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ no matter who occupies the White House or who holds the majority in Congress .
As we await the conclusion of what we hope will be a speedy process , we continue our mission to help ensure that America remains a land of unprecedented opportunity and the freest , most prosperous nation the world has ever known .
I can assure you , Heritage will never stop fighting for America .

Conservatives have every reason to be optimistic about the outcome of this election. As we await the results, America needs a secure, transparent, and peaceful vote-counting process.
Every legal vote must count and every election official has the duty to report all potentially illegal and fraudulent activity in their jurisdictions. The functioning of our republic depends on accurate and reliable election results. The longer the process drags out, the more open it is to fraud and abuse.
We know this situation was entirely avoidable. Officials at the state and local levels had ample time to create protocols to prevent this uncertainty, but they didn’t rise to the challenge. Instead, too many put their partisan interests above our right to vote.
Heritage Foundation experts and our allies will work on behalf of the American people to monitor the process through our election integrity project. We’ll be in constant communication with government officials, the media, and the public as this process unfolds. And we’ll continue to call out any attempts to subvert election integrity.
In the end, no matter who wins, there’s still much work to be done, and The Heritage Foundation isn’t pausing. We’re continuing to address America’s threats from within and from abroad.
Heritage will continue to advise policymakers on the best ways to counter the pandemic and its economic fallout, violent unrest in our streets, runaway federal spending, the push for more socialist policies, and many more of the serious threats we face.
Heritage has fought for the interests of the American people for nearly 50 years and through 12 presidential elections, no matter who occupies the White House or who holds the majority in Congress.
As we await the conclusion of what we hope will be a speedy process, we continue our mission to help ensure that America remains a land of unprecedented opportunity and the freest, most prosperous nation the world has ever known.
I can assure you, Heritage will never stop fighting for America.


dailysignal--2020-11-04--As the Counting Continues, the Legal Wrangling Ramps Up

Election experts for months have predicted that an army of lawyers , not actual voters , would determine the final outcome of the presidential election because key battleground states would end up so excruciatingly close .
The legal threats and wrangling have begun .
The big question now is when it will end and provide Americans with an outcome .
In the weeks leading up to Nov. 3 , Pennsylvania was already a legal and electoral battleground .
After a chaotic election night of shifting ground in other key swing states , it is now ground zero for a legal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sees another four years for President Donald Trump or a Joe Biden administration .
Trump pledged as much during a combative 2 a.m. press conference in the White House East Room .
He started out highlighting a number of states where he was ahead by wide margins but where officials were still counting votes .
He then accused “ a very sad group of people ” of trying to “ disenfranchise ” millions of people across the country who voted for him .
“ We won ’ t stand for it , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Supreme Court to put a stop to “ all voting.
” “ We don ’ t want them to find any ballots at 4 o ’ clock in the morning , ” he said .
“ To me this is a very sad moment .
We will win this .
As far as I ’ m concerned , we already have won.
” Hours earlier , Biden expressed the opposite sentiment , saying he ’ s confident that a clear path to victory for him remains and urging his supporters to wait @ @ @ @ @ @ @ over the coming days .
“ It ’ s going to take time to count the votes , but we feel good about where we stand , ” he told the crowd at a drive-in event in Wilmington , Delaware , where supporters honked their support in response .
“ I ’ m optimistic about this outcome .
… Thank you , thank you—your patience is great , ” he added .
Election lawyers—both Republicans and Democrats—immediately questioned the meaning of Trump ’ s legal threat , speculating that he wasn ’ t @ @ @ @ @ @ @ voting ” but the counting of ballots in several closely contested states the media had yet to call for either candidate .
Regardless , Fox News anchor Chris Wallace decried the president ’ s bellicose remarks as the country braced for political unrest in major cities across the country .
“ This is an extremely flammable situation , and the president just threw a match into it , ” Wallace said .
Dave Bossie , Trump ’ s 2016 deputy campaign manager , told Fox News Wednesday morning that Trump is trying to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ t stuffed with extra votes in Pennsylvania and elsewhere .
“ Our lawyers are warming up in the bullpen to make sure every vote is counted ” and that there is only one vote per person , he said .
In recent days , Democrats tried to lower expectations that the race would be decided on election night .
Biden campaign officials and their surrogates argued that vote-counting would likely continue well past Nov. 3 in several key swing states , particularly Pennsylvania where state officials decided to allow mail-in ballots to be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Day .
Vote-counting also continued into Wednesday in the Midwest battlegrounds of Wisconsin and Michigan , along with Georgia and North Carolina .
As of early Wednesday morning , Trump maintained leads in Pennsylvania , Michigan , Georgia , and North Carolina , but Biden had a narrow advantage in Wisconsin , 49.4 % to 49.1 % .
In the week leading up to the election , Trump repeatedly accused Keystone State officials and courts of trying to rig the vote in Biden ’ s favor by allowing the receiving and counting of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ordered by Pennsylvania ’ s top court , which Republicans challenged .
The Supreme Court last week let that decision stand , but several of the justices signaled an openness to taking up the issue after the election if the outcome hinged on Pennsylvania and those remaining votes could make a difference .
Newly minted Justice Amy Coney Barrett , who joined the court a week ago , declined to participate in the decision not to weigh in on the issue before the election , arguing she had not had enough time to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump pledged to unleash an army of lawyers as soon as the polls closed .
And early Wednesday morning he appeared poised to make good on that threat .
“ We ’ re going to go in the night of , as soon as that election is over ; we ’ re going in with our lawyers , ” Trump vowed over the weekend .
Bob Bauer , a veteran election lawyer and top Biden campaign adviser , dismissed the Trump team ’ s threatened lawsuits , and labeled many that the campaign @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ unserious , ” “ doomed to failure , ” and designed to generate a cloud over the election rather than “ bona fide ” legal claims .
For instance , several Democrats , including Rick Hasen , an election law professor at the University of California , Irvine , ridiculed Texas Republicans ’ attempt to get 127,000 drive-thru votes in Harris County thrown out as “ absolute garbage.
” But other GOP legal experts said the success or failure of many of the lawsuits could hinge on whether the claims are aimed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ impacting Pennsylvania and other key battlegrounds , such as North Carolina , have a much stronger legal basis because they are aimed at upholding statutes passed by the legislature over changes made by state and local officials , including election boards .
John Yoo , a professor at University of California , Berkeley , who served in the Justice Department under President George W. Bush and was involved in the Bush v. Gore showdown , said the Constitution gives state legislatures broad authority to determine election laws at the state level .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ intervene and change the state legislature ’ s decisions ” about how the state will run its elections , Yoo told RealClearPolitics .
That includes decisions on establishing deadlines for returning mail-in ballots , the numbers of envelopes voters are required to use for mail-in ballots , along with postmark and matching signature rules .
The Republican challenge to Pennsylvania ’ s three-day extension is still a “ live case at the Supreme Court , ” Yoo pointed out , and the Trump and Biden campaigns are waiting to see if the justices @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that Pennsylvania is playing such a pivotal role in the election ’ s outcome .
Likewise , if North Carolina remains close , the Supreme Court could reverse itself and take up a GOP lawsuit challenging a decision by the state board of elections to extend the period in which absentee ballots can be accepted and counted—up to nine days after Election Day , or Nov. 12 .
Late last week , the high court decided 5-3 not to weigh in , for the time being .
Yoo also argued that either Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ invoke the little-used precedent established in Bush v. Gore , when the Supreme Court stopped the recounts in the Florida 2000 presidential election , thus determining the outcome in Bush ’ s favor .
In that landmark case , the high court ruled that “ all counties across a state have to apply the same standard to counting votes.
” In this way , team Trump could object to any discrepancy in vote-counting across different counties in Pennsylvania and other states where the vote remains close , he said .
Either campaign could @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ballots are being counted .
Hans von Spakovsky , an election law expert at The Heritage Foundation , pointed to the six-week delay in counting and certifying of votes in New York ’ s June 23 Democratic congressional primary .
Election workers were unprepared to handle the influx of mail-in votes , and New York officials rejected nearly 80,000 ballots over issues such as voters forgetting to sign their ballots or ballots that were postmarked too late .
“ The problem with absentee ballots is they have a higher rejection rate than ballots @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it ’ s because voters make mistakes ” filling them out , von Spakovsky told RealClearPolitics .
Social distancing rules designed to protect against COVID-19 spread also could spur lawsuits .
For example , there were reports out of Philadelphia on Election Day that poll watchers were kept so far from election officials inspecting ballots that they couldn ’ t effectively observe the process .
“ If you have election officials working in close vicinity with one another to scrutinize ballots , there ’ s no reason that observers can ’ t also @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s happening , ” said von Spakovsky .
“ If that was happening , then I think both parties ought to file suit because that ’ s part of the transparency of the process.
” With so many issues available to raise , the legal jockeying could continue for several weeks .
In Bush v. Gore , the Supreme Court made its determination on Dec. 12 , just two days before Electoral College electors in each state made the outcome official .
Veterans of that drawn-out legal brawl urged Americans to have faith @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Fox News ’ Brit Hume said Tuesday night that the country survived that protracted election and it can survive this one too—even if it may not feel that way right now .

