Archives for November 2006

CNN has reported glitches in the voting system already. One area has already reverted back to paper ballots as machines have broken down.

With all the last minute grandstanding, signage and more red, white and blue decor than any July 4th celebration, Election Day should really be a national holiday.

Close the markets and banks and send the workers home.

Maybe then they’ll all vote? But that’s a separate argument.

Today is the day where, pending any form of pregnant chads or complete mechanical voting machine failure, we will learn the fate of both Houses of Congress as well as the balance of power in many gubernatorial elections nationwide.

Home in Boston, Governor Mitt Romney is vying for the Oval Office in 2008 and is not seeking a second term. For the first time in a long time, a Democrat seems primed to take over as Deval Patrick enters today with a statistically significant lead over Republican Lt. Governor, Kerry Healy, whose campaign has seemed doomed by poor strategy from the start.

Though Massachusetts is holding no significant Congressional races, Connecticut, arguably one of the most conservative states in New England, may be about to give all its House seats to Democrats. In the 2nd District, challenging Democrat, Joe Courtney looks to upset Rob Simmons. Courtney holds a slight lead in a recent Quinnipiac University poll. In the 4th District, Diane Farrell is likely to unseat Rep. Chris Shays. Farrell holds a 47-43 percent lead with 10 percent undecided in a recent New London Day and Manchester Journal Inquirer poll. And in the Exciting 5th District, young Chris Murphy is edging a small lead over veteran Nancy Johnson. In the Senate, Joe Lieberman holds a majority lead over the actual Democratic challenger, businessman Ned Lamont and lagging Republican, Alan Schlesinger.

It was clear that Harold Ford knew he hadn’t locked it down when the conservative Democrat appeared on Fox trying to drum up support. As lately as October 29, polls had him in the race with 44 percent of likely voters. This race is a tossup so far and conflicting polls show Ford has both gained and lost ground against Bob Corker, in perhaps the dirtiest race of the year. Republican advertising portrayed Ford as sexually deviant, calling a phone sex line on the taxpayers dime. Counter claims say that Ford merely dialed the wrong number and the call only lasted a second or two, when he was trying to call a government agency, which had a similar number. The International Herald Tribune reported race has also been a factor in the election.

The great state of Missouri is one of the biggest battlegrounds in the Senate today. Incumbent Senator Jim Talent is trailing Claire McCaskill slightly in this pivotal race. This one is going to come down to the wire.

All things equal, the PR guy predicts the Democrats will take over the House by a slight margin and narrow the Republican lead in the Senate. I do not think the Democrats will take back both Houses, however.