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| Photo: Courtesy of NBC |
Election Day has come and gone and still some races have been left uncalled. In this historic election, truly every vote matters and being such, I wanted to wait until all of the races had been decided. Yet, now over two weeks after election day, we finally have concrete numbers for some of the last races. In the midterm election, that saw the turn over of the United States House of Representatives by a sixty-one seat swing, was truly a wave election that rippled around the entire country. This post will highlight the most important and interesting races that Center Right Nation has followed throughout the summer and fall.
The House
In a historic swing, the Republicans recaptured the United States House of Representatives by gaining sixty-one seats (the single biggest gain in modern times). In this particular election, my attention was captivated by two races in particular. First off, of particular importance was the Michelle Bachmann's (MN-R) reelection campaign against the Democratic challenger, Tarryl Clark (MN-D). Bachmann won reelection by garnering fifty-two percent of the vote while Clark only captured about forty percent. Michelle Bachmann, the Tea Party darling, won by about a 30,000 vote margin. This established her strength as a more powerful member of Congress and even prompted her to attempt to run for a leadership position within the House.
The second House race I have followed this election cycle was that of Democrat Marcy Kaptur. (OH-D) I am happy to report that Kaptur won her reelection after receiving fifty-nine percent of the vote, totaling near 118,000 votes. Her opponent, Rich Lott (OH-R) won forty-one percent of the vote, which equals about 82,000 votes. Maybe I need to explain why I favor Marcy Kaptur so highly. Quite simply put, Marcy Kaptur is one of my all time favorite members of the House and I also find her to be one of the few good politicians in D.C. today. Her appearance in Michael Moore's documentary Capitalism: A Love Story, cemented my opinion of her. In the film, she is interviewed by Moore and her opinions about the bailout and her responses to her constituents were right in the money. She voted against both bailouts and told the people of Oho not to leave their foreclosed homes. She more famously quipped, "Become a squatter in your own home." She is a woman who has served her constituents and this country well and because of that she has deserved my admiration and respect.
The Senate
The 2010 Midterm Senatorial Elections saw a huge field of hotly contested races with a plethora of.... lets saying 'interesting' characters. The races Center Right Nation has followed are listed below:
Alaska: The bitter primary battle between incumbent Senator Lisa Murkowski (AK-R) and Joe Miller (AK-R) effectively split the state of Alaska, which resulted in Murkoswki running as a write-in-candidate. The election quickly became a vicious fight between Murkowski and Miller, with the Democratic candidate Scott McAdams (AK-D) being left in the wake. However, over two weeks after election night and their is still no certain winner. The current results are as follows: Lisa Murkowski with thirty-nine percent, Joe Miller has thirty-five percent, and Scott McAdams with twenty-three percent. Yet these results are no final, and indeed the Alaskan courts have ruled that no one candidate can currently be certified the victor. The reason behind the ruling is that the write in rules for Alaska allow mandate that the name must be spelled exactly correct; however, they also state the misspelled votes can be considered on a case by case basis. The last check had most groups projecting Lisa Murkowski the winner, which in my mind is extremely unfortunate.
Arkansas: The state that propelled Bill Clinton onto the national scene and into the White House seems to have had a change of heart. Incumbent Senator Blanche Lincoln (AR-D) has been in the fight of her life to retain her seat. The primary battle for the Democratic Nomination was bitter and left Blanche Lincoln as damaged goods and easy pickings for her opponent in the general election, John Boozman. In a convincing victory, the voters of Arkansas has changed its Senate delegation by electing John Boozman with fifty-eight percent of the vote compared to Lincoln's thirty-seven percent.
