# 2018 Election Day Thread **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [November 6, 2018, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2018-election-day-thread/824079 "2018-11-06T15:43:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 17
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2018, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2018-election-day-thread/824079/322 "2018-11-07T03:17:15Z")
> [@jsc1953](#): > > It’s over for Beto O’Rourke, and it wasn’t even really that close. A LOT of buzz a few hours ago about the meaning of the Beto phenomenon has just evaporated. Huh? I see Cruz ahead [50.6% to 48.8% with 23% reporting](https://www.google.com/search?biw=2560&bih=1331&ei=SljiW8-GKobljwTK1bvADA&q=O%27Rourke&oq=O%27Rourke&gs_l=psy-ab.3..0l10.128402.128402..129409...0.0..0.89.89.1......0....1j2..gws-wiz.tKr_ytQHhic) (as of 9:15pm CST). What “evaporated” are you talking about? I think it is likely O’Rourke will lose but “evaporated”? Not seeing it. ---
**Author:** ![UltraVires](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ecccb3/32.png) [@UltraVires](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UltraVires)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2018, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2018-election-day-thread/824079/323 "2018-11-07T03:17:40Z")
> [@squidfood](#): > > Respect to Nate Silver the Master Troll: “Model too aggressive”? Nah - he wanted to see a few heart attacks. This was all clearly explained earlier by Nathaniel Rakich, although it was covered very sparsely and poorly in this thread. ---
**Author:** ![asterion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4da419/32.png) [@asterion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asterion)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2018, 3:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2018-election-day-thread/824079/324 "2018-11-07T03:18:39Z")
> [@UltraVires](#): > > This was all clearly explained earlier by Nathaniel Rakich, although it was covered very sparsely and poorly in this thread. I believe it was pulling in old results from the Brazilian election. ---
**Author:** ![skdo23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a5b964/32.png) [@skdo23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/skdo23)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2018, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2018-election-day-thread/824079/325 "2018-11-07T03:19:20Z")
Sinema ahead in AZ. ---
**Author:** ![galen\_ubal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/galen_ubal/32/4440_2.png) [@galen\_ubal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/galen_ubal)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2018, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2018-election-day-thread/824079/326 "2018-11-07T03:19:37Z")
ABC News is projecting that Republicans will keep the Senate. Not a surprise, but disappointing. ---
**Author:** ![UltraVires](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ecccb3/32.png) [@UltraVires](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UltraVires)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2018, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2018-election-day-thread/824079/327 "2018-11-07T03:19:56Z")
Did the voter counters go on strike in Florida? I haven’t seen any updates in more than an hour. ---
**Author:** ![Moe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moe/32/2972_2.png) [@Moe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moe)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2018, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2018-election-day-thread/824079/328 "2018-11-07T03:21:53Z")
MSNBC just called the House for Dems ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2018, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2018-election-day-thread/824079/329 "2018-11-07T03:22:12Z")
I’m going to bed soon, but according to NYT, the democrats have gained 11 house seats so far. Half the races are still outstanding. We may not know who won the house for a while, California has mail in ballots that take a while to count. There are at least half a dozen GOP seats that could flip today in California. So it could be a while. ---
**Author:** ![jsc1953](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@jsc1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jsc1953)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2018, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2018-election-day-thread/824079/330 "2018-11-07T03:24:08Z")
> [@Whack-a-Mole](#): > > Huh? > > I see Cruz ahead [50.6% to 48.8% with 23% reporting](https://www.google.com/search?biw=2560&bih=1331&ei=SljiW8-GKobljwTK1bvADA&q=O%27Rourke&oq=O%27Rourke&gs_l=psy-ab.3..0l10.128402.128402..129409...0.0..0.89.89.1......0....1j2..gws-wiz.tKr_ytQHhic) (as of 9:15pm CST). > > What “evaporated” are you talking about? > > I think it is likely O’Rourke will lose but “evaporated”? Not seeing it. While Beto was leading (and he was, for most of the evening) MSNBC devoted a lot of air time breathlessly analyzing the import of his victory. All that analysis turned out to be for naught…which is what I was referring to as “evaporating”. And 51-49 is close-for-a-Democrat-in-Texas but not breathtakingly close. ---
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2018, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2018-election-day-thread/824079/331 "2018-11-07T03:24:11Z")
Besides Kobach going down big time in Kansas, it looks like D’s have flipped two of the four House seats as well. Woot!! ---