Election experts for months have predicted that an army of lawyers, not actual voters, would determine the final outcome of the presidential election because key battleground states would end up so excruciatingly close.
The legal threats and wrangling have begun. The big question now is when it will end and provide Americans with an outcome.
In the weeks leading up to Nov. 3, Pennsylvania was already a legal and electoral battleground. After a chaotic election night of shifting ground in other key swing states, it is now ground zero for a legal showdown that will determine whether the nation sees another four years for President Donald Trump or a Joe Biden administration.
Trump pledged as much during a combative 2 a.m. press conference in the White House East Room. He started out highlighting a number of states where he was ahead by wide margins but where officials were still counting votes. He then accused “a very sad group of people” of trying to “disenfranchise” millions of people across the country who voted for him.
“We won’t stand for it,” he declared before pledging to go to the Supreme Court to put a stop to “all voting.”
“We don’t want them to find any ballots at 4 o’clock in the morning,” he said. “To me this is a very sad moment. We will win this. As far as I’m concerned, we already have won.”
Hours earlier, Biden expressed the opposite sentiment, saying he’s confident that a clear path to victory for him remains and urging his supporters to wait patiently while all the votes are counted over the coming days.
“It’s going to take time to count the votes, but we feel good about where we stand,” he told the crowd at a drive-in event in Wilmington, Delaware, where supporters honked their support in response.
“I’m optimistic about this outcome. … Thank you, thank you—your patience is great,” he added.
Election lawyers—both Republicans and Democrats—immediately questioned the meaning of Trump’s legal threat, speculating that he wasn’t trying to put a stop to “voting” but the counting of ballots in several closely contested states the media had yet to call for either candidate.
Regardless, Fox News anchor Chris Wallace decried the president’s bellicose remarks as the country braced for political unrest in major cities across the country.
“This is an extremely flammable situation, and the president just threw a match into it,” Wallace said.
Dave Bossie, Trump’s 2016 deputy campaign manager, told Fox News Wednesday morning that Trump is trying to make sure the ballot box isn’t stuffed with extra votes in Pennsylvania and elsewhere.
“Our lawyers are warming up in the bullpen to make sure every vote is counted” and that there is only one vote per person, he said.
In recent days, Democrats tried to lower expectations that the race would be decided on election night. Biden campaign officials and their surrogates argued that vote-counting would likely continue well past Nov. 3 in several key swing states, particularly Pennsylvania where state officials decided to allow mail-in ballots to be counted up to three days after Election Day.
Vote-counting also continued into Wednesday in the Midwest battlegrounds of Wisconsin and Michigan, along with Georgia and North Carolina. As of early Wednesday morning, Trump maintained leads in Pennsylvania, Michigan, Georgia, and North Carolina, but Biden had a narrow advantage in Wisconsin, 49.4% to 49.1%.
In the week leading up to the election, Trump repeatedly accused Keystone State officials and courts of trying to rig the vote in Biden’s favor by allowing the receiving and counting of absentee ballots until Friday, an extension ordered by Pennsylvania’s top court, which Republicans challenged.
The Supreme Court last week let that decision stand, but several of the justices signaled an openness to taking up the issue after the election if the outcome hinged on Pennsylvania and those remaining votes could make a difference.
Newly minted Justice Amy Coney Barrett, who joined the court a week ago, declined to participate in the decision not to weigh in on the issue before the election, arguing she had not had enough time to review the briefs.
Back then, Trump pledged to unleash an army of lawyers as soon as the polls closed. And early Wednesday morning he appeared poised to make good on that threat.
“We’re going to go in the night of, as soon as that election is over; we’re going in with our lawyers,” Trump vowed over the weekend.
Bob Bauer, a veteran election lawyer and top Biden campaign adviser, dismissed the Trump team’s threatened lawsuits, and labeled many that the campaign or its surrogates had already filed as “unserious,” “doomed to failure,” and designed to generate a cloud over the election rather than “bona fide” legal claims.
For instance, several Democrats, including Rick Hasen, an election law professor at the University of California, Irvine, ridiculed Texas Republicans’ attempt to get 127,000 drive-thru votes in Harris County thrown out as “absolute garbage.”
But other GOP legal experts said the success or failure of many of the lawsuits could hinge on whether the claims are aimed at upholding state election laws.
Suits impacting Pennsylvania and other key battlegrounds, such as North Carolina, have a much stronger legal basis because they are aimed at upholding statutes passed by the legislature over changes made by state and local officials, including election boards.
John Yoo, a professor at University of California, Berkeley, who served in the Justice Department under President George W. Bush and was involved in the Bush v. Gore showdown, said the Constitution gives state legislatures broad authority to determine election laws at the state level.
“A state court can’t just intervene and change the state legislature’s decisions” about how the state will run its elections, Yoo told RealClearPolitics. That includes decisions on establishing deadlines for returning mail-in ballots, the numbers of envelopes voters are required to use for mail-in ballots, along with postmark and matching signature rules.
The Republican challenge to Pennsylvania’s three-day extension is still a “live case at the Supreme Court,” Yoo pointed out, and the Trump and Biden campaigns are waiting to see if the justices decide whether to hear the case now that Pennsylvania is playing such a pivotal role in the election’s outcome.
Likewise, if North Carolina remains close, the Supreme Court could reverse itself and take up a GOP lawsuit challenging a decision by the state board of elections to extend the period in which absentee ballots can be accepted and counted—up to nine days after Election Day, or Nov. 12. Late last week, the high court decided 5-3 not to weigh in, for the time being.
Yoo also argued that either Trump or the Biden campaign could decide to invoke the little-used precedent established in Bush v. Gore, when the Supreme Court stopped the recounts in the Florida 2000 presidential election, thus determining the outcome in Bush’s favor.
In that landmark case, the high court ruled that “all counties across a state have to apply the same standard to counting votes.”
In this way, team Trump could object to any discrepancy in vote-counting across different counties in Pennsylvania and other states where the vote remains close, he said.
Either campaign could also challenge the way in which provisional ballots are being counted.
Hans von Spakovsky, an election law expert at The Heritage Foundation, pointed to the six-week delay in counting and certifying of votes in New York’s June 23 Democratic congressional primary.
Election workers were unprepared to handle the influx of mail-in votes, and New York officials rejected nearly 80,000 ballots over issues such as voters forgetting to sign their ballots or ballots that were postmarked too late.
“The problem with absentee ballots is they have a higher rejection rate than ballots cast at the polling place, and it’s because voters make mistakes” filling them out, von Spakovsky told RealClearPolitics.
Social distancing rules designed to protect against COVID-19 spread also could spur lawsuits. For example, there were reports out of Philadelphia on Election Day that poll watchers were kept so far from election officials inspecting ballots that they couldn’t effectively observe the process.
“If you have election officials working in close vicinity with one another to scrutinize ballots, there’s no reason that observers can’t also be close enough to see what’s happening,” said von Spakovsky. “If that was happening, then I think both parties ought to file suit because that’s part of the transparency of the process.”
With so many issues available to raise, the legal jockeying could continue for several weeks. In Bush v. Gore, the Supreme Court made its determination on Dec. 12, just two days before Electoral College electors in each state made the outcome official.
Veterans of that drawn-out legal brawl urged Americans to have faith in the country’s institutions. Fox News’ Brit Hume said Tuesday night that the country survived that protracted election and it can survive this one too—even if it may not feel that way right now.
Originally published by RealClearPolitics.


dailysignal--2020-11-04--House Freedom Caucus Could Add 7 New Conservative Members

