Democrats scent victory over Trump's Republicans in Congress

WASHINGTON, United States — Democrats began to scent a big night in the US midterm elections Tuesday with early results pointing to them seizing the House of Representatives from the Republicans in what would be a dramatic rebuke to President Donald Trump.

With polls yet to close in swaths of the country, it was still far too early to know who will control the House and Senate, which for the first two years of Trump's presidency have been held by his Republican allies.

However, initial results -- like the flipping by Jennifer Wexton of a previously solidly Republican Virginia seat in the House -- signalled that pre-election predictions of Democrats taking over the lower chamber may be confirmed.


Democrats were also heartened by heavy turnout after a bitter campaign which at Trump's own insistence was widely seen as an unofficial referendum on his polarizing presidency. From New York to California and from Missouri to Georgia there were long lines from early morning at polling stations.

Although Republicans remained forecast to keep control of the Senate, a Democratic House would upend the current Washington power balance.


Trump has spent months ahead of the midterms deriding the Democrats as bent on destroying the US economy and allowing criminals to run riot.

But with the party leading the House, Trump would be forced to compromise more -- or risk presiding over an ever more divided country. Democrats, still smarting from Trump's extraordinary upset win against Hillary Clinton in 2016, would likely use their ascendancy to exact payback.

Democratic leadership of the House's powerful investigative committees would breathe new wind into probes of Trump's opaque personal finances, Russian interference in the 2016 election, and even calls for his impeachment.

Confident Democratic leaders
All 435 seats in the House of Representatives, 35 seats in the 100-member Senate and 36 governorships were up for grabs.

Polls indicated that Democrats have a good chance of winning the 23 seats they need to seize the House, while Republicans could slightly increase their razor-thin Senate majority of 51-49.

Pollsters, gun shy after getting their 2016 predictions wrong, urged caution. Several dozen midterm races where candidates from the two sides were barely separated will decide the day.

Even so, Democrats were confident, with Nancy Pelosi, the party's top leader in the House, saying "it's just a question of the size of the victory."

Former vice president Joe Biden, often touted as a possible Democratic candidate to take on Trump in 2020, said he'd be "dumbfounded" not to win the House.

The first polling stations closed at 6:00 pm Eastern time (2300 GMT) in parts of Kentucky and Indiana, with the last to close seven hours later in Alaska, and results trickling in through the evening.

Big turnout
Voters often sit out the midterms. This time, they're sitting up.

According to Michael McDonald of the US Elections Project, 38.4 million Americans cast their ballots early ahead of this election, compared with 27.4 million in the 2014 midterm.

And on the streets there was a palpable buzz.

"We have already seen huge turnout, people out and about knocking on doors, making sure everybody gets out there, but I think turnout will be very, very high," Democratic candidate Katie Porter, who is running in Irvine, California, against two-term Republican incumbent Mimi Walters, told AFP.

On the other side of the country, in Atlanta, Georgia, voters waited in line for nearly two hours to cast ballots, according to local media reports.

At a polling station in Arlington, Virginia, head election officer William Harkins said "it's a very good turnout."

Trump himself noted the energy as he wrapped up a punishing schedule of rallies around the country that were intended to boost Republican candidates -- and his own brand heading towards reelection in 2020.

"The midterm elections used to be, like, boring," Trump told a crowd in Cleveland, Ohio, on Monday. "Now it's like the hottest thing."

Immigration fears
Trump was watching the results alongside friends and family at the White House, his spokeswoman said.

The president so dominates politics across the country that despite not being on any ballot he has made the election largely about him.

Voting in Chicago, James Gerlock, 27, a Republican, said he wanted to see more of the soaring economic growth that Trump says is the fruit of his business-friendly policies.

"I am extremely happy with the economy," Gerlock said. "I just want to keep everything moving, because I'm loving it."

