For what it’s worth, half of the authors of the GOP tax law are out. Four voted out, eight others retiring.
Seeing the same on the NYT site. With “100% reporting”, projected are Rouda over Rohrabacher and Hill over Knight, both 51-49.
Tester winning, assuming it happens, keeps the GOP from getting to 55. Holding the GOP to 53 is about the best we’re likely to do at this point, and I’m not even sure of that because I don’t really understand what’s going on in Arizona.
Right now, it’s GOP 51, Dems 45, with MT, AZ, FL, and the special election in MS still out. Tester winning makes it 51-46.
Nelson is within 0.4% in FL, which means he can insist on a recount (and has done so). But that 0.4% is 30,000 votes. That’s more than a recount will turn up. So unless there are a whole bunch of uncounted votes in FL, that’s gone. 52-46.
The MS special election is going to a December runoff, because it’s one of those Southern states that requires 50% to win. Espy’s not going to get 50% in the runoff. 53-46.
So it’s either 53-47 or 54-46, depending on Arizona. CNN says only 75% of the vote has been counted (in a graphic updated 10:51am today), which seems improbable. But if that’s so, McSally’s 16,000 vote lead hasn’t exactly clinched the deal yet.
ETA: The AZ Secretary of State’s website says 99% of precincts have reported. But if that’s so, why haven’t the nets called this one? That seems improbable too.
Well, that’s exciting. I just googled Rohrbacher election results and saw him declared the winner. Perhaps that was premature. (Perhaps that was an article from 2016. 
)
It wouldn’t be that hard for Democrats to take the Senate in 2020. If there’s a Democratic vice president to break the tie, then Republicans can’t afford to fall to 50-50 in the Senate; they’d need 51. They could afford to lose Maine, iowa, Colorado, and a 4th seat (assuming Doug Jones loses in Alabama.) That would leave them at 51. It’s not too hard for Democrats to get yet one or two more seats and get to a 50-50 split.
Who swears in the new Congresscritters?
Basically the Speaker is elected, then the Speaker swears in all members of the House. Weird, huh?
Feel free to look at this list and tell me how ‘not too hard’ that will be. Looks to me like they’d have to run the table on ME-CO-IA-NC-AZ, or win one or more seats in more hostile territory, like GA or MT or AK, or extremely hostile territory like TX or SC.
It’s possible, but “wouldn’t be that hard”?? Bullshit.
Just think how lucky the new Senators will be, to be sworn in by Mike Pence.
‘For ’tis the sport to have the enginer Hoist with his own petard’
- Prince Hamlet, in Hamlet, Act 3, Scene 4
OK, I finally know something about the state of play in Arizona. According to Rob O’Dell, a reporter for the Arizona Republic, there are still more than 600,000 early votes yet to be counted. IOW, plenty of room for a current 15,000-vote lead to get lost in. So no telling whether the new Senate will be 54-46 or 53-47. (Not that I’m happy about either one, but if that’s my choice…)
This article says that that that there are still “hundreds of thousands” of early vote ballots yet to be counted, primarily from Maricopa County which includes Phoenix, which means Sinema could feasibly be in the lead by the time they are counted. I’m hopeful, but not holding my breath.
Edit: YOU NINJAD ME
That’s some damn good political irony right there.
CNN projects that Tester has won in Montana: Democrat Jon Tester wins re-election in Montana Senate race | CNN Politics
That was probably just his personal team of Russian hackers…
Will someone be holding up the Quran when Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar are sworn in?
:smack:
:smack:
Would have thought appalling a more appropriate description.
Both Right & Left politically engaged on record levels, and spoiling for a ballot box fight to protect their ideological patch on a high octane mix of economic, social & ethical issues, USD5 billion spent feeding the media, and you still can’t get the average eligible voter, much less the average American to vote?
hate to burst your bubble, but the tradition is the spouse or other relative of the rep holds the book for the swearing in. (Not the politician who administers the oath. )
also if you are an atheist you can “affirm” rather than swear.
Probably; it wouldn’t be the first time.