Check out the website https://lenspoliticalnotes.com Political Note #332 The Campaign for the Senate, Political Note #333 The State of the House, Political Note #334 Biden Transition Team
Democracy in action. OR as Senator Jon Tester says: Run through the f—-ing tape.
Whatever the results are for Arizona and Nevada, Pennsylvania, North Carolina and Georgia, even Alaska, the election will not be over. Donald Trump will be asking for recounts and he will be going to court. Even if he has to pay for the recounts. Even if he has no basis to attempt to stop states counting ballots. As Trump said during the campaign, he believes that if he doesn’t win, it will be because something about the election has been rigged against him.
Readers thought Political Note #334 about the Biden Transition Team was interesting. If Joe Biden is not elected President, the Transition Team will have no work to do. Let’s make sure that the Transition Team can go to work confident that Joe Biden will be President. Support the Biden Fight Fund. By the time you read this Note, you may know that Joe Biden has won enough electoral college votes to be elected President. Even if that is the case, there is still a fight ahead.
Joe Biden’s lawyers will be facing Donald Trump’s lawyers. Where counting ballots seems to show Joe Biden catching up, Trump’s forces try to stop the counting. Where counting ballots seems to show a Biden lead declining Trump’s forces surround the vote counters shouting “Count the ballots.” Maybe just a little intimidation about which ballots to count. When the shouting is over, Donald Trump will be asking for recounts.
If Donald Trump had not been elected. In 2016, I would not be writing these Notes. These Political Notes were begun as a way to urge readers to support Democrats so that Democrats could oppose Donald Trump, so that Democrats can gain in state and federal governments. Today’s Note asks you to do one thing: I will ask a second time: Support the Biden Fight Fund. The Fund is a joint venture of the Biden Campaign and the DNC.
Put this in perspective, Remember the “Brooks Brothers Riot” during the recount of the presidential vote in Florida in 2000. According to the original count Al Gore was losing the election. There was some urgency. The deadline for submitting the Electoral College vote results was coming. Stopping the counting meant Republicans won. Taking a long time for the recount was a problem. But recounting only two large counties was a problem of its own, The Democrats would not get a full picture of whether Al Gore actually won the election. A recount for only some of the votes left an opening for the Supreme Court. It found a rationale for ending the recount because voters in the state were treated differently.
2020 is different. The Republicans were asking that a recount be stopped in 2000. In 2020, we have not yet reached the recount stage. Election workers are counting ballots for the first time. If the counting were to stop right now, Joe Biden would win the election. Donald Trump is not trying to get the counting to stop. But he does claim fraud. He claims something was rigged. He may persuade his followers. He is unlikely to persuade a judge.
Third time’s a charm. I’ll ask one more time. Give to the Biden Fight Fund. He will need to cement his victory at the polls by winning in court.
A Quick Look at the House of Representatives flips
Republican Flips
Florida 26 Republican Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez defeated one term Member of Congress Debbie Mucarsel-Powell 52-48
Florida 27 Republican former television journalist Maria Elvira Salazar defeated one term member of Congress, former President of the University of Miami, and former Secretary of Health and Human Welfare Donna Shalala 51-49
Iowa 01 Republican State Representative Ashley Hinson defeated one term Member of Congress Abby Finkenauer 51-49
Michigan 03 Republican Hedge Fund guy defeated Democrat Hillary Scholten 53-47 in a district held by a Libertarian.
Minnesota 07 Republican former State Senate Minority Leader and Lt. Governor Michelle Fischbach defeated long time Member of Congress Collin Peterson 54-40
New Mexico 02. Republican 2018 candidate Yvette Herrell defeated one term Member of Congress Xochitl Torres Small 54-46
Oklahoma 05 Republican state senator Stephanie Bice defeated one term Member of Congress Karen Horn 52-48
South Carolina 01 Republican Author and businesswoman Nancy Mace defeated one term Member of Congress Joe Cunningham
Democratic Flips
North Carolina 02 Democratic state senator Deborah Ross defeated Retired Army Colonel Alan Swain 63-35 in a revised district as a result of a temporary redistricting agreement
North Carolina 06 Democratic attorney and philanthropist Kathy Manning defeated businessman Lee Haywood 62-38 in a revised district as a result of a temporary redistricting agreement
Even though there are additional uncalled outstanding races, Democrats expect to retain control of the House with a reduced majority. As happens with flippable districts, the Democrats who lost are relatively or very conservative. The Democratic caucus will be less conservative as a result of these losses.