But Democrats have been fired up by anger at Trump's extraordinary attacks over the last few weeks against immigrants, claiming that his opponents seek to throw open the borders to "drug dealers, predators and bloodthirsty MS-13 killers."

Trump has sent soldiers to the Mexican border, threatened to have illegal immigrants shot if they throw stones at the border, and vowed to restrict citizenship rights.

Beto O'Rourke, a charismatic Democrat in a closely watched bid to dethrone Republican Senator Ted Cruz in Texas, told voters that Trump was wrong, describing his state as built from "immigrants, asylum seekers and refugees."

The result in Texas will say much about which way argument has worked best in these polarized times. Other tight Senate races are in Arizona, Florida, Indiana, Missouri, Montana, New Jersey, Nevada, North Dakota, Tennessee and West Virginia.

source: philstar.com

Obama inches toward victory

WASHINGTON -- US President Barack Obama was inching towards victory on Tuesday as results poured in from the US presidential election, as Mitt Romney struggled to win vital swing states.

While the most important trio of battlegrounds -- Ohio, Florida and Virginia -- remained too close to call, Obama grabbed Wisconsin, Michigan, Pennsylvania and New Hampshire, dramatically shrinking the Republican's chances.

At 10:30 p.m. (0330 GMT), US news network voting projections had Obama leading Romney by 173 to 163 electoral college votes, and the Democratic incumbent appeared to have a far clearer route to victory ahead of him.

As expected, Obama polled strongly in New England and the industrial northeast, grabbing densely populated states like New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, according to news network projections.

His rival Romney did predictably well in the southern Bible Belt and western prairie states, winning the major prize of Texas and taking back Indiana, which Obama won in 2008, for the Republicans.

But Romney failed to win Michigan, his home state where his father served as governor, and the key battleground states of Florida, Virginia, North Carolina and Ohio remained too close to call.

Obama also won New Hampshire, which had been considered a swing state, and Wisconsin, the home state of Romney's running mate Paul Ryan.

Polling was due to have ended in the east of the country, but there were long lines in many areas and officials kept polling centers open late, as the campaigns pleaded with their supporters to stay the course.

The final opinion polls published before voting began showed the two candidates in a dead heat nationwide, but gave Obama a slight advantage in the handful of swing states like Virginia and Ohio that will decide the race.

Each state has a quota of electoral college votes based on its population, and the eventual victor will be the candidate who secures the most.

source: interaksyon.com

What to watch for on Election Night

(CNN) -- A long and bitter presidential election comes to a close on Tuesday when Americans will choose between a second term for President Barack Obama and a new direction with former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney.

CNN's reporters, correspondents, analysts and anchors tell what they'll be watching for that might tip off how the election will go:

Bash: Unexpected GOP struggles in Senate

The neck-and-neck presidential race might be dominating headlines, but there are a lot of rich dramas playing out across the country in the battle for control of the Senate.

Heading into Election Day, there are nearly a dozen true tossup races that could go either way.

Republicans hold 47 seats. To retake control of the Senate, the GOP needs a net gain of four. With 23 Democratic seats up for grabs in a terrible economy, it seemed like a no-brainer that Republicans would be able to flip four. But it's now a struggle for the GOP.

The central reason is that they are defending several unexpected races on their own turf. Indiana's Senate race is now going to be one of the evening's early bellwethers to determine the balance of power in the Senate. GOP candidate Richard Mourdock's poll numbers plummeted in this red state after he awkwardly stated a few weeks ago that pregnancy from rape is a gift from God. Polls close at 7 p.m. ET, and if Democrat Joe Donnelly wins, it will set Republicans back -- especially since the GOP already expects to lose the seat vacated by retiring Sen. Olympia Snowe in Maine. The state's popular former governor, independent candidate Angus King, is on track to win there.

