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NEWSFLASH: Democrats Win Both Houses
NEWSFLASH: Democrats Win Both Houses
By Alastair Thompson
In a remarkable last minute run in the count the Democrats are now headed for a victory in both the House of Representatives and the Senate.
To
recap:
The Democrats needed to win senate races in three
states out of, Tennessee, Montana, Missouri and
Virginia.
Just as the major US Networks ended their coverage for the night the race was still up in the air. But as of 8pm NZT the results have swung dramatically in favour of the Democratic Party.
Virginia 99% Precincts
Reporting
– Democratic Challenger Jim Webb 1,143,756
– Republican Incumbent George Allen 1,141,030
Democratic Majority 2,726
[UPDATE 10:56pm: Jim Webb's majority has widened to 7000+ votes.]
Montana 60%
Precincts Reporting
– Democratic Challenger Jon Tester
119,792
– Republican Incumbent Conrad Burns
110,079
Democratic majority 9,713
[UPDATE 10:53pm: Yellowstone County the State's most populous county has ordered a recount of 70,000 votes. The results of this are due no earlier than 7am MT (2am NZT). Meanwhile the Democratic lead in the state has shrunk to just 4000 votes. At present the final result for the Senate seems to rest on this county.]
Missouri 85% Precincts Reporting
– Democratic
Challenger Claire McCaskill 867,295
– Republican
Incumbent Jim Talent 842,170
Democratic majority 25125
Tennessee 99% Precincts
Reporting
– Democratic Challenger Harold Ford 872,011
– Republican Incumbent George Allen Bob Corker 921,085
Republican majority 49,074
Going into the first day after the election the Democrats are in the box seat with 51 seats in the U.S. Senates. While it is possible that there will be a recounts in Virginia and Montana, with many of the votes cast in Virginia cast on paperless electronic voting machines it may be difficult to do so there with any confidence of credibility.
(Scoop NEWSFLASH coverage
concludes.)
Alastair Thompson
Scoop Publisher
Alastair Thompson is the co-founder of Scoop. He is of Scottish and Irish extraction and from Wellington, New Zealand. Alastair has 24 years experience in the media, at the Dominion, National Business Review, North & South magazine, Straight Furrow newspaper and online since 1997. He is the winner of several journalism awards for business and investigative work.
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