Election Day 2008 was a one of great historical significance. It was truly something special and amazing to witness and experience. One could describe it as a revolution that took place in a way. America took a giant step forward to realizing the promise and the dream of the ideals long known for what the nation is supposed to stand for. As Robert Reich said so eloquently and simply in his blog: "America, I am proud of you. And I am proud of us."-
Barrack Obama has been elected the 44th President of the United States of America. What a moment in history for all of mankind and Americans in particular.
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Most other election results are now final, over 24 hours after polls closed. But a few contests remain undecided at this moment. Many of these key undetermined races are for US Senate seats.
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OREGON: The Beaver State is horribly slow to count all ballots. At this late point only 79 % of precincts are reporting ! But at least the news is good at this time. In the race for the US Senate seat in Oregon, Democratic challenger Merkley has opened a margin of over 12,000 votes over Republican incumbent Smith of the over 1.444 million votes cast and counted thus far. The results have swayed from one candidate to the other over the last 29 plus hours, so a final result and winner is by no means a sure thing. Stay tuned.
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MINNESOTA: All 100 % of precincts are being shown as reporting. The US Senate race between GOP incumbent Coleman and Democratic challenger Franken is headed for a recount. At this moment, Coleman leads by just 477 votes out of over 2.861 million cast and counted. The third party candidate, independent Barkley, took 15 % of the votes cast which without question had a major role in how and why this vote turned out so close. It will be at least a few weeks before we know who will be certified by election authorities as having won this election in The Gopher State.
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GEORGIA: There will be a runoff election in the coming weeks for the US Senate seat in The Peach State. Republican incumbent Saxby Chambliss just missed getting 50 % of the vote. Democratic challenger Martin ended with 47 %, and Libertarian Buckley got 3 %. So voters in Georgia will get to cast a vote again soon for just either Chambliss or Martin. It is this writer's guess that Chambliss will narrowly retain his seat when all is said and done.
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ALASKA: Clearly this is of the big shockers as voters in The Last Frontier stunningly chose to return longtime GOP incumbent Stevens, recently convicted in the last ten days of seven felony criminal convictions, back to the US Senate. With 99 % of precincts reporting, Stevens leads Democratic challenger Begich by 3353 votes out of over 209,000 cast and counted thus far. What also makes this strange is that with Stevens being re-elected, he will get to serve in the US Senate as it is certain he will be expelled from the institution by a strong majority of members from both parties. This could very well happen in the first week or so in January when the next US Senate is sworn in and seated.
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The fallout of all this overshadows another corrupt Alaskan politician also winning a close contest to return to the US House. GOP incumbent Young scored a win over Democratic challenger Berkowitz by less than 18,000 votes for a 52 - 44 margin.
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What will happen next is largely up for conjecture. Alaska Governor Palin could resign and have the new governor, current Lieutenant Governor Parnell, appoint her to fill Stevens' seat in the US Senate when the expected expulsion becomes official. Young could also be moved up to the Senate and Palin, or someone else, could be appointed to the US House at-large seat from AK that Young now and will continue to hold with his seemingly surprising win on Tuesday.
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If Minnesota, Oregon, and Georgin are not wacky and unbelievable enough, these circumstances that in play in Alaska now and down the road are one for the ages. Once again, stay tuned.
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IDAHO: We waited as long as we could early Wednesday 5 November morning to see this race through to the end, but it was not to be at that time. But it can now be reported as final. In what can only be called as a big upset, Democratic challenger Minnick scored a narrow win over first time GOP incumbent Sali in the contest for the First Congressional seat from all places, Idaho. The Gem State has been a deep and strong bastion of GOP strength for nearly 20 years and longer, so this result is nothing short of shocking. Minnick ended up winning by a little more than 4200 votes out of the nearly 347,000 cast and tallied. All 100 % of the precincts in this district are reporting. The victory in Idaho by Minnick splits the state's two member US House delegation evenly between the two parties for the first time in over 14 years.
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CALIFORNIA: In another surprising result, not one incumbent was ousted from the 53 races for the US House seats from The Golden State. At this moment, it appears that not one seat turned over from one party to the other, although results from District Four are somewhat close as the GOP candidate McClintock leads the Democratic candidate Brown by just 451 votes out over 311,000 cast and counted with 100 % of precincts reporting with the Republican incumbent having vacated the seat. It is highly unusual in an election of this magnitude not too have at least some change in a state with such an enormous delegation.
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NEW MEXICO: The 2008 election turned The Land of Enchantment to solid blue as Democrats swept rather easily all elective offices being contested, four in all. Outside of the New England states of MA, RI, CT, VT, and NH, NM is the only state in the Union that has an elected delegation in both houses of Congress that is completely Democratic. This turn of good fortune will pay off handsomely as NM can expect to do much better in getting additional federal dollars in the next few years for a wide and extensive variety of needs the state and its citizens are experiencing.