Here are three other nail-biters I'll be watching:

Virginia: With more than $80 million spent so far, it's the most expensive Senate race in the country. Former GOP Sen. George Allen is trying to get his seat back after a narrow defeat six years ago. The man who beat him, Jim Webb, is retiring and former governor and DNC chairman Tim Kaine hopes to keep the seat in Democratic hands.

Montana: Neither Republicans nor Democrats will even privately predict which way this will go. Incumbent Democrat Jon Tester is trying to hold on for a second term in this red state. GOP challenger Rep. Denny Rehberg started out the race about 1% ahead in the polls. Now, $50 million later, they're in the exact same place -- a 1% differential between them.

Massachusetts: Going into Election Day, Republicans strategists were pessimistic about holding onto this red seat in the traditionally blue state. GOP Sen. Scott Brown had fallen behind his well-funded Democratic challenger, Elizabeth Warren -- a liberal icon who served as the president's former consumer advocate.

Brown's win in the race to fill the late Ted Kennedy's seat stunned the political world, and he insists he'll surprise everyone again. But the president is expected to take Massachusetts by double digits -- and with him at the top of the ticket, it may be hard for Brown to beat back a Warren win.

Borger: How will the white vs. nonwhite vote split

One important indicator I will be looking at Election Night is the question of ethnicity -- and how the white vs. the nonwhite population splits. In the 2008 election, 74% of the electorate was white. The percentage of white vote has declined recently because of the growth in the Hispanic and voting African-American population.

Given the ongoing Republican trouble with Hispanic voters and the assumption that African-Americans will, once again, vote overwhelmingly for the president, Mitt Romney needs a strong white turnout to help propel him to victory.

In an analysis by Republican pollster Bill McInturff, the question of the white/nonwhite divide is called the most "critical" of the election. His analysis shows that if the white percentage of the electorate drops to 72%, Obama will probably win the election.

Do the math: CNN racial bloc voting calculator

One key to watch is how the white vote itself splits between Obama and Romney.

In the latest CNN/ORC International national poll taken from Friday to Sunday, Obama received 40% of the white vote while Romney got 57%. In 2008, Obama received 43% of the white vote, which means he is polling less than that currently.

Crowley: Virginia suburbs and I-4 corridor 

The first thing I'll watch is the exit polls to see who's voting and where -- in particular, heavy Latino turnout in Colorado, Nevada, Virginia and Florida could indicate Obama wins those states.

Then, it's Virginia, Florida and Ohio.

I'll watch the Virginia suburbs of Washington, particularly the female vote. Romney won't win here, but he has to hold down Obama's numbers while running up his own score in the rural area. Romney has to win Virginia.

Florida is all about the Interstate 4 corridor. North of it votes Republican; south of it votes Democratic. The I-4 corridor decides.

Everyone will tell you to watch Lake, Stark and Hamilton counties in Ohio. There are good reasons to watch all of them, reasons no doubt delineated by my colleagues. But for me, it's all about Ottawa County, which has correctly picked the presidential winner in Ohio since 1944. That's a better record than pollsters. I'll watch Ottawa.

Hamby: How goes Pasco?  

Polls begin to close in Florida at 7 p.m. ET, and a handful of counties will report their absentee and early vote tallies immediately.

Once that happens, political pros in Florida will be anxiously refreshing election board websites in a handful of those counties -- Pinellas, Duval, Orange -- in search of early clues about which way the state is trending.

Track county-by-county results: Florida

One of them is Pasco County, outside of Tampa. Officials there are diligent about posting returns as fast as possible. The county has a slight Republican tilt, but Obama won the early and absentee vote there in 2008 despite losing the county on Election Night. For Democrats, it was a promising sign that Obama was well on his way to being competitive statewide, even in GOP-leaning areas.

In 2004, George W. Bush beat John Kerry in the Pasco early/absentee vote by 8 points. Bush ended up winning the county by 10 points. In a shift four years later, Obama beat John McCain by 5 points in the early absentee vote. He ultimately lost the county -- but only by 3.5 points, thanks to the votes the campaign banked early.

