Elections

All Elections

Claire McCaskill: 'most endangered Democrat' wins Missouri Senate race (+video)

Rep. Todd Akin's comments on rape played big at the polls among both women and men voters, helping Senator McCaskill win by nearly 15 percentage points a race she had been expected to lose.
Wisconsin: Tammy Baldwin helps Democrats retain US Senate seat (+video)

Former US Rep. Tammy Baldwin becomes the first openly gay member of the US Senate after defeating former Gov. Tommy Thompson.
Senator Casey prevails against GOP newcomer and 'war on coal' (+video)

Incumbent Pennsylvania Sen. Bob Casey (D) won reelection against a candidate who tried to make an issue of Democrats' position on coal.
'Red' Indiana sends Democrat to US Senate, as women fled Mourdock (+video)

US Rep. Joe Donnelly (D) defeated state Treasurer Richard Mourdock (R) in the Indiana Senate race, on the strength of women's votes. Mourdock's views on abortion in cases of rape created a stir.
Voting-machine glitches: How bad was it on Election Day around the country?

Long lines were created at polling places around the country because of a broad spectrum of voting-machine glitches on Election Day.
How Elizabeth Warren bested Sen. Scott Brown in Massachusetts (+video)

The Massachusetts contest was one of the highest-profile Senate races. Voters had a positive impression of both Elizabeth Warren and Scott Brown, yet the campaign was rife with negative ads.
Obama wins, but has anything changed?

All major media outlets have called the presidential election for Barack Obama. The vote leaves Washington exactly where it was before the election – and the GOP with deep questions.
Waiting for Election 2012 results: Mood tense at Obama, Romney venues

In Chicago at the Obama venue, the president's supporters are buoyed but hesitant to say he has a lock on the race. In Boston, Romney backers hope the last preelection polls didn't capture all of the GOP nominee's momentum.
Angus King wins. Maine sends new voice of moderation to Senate.

A popular former governor, independent Angus King replaces retiring moderate Republican Olympia Snowe. King says he hopes to help break the gridlock in Washington.
US judge allows Ohio voting software, alleged to be vulnerable to fraud

On Election Day, a federal judge said the plaintiff failed to show any ‘actual and imminent harm’ from voting software used in almost a third of Ohio's counties. The concern was of a digital 'back door' that someone might exploit to alter vote totals.
Briefing
Four curious outcomes if the Electoral College ends in a tie

Here are four ways that a 269-to-269 tie in the Electoral College could play out in the 2012 presidential election.
State legislatures: why Republican wave of 2010 is here to stay

Election 2012 is not expected to be a repeat of the historic 2010 Republican sweep, but recent redistricting might have helped the GOP cement its ascendancy for a few more years.
If GOP misfires on bid for Senate takeover, is tea party to blame?

Tea party conservatives are likely to take a drubbing from the Republican establishment if their Senate champions falter on Election Day. But tea partyers dispute any suggestion that they are to blame if Democrats keep control of the US Senate.
Youth vote not as fired up as in 2008. Could that trip up Obama?

Voters under 30 gave President Obama his margin of victory in at least three states in 2008. In a close race, he'll need the youth vote on Nov. 6 more than ever. But it's not clear he'll get it in the numbers he needs.
Obama, Romney teams 'lawyer up' for Election Day vote disputes

Thousands of partisan lawyers and poll-watchers have fanned out across the country, ready to fight over contested votes on Election Day. Nobody wants a repeat of Florida's contentious 2000 recount.
Voter turnout: the 6 states that rank highest, and why

Which state will have the highest voter turnout on Nov. 6?On average, about half (51.6 percent) of eligible US voters cast ballots, but six states averaged more than 60 percent. The policies and attitudes in these states may hold lessons for those trying to get out the vote around the country.
Election Day: Does Obama have the edge? (+video)

The final polls show President Obama with a slight lead. But Republicans show greater enthusiasm for turning out. So the race this Election Day is far from over.
Is Ohio voting software vulnerable to fraud? Court to hear Election Day case

A local candidate says a crucial piece of Ohio vote-tallying software was not properly vetted by the state and could be hacked. A judge will hear the case on Election Day and decide whether to grant an injunction against use of the software Tuesday.
Swing states: how candidates fared in battle for newspaper endorsements

Newspaper endorsements in the swing states represented, in many cases, the same kind of thoughtful grappling with the candidates and their plans that millions of voters have engaged in.
Democrats reach settlement in Florida early-voting lawsuit

Hours-long lines at early-voting locations in three Florida counties this weekend prevented some people from voting, Democratic lawyers said. But they've struck a compromise with the counties.