New Jersey is remaining firmly in the Democratic column with little overall changes. Democrats have picked up one net seat in the state Senate and lost one net seat in the state Assembly, for a 23-17 majority in the Senate and a 49-31 majority in the Assembly.
The Republicans actually had a firm hold on the state government in the 1990’s, but the rise of the Christian right in the national GOP plus President Bush’s unpopularity have not been kind to them.
Democrats are picking up seats in the Virginia legislature tonight. They might just win a majority in the state Senate, pending a couple of close races, and the Republican majority in the House of Delegates has been narrowed slightly.
The reason is very simple: The Republicans are getting creamed in Northern Virginia.
In one particular result that really must hurt, incumbent GOP state Senator Jeannemarie Devolites Davis â wife of Congressman Tom Davis â is down by 12 points, with nearly 80% of the vote counted.
11:27 p.m. … The Associated Press has declared Democratic candidate Chap Petersen the winner against Devolites Davis.
11:53 p.m. … Governor Tim Kaine (D) has declared victory, saying that the Democrats have won control of the state Senate.
12:07 a.m. … The AP has called 19 seats for the Democrats, while the Dem candidates are ahead in two other races. That would give them 21 out of 40 seats.
The Republicans were able to grab an upset victory somewhere tonight. In Indianapolis, GOP candidate Greg Ballard defeated two-term Democratic Mayor Bart Peterson by a narrow margin. The Dems also lost their majority on the council.
Peterson had previously been considered a star of the Indiana Democratic Party, and a potential candidate for statewide office down the road â but not anymore, apparently.
NBC serves up made-to-order story about ‘maturation’ of Rudy’s campaign.
If Mukasey is confirmed as AG, does he recuse himself from the decision over whether or not to indict Bernie Kerik?
The televangelist gives his blessing to the pro-choice Giuliani. More here.
Highlights of yesterday’s Senate Judiciary Committee vote on AG nominee Michael Mukasey, from the Post:
Schumer and Feinstein said they took solace in Mukasey’s assurances that he would enforce any future waterboarding ban passed by Congress. That argument prompted a robust retort from Sen. Edward M. Kennedy (D-Mass.).
“He will, in fact, enforce the laws that we pass in the future? Can our standards have really sunk so low?” Kennedy said. “Enforcing the law is the job of the attorney general. It’s a prerequisite, not a virtue.” . . .
One of the most emotional moments yesterday came from Sen. Lindsey O. Graham (R-S.C.), a military lawyer who supported Mukasey but criticized his answers on waterboarding. Graham, who has frequently clashed with the Bush administration on interrogation and detention policies, said Mukasey is “a good man of the law” but also urged Congress to pass legislation specifically outlawing the use of waterboarding by all government entities, including the CIA.
“The world is not short of people and countries who will waterboard you. There’s not a shortage of people who will cut your heads off in the name of religion,” Graham said. “There is a shortage of people who believe in justice, not vengeance.”
Graham’s speech prompted Chairman Patrick J. Leahy (D-Vt.) and then Kennedy to leave their chairs and walk over to thank him, despite his support for Mukasey’s nomination.
With the statute of limitations for his alleged crimes expiring next week, a federal indictment of Bernie Kerik is expected at any time.
Meet Mark Klein, the retired AT&T tech who first disclosed that the company was allowing the NSA to capture untold millions of phone and e-mail communications.