A group of vocal conservatives in the House stands to gain seven or more new members after Tuesday ’ s election results are all in .
The House Freedom Caucus has pressed the larger GOP conference for more than five years on issues ranging from spending and taxes to abortion and religious liberty .
The Freedom Caucus expects to add new members as , according to an Associated Press report , House Democrats ’ only gains as of midmorning Wednesday were two North Carolina seats vacated by Republican incumbents after a court-ordered redistricting .
Democrats lost seven or more incumbents @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , AP reported .
The Freedom Caucus has been led since its inception in 2015 by vocal lawmakers such as Rep. Jim Jordan , R-Ohio , and Rep. Mick Mulvaney , R-S.C. , later director of the White House Office of Management and Budget .
The caucus doesn ’ t share its exact number of members , but put its number at about 30 in 2020 .
The House Freedom Fund , which works to elect “ strong conservative candidates to Congress , ” highlighted 18 candidates who likely would join the Freedom @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 18 , early unofficial results indicate seven won their races .
They include : In California , Darrell Issa may return to the House to represent the 50th Congressional District , which includes much of San Diego County .
Issa , a former chairman of the House Oversight and Reform Committee , represented the state ’ s 48th Congressional District from 2003 to 2019 .
Results so far show him neck and neck with Democrat Ammar Campa-Najjar to win the vacant seat .
In a close race in Illinois , businessman Jim Oberweis @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to take the 14th Congressional District seat .
The district includes portions of Lake , McHenry , Kane , DeKalb , Kendall , Dupage , and Will counties .
Also in Illinois , businesswoman Mary Miller will represent the 15th Congressional District in the state ’ s eastern and southeastern area .
Miller defeated Democrat Erika Weaver by 71.5 % to 28.5 % in unofficial results to win the seat held by retiring Rep. John Shimkus , a Republican .
In Florida , Byron Donalds , a member of the state House from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ District , which includes Cape Coral , Fort Myers , Naples , and Marco Island .
Unofficial results had Donalds defeating Democrat Cindy Banyai by 61.2 % to 38.7 % in the race for the seat held by retiring Rep. Francis Rooney , a Republican .
In Georgia , businesswoman Marjorie Greene will represent the 14th Congressional District , which includes almost all of the northwestern part of the state .
Greene defeated Democrat Kevin Van Ausdal by 74.7 % to 25.2 % to win the seat held by retiring Rep. Tom Graves @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Alabama , veteran and businessman Barry Moore will represent the 2nd Congressional District , in the southeastern portion of the state .
Moore defeated Democrat Phyllis Harvey-Hall by 65.3 % to 34.7 % in unofficial results to win the seat held by retiring Rep. Martha Roby , a Republican .
In Texas , Ronny Jackson , a retired Navy rear admiral who served as President Donald Trump ’ s White House physician , will represent the 13th Congressional District , which includes most of the Texas Panhandle , parts of Texoma , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , who Trump briefly nominated as secretary of veteran affairs , defeated Democrat Gus Trujillo by 80.5 % to 17.4 % in unofficial results in the race for the seat held by retiring Rep. Mac Thornberry , a Republican .

A group of vocal conservatives in the House stands to gain seven or more new members after Tuesday’s election results are all in.
The House Freedom Caucus has pressed the larger GOP conference for more than five years on issues ranging from spending and taxes to abortion and religious liberty.
The Freedom Caucus expects to add new members as, according to an Associated Press report, House Democrats’ only gains as of midmorning Wednesday were two North Carolina seats vacated by Republican incumbents after a court-ordered redistricting. Democrats lost seven or more incumbents and appeared headed to a smaller majority, AP reported.
The Freedom Caucus has been led since its inception in 2015 by vocal lawmakers such as Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, and Rep. Mick Mulvaney, R-S.C., later director of the White House Office of Management and Budget. The caucus doesn’t share its exact number of members, but put its number at about 30 in 2020.
The House Freedom Fund, which works to elect “strong conservative candidates to Congress,” highlighted 18 candidates who likely would join the Freedom Caucus if elected Tuesday.
Of those 18, early unofficial results indicate seven won their races. They include:
In California, Darrell Issa may return to the House to represent the 50th Congressional District, which includes much of San Diego County.
Issa, a former chairman of the House Oversight and Reform Committee, represented the state’s 48th Congressional District from 2003 to 2019. Results so far show him neck and neck with Democrat Ammar Campa-Najjar to win the vacant seat.
In a close race in Illinois, businessman Jim Oberweis hopes to defeat incumbent Democrat Lauren Underwood to take the 14th Congressional District seat. The district includes portions of Lake, McHenry, Kane, DeKalb, Kendall, Dupage, and Will counties.
Also in Illinois, businesswoman Mary Miller will represent the 15th Congressional District in the state’s eastern and southeastern area. Miller defeated Democrat Erika Weaver by 71.5% to 28.5% in unofficial results to win the seat held by retiring Rep. John Shimkus, a Republican.
In Florida, Byron Donalds, a member of the state House from 2016-2020, will represent the 19th Congressional District, which includes Cape Coral, Fort Myers, Naples, and Marco Island. Unofficial results had Donalds defeating Democrat Cindy Banyai by 61.2% to 38.7% in the race for the seat held by retiring Rep. Francis Rooney, a Republican.
In Georgia, businesswoman Marjorie Greene will represent the 14th Congressional District, which includes almost all of the northwestern part of the state. Greene defeated Democrat Kevin Van Ausdal by 74.7% to 25.2% to win the seat held by retiring Rep. Tom Graves, according to unofficial results.
In Alabama, veteran and businessman Barry Moore will represent the 2nd Congressional District, in the southeastern portion of the state. Moore defeated Democrat Phyllis Harvey-Hall by 65.3% to 34.7% in unofficial results to win the seat held by retiring Rep. Martha Roby, a Republican.
In Texas, Ronny Jackson, a retired Navy rear admiral who served as President Donald Trump’s White House physician, will represent the 13th Congressional District, which includes most of the Texas Panhandle, parts of Texoma, and northeastern parts of North Texas.
Jackson, who Trump briefly nominated as secretary of veteran affairs, defeated Democrat Gus Trujillo by 80.5% to 17.4% in unofficial results in the race for the seat held by retiring Rep. Mac Thornberry, a Republican.


dailysignal--2020-11-04--No Winner Yet: Fight for White House Could Drag on for Days or Weeks

For the first time in years , Americans will wake up Wednesday morning after the presidential election uncertain of who their president will be on Jan. 20 .
President Donald Trump , a Republican , overperformed expectations in winning Florida .
His Democratic opponent , former Vice President Joe Biden , flipped longtime Republican stronghold Arizona .
But the key battleground states of Georgia , Michigan , North Carolina , Pennsylvania , and Wisconsin still had not been called by 6 a.m. Wednesday .
Neither the Republican ticket of Trump and Vice President Mike Pence nor the Democratic ticket of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , a senator from California , had reached the necessary 270 electoral votes .
The results in Pennsylvania may not be known for days or longer .
That ’ s at least in part due to the prevalence of mail-in and absentee voting this year in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic .
Before 1 a.m. , Biden addressed horn-honking supporters in a parking lot in Wilmington , Delaware , speaking for just over three minutes .
“ I ’ m here to tell you tonight we believe we are on a track @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said .
“ We knew because of the unprecedented early voting—the mail-in vote— [ and ] it ’ s going to take a while .
We ’ re going to have to be patient until the hard work of tallying votes is finished .
It ain ’ t over until every vote is counted , every ballot is counted.
” At about the same time , Trump tweeted a warning of an attempt to steal the election .
Trump spoke to supporters in the East Room of the White House for more than @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Wednesday .
“ I want to thank the American people for their tremendous support .
Millions and millions of people voted for us tonight , and a very sad group of people is trying to disenfranchise that group of people , and we won ’ t stand for it , ” Trump told his extended family and supporters .
Trump referred to his leads in Georgia , Michigan , North Carolina , Pennsylvania , and Wisconsin , and added , “ They can ’ t catch us.
” “ We had such a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at all of these states that we ’ ve won tonight .
Then you take a look at the kind of margins we ’ ve won them by , ” Trump said .
The president predicted that Democrats now will go to court , saying : This is a fraud on the American public .
This is an embarrassment to our country .
We were getting ready to win this election .
Frankly , we did win this election .
… We ’ ll be going to the U.S. Supreme Court .
We @ @ @ @ @ @ @ don ’ t want them to find ballots at 4 a.m. in the morning and add them to the list .
In 2000 , the election dispute between Republican George W. Bush and Democrat Al Gore over Florida ’ s 25 Electoral College votes was litigated all the way to the Supreme Court .
Litigation could be more complicated this time , with multiple states at stake and more electoral votes in question .
If mail-in voting delays the outcome , some of those issues should have been predictable , said Hans von @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s Election Law Reform Project .
“ In a New York primary [ in June ] , there was a large number—an unacceptably large number , in my view—of absentee ballots that were rejected , ” von Spakovsky told The Daily Signal .
“ In key states , if the number of rejected ballots is larger than the margin of victory , you will see litigation over every one of those ballots.
” In that New York congressional primary , about 84,000 absentee ballots were rejected for various reasons .
The contest @ @ @ @ @ @ @ declare victory after about six weeks in her primary contest in New York ’ s 12th Congressional District against progressive insurgent challenger Suraj Patel .
Different states have different standards for accepting or disqualifying absentee ballots , and as such , the high court will likely have to hear the cases for most states individually , von Spakovsky said .
That ’ s unlike the postelection dispute in 2000 that saw just one state , Florida , in dispute .
Bush eventually won the state by just 537 votes .
Another potential scenario @ @ @ @ @ @ @ certify competing electoral returns , as happened in the 1876 election , in which the states of Louisiana , South Carolina , Florida , and one electoral vote in Oregon were in dispute .
Congress appointed a bipartisan commission of eight Republicans and seven Democrats made up of members of the House , Senate , and the Supreme Court .
After the commission issued predictable 8-7 votes awarding the disputed votes to Republican Rutherford B. Hayes over Democrat Samuel Tilden , the Democrat-controlled House and Republican-controlled Senate fought over whether to accept the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ending Reconstruction in the South .
In the elections of 1800 and 1824 , no candidate had a majority of electoral votes , which threw the election to the House of Representatives to decide .
This article has been corrected to reflect the last time the outcome of a presidential race wasn ’ t known in the hours immediately after polls closed .
A statement released prematurely also has been removed from this article .