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WYOMING: The opposite of New Mexico is The not so Equality State, Wyoming. The voters in the state gave John McCain his largest margin of victory on Tuesday by a 66 - 32 spread that was even greater than in Idaho and Utah. Wyoming also sent three Republicans to Washington DC by tremendous margins. While the other states in the eight state Mountain States region are largely balanced in their representation to at least a minimum extent, Wyoming voters opted to not participate in the revolution on Tuesday. These decisions will come back to haunt them as the state will see little in the way of any federal dollars outside of for maintenance and repairs in national parks and other federal lands. Any hopes for federal monies to repair, improve, and upgrade Interstates 80, 25, and 90 are now gone as well as monies for water projects, education, and other infrastructural needs that are becoming increasingly pressing across the state. Wyoming is doomed to be a pariah in the next several years in the nation's capital and among its movers and shakers.
The only other delegation to Washington DC that is entirely Republican is from Alaska. Six of seven of the representation from Oklahoma is Republican and five of six from Kansas is Republican.
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THE SIX NEW ENGLAND STATES: The defeat of GOP incumbent Chris Shays in Connecticut's Fourth Congressional District also completely eliminates any GOP representation from the US House from this six state region. All 22 Congressman from the six states are Democrats, and 10 of the 12 US Senators from the region are Democrats, with only the two US Senators from Maine, Collins and Snowe, from across the aisle. This is a stunning turnaround for this region in just a generation, when the GOP once had a majority of federal legislative seats.
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THE MID ATLANTIC STATES REGION: The numbers from these five states (NY, NJ, PA, DE, and MD) are nearly as striking as those from the New England states region. 53 of this region's 70 US Representatives are going to be Democrats with the seating of the 111th Congress. In New York its 26 -3 Democrats and 7 -1 for Dems in Maryland. The delegation in the US Senate from this region is 9 -1 for Democrats with Specter from PA the sole Republican. Like New England, this region was once balanced between the two parties even as recently as less than two decades ago. No longer.
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THE SOUTH ATLANTIC COAST STATES REGION: Changes tilting the balance of power more towards Democrats is also occuring in this part of the nation which consists of five states (VA, NC, SC, GA, and FL). There have huge changes in demographics in the last few decades in particular with many new residents in these states coming up from other parts of the nation, especially from the Northeast. The 111th Congress will consist of 36 Republicans and 32 Democrats, the closest spread since since before 1980. The delegation in the US Senate remains tilted towards Republicans with a 6 -4 edge, but it could turn even if Chambliss falls in GA in the upcoming runoff election.
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One additional item to consider is South Carolina, clearly the state least like the other four. Throw out the numbers from The Palmetto State and the Dems are tied in the Senate and trail the GOP by one in the House. South Carolina inevitably will change along the lines already seen in the other four states in the region in the coming decade and beyond as it gets discovered by outsiders.
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DIXIE / OLD CONFEDERACY: These seven states ( AL, MS, LA, TX, AR, TN, and KY) are characterized by an overwhelming strong Republican presence in both the US House and US Senate. 11 of 14 US Senators are Republicans with two of the Dems from Arkansas. In the US House, 39 of the 69 members of the next Congress will be Republicans, but throw out the numbers from TX and its almost even with 19 Repubs and 17 Dems which somewhat still reflects the historical traditional importance of Democrats in the region that goes back several generations.
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GREAT LAKES - RUST BELT STATES REGION: There are six states that make up this region: WV, OH, IN, MI, IL, WI, and MN. Democrats have considerable strength in these states as 11 of 14 US Senators ( or see Minnesota above) and 46 of 80 Representatives are Democrats. This region ranks fourth behind New England, Mid-Atlantic, and Pacific Coast in strength for Democrats.
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GREAT PLAINS STATES: Seven states are part of this region: OK, KS, NE, SD, ND, IA, and MO. The region moderates in its political views and outlook the further north one goes. The US Senate has nine Republicans and five Democrats with OK and KS having full GOP Senatorial delegations. 17 of the 28 US Congressman for the next Congress are Republicans. Next to the Dixie / Old Confederacy States region, this is the Republicans strongest area.
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MOUNTAIN STATES REGION: Long a bastion of GOP strength, results from recent elections are reversing this. For the first time in many years, Democrats will make up the majority of seats in the US Congress with 17 of the 28 seats in the next Congress being Democrats. This is a reversal from the 110th Congress. On the US Senate side, Republicans hold the edge narrowly with nine of the sixteen US Senators starting in 2009.
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PACIFIC WEST COAST STATES REGION: 46 of 70 congressional representatives and seven of ten Senators (or see Oregon above) in the next Congress will be Democrats, about a 2 -1 margin. Four of the five states of this region (CA, OR, WA, and HI) have a long tradition of being majority Democrat for the most part, while the other state Alaska is just the opposite.
Results for the US House still are yet to be determined in regard to what the final numbers for each party will be.
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And, in conclusion, clearly the best moment on Tuesday night Election night was when Barrack Obama told his daughters as his acceptance speech at Grant Park in Chicago that he loved them dearly and that they would be getting a puppy to come with them to The White House in January. Very touching and quite sweet bringing a smile to all including yours truly.
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