**Author:** ![Rick\_Kitchen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rick_kitchen/32/522_2.png) [@Rick\_Kitchen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick_Kitchen)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2018, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2018-election-day-thread/824079/332 "2018-11-07T03:24:54Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > I just do not understand the confusion and chaos with voting machines. Our voting machines here are pieces of paper and Sharpies. Works great. > > Not everything needs a machine. Failure of voting machines is a feature. ---
**Author:** ![gaffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2018, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2018-election-day-thread/824079/333 "2018-11-07T03:25:33Z")
> [@Whack-a-Mole](#): > > Huh? > > I see Cruz ahead [50.6% to 48.8% with 23% reporting](https://www.google.com/search?biw=2560&bih=1331&ei=SljiW8-GKobljwTK1bvADA&q=O%27Rourke&oq=O%27Rourke&gs_l=psy-ab.3..0l10.128402.128402..129409...0.0..0.89.89.1......0....1j2..gws-wiz.tKr_ytQHhic) (as of 9:15pm CST). > > What “evaporated” are you talking about? > > I think it is likely O’Rourke will lose but “evaporated”? Not seeing it. Have all the urban districts already reported? ---
**Author:** ![Rick\_Kitchen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rick_kitchen/32/522_2.png) [@Rick\_Kitchen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick_Kitchen)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2018, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2018-election-day-thread/824079/334 "2018-11-07T03:26:44Z")
> [@iiandyiiii](#): > > No one is restricted to only the candidates on the ballot. Not true in California, at least. Your vote doesn’t count if you throw in a write-in candidate, unless that candidate has registered with the state Secretary of State as a write-in candidate. ---
**Author:** ![Fiveyearlurker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/da6949/32.png) [@Fiveyearlurker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiveyearlurker)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2018, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2018-election-day-thread/824079/335 "2018-11-07T03:26:50Z")
538 has Senate at 0% chance. And it takes a lot for a statistician to call something 0%! ---
**Author:** ![MacCat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maccat/32/216_2.png) [@MacCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MacCat)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2018, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2018-election-day-thread/824079/336 "2018-11-07T03:27:33Z")
MSNBC: Democrats will take the house. ---
**Author:** ![Moe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moe/32/2972_2.png) [@Moe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moe)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2018, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2018-election-day-thread/824079/337 "2018-11-07T03:27:54Z")
> [@Moe](#): > > MSNBC just called the House for Dems Though I’ll feel a lot better once 538 does the same. They’re at 88% which I think is about where we started. ---
**Author:** ![Hermione](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/cdc98d/32.png) [@Hermione](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hermione)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2018, 3:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2018-election-day-thread/824079/338 "2018-11-07T03:28:19Z")
CNN predicted a few minutes ago that the GOP keeps the Senate, but Dems win the House and quite a few governorships. Which is more or less what most people were predicting anyway. Not the complete takeover I’d hoped, but overall, I’m happier tonight than I was two years ago. Now here’s hoping the Dems will analyze the results and use them as a guideline for 2020 strategy. ---
**Author:** ![asterion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4da419/32.png) [@asterion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asterion)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2018, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2018-election-day-thread/824079/339 "2018-11-07T03:29:44Z")
Legal weed passes in Michigan. I give Schedule I status of cannabis no longer than the next Democratic presidency. ---
**Author:** ![Railer13](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/railer13/32/9742_2.png) [@Railer13](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Railer13)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2018, 3:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2018-election-day-thread/824079/340 "2018-11-07T03:30:33Z")
> [@UltraVires](#): > > How does a Republican lose in Kansas? Did he get caught masturbating in public before the election? I admit I didn’t follow that one very closely, but damn, how does that happen? > [@iiandyiiii](#): > > Their last R gov was absolutely awful, IIRC, and Kobach was a bad candidate. Kelly ran a great campaign, focusing on the Brownback tax disaster. She got endorsements from damn near all the retired Republican politicians in the state, including the last two Pub governors before Brownback. And Kobach had nothing to run on. I think that 90% of the Kobach ads I saw in the last month were clips of Trump endorsing Kobach at the Topeka rally. ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2018, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2018-election-day-thread/824079/341 "2018-11-07T03:32:19Z")
> [@jsc1953](#): > > While Beto was leading (and he was, for most of the evening) MSNBC devoted a lot of air time breathlessly analyzing the import of his victory. All that analysis turned out to be for naught…which is what I was referring to as “evaporating”. And 51-49 is close-for-a-Democrat-in-Texas but not breathtakingly close. MSNBC…the FOX News of the left. Don’t listen to either. And Cruz won his last election by [16 points](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Senate_election_in_Texas,_2012) so I would say narrowing it down by 14 points is significant. YMMV [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2018-election-day-thread/824079.md?page=16) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2018-election-day-thread/824079.md?page=18)