November 6, 2016
AT LEAST THE OLD MAN OF THE MOUNTAIN DOESN'T HAVE TO WATCH... (self-reference alert):
Tense Senate Tussle in New Hampshire Illustrates Murky Finish Line (JENNIFER STEINHAUER, NOV. 5, 2016, NY Times)
Ms. Hassan and Ms. Ayotte, both well known to voters here, are on a desperate hunt for every last vote in the state's grocery stores, taverns, Rotary clubs, Burger King drive-throughs and even town dumps, in one of the nation's tightest and most expensive Senate races.Democrats' hopes had risen largely because of Donald J. Trump's weakness in some states and an overall disorganized Republican effort to rally potential voters. Now, at least four races -- in New Hampshire, North Carolina, Indiana and Missouri -- are considered dead heats, and Democratic prospects are only slightly better in Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Nevada.An even split or a bare minimum majority for either party in the next Congress, one with an aggressive policy agenda, no matter who sits in the White House, seems increasingly possible."I think Democrats have enough opportunities to get to 50," said Nathan L. Gonzales, the editor of The Rothenberg & Gonzales Political Report, a nonpartisan newsletter, "but I am still not clear what combination of states make that happen."Democrats will need four more seats if Mrs. Clinton is elected, or five if Mr. Trump prevails, to regain control of the Senate.
NH will be interesting Tuesday night, because polls of the various races are all over the place, but in recent cycles it's been all or nothing every time. You've got the presidential and senate in a dead heat, Chris Sununu with a three or four point lead over a guy with zero name recognition and both Democrats leading the congressional races by significant margins. we simply have not split our tickets that way in a long time, though, in fairness, all of us in this household are Hillary and then straight GOP--except the eldest who's running for the State Senate from UNH as an independent.
On the bright side, the Daughter got to meet Bill Clinton at Dartmouth a couple weeks ago--she had to meet Kasich twice in the primaries to decide if she liked him--and the eldest will see the president on Monday.
Posted by Orrin Judd at November 6, 2016 1:01 PM