For the first time in years, Americans will wake up Wednesday morning after the presidential election uncertain of who their president will be on Jan. 20.
President Donald Trump, a Republican, overperformed expectations in winning Florida. His Democratic opponent, former Vice President Joe Biden, flipped longtime Republican stronghold Arizona.
But the key battleground states of Georgia, Michigan, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin still had not been called by 6 a.m. Wednesday.
Neither the Republican ticket of Trump and Vice President Mike Pence nor the Democratic ticket of Biden and vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris, a senator from California, had reached the necessary 270 electoral votes.
The results in Pennsylvania may not be known for days or longer. That’s at least in part due to the prevalence of mail-in and absentee voting this year in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Before 1 a.m., Biden addressed horn-honking supporters in a parking lot in Wilmington, Delaware, speaking for just over three minutes.
“I’m here to tell you tonight we believe we are on a track to win this election,” Biden said. “We knew because of the unprecedented early voting—the mail-in vote—[and] it’s going to take a while. We’re going to have to be patient until the hard work of tallying votes is finished. It ain’t over until every vote is counted, every ballot is counted.”
At about the same time, Trump tweeted a warning of an attempt to steal the election.
We are up BIG, but they are trying to STEAL the Election. We will never let them do it. Votes cannot be cast after the Polls are closed! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 4, 2020
Trump spoke to supporters in the East Room of the White House for more than 10 minutes, starting at 2:21 a.m. Wednesday.
“I want to thank the American people for their tremendous support. Millions and millions of people voted for us tonight, and a very sad group of people is trying to disenfranchise that group of people, and we won’t stand for it,” Trump told his extended family and supporters.
Trump referred to his leads in Georgia, Michigan, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin, and added, “They can’t catch us.”
“We had such a big night. Just take a look at all of these states that we’ve won tonight. Then you take a look at the kind of margins we’ve won them by,” Trump said.
The president predicted that Democrats now will go to court, saying:
This is a fraud on the American public. This is an embarrassment to our country. We were getting ready to win this election. Frankly, we did win this election. … We’ll be going to the U.S. Supreme Court. We want all voting to stop. We don’t want them to find ballots at 4 a.m. in the morning and add them to the list.
In 2000, the election dispute between Republican George W. Bush and Democrat Al Gore over Florida’s 25 Electoral College votes was litigated all the way to the Supreme Court.
Litigation could be more complicated this time, with multiple states at stake and more electoral votes in question.
If mail-in voting delays the outcome, some of those issues should have been predictable, said Hans von Spakovsky, manager of The Heritage Foundation’s Election Law Reform Project.
“In a New York primary [in June], there was a large number—an unacceptably large number, in my view—of absentee ballots that were rejected,” von Spakovsky told The Daily Signal. “In key states, if the number of rejected ballots is larger than the margin of victory, you will see litigation over every one of those ballots.”
In that New York congressional primary, about 84,000 absentee ballots were rejected for various reasons. The contest saw Rep. Carolyn Maloney, D-N.Y., declare victory after about six weeks in her primary contest in New York’s 12th Congressional District against progressive insurgent challenger Suraj Patel.
Different states have different standards for accepting or disqualifying absentee ballots, and as such, the high court will likely have to hear the cases for most states individually, von Spakovsky said. That’s unlike the postelection dispute in 2000 that saw just one state, Florida, in dispute. Bush eventually won the state by just 537 votes.
Another potential scenario would be the states in question could certify competing electoral returns, as happened in the 1876 election, in which the states of Louisiana, South Carolina, Florida, and one electoral vote in Oregon were in dispute. Congress appointed a bipartisan commission of eight Republicans and seven Democrats made up of members of the House, Senate, and the Supreme Court.
After the commission issued predictable 8-7 votes awarding the disputed votes to Republican Rutherford B. Hayes over Democrat Samuel Tilden, the Democrat-controlled House and Republican-controlled Senate fought over whether to accept the recommendations before reaching a deal that involved ending Reconstruction in the South.
In the elections of 1800 and 1824, no candidate had a majority of electoral votes, which threw the election to the House of Representatives to decide.
This article has been corrected to reflect the last time the outcome of a presidential race wasn’t known in the hours immediately after polls closed. A statement released prematurely also has been removed from this article.


dailysignal--2020-11-04--Hatred of Trump vs. Hatred of the Left

Hatred of Trump vs. Hatred of the Left

One way in which yesterday ’ s presidential election can be summarized is this : It was a contest between those who hate Donald Trump and those who hate the left ( as I always point out , I am referring to “ the left , ” not to liberals or liberalism ) .
This is so accurate an assessment I suspect even most Democrats would agree with it .
They know they hate Trump .
And they know conservatives ( and a few courageous liberals ) hate the left .
When you put it this way , it shows @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
We who are not on the left base our opposition to the Democratic Party on ideas , values , and our love for America , not on antipathy toward an individual .
And let me assure Democrats : Most Republicans had just as much contempt for former President Barack Obama and have as much contempt for former Vice President Joe Biden as Democrats have for Trump .
But we don ’ t obsess over personalities ; we obsess over America .
Leftists—and the naïve liberals who do not recognize the left as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the president ’ s persona .
In their endlessly repeated , hate-filled descriptions of him , he is the apotheosis of evil : a dictator , narcissist , misogynist , racist , xenophobe , anti-Semite , and white supremacist .
He is morally and financially corrupt .
He is mentally incompetent .
He ’ s unrefined .
He uses the presidency solely in order to enrich himself .
His reelection will mean the end of American democracy .
He has told more than 22,000 lies .
He loves dictators and has contempt for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ campaign colluded with Russia to undermine and “ steal ” the presidential election .
He said there are “ very fine ” Nazis .
To top it all off , he is responsible for more than 200,000 American deaths due to COVID-19 .
Virtually every charge is either wildly exaggerated or outright false .
For instance , regarding Trump ’ s alleged responsibility for the American deaths due to COVID-19 : Do these people hold the leaders of Belgium , Spain , Brazil , Bolivia , Chile , and Ecuador—all of whom have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ than America—responsible for all of their respective countries ’ deaths ?
Do these people hold any other leaders in the world responsible for the COVID-19 deaths in their countries ?
Do these people hold New York Gov .
Andrew Cuomo responsible for the deaths in New York , the state that has had by far the highest death rate in America ?
If one cared about truth , one would hold Cuomo far more responsible for New York City ’ s virus deaths than Trump for America ’ s virus deaths .
But @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump ?
To those who hate Trump because they regard him as such a defective human being , there is nothing good he can do .
A particularly pathologic example is American Jewry , which is expected to vote 3 to 1 for Biden .
Presidential candidates since Bill Clinton have vowed to recognize Jerusalem as Israel ’ s capital , which would entail moving our embassy there .
Israel was the only country in the world in which the United States had its embassy in a city other than the capital .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ actually moving the embassy .
And he did so despite the dire warnings of “ experts ” —a group that is frequently wrong on almost every issue—that the Arab and Muslim worlds would erupt in violence .
The opposite happened : His policies have led to peace between Israel and three Arab countries , with more likely to follow unless Biden and the Democratic appeasers of Iran and the Palestinians come to power .
But peace between Israel and Arab countries , moving the American Embassy to Jerusalem , and the fact that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ son-in-law , and Jewish grandchildren all mean nothing to most American Jews , for whom The New York Times means far more than the Torah .
( The proof , if needed , is that the Jews who believe in the Torah will vote overwhelmingly for Trump . )
Meanwhile , 70 % of Israel ’ s Jews support Trump .
In addition , Trump did more for black America than any president since Abraham Lincoln—but , of course , that ’ s only true if you think the lowest black unemployment rate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ zones , support for school choice , and second chances for those convicted of crimes matter .
But none of this matters to Trump haters .
Their only concern for blacks is that blacks be as angry at America as possible .
Angry blacks are Democratic voters .
Blacks grateful to be Americans are Republican voters .
Which brings me to the competing hatred : hatred of the left .
Those who hate the left do so not because of dislike for any individual but because everything the left touches it ruins .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ length , I will only list examples : Freedom of speech—for the first time in American history .
Nothing in life is left unscathed .
And the Democratic Party is now the party of the left .
So , while the Democrats and their media focus on Trump , the rest of us focus on the left and the list above .
That strikes me as the more moral concern .
Between Trump ’ s narcissism and the left ’ s assault on liberty ; left-wing elected officials standing by as leftists smash @ @ @ @ @ @ @ left ’ s rewrite of American history to ensure that our children have contempt for America , a vote for Trump should have been an easy call to make for anyone who loves this country .

