Welcome to On Politics. We made it to election night, together. I’m Lisa Lerer, your host. |
 | | Ruru Kuo |
|
ORLANDO — We are finally here. The final lap of this extraordinary election. And yes, it could be a long lap. The first polls are starting to close, but it remains far from certain when we’ll learn the outcome of the race. |
It’s not finishing in the way anyone might have expected when we boarded this crazy ride on Dec. 31, 2018 — the day Senator Elizabeth Warren became the first candidate to announce her exploratory committee. (Who remembers? We do!) |
The road has been long. It’s certainly been weird. And we learned that democracy can be awfully messy. But we made it. |
Everyone, exhale. The only thing left is to count the votes. |
Like everything in 2020, it won’t be easy. No one really knows how long it will take to get a winner — hours, days, weeks? — but I’m hopeful that we’ll get some hints on how the race is going early in the evening. |
There are plenty of places in Ohio, Georgia, North Carolina and Florida to watch as the early returns roll in. Here are some I’ll be keeping an eye on: |
Indiana’s Fifth Congressional District: This Indianapolis-area district is historically Republican, but like many suburban areas is trending blue. Over the past month, the House race here to replace a retiring Republican congresswoman has moved toward the Democratic candidate. If Democrats pick up the seat, it’s a good sign for their performance in suburbs across the country — in congressional races and in the presidential race. |
Polls have already started to close in the district, and many Indiana counties expect to report full results tonight. So this is a smart place to watch for early clues about the national mood. |
Florida, Florida, Florida: You all already know how much I love this kooky swing state. Voting locations in this queen of all the battlegrounds close relatively early in the evening, and early voting and mail ballot results are expected between 8 and 8:30 p.m. Eastern time. |
The obvious county to watch is Miami-Dade, the state’s biggest. Democrats are worried about turnout and support from Black and Latino voters there. Also keep your eyes on Sumter County, the home of everyone’s favorite political reporting cliché: the Villages, where about 120,000 mostly retired people live. If there are indications that the traditionally Republican Midwestern transplants are going blue, that’s a good signal for Democrats in Florida and by extension the Rust Belt. |
Lake County, Ohio: Even though Joe Biden added a last-minute stop in Cleveland on Monday, few Democrats expect him to win Ohio, which has been trending Republican in recent cycles. But Lake County could still give us a sense of where the suburbs are going. |
President Trump won this county east of Cleveland by 15 percentage points in 2016. Closer margins this year would reassure Democrats about their prospects in the three states once known as their “blue wall”: Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. |
There will be plenty more to come tonight and into tomorrow morning. Follow along with our live reporting and analysis on nytimes.com. |
I’ll see you on the other side. Maybe we’ll even know who the next president will be. |
Were you forwarded this newsletter? Sign up here to get it delivered to your inbox. |
Thanks for reading. On Politics is your guide to the political news cycle, delivering clarity from the chaos. |
Is there anything you think we’re missing? Anything you want to see more of? We’d love to hear from you. Email us at onpolitics@nytimes.com. |
|
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home