[NB: Check the byline, thanks. /~Rayne]
Polls closed across most of Eastern Time Zone about an hour ago and will close soon in Central.
IF YOU WERE IN LINE BEFORE END OF YOUR LOCAL POLLING (7:00 OR 8:00 P.M. DEPENDING ON LOCALE), STAY IN LINE AND VOTE.
This post will be updated sporadically through the evening and into tomorrow with news about election outcomes across the U.S.
Please also stay on topic in this thread, mid-term election-related discussion only.
Please also share how turnout was in your area if you voted today. Thanks!
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UPDATE-1 — 9:10 PM ET —
Daniel Nichanian (a.k.a. @[email protected], @[email protected]) has pulled together a tremendous cheat sheet to all the elections and issues on ballots today.
Thanks, Daniel! Note that he and the journal he manages, Bolts, have a presence on Mastodon on the journa.host server.
Here’s how things were going in Ann Arbor MI at 6:40 p.m. this evening:
Here’s how things are going in Ann Arbor right now.n #VoteBlueToday pic.twitter.com/RCP6bFHEBv
— Chris Savage (@Eclectablog) November 8, 2022
Hope this is a really good sign for the top of the ticket — those women in Michigan — and Proposal 3 to enshrine reproductive rights in Michigan’s state constitution.
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UPDATE-2 — 9:30 PM ET —
‘
Washington Post is doing this right though the news is grim:
As of 9:05 p.m. ET, 59 Republican candidates who denied the 2020 election results have won their midterm race. https://t.co/5O3qOzXHpz
— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) November 9, 2022
It’s disgusting to know that candidates who don’t believe in democracy were elected to office today by way of the democracy they’re undermining.
TEXAS: Ken Paxton, who’s on the ballot, is trying to screw with the vote in progress.
update: texas attorney general ken paxton’s office has filed a writ of mandamus asking the texas supreme court to vacate or reverse the harris county court order from earlier today extending voting hours at all polling locations countywide to 8 p.m.https://t.co/C2yIdN58OB https://t.co/eaJGp7hAsN
— Jen Rice (@jen_rice_) November 9, 2022
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UPDATE-3 — 10:30 PM ET —
TEXAS: And the corrupt dirtbag pulled it off, managed to cut off voting.
🚨BREAKING: Texas Supreme Court grants request from Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) and pauses lower court decision that extended polling hours in Harris County to 8 pm. The court orders ballots cast by voters who got in line after 7 pm be segregated.https://t.co/FDNc3QSCCt
— Democracy Docket (@DemocracyDocket) November 9, 2022
As you can see, Marc Elias is watching this closely. Harris County, home to the city of Houston, is the most populous county in Texas; it’s also less than 28% non-Hispanic white. Can’t have those people voting, can we, Paxton?
GEORGIA: A nauseating dead heat in the Senate race.
A deadheat in GA with Walker up by just 748 votes. Both candidates under 50% threshold to avoid a runoff https://t.co/i2MMrRfGR3 pic.twitter.com/1mpGZvsGgX
— Manu Raju (@mkraju) November 9, 2022
— GOOD NEWS —
MARYLAND: Democrat Wes Moore is the state’s first Black governor-elect. Marijuana was also legalized. And GenZ takes its first seat in a state legislature this election:
My name is Joe Vogel, I’m a 25 year-old immigrant, and I just won my race to become the first GenZ legislator in Maryland.
The generational challenges we face call for a new generation of leadership. I’m ready to fight for the future of my community, my state, and my country.
— Joe Vogel (@JoeVogel_) November 9, 2022
VERMONT: Pete Welch is the projected winner of U.S. Senate seat as successor to Senator Leahy. Democrat Becca Balint wins VT-01 House seat, and the state is the first to approve reproductive rights as part of its state constitution.
* Should have noted earlier that Balint’s win is for the ONLY House seat representing Vermont; VT-01 is an at-large district.
— BAD NEWS —
VERMONT: Republican Phil Scott won re-election as governor.
FLORIDA: DeathSantis has won re-election in spite of trying to kill off his base. Marco Rubio appears to have held onto his seat.
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UPDATE-4 — 11:30 PM ET —
— GOOD NEWS —
FLORIDA: Democrat Maxwell Alejandro Frost is the first GenZ candidate to win a House seat this election, taking FL-10 which includes Orlando. He was a March for Our Lives organizer.
ILLINOIS: J.D. Pritzker (D) won re-election as governor.
PENNSYLVANIA: Josh Shapiro (D) appears to have won the governor’s race. Thank goodness. (Fetterman looks good but still not a closed deal.)
OHIO: Democrats Marcy Kaptur (OH-09), Shontel Brown (OH-11) and Joyce Beatty (OH-03) win reelection. Emilia Sykes (D) won the redistricted OH-13; the old OH-13 had been Tim Ryan’s district.
— BAD NEWS —
OHIO: J.D. Vance to the Senate and Mike DeWine returns as governor. Republicans Brad Wenstrup wins re-election to OH-02, Bob Latta returns in OH-05, and that asshat Jim Jordan wins re-election to OH-04.
Goddamn it, Ohioans, really? Just stay the hell on your side of the border.
This is just ridiculous:
Update: More than 100 Republicans who deny the results of the 2020 election have won their elections so far, according to projections.