One way in which yesterday’s presidential election can be summarized is this: It was a contest between those who hate Donald Trump and those who hate the left (as I always point out, I am referring to “the left,” not to liberals or liberalism).
This is so accurate an assessment I suspect even most Democrats would agree with it.
They know they hate Trump. And they know conservatives (and a few courageous liberals) hate the left.
When you put it this way, it shows how superficial the anti-Trump electoral argument is. We who are not on the left base our opposition to the Democratic Party on ideas, values, and our love for America, not on antipathy toward an individual.
And let me assure Democrats: Most Republicans had just as much contempt for former President Barack Obama and have as much contempt for former Vice President Joe Biden as Democrats have for Trump. But we don’t obsess over personalities; we obsess over America.
Leftists—and the naïve liberals who do not recognize the left as the mortal enemy of liberalism—are obsessed with the president’s persona.
In their endlessly repeated, hate-filled descriptions of him, he is the apotheosis of evil: a dictator, narcissist, misogynist, racist, xenophobe, anti-Semite, and white supremacist.
He is morally and financially corrupt. He is mentally incompetent. He’s unrefined. He uses the presidency solely in order to enrich himself. His reelection will mean the end of American democracy. He has told more than 22,000 lies. He loves dictators and has contempt for America’s allies. His 2016 campaign colluded with Russia to undermine and “steal” the presidential election. He said there are “very fine” Nazis. To top it all off, he is responsible for more than 200,000 American deaths due to COVID-19.
And that’s just a partial list.
Virtually every charge is either wildly exaggerated or outright false. For instance, regarding Trump’s alleged responsibility for the American deaths due to COVID-19: Do these people hold the leaders of Belgium, Spain, Brazil, Bolivia, Chile, and Ecuador—all of whom have a higher rate of death from COVID-19 than America—responsible for all of their respective countries’ deaths?
Do these people hold any other leaders in the world responsible for the COVID-19 deaths in their countries?
Do these people hold New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo responsible for the deaths in New York, the state that has had by far the highest death rate in America?
If one cared about truth, one would hold Cuomo far more responsible for New York City’s virus deaths than Trump for America’s virus deaths. But what is truth compared to hatred of Trump?
To those who hate Trump because they regard him as such a defective human being, there is nothing good he can do.
A particularly pathologic example is American Jewry, which is expected to vote 3 to 1 for Biden.
Presidential candidates since Bill Clinton have vowed to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, which would entail moving our embassy there. Israel was the only country in the world in which the United States had its embassy in a city other than the capital.
Only Donald Trump kept his promise by actually moving the embassy. And he did so despite the dire warnings of “experts”—a group that is frequently wrong on almost every issue—that the Arab and Muslim worlds would erupt in violence.
The opposite happened: His policies have led to peace between Israel and three Arab countries, with more likely to follow unless Biden and the Democratic appeasers of Iran and the Palestinians come to power.
But peace between Israel and Arab countries, moving the American Embassy to Jerusalem, and the fact that Trump has a Jewish daughter, Jewish son-in-law, and Jewish grandchildren all mean nothing to most American Jews, for whom The New York Times means far more than the Torah. (The proof, if needed, is that the Jews who believe in the Torah will vote overwhelmingly for Trump.) Meanwhile, 70% of Israel’s Jews support Trump.
In addition, Trump did more for black America than any president since Abraham Lincoln—but, of course, that’s only true if you think the lowest black unemployment rate ever recorded, prison reform, opportunity zones, support for school choice, and second chances for those convicted of crimes matter.
But none of this matters to Trump haters. Their only concern for blacks is that blacks be as angry at America as possible. Angry blacks are Democratic voters. Blacks grateful to be Americans are Republican voters.
Which brings me to the competing hatred: hatred of the left.
Those who hate the left do so not because of dislike for any individual but because everything the left touches it ruins. As I have written about this at length, I will only list examples:
Universities.
High schools.
Elementary schools.
Journalism.
Art, music, architecture.
Late-night comedy.
Mainstream Christianity and Judaism.
Sports.
Marriage and family.
Happiness—especially among women.
The police.
Crime rates.
Children’s innocence.
Freedom of speech—for the first time in American history.
Law and order.
Race relations.
History.
Nothing in life is left unscathed.
In a nutshell, liberals build; conservatives build; leftists destroy.
And the Democratic Party is now the party of the left.
So, while the Democrats and their media focus on Trump, the rest of us focus on the left and the list above.
That strikes me as the more moral concern. Between Trump’s narcissism and the left’s assault on liberty; left-wing elected officials standing by as leftists smash windows and burn cities; and the left’s rewrite of American history to ensure that our children have contempt for America, a vote for Trump should have been an easy call to make for anyone who loves this country.
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dailysignal--2020-11-04--Election Night in Review: A Legal Expert Explains What We Know

Results are still rolling in amid what many anticipate to be a contested presidential election .
Hans von Spakovsky , @ @ @ @ @ ’ s Election Law Reform Initiative and a senior legal fellow in Heritage ’ s @ @ @ @ @ Judicial Studies , joins “ The Daily Signal Podcast ” to break down what we @ @ @ @ @ election and the likelihood of results being contested in court .
Von Spakovsky also shares @ @ @ @ @ at polling sites in the battleground state of Pennsylvania , and what Americans can learn @ @ @ @ @ .
“ The Daily Signal Podcast ” is available on Ricochet , Apple Podcasts , @ @ @ @ @ and Stitcher .
All of our podcasts can be found at DailySignal.com/podcasts .
If you @ @ @ @ @ please leave a review .
You also can leave us a message at 202-608-6205 or @ @ @ @ @ protected ]

Results are still rolling in amid what many anticipate to be a contested presidential election.
Hans von Spakovsky, manager of The Heritage Foundation’s Election Law Reform Initiative and a senior legal fellow in Heritage’s Meese Center for Legal and Judicial Studies, joins “The Daily Signal Podcast” to break down what we know about Tuesday’s election and the likelihood of results being contested in court.
Von Spakovsky also shares his concerns over nefarious activity at polling sites in the battleground state of Pennsylvania, and what Americans can learn from contested elections throughout history.
Enjoy the show.
“The Daily Signal Podcast” is available on Ricochet, Apple Podcasts, Pippa, Google Play, and Stitcher. All of our podcasts can be found at DailySignal.com/podcasts. If you like what you hear, please leave a review. You also can leave us a message at 202-608-6205 or write us at letters@dailysignal.com.