Delaware: In what may have been the most televised and watched election in this cycle, Christine O'Donnell (DE-R) upset U.S. Rep. Mike Castle (DE-R) in the Republican primary, shocking the political world. Soon clips from O'Donnell's youth surfaced showing her making inaccurate, and often bizarre, comments. adding to the fire, comedian Bill Maher, on whose show some of the clips had been filmed, publicly said he would release a new clip every week until O'Donnell agreed to be interviewed on his show. However, better than expected debate performances, coupled with creative ads being released multiple times in the final weeks showed the gap actually closing in. Her opponent, County Executive Chris Coons (DE-D) came off as condescending and outright rude during the debates and avoid answering questions, which also prompted some to say that the dark horse candidate may have one more surprise left in her. Election night however yield the expected results, it seems the video clips had done enough damage because Christine O'Donnell received forty percent of the vote, while Coons won with fifty-six percent. If there is a lesson to be learned from this election, it is that if you intend to do or say anything stupid, please, please, please avoid video cameras. (Oh, and avoid the word witch too!)
Illinois:
Nevada: Admittedly the most shocking election results had to come out of Nevada, and it wasn't the good kind of shock either. For the past week and half before election day, the stagnant Senate race in Nevada finally seemed to be breaking towards a single candidate. The gridlock that had seemed to permeate the race between incumbent Democrat Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (NE-D) and State Senator Sharron Angle (NE-R) seemed to be breaking in Angle's favor. The vicious and heated battle for that Senate seat was bolstered by Reid's horrible approval rating, yet the extremism that seemed to hover of Sharron Angle made others uncomfortable as well. Yet, finally it seemed like we may have an answer and that Republicans may have dealt a powerful to the Democratic leadership in D.C., but apparently that was not to be. In what can almost be labeled as an upset, Harry Reid retained his seat by garnering fifty percent of the vote while Angle only picked up forty-five percent.
New Hampshire: The New Hampshire Senatorial saw the rise of a new 'mama grizzly'. The Sarah Palin (AK-R) endorsed Republican Candidate, Kelly Ayotte (NH-R) won a convincing battle against Democratic opponent, Paul Hodes (NH-D). Ayotte received sixty percent of the vote compared to Hodes' thirty-seven percent. This victory is extremely important for two reasons. First, New Hampshire is the second state in the presidential primary process and by endorsing the winning candidate, Palin could have a very important ally in a very important state should she decide to run. Secondly, it shows that while Palin may not be able to carry such Democratic strongholds in the New England area, such as New York and Delaware, but she may be able to pick up some the swing states that propelled Obama into the office only two years ago. Either way, this is an important victory for Sarah Palin as well as for Kelly Ayotte.
Gubernatorial Elections
Arizona: The lady who signed the controversial Arizona Immigration Law won a convincing election to secure her own full term. Incumbent Governor Jan Brewer (AZ-R), who became Governor upon former Governor Janet Napolitano's (AZ-R) appointment to Secretary of Homeland Security, fought a tough primary battle in order to secure the Republican nomination. Then the fallout of the Immigration law flooded the Internet and media airwaves yet it would seem either most people in Arizona agree with the bill, or agree with her handling of the situation. Election day saw Jan Brewer elected to her first full term with fifty-five percent of the vote compared to her opponents forty-two percent. It seems that my prior claim about Brewer's stand on the immigration came true, she was indeed rewarded for her courage.
South Carolina: The Palmetto State has elected its first woman to the Governor's Mansion. Nikki Haley (SC-R), the previously little known candidate was pushed to the forefront of the pack by a powerful endorsement from Sarah Palin as well as an unfounded controversy about an extramarital affair. In the primary battle, she surged from a consistent third place finish in most polls to getting forty-nine percent of the vote, narrowly failing to avoid a Republican runoff. After trouncing her opponent in the runoff, Haley had polled consistently ahead of her Democratic opponent Vincent Sheheen. The final results showed Nikki Haley winning with fifty-one percent of the vote compared to Sheheen's forty-seven percent. Congratulations Nikki Haley, if anyone deserves to win an election it is you. So kick back, relax, and work your magic and enjoy your time as governor, because you earned it. However, this election is also more important than it would see at first glance. South Carolina is a Republican Presidential proving ground and both Sarah Palin and Mitt Romney endorsed Nikki Haley. Therefore if either of them decided to run for president, both of them could have a very string ally in Governor-Elect Nikki Haley. But if both of them were to run, it could be interesting who Haley sides with. My money is on a Palin endorsement because of how much of her surge is said to be directly because of Palin's involvement in the election.
Later,
Cody
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