In a sign of confidence that it will have something to celebrate, the Republican National Committee has rented out the rooftop of the ritzy W Hotel in downtown Washington on election night.
On the other hand, what the Democratic National Committee is planning hasn’t been announced.
As the election enters its final week, most eyes are on the polls that say the Republicans are likely to post significant gains and may win control of the Senate. Democrats are counting on their traditionally better get-out-the-vote machines to score upsets and keep the upper chamber from switching to GOP leadership.
Another subtler indicator of how the parties think their efforts are going is how they plan to watch the returns as they come in. Confident ones generally decide to celebrate their wins in luxury. Parties on the defensive try to stay focused on shoring up struggling candidates and therefore put off any election night plans until later.
The GOP definitely fits the former mold this year. “We have an election night party at the top of the W hotel,” RNC spokeswoman Kirsten Kukowski told the Washington Examiner, declining to give any further details.
Located across the street from the White House, the W is one of Washington’s most prestigious hotels and boasts a rooftop terrace and bar that, according to its website, was designed to “transition from casual daytime brunches overlooking the monuments of D.C., to a hub of nightlife and cocktail culture at night.” A spokeswoman for the hotel declined to say what is the going rate for renting it out for a night.
Despite repeated requests, a DNC spokesman could not be reached to say what the party was planning for election night.
Traditionally, the two main party organizations host the major election night events. A source at the National Republican Senatorial Committee said they had nothing planned. A spokesman for the National Republican Congressional Committee said it had nothing planned beyond coordinating with candidates.
Attempts to reach somebody the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee were also fruitless. Emily Bolton, spokeswoman for the committee, said only: “We’re working on the schedule now and will advise it as soon as the plans are set.”