dailysignal--2020-11-04--Hispanic Vote Helps Win Florida for Trump

President Donald Trump captured the state of Florida on Tuesday night , in no small part by overperforming expectations with the Latino vote , according to statistics and media pundits .
The liberal New Yorker magazine tweeted : “ In every Presidential election since 1992 , the winner of Florida has gone on to the White House .
This year , Donald Trump made Miami ’ s Latin-American community a major focus in his reelection effort.
” In an evaluation of the states of Florida , North Carolina , and Georgia , The New York Times determined that Hispanics increased @ @ @ @ @ @ @ points , having voted 62 % for Hillary Clinton in 2016 , but just 51 % for Joe Biden in 2020 .
Cuban American voters increased their vote for Trump by 14 percentage points in 2020 from four years ago , shifting from 55 % for Clinton in 2016 to 59 % for Trump in 2020 .
“ If Trump wins Florida , it will be a tribute to an incredibly robust state operation that focused like a laser beam on the Latino vote , with compelling Spanish-language ads and pointed messaging , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ editor Rich Lowry tweeted .
A Telemundo poll last week found Florida was an outlier for the Latino vote , as it was much closer there than in Arizona or Nevada .
Even with a Florida victory , Harry Zahn of PBS ’ “ NewsHour ” noted that Trump still has much ground to make up .
“ Trump has performed well in Florida .
Did a good job cutting into Clinton leads among Cuban/Latino vote , ” Zahn tweeted .
“ But a loss in either Ohio or North Carolina would be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ electoral map.
” Trump made a strong play during the campaign for the Hispanic vote in Florida , as much of that population is from Cuba and Venezuela , where people once lived under socialist tyrannies .
“ Thousands of Republicans are waiting for Trump to touch down in Miami in his final push for votes in the critical swing state , ” a producer at Britain ’ s ITV tweeted Nov. 1 .
“ His route back to the White House is virtually impossible without winning Florida , and tonight , he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ”

President Donald Trump captured the state of Florida on Tuesday night, in no small part by overperforming expectations with the Latino vote, according to statistics and media pundits.
The liberal New Yorker magazine tweeted: “In every Presidential election since 1992, the winner of Florida has gone on to the White House. This year, Donald Trump made Miami’s Latin-American community a major focus in his reelection effort.”
In every Presidential election since 1992, the winner of Florida has gone on to the White House. This year, Donald Trump made Miami’s Latin-American community a major focus in his reëlection effort. https://t.co/cR8XrbRj3M — The New Yorker (@NewYorker) November 4, 2020
In an evaluation of the states of Florida, North Carolina, and Georgia, The New York Times determined that Hispanics increased their vote for Trump by 11 percentage points, having voted 62% for Hillary Clinton in 2016, but just 51% for Joe Biden in 2020.
Cuban American voters increased their vote for Trump by 14 percentage points in 2020 from four years ago, shifting from 55% for Clinton in 2016 to 59% for Trump in 2020.
“If Trump wins Florida, it will be a tribute to an incredibly robust state operation that focused like a laser beam on the Latino vote, with compelling Spanish-language ads and pointed messaging, particularly around socialism,” National Review editor Rich Lowry tweeted.
If Trump wins Florida, it will be a tribute to an incredibly robust state operation that focused like a laser beam on the Latino vote, with compelling Spanish-language ads and pointed messaging, particularly around socialism — Rich Lowry (@RichLowry) November 4, 2020
A Telemundo poll last week found Florida was an outlier for the Latino vote, as it was much closer there than in Arizona or Nevada.
Latest Telemundo Poll on latino vote:
ARIZONA
Biden 64% Trump 28%
FLORIDA
Biden 48% Trump 43%
NEVADA
Biden 62%. Trump 29% — Randy Serrano (@serranonews) October 29, 2020
Even with a Florida victory, Harry Zahn of PBS’ “NewsHour” noted that Trump still has much ground to make up.
“Trump has performed well in Florida. Did a good job cutting into Clinton leads among Cuban/Latino vote,” Zahn tweeted. “But a loss in either Ohio or North Carolina would be a heavy blow to Trump’s electoral map.”
Trump made a strong play during the campaign for the Hispanic vote in Florida, as much of that population is from Cuba and Venezuela, where people once lived under socialist tyrannies.
Thousands of Republicans are waiting for Trump to touch down in Miami in his final push for votes in the critical swing state. His route back to the White House is virtually impossible without winning Florida and tonight he is targeting the key Latino vote. #Election2020 pic.twitter.com/8KCwr54lda — Lizzie Robinson (@LizzieITV) November 2, 2020
“Thousands of Republicans are waiting for Trump to touch down in Miami in his final push for votes in the critical swing state,” a producer at Britain’s ITV tweeted Nov. 1. “His route back to the White House is virtually impossible without winning Florida, and tonight, he is targeting the key Latino vote.”


dailysignal--2020-11-04--6 Key Senate Races Called, but Control of Senate Still Up for Grabs

Control of the Senate remains up for grabs , with no declared victor in several key races .
Prior to Tuesday night , Republicans held 53 of 100 seats .
Democrats , including the two nominal independents in their caucus , held 47 .
Democrats needed to pick up four Senate seats to control the upper chamber if former Vice President Joe Biden loses the presidential race .
If Biden wins the presidency , Democrats would need a net gain of just three seats , since the prospective vice president—Kamala Harris—would break ties in the Senate if the partisan split @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s balloting .
Thirty-five of the Senate ’ s 100 seats were up for election this cycle .
Here are the results of six of the most competitive elections : Jones , 66 , was a lawyer prior to being elected narrowly in 2017 to the Senate in a special election to fill the seat vacated by Republican Jeff Sessions .
Sessions was tapped by President Donald Trump to be his attorney general .
Jones is a former U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Alabama appointed by then-President Bill Clinton .
His @ @ @ @ @ @ @ human rights , and support for education and health care , specifically for those with preexisting conditions .
Tuberville , 66 , is a former football player and football coach .
McSally , 54 , was in the U.S. Air Force for 26 years and then served for four years in the House before being appointed to the Senate in 2018 to fill a vacancy .
She ran on a platform supporting border security , rebuilding the military , and supporting veterans .
Kelly , 56 , is a retired U.S. Navy captain @ @ @ @ @ @ @ engineer .
Kelly is the husband of Gabby Giffords , who formerly served in the House and was shot in 2012 in an assassination attempt .
He campaigned on support for health care reforms , believing that “ health care is a right , ” support for “ every woman ’ s right to choose how and when to start her family , ” and environmental issues .
Gardner , 46 , has represented Colorado in the Senate since 2015 .
Previously he served in the House , representing the state ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and was a member of the Colorado House of Representatives from 2005 to 2011 .
He ran on support for helping rural communities in Colorado by reducing regulations that hamper the ability to start a business , border security , and a 12-year pathway to citizenship for so-called young immigrant “ Dreamers , ” bringing down the cost of health care , and addressing Colorado ’ s opioid crisis .
By contrast , Hickenlooper , 68 , the former mayor of Denver from 2003 to 2011 and former governor of Colorado from 2011 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of support for abortion rights , saying that “ Roe v. Wade is threatened more than ever before , ” gun control , and universal health care , calling it a “ a right , not a privilege.
” Graham has represented South Carolina in the Senate since 2003 and has served as chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee since 2019 .
Prior to serving in the Senate , Graham served as a defense attorney in the U.S. Air Force .
He was a central figure in helping get Supreme Court Justice Brett @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Blasey Ford ’ s uncorroborated allegations of sexual misconduct against him , and helped as Judiciary Committee chairman to confirm newly sworn in Justice Amy Coney Barrett .
He ran on a platform calling for lower taxes and cutting regulation , rebuilding the military , reforming health care so that no person is “ denied medical coverage or insurance due to a preexisting condition , ” and protecting the right to life .
Harrison , 44 , served as the chairman of the South Carolina Democratic Party from 2013 to 2017 .
He @ @ @ @ @ @ @ National Committee , and ran on accessing high-quality health care , including coverage for preexisting conditions , paid family and sick leave , tax credits for child care , and reforming the criminal justice system .
Ernst , 50 , has represented her state in the Senate since 2015 , and previously served in the Iowa Army National Guard beginning in 1993 , retiring in 2015 as a lieutenant colonel .
Her platform included calls for fiscal responsibility and accountability ; support for Iowa farmers , including “ eliminating harmful rules and regulations @ @ @ @ @ @ @ including Obama ’ s Waters of the United States ( WOTUS ) rule , which would have regulated about 97 percent of land in Iowa , ” and protecting life , including ensuring that no taxpayer funds go to the country ’ s biggest abortion providers .
Greenfield has worked in urban planning and real estate development .
She ran on a platform calling for racial justice and health care , calling it a “ right , not a privilege.
” The race also included Rick Stewart , a Libertarian , and Suzanne @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 58 , has served in the Senate since 2015 , previously representing Montana in the House .
Bullock , 54 , governor of Montana since 2013 , ran on “ protecting women ’ s health and rights , ” equal pay for all , and campaign finance reform .

