Election Day is here.
For candidates and campaign operatives, it marks the culmination of tireless work and sleepless nights. For many voters, it marks the merciful end of political advertisements on radio and television. (If you live in Georgia and Louisiana, though, you may have to wait for a while.) For America, it marks the good news that democracy is still in action.
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Here are some of the candidates and races, ballot initiatives and issues, and other election-related news that the Red Alert team will be keeping an eye on Tuesday.
Youth Movement
Red Alert’s Ashley Dobson and Morgan Chalfant profiled five young candidates for federal and state office that represent a generation of new blood in American politics. You can check out the series here.
Maria Santos paid a visit to tiny Randolph Macon College in Virginia where students are getting a unique civics lesson: two professors facing off for a House seat. The Republican, David Brat, who knocked off House Majority Leader Eric Cantor in a shocking primary result earlier this year, is heavily favored over Democratic challenger Jack Trammell. But whatever the result Tuesday, the lead-up was the best politics course the school could’ve offered.
And with a Harvard Institute of Politics poll released just last week that showed greater election enthusiasm among right-of-center millennials, as well as a noticeable shift from Democrats and a new moment for Republicans, what kind of imprint will the youth movement leave on Tuesday’s results?
Can Republicans Follow Through on Their Momentum and Capture the Senate?
The election map has pointed toward a Republican takeover of the Senate for weeks, and candidates in the most critical races have largely avoided the sort of slip-up that could cost them a victory. The GOP currently controls 45 seats. They’re virtually guaranteed to win three controlled by Democrats, and good bets to nab five more. Only two under Republican control face a real threat. Can they get to 51?
It’s Not Just Names on the Ballot
Social issues are on several state ballots again Tuesday, but it’s not about same-sex marriage this time.
California could reduce criminal penalties for drug possession, and there are marijuana initiatives in Washington, D.C., Oregon, Alaska, and Florida.
Other propositions include the creation of a statewide endowment for financial aid in Oregon, dueling gun control measures in Washington state, and a bevy of minimum wage questions, made all the more relevant because of Democratic failure to secure support for a $10.10 minimum wage at the federal level.
‘Ello, Gov’na
The Senate isn’t the only house up for grabs Tuesday. Multiple governors races have gone down to the wire, and two in particular have major 2016 implications: Scott Walker’s (R) reelection attempt in Wisconsin, and Rick Scott’s (R) in Florida. Walker is a possible presidential candidate, while Scott — or his opponent, Republican-turned-Independent-turned-Democrat-but-always-opportunist Charlie Crist — could be a key surrogate for a presidential candidate in the crucial Sunshine State.
RealClearPolitics has a full 14 governors races listed as tossups, perhaps making them just as exciting as anything Senate-related. In one particular head-scratcher, Republican Charlie Baker has a good shot to knock off Democrat Martha Coakley for the governorship in … Massachusetts.
The RAP Team on the Ground
Red Alert will be scattered across the Eastern Time Zone Tuesday for election coverage.
Deputy Editor Ashley Dobson will be reporting from upstate New York, where congressional hopeful Elise Stefanik will look to be the youngest woman ever elected to Congress.
Morgan Chalfant and Maria Santos will be throughout the nation’s capital Tuesday evening as the results filter in.
And Editor Chris Deaton will aid EWTN’s election coverage at 6 p.m. with fellow Cincinnatian Brian Patrick.