If Obama is losing Pasco by more than that Bush/Kerry margin by the time the first returns are posted, it could be a tough night for Obama in Florida.

"If you are looking for good news for Romney out of Pasco, if they have a 10- to 12-point lead in the absentee and early vote, that probably portends that they are going to have a really good night in suburban counties," said one top Florida Democrat.

King: The suburban vote and who votes in the swing states

A narrow and then a more global point:

-- Watch the vote in the suburbs around Cleveland and Columbus, Ohio, and in northern Virginia. These are two early-closing states; if Romney is holding his own in the suburbs, we have a competitive night. If not, it could be effectively over before we get to the Central Time zone.

-- Who votes determines who wins: The composition of the electorate in the swing states is the first and best clue. Does the electorate look like 2008?

If so, then Obama is likely on a path to victory. But if the percentage of African-American, Latino and younger voters is down just a bit -- and the electorate looks, say, more like the 2004 presidential election -- then Romney has a shot.

Preston: What happens afterward?

It goes without saying that we are all looking at turnout in the key battleground states -- can Romney and Obama get their respective bases to show up at the polls and at the same time, convincing the independent voters to vote for them today?

What is piquing my interest is not only what happens in the next few hours but what will be the political climate for the next president-elect. Washington is already polarized and there are great challenges facing Congress before the end of the year.

Whoever wins the presidency and the parties that control the House and the Senate need to put the bitterness of this election behind them and work together.

The big question: Can they do that?

Steinhauser: Can Romney broaden the electoral map?

This election will be won or lost in the battleground states. Or will it?

Mitt Romney's presidential campaign is making a last-minute push in two states that should be safe for Obama: Pennsylvania and Minnesota.

Romney campaigned in Pennsylvania on Sunday and returns on Election Day. Republican running mate Rep. Paul Ryan campaigned in Pennsylvania Saturday and in Minnesota on Sunday, and the campaign's up with ads in both states.

Is this a head fake by the Romney campaign, or do they see the tightening public opinion polls in both states as evidence they might be able to turn Pennsylvania and Minnesota from blue to red?

The Romney campaign says it's playing offense. The Obama campaign says the move is a sign of desperation by the Romney campaign. We'll find out who's right on Election Night.

source: CNN

US celebrities mobilize for Obama, Romney on Twitter

WASHINGTON—US celebrities weighed in on the race for the White House on election eve Monday, endorsing their favorite candidates on Twitter or making last-ditch pleas for their followers to get out and vote.

Rapper Snoop Dogg endorsed the Democratic incumbent Barack Obama, tweeting: "Make sure u all vote 2morrow!! @BarackObama @MichelleObama."

Eva Longoria, star of TV show "Desperate Housewives", posted an "I voted" banner from Team Obama on her Twitter profile picture, and urged her 4.6 million followers to do the same.

"Can't get too political in only 140 chac (characters) but for those asking, I'm voting #RomneyRyan," said Melissa Joan Hart -- star of the TV series "Melissa & Joey."

Obama and his Republican challenger Romney have been powering through key swing states in a last-ditch bid for voters ahead of election day Tuesday, when Americans will take to the polls to choose their next president.

Rapper Jay-Z and rocker Bruce Springsteen joined Obama in his final day of campaigning on Monday, and other Hollywood A-listers have recently come out in support of the president.

Actresses Mia Farrow and Julianne Moore, and singer Mary J. Blige also called on their fans to vote for Obama on Twitter Monday.

Romney, meanwhile, has won the high-profile backing of Clint Eastwood, who made a guest appearance at the Republican National Convention with a now-famous speech where he talked to an empty chair meant to represent Obama.

The film star still cuts a relatively lonely figure in Hollywood with his support for Republicans, although several TV actors have come out publicly to back Romney.