Control of the Senate remains up for grabs, with no declared victor in several key races.
Prior to Tuesday night, Republicans held 53 of 100 seats. Democrats, including the two nominal independents in their caucus, held 47. Democrats needed to pick up four Senate seats to control the upper chamber if former Vice President Joe Biden loses the presidential race.
If Biden wins the presidency, Democrats would need a net gain of just three seats, since the prospective vice president—Kamala Harris—would break ties in the Senate if the partisan split were to be 50-50 after Tuesday’s balloting.
Thirty-five of the Senate’s 100 seats were up for election this cycle. Here are the results of six of the most competitive elections:
Alabama: Sen. Doug Jones (D) vs. Tommy Tuberville (R)
Latest results: 59.9% (Tuberville) to 40.1% (Jones) / Percentage counted: 53%
Jones, 66, was a lawyer prior to being elected narrowly in 2017 to the Senate in a special election to fill the seat vacated by Republican Jeff Sessions. Sessions was tapped by President Donald Trump to be his attorney general.
Jones is a former U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Alabama appointed by then-President Bill Clinton. His campaign platform included support for civil and human rights, and support for education and health care, specifically for those with preexisting conditions.
Tuberville, 66, is a former football player and football coach.
2. Arizona: Sen. Martha McSally (R) vs. Mark Kelly (D)
Latest results: 55.1% (Kelly) to 44.9% (McSally) / Percentage counted: 75%
McSally, 54, was in the U.S. Air Force for 26 years and then served for four years in the House before being appointed to the Senate in 2018 to fill a vacancy. She ran on a platform supporting border security, rebuilding the military, and supporting veterans.
Kelly, 56, is a retired U.S. Navy captain as well as an astronaut and an engineer. Kelly is the husband of Gabby Giffords, who formerly served in the House and was shot in 2012 in an assassination attempt.
He campaigned on support for health care reforms, believing that “health care is a right,” support for “every woman’s right to choose how and when to start her family,” and environmental issues.
3. Colorado: Sen. Cory Gardner (R) vs. John Hickenlooper (D)
Latest results: 54.5% (Hickenlooper) to 43.5% (Gardner) / Percentage counted: 83%
Gardner, 46, has represented Colorado in the Senate since 2015. Previously he served in the House, representing the state’s 4th Congressional District from 2011 to 2015 and was a member of the Colorado House of Representatives from 2005 to 2011.
He ran on support for helping rural communities in Colorado by reducing regulations that hamper the ability to start a business, border security, and a 12-year pathway to citizenship for so-called young immigrant “Dreamers,” bringing down the cost of health care, and addressing Colorado’s opioid crisis.
By contrast, Hickenlooper, 68, the former mayor of Denver from 2003 to 2011 and former governor of Colorado from 2011 to 2019, ran on a platform of support for abortion rights, saying that “Roe v. Wade is threatened more than ever before,” gun control, and universal health care, calling it a “a right, not a privilege.”
4. South Carolina: Sen. Lindsey Graham (R) vs. Jaime Harrison (D)
Latest results: 56.4% (Graham) to 42.2% (Harrison) / Percentage counted: 56%
Graham has represented South Carolina in the Senate since 2003 and has served as chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee since 2019. Prior to serving in the Senate, Graham served as a defense attorney in the U.S. Air Force.
He was a central figure in helping get Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh confirmed in the midst of Christine Blasey Ford’s uncorroborated allegations of sexual misconduct against him, and helped as Judiciary Committee chairman to confirm newly sworn in Justice Amy Coney Barrett.
He ran on a platform calling for lower taxes and cutting regulation, rebuilding the military, reforming health care so that no person is “denied medical coverage or insurance due to a preexisting condition,” and protecting the right to life.
Harrison, 44, served as the chairman of the South Carolina Democratic Party from 2013 to 2017. He is an associate chairman of the Democratic National Committee, and ran on accessing high-quality health care, including coverage for preexisting conditions, paid family and sick leave, tax credits for child care, and reforming the criminal justice system.
5. Iowa: Sen. Joni Ernst (R) vs. Theresa Greenfield (D)
Latest results: 51.8% (Ernst) to 45.2% (Greenfield) / Percentage counted: 91%
Ernst, 50, has represented her state in the Senate since 2015, and previously served in the Iowa Army National Guard beginning in 1993, retiring in 2015 as a lieutenant colonel.
Her platform included calls for fiscal responsibility and accountability; support for Iowa farmers, including “eliminating harmful rules and regulations that hamstring Iowa’s economy, including Obama’s Waters of the United States (WOTUS) rule, which would have regulated about 97 percent of land in Iowa,” and protecting life, including ensuring that no taxpayer funds go to the country’s biggest abortion providers.
Greenfield has worked in urban planning and real estate development. She ran on a platform calling for racial justice and health care, calling it a “right, not a privilege.”
The race also included Rick Stewart, a Libertarian, and Suzanne Herzog, an independent.
6. Montana: Sen. Steve Daines (R) vs. Gov. Steve Bullock (D)
Latest results: 53.5% (Daines) to 46.5% (Bullock) / Percentage counted: 88%
Daines, 58, has served in the Senate since 2015, previously representing Montana in the House.
Bullock, 54, governor of Montana since 2013, ran on “protecting women’s health and rights,” equal pay for all, and campaign finance reform.


dailysignal--2020-11-04--GOP Raises Concern About Voting Practices in Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania ’ s Republican Party has raised concerns over voting practices in the battleground state .
“ New picture from the field : an official ballot box being taken away by an unidentified civilian .
What ’ s going on here ?
” Philly GOP tweeted Tuesday .
Only two hours before polls closed , the Philly GOP account tweeted , “ Unidentified civilians moving ballot boxes , Unlicensed poll ‘ observers ’ entering polling places , Rampant , unchecked ballot harvesting , Twitter censoring all our tweets.
” The Trump team has also raised concerns about remarks from Pennsylvania @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
On Saturday , Shapiro tweeted , “ If all the votes are added up in PA , Trump is going to lose .
That ’ s why he ’ s working overtime to subtract as many votes as possible from this process.
” And he added , “ For the record , he ’ s [ Trump ] 0-6 against us in court .
We ’ ve protected voting rights .
Now , ignore the noise—vote !
” On Tuesday , White House strategic communications director Alyssa Farah told “ Fox Across @ @ @ @ @ @ @ We ’ ve been really concerned with some of those early comments from the attorney general.
” The president does have a legal team in Pennsylvania to ensure that election results are accurate and every vote is counted , Farah said .
But she added that “ it ’ s always concerning when those who are tasked with objectively carrying , executing an election really seem to be putting their thumb on the scale one direction or the other.
” President Donald Trump visited the swing state 13 times over the course of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Biden made 16 trips to the state .
In 2016 , Trump won Pennsylvania by only 0.7 percent , or 44,000 votes .
The state has 20 electoral votes .
“ There ’ s a lot of paths to victory for the president … ” Farah said .
“ So we hope we win Pennsylvania .
It would be an honor , but there ’ s other routes as well.
” Will Chamberlain , editor-in-chief of Human Events , shared a video of workers preventing a poll watcher from entering a polling place @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not for this location.
” A photo of the man ’ s “ Philadelphia County Board of Elections Watchers Certificate ” shows the paper “ authorizes the individual to watch in any ward/division in Philadelphia.
” Mandy Gunasekara , chief of staff to U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Andrew Wheeler , shared a conversation she overheard between “ Democrats watching the mail-in ballots being counted in PA. ” “ We need to slow this down and screw it up , ” Gunasekara reported the poll workers saying .
Biden/Harris signs were also seen @ @ @ @ @ @ @ campaign material being prohibited at voting sites , according to the Philly GOP Twitter account .
State laws do not allow officials to begin counting mail-in ballots in Pennsylvania until Election Day , which could add to delays in declaring a winner .
Philadelphia ’ s mayor , James Kenney , wrote in a letter Monday that “ getting a tally of mail-in ballots will easily take several days.
” Last month , the Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled mail-in ballots postmarked by Election Day can be received and counted up to three days @ @ @ @ @ @ @ decision , the U.S. Supreme Court left the state Supreme Court ’ s ruling in effect .
Biden , who is originally from Scranton , Pennsylvania , visited his hometown on Election Day and promised a crowd of about 200 supporters he would restore “ decency to the White House.
” The president also made Pennsylvania one of his final campaign stops .
During a rally Saturday , Trump said , “ A great red wave is forming.
” He added , “ As sure as we ’ re here together , that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , they see it on all sides , and there ’ s not a thing they can do about it .
”