Dozens of others are leading their opponents. https://t.co/uOoo2rFCGy pic.twitter.com/0GMUrPAI0U
— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) November 9, 2022
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UPDATE-5 — 12:15 AM ET 09-NOV-2022 —
This was good:
At first glance at the tweet, you don’t even see the shiv. pic.twitter.com/gyjQBUCoyg
— Bill Grueskin (@BGrueskin) November 9, 2022
The ballot count is still going Fetterman’s direction.
— GOOD NEWS —
CALIFORNIA: Alex Padilla (D) appears to have won the U.S. Senate race.
MAINE: Janet Mills (D) has been re-elected as governor.
MICHIGAN: Gretchen “that woman in Michigan” Whitmer has won re-election as governor. Go Big Gretch! The triumvirate of estrogen, including Jocelyn Benson (D) as secretary of state and Dana Nessel (D) as state attorney general appear to have won re-election with huge margins. HUGE. Congrats to Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist (D) as well.
NEW HAMPSHIRE: Maggie Hassan (D) returns to the Senate.
NEW YORK: Kathy Horchul (D) is elected as governor.
OHIO: Greg Landsman (D) appears to have flipped OH-01.
RHODE ISLAND: Seth Magaziner (D) retains RI-02 for Democrats after Jim Langevin’s retirement.
VIRGINIA: Abigail Spansberger (D) keeps her VA-07 House seat.
— BAD NEWS —
GEORGIA: Not unexpected but that Trumpy wretch Marjorie Taylor Green won re-election in GA-14. That district is effed up.
MISSOURI: Eric Schmitt, one of RAGA’s members, won the U.S. Senate race. Just revolting.
SOUTH CAROLINA: Ted Budd (R) narrowly wins the U.S. Senate seat.
Which means the Senate remains far too pasty and not representative of our nation:
Both Val Demings (D) and Cheri Beasley (D) have lost their Senate races in Florida and North Carolina, respectively. The Senate remains without a single Black woman in the chamber. https://t.co/QqcAcwirzl
— 19thnews (@19thnews) November 9, 2022
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UPDATE-6 — 1:45 AM ET 09-NOV-2022 —
Huh. Is this what a red wave looks like?
Scene at Kevin McCarthy’s election night event at midnight: pic.twitter.com/DlRPsKTSk8
— Caitlin Huey-Burns (@CHueyBurns) November 9, 2022
— GOOD NEWS —
MICHIGAN: Proposal 2 which established a right to vote, and Proposal 3 which established reproductive rights, passed and will become part of the state’s constitution.
MASSACHUSETTS: Big night with governor’s office flipped by MA Attorney General Maura Healey (D), first openly gay governor. Andrea Campbell (D) won the AG’s race, now the first Black AG in that state. See community member pdaly’s comments in thread below about Massachusetts.
MINNESOTA: Tim Walz (D) won re-election. Dean Phillips retained his MN-03 House seat as did Ilhan Omar (MN-05) and Angie Craig (MN-02).
MISSOURI: Amendment 3 which would legalize marijuana possession and use by adults age 21 and older appears to have passed.
NEW JERSEY: Andy Kim (D) will be back as representative for House district NJ-03.
NEW MEXICO: Democrat Michelle Lujan Grisham won re-election to the governor’s office.
TENNESSEE: Amendment 3 passed, abolishing slavery. Holy mother of gods I had NO idea this was an issue.
WISCONSIN: Tony Evers (D) re-elected as governor. Take a bow, Ben Wikler, for organizing Wisconsin Dems. Democrat Mandela Barnes’ race for Ron Johnson’s Senate seat is neck-and-neck, doubt this will be settled by dawn.
— BAD NEWS —
ALABAMA: Wes Allen (R), election denier, won the Secretary of State race.
ARKANSAS: Issue 4 which would have legalized marijuana failed. Snoop Dogg must be heartbroken. Equally heartbreaking: Sarah Huckabee won the governor’s race.
INDIANA: Election denier Diego Morales (R) won the Secretary of State race. This one is particularly bad because he’s worked in SOS at lower level receiving poor performance reviews.
IOWA: Dear gods, you fools re-elected Chuck Grassley who’ll be 95 if he should finish his term as Senator. Election denier Kim Reynolds (R) won the governor’s race. I can’t with you.
NORTH DAKOTA: Voters rejected marijuana legalization.
SOUTH DAKOTA: Election denier Monae Johnson (R) won the Secretary of State race; voters also rejected marijuana legalization (though it had passed in 2020).
VIRGINIA: Elaine Luria (D) who has been a House January 6 Committee member, lost her re-election bid for VA-02 to Jennifer Kiggans (R).
WYOMING: Election denier Chuck Gray (R) won the Secretary of State race, but ran unopposed. He’s said he’s going to purge the SOS department of those who don’t agree with him.
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There have been some big firsts tonight:
Some of tonight’s history making winners so far:
Wes Moore – 1st African American Gov of MD
Kathy Hochul – 1st woman elected Gov in NY
Maxwell Frost – 1st Gen Z elected to the House
Ruwa Roman – 1st Muslim elected to the GA State LegislatureAdd if I’ve missed any
— Ayman (@AymanM) November 9, 2022
I hope I wake up to more like this.
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UPDATE-7 — 2:15 AM ET 09-NOV-2022 —
Okay, I lied, I’m still awake and wound up because SENATOR FETTERMAN!!!
BREAKING: Democrat John Fetterman wins election to U.S. Senate from Pennsylvania. #APracecall at 1:51 a.m. EST. https://t.co/2nlgpji7ac
— AP Politics (@AP_Politics) November 9, 2022
And there’s strong possibility my state Michigan may go completely blue.
But seriously, I do need some sleep. See you in the morning!