"So voters want a higher minimum wage, legal pot, abortion access and GOP representation. Ok then."

Ben Casselman

"I'd like to congratulate Senator McConnell, who will be the new Senate Majority Leader. The message from voters is clear: they want us to work together. I look forward to working with Senator McConnell to get things done for the middle class," Reid said in a statement Tuesday night. "

But the biggest shocker of the night out here was not for an elected office, but a local ballot question in Maui County that calls for a moratorium on GMO crop production until an environmental impact statement is prepared. Similar statewide measures in 2012 were rejected by voters in Washington and California, and also tonight by voters in Colorado and apparently in Oregon.

The measure drew the attention of Monsanto and Dow Chemical, which have been doing extensive GMO testing on Molokai and poured a record $7.9 million into Maui County to defeat the proposed ordinance, making this the single most expensive election campaign in the history of the State of Hawaii. Early returns tonight showed the measure 19 points down and apparently headed for defeat, which reflected absentee ballots and early voting before today.

But last week's campaign spending reports, which first revealed the extent to which Monsanto, et al., was prepared to go in order to win, raised the ire of those Maui County voters who didn't vote absentee or early. They surged to the polls today, and the final printout shows that the GMO moratorium has been approved, despite its proponents being outspent 87-to-1. Monsanto's $8 million gambit backfired badly.

Monsanto promises a lawsuit to overturn the ordinance. But as tonight's results in Hawaii show, a well-planned ground game and extensive person-to-person contacts can still trump big money in an election, if enough people are truly dedicated to achieving a desired outcome.

...the 41% of U.S. adults saying they have given `quite a lot' or `some' thought to this year's election is the lowest Gallup has recorded on the eve of any of the last six midterms.

Meanwhile gay marriage bans are going down in flames, pot is becoming legal and it's making people re-examine the war on drugs, healthcare is on the books - it just has to keep swinging, and the economy is on the rebound.

I will now return to being my usual sweet lovable self.

• Brown won the southern part of the state where all the MA transplants live.  Shaheen won every other part of the state.

• NH is so white the other races are N/A for exit polling

• Brown won men, Shaheen won women more.

• Scott Brown won the paranoid vote.  Also known as people in NH worried about a major terrorist attack (that's somewhat unfair, many of those southerners work in Boston - but kinda funny).

• Only 31% of NH residents were born there.  33% were born in MA.  So the fact that Scott Brown blatantly crossed the border to run for senate may not have been as big of an issue as it would be elsewhere.  MA Republicans have been running away to NH for years.

Impossible now for Dems to win.

Scott and Walker hold on along with some other R governors.

Anthony Brown, Lt. governor to Martin O'Malley for the last 8 years, looks to be losing by a convincing margin.

Brown ran arguably one of the worst campaigns I've ever seen.  Relentlessly negative, made no effort to define himself.  

I supported Heather Mizeur in the primary - she was a breath of fresh air, decidedly liberal, and while willing to work on Brown's behalf, was thoroughly rejected by his campaign.  Here's the op ed she wrote last week.  She wanted him to be positive, to lay out a real progressive vision for where Dems could take the state, and he chose negativity, outright lies and little substance.

Not to mention he was the one O'Malley put in charge of rolling out the MD health exchange that was an unmitigated disaster.  

I suppose it could be worse - Hogan's not a batsh!t crazy Republican, but he is one of those who is all about business and deregulation and rolling back taxes.  Hasn't said how he's going to pay for all the things MD needs.  Usual Republican magic, probably.

I guess I have to come down on the side of being revolted over the ascension of Mitch.

When I think of the beginning of Obama's tenure --- I have never seen such glowing hope all over the world at the election of this man who seemed to represent the end of the horrific years dominated by grungy GWBush. And he had the Senate and the House with him.

Now, a mere six years later, Bushism is alive and well, we are at war just about everywhere, politicians are avoiding being associated with Obama, and the Senate and House are firmly in the hands of the gargoyles.

Based on preliminary exit poll data on Tuesday night we were able to say with some certainty how the 2014 electorate compared with 2012 and 2010. In short: It had more white, older voters -- the sort of voters more likely to vote Republican.

As it turns out, the effect of that shift was multiplied by the fact that voters across the board were more likely to support Republicans than in past elections....

SNIP

Support for Democrats was down slightly among black voters. In 2012, black voters backed the president by an 87-point margin; in 2010, black voters supported Democratic House candidates by 80 points, per exits. Last night, they backed Democrats by 79 points. Reduced support plus reduced turnout multiplies the effect for Republicans.

Note the big swing in the Asian voting bloc, too. In 2012, strong support for the president among Asian-American voters was a surprise. Asian voters preferred the president by 47 points. In 2014, the (low turnout) group split about evenly. It was a 46-point swing.

SNIP

Elections come down to turnout, yes, and Tuesday night was great turnout for the Republicans. But when every demographic group votes more heavily in one direction than two years prior, that effect is multiplied significantly.

He's gone almost two years without a major legislative achievement, leaving him "very willing" to start cutting deals, a senior administration official said, possibly on trade, corporate taxes and patent reform. Still, this posture isn't much different than the one he's projected for years.

Sen. Thad Cochran  - expected to become chairman of the Appropriations Committee.

Sen. Jeff Sessions - expected to become chairman of the Budget Committee.

Sen. John Thune - expected to become chairman of the Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee.

Sen. Lisa Murkowski - expected to become chairman of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee.

Sen. Jim Inhofe  - expected to become chairman of the Environment and Public Works Committee.  (Scary - a climate denier in charge of the Environment)

Sen. Orrin Hatch  - expected to become chairman of the powerful tax-writing Finance Committee.

Sen. Bob Corker  - expected to become chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee.

Sen. Ron Johnson - expected to become chairman of the Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee.

Sen. Lamar Alexander - expected to become chairman of the Health, Education, Labor and Pension Committee.

Sen. Chuck Grassley - expected to become chairman of the Judiciary Committee.

Sen. Richard Burr is a likely candidate for two chairmanship positions. He is currently the ranking member of the Veteran Affairs Committee, but is also the next in line to chair the Intelligence Committee and has expressed interest in that panel. He has yet to decide which post he will take.

If Sen. Burr does not accept the Veteran Affairs Committee chairmanship, Sen. Johnny Isakson is rumored to take up the gavel.

Sen. James Risch will likely lead the Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee. If Sen. Burr decides not to chair the Intelligence Committee, the Idaho Republican would be the next in line.