"What a wonderful present it will be to have you Inaugurated as The President Of The USA on my birthday 1/20/2013! God Speed! @MittRomney," film and TV actress Stacey Dash tweeted Monday to her 339,500 followers.

Others, meanwhile, made a last-ditch push to get voters out to the polling stations.

Actress Rosario Dawson joined former "Ugly Betty" star America Ferrera and others in a "Twitter party" encouraging people to state why they vote using the hashtag #ivotebecause.

source: interaksyon.com

FilAms most likely among Asian Americans to go out and vote

MANILA, Philippines - On the eve of what is considered to be one of the tightest races for the presidency of the United States, the Philippine embassy in Washington DC called on qualified Filipino-Americans to go out and exercise their right to choose their next leader.

This, even as survey has shown that among Asian Americans, Filipino Americans are the most likely to get out and vote.

“The United States is host to the largest concentration of Filipinos outside the Philippines and Filipinos are the second largest ethnic group in America,” Ambassador Jose L. Cuisia, Jr. said in a statement released today by the embassy. 

“Let us use these numbers and play a bigger role in shaping the political, economic and social discourse in this country,” Ambassador Cuisia said as he also echoed Malacañang’s statement that the Philippines will work with whoever wins the elections to further strengthen the relations between Manila and Washington.

Ambassador Cuisia issued the statement hours before Americans begin trooping to polling precincts nationwide to decide whether to keep incumbent Democratic President Barack Obama in the White House or to have him replaced by his Republican challenger, Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney.

Based on the 2010 US Census, there are an estimated 3.5 million Filipinos based in the US, most of them in the West Coast, particularly in California. A survey by the the National Asian American Survey (Naas) show that among Asian-Americans, Filipino-Americans are the ones most likely to go out and vote. They thus represent a significant voting population, according to the Filipino envoy.

“We are counting on you to help make this happen by making sure that you take part in tomorrow’s electoral exercise,” Ambassador Cuisia said as he also rallied Filipino-Americans to support their kababayans who are running for other national and local positions. 

FilAms vying for US elective positions

According to reports, at least two Filipino-Americans are running for seats in the US House of Representatives. They are Dr. Marisha Agana, a Republican who is eyeing the seat for the 13th District of  Ohio and incumbent Democrat Rep. Robert Scott who is running for an 11th term as representative of the Third District of Virginia.

Fifteen other Filipino-Americans are vying for state legislative seats in California, Pennsylvania and Hawaii. They are Alameda Vice Mayor Rob Bonta (18th District); Chris Mateo (12th District) and Jennifer Ong (20th District), all Democrats who are aspiring for seats in the California State Assembly; Will Sylianteng  (151st District), a Democrat seeking a seat in the Pennsylvania State House;

Henry Aquino (38th District); Romy Cachola (30th District);  Gilbert S. Keith-Agaran (9th District); Della Au Belatti (24th District);  Rida Cabanilla-Arakawa (41st District); Marissa Capelouto (42nd District); Ty Cullen (39th District); and Chris Manabat (40th District), all Democrats running for the Hawaii House of Representatives; and Will Espero (19th District); Donna Mercado Kim (14th District); and Donovan de la Cruz (22nd District), also Democrats running for seats in Hawaii’s Senate.

Former Hawaii Gov. Ben Cayetano, the first Filipino-American governor in the US, is a strong contender for mayor of Honolulu while Kymberly Marcos Pine, Joey Manahan and Ron Menor are aspiring for seats in Honolulu’s City Council. Also running are Greggor Ilagan (4th District) and Chelsea Yagong (1st District) for seats in the Hawaii County Council and Don Guzman for a seat in the Maui County Council.

In California, Jose Esteves is running for mayor of the City of Milpitas;  Garry Barbadillo for a seat in the Milpitas City Council;  Jim Navarro for a seat in the Union City Council; Hermy Almonte  for a seat in the San Leandro City Council; and Stewart Chen for a seat in the Alameda City Council.

source: interaksyon.com