Pennsylvania’s Republican Party has raised concerns over voting practices in the battleground state.
“New picture from the field: an official ballot box being taken away by an unidentified civilian. What’s going on here?” Philly GOP tweeted Tuesday.
New picture from the field: an official ballot box being taken away by an unidentified civilian. What’s going on here? pic.twitter.com/Vqy36KVDyE — Philly GOP (@PhillyGOP) November 3, 2020
Only two hours before polls closed, the Philly GOP account tweeted, “Unidentified civilians moving ballot boxes, Unlicensed poll ‘observers’ entering polling places, Rampant, unchecked ballot harvesting, Twitter censoring all our tweets.”
The Trump team has also raised concerns about remarks from Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro, a Democrat.
On Saturday, Shapiro tweeted, “If all the votes are added up in PA, Trump is going to lose. That’s why he’s working overtime to subtract as many votes as possible from this process.”
And he added, “For the record, he’s [Trump] 0-6 against us in court. We’ve protected voting rights. Now, ignore the noise—vote!”
On Tuesday, White House strategic communications director Alyssa Farah told “Fox Across America” with Jimmy Failla, “We’ve been really concerned with some of those early comments from the attorney general.”
The president does have a legal team in Pennsylvania to ensure that election results are accurate and every vote is counted, Farah said. But she added that “it’s always concerning when those who are tasked with objectively carrying, executing an election really seem to be putting their thumb on the scale one direction or the other.”
President Donald Trump visited the swing state 13 times over the course of the campaign and former Vice President Joe Biden made 16 trips to the state. In 2016, Trump won Pennsylvania by only 0.7 percent, or 44,000 votes. The state has 20 electoral votes.
“There’s a lot of paths to victory for the president … ” Farah said. “So we hope we win Pennsylvania. It would be an honor, but there’s other routes as well.”
Will Chamberlain, editor-in-chief of Human Events, shared a video of workers preventing a poll watcher from entering a polling place in Philadelphia because his certificate was “not for this location.”
A photo of the man’s “Philadelphia County Board of Elections Watchers Certificate” shows the paper “authorizes the individual to watch in any ward/division in Philadelphia.”
A poll watcher in Philly was just wrongfully prevented from entering the polling place#StopTheSteal pic.twitter.com/iJTFtRk0Id — Will Chamberlain (@willchamberlain) November 3, 2020
Mandy Gunasekara, chief of staff to U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Andrew Wheeler, shared a conversation she overheard between “Democrats watching the mail-in ballots being counted in PA.”
“We need to slow this down and screw it up,” Gunasekara reported the poll workers saying.
Overheard Democrats watching the mail-in ballots being counted in PA:
"We need to slow this down and screw it up."
"This" and "it" being the election. They don't even try to hide what they are doing and know @realDonaldTrump is winning! We won't let them steal it! @PhillyGOP — Mandy Gunasekara (@MississippiMG) November 3, 2020
Biden/Harris signs were also seen outside a Philadelphia polling location despite such campaign material being prohibited at voting sites, according to the Philly GOP Twitter account.
SPOTTED: Biden-Harris literature posted on either side of the entrance to the polling place located at 630-48 North 66th Street.
That’s certainly not 10 feet away! pic.twitter.com/zBaDbYmIQd — Philly GOP (@PhillyGOP) November 3, 2020
State laws do not allow officials to begin counting mail-in ballots in Pennsylvania until Election Day, which could add to delays in declaring a winner.
Philadelphia’s mayor, James Kenney, wrote in a letter Monday that “getting a tally of mail-in ballots will easily take several days.”
Last month, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled mail-in ballots postmarked by Election Day can be received and counted up to three days after the election. In a 4-4 decision, the U.S. Supreme Court left the state Supreme Court’s ruling in effect.
Biden, who is originally from Scranton, Pennsylvania, visited his hometown on Election Day and promised a crowd of about 200 supporters he would restore “decency to the White House.”
The president also made Pennsylvania one of his final campaign stops. During a rally Saturday, Trump said, “A great red wave is forming.” He added, “As sure as we’re here together, that wave is forming and they see it, they see it on all sides, and there’s not a thing they can do about it.”


dailysignal--2020-11-04--Republicans Take Back Alabama Senate Seat as Tommy Tuberville Defeats Doug Jones

Former Auburn University football coach Tommy Tuberville defeated Sen. Doug Jones , D-Ala. , The Associated Press reported , flipping a key seat in the battle for control of the Senate .
Tuberville was declared the winner almost immediately after Alabama ’ s polls closed Tuesday night , according to AP .
Coming into the night , Tuberville had been the heavy favorite to win the race with the politics website FiveThirtyEight giving him an 87 % chance of flipping the seat .
Tuberville ’ s campaign reportedly told NBC affiliate WPMI-TV Tuesday that it was confident its watch party @ @ @ @ @ @ @ In the final days of the campaign , Jones criticized both Tuberville and the polls , which predicted he would lose , according to AL.com .
“ For God ’ s sakes … don ’ t pay attention to these people who blow into these things , they don ’ t know what is going on the ground , ” Jones said on Monday , according to AL.com .
“ They weight things based on presidential elections in the past , ” he continued , AL.com reported .
“ We ’ ve been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I can ’ t tell you we will win this race , but I believe we ’ ll win it because we feel the energy and see what is going on.
” The win in Alabama represented the first in a series of Senate races that Republicans needed to win in order to retain control of the Senate .
FiveThirtyEight gave Republicans just a 25 % chance of holding onto the Senate .
The Republicans currently control the Senate with 53 seats , but face a series of tough competitions in states like @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
In July , Tuberville handily defeated former Alabama Sen. Jeff Sessions in the Republican primary .
Sessions had vacated the seat after President Donald Trump nominated him to be attorney general .
Trump had endorsed Tuberville over Sessions in March , according to CNN .
Jones had narrowly defeated Republican Roy Moore in a 2017 special election for the seat after a series of sexual misconduct allegations surfaced , according to NBC News .
Content created by The Daily Caller News Foundation is available without charge to any eligible news publisher that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ licensing opportunities for this original content , email [ email protected ] .

Former Auburn University football coach Tommy Tuberville defeated Sen. Doug Jones, D-Ala., The Associated Press reported, flipping a key seat in the battle for control of the Senate.
Tuberville was declared the winner almost immediately after Alabama’s polls closed Tuesday night, according to AP. Coming into the night, Tuberville had been the heavy favorite to win the race with the politics website FiveThirtyEight giving him an 87% chance of flipping the seat.
Tuberville’s campaign reportedly told NBC affiliate WPMI-TV Tuesday that it was confident its watch party would turn into a victory party.
In the final days of the campaign, Jones criticized both Tuberville and the polls, which predicted he would lose, according to AL.com.
“For God’s sakes … don’t pay attention to these people who blow into these things, they don’t know what is going on the ground,” Jones said on Monday, according to AL.com.
“They weight things based on presidential elections in the past,” he continued, AL.com reported. “We’ve been doing this for two years now. I can’t tell you we will win this race, but I believe we’ll win it because we feel the energy and see what is going on.”
The win in Alabama represented the first in a series of Senate races that Republicans needed to win in order to retain control of the Senate. FiveThirtyEight gave Republicans just a 25% chance of holding onto the Senate.
The Republicans currently control the Senate with 53 seats, but face a series of tough competitions in states like North Carolina, Arizona, and Colorado.
In July, Tuberville handily defeated former Alabama Sen. Jeff Sessions in the Republican primary. Sessions had vacated the seat after President Donald Trump nominated him to be attorney general.
Trump had endorsed Tuberville over Sessions in March, according to CNN.
Jones had narrowly defeated Republican Roy Moore in a 2017 special election for the seat after a series of sexual misconduct allegations surfaced, according to NBC News.
Content created by The Daily Caller News Foundation is available without charge to any eligible news publisher that can provide a large audience. For licensing opportunities for this original content, email licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.