This is the live blog for tonight, including information about Iron Range turnout, results and observations sent my way. My email is aaronjbrown@yahoo.com and my Twitter handle is @minnesotabrown if you’ve got something. I’m also listed in the Range Directory should you happen to possess such a fine, thick book of mostly unpronounceable names.
11:05 pm: It’s looking like I’m going to have to call it for the evening soon. Notable in tonight’s results is that while Oberstar may still survive, the other two “State of Superior” seats I always talk about, WI-7 and MI-1, will fall Republican tonight.
11:02 pm: The Oberstar/Cravaack race is still close by the numbers, but much of St. Louis and Itasca still aren’t in the SOS numbers. That’s why I still call Oberstar with some air in between, at least as an educated guess.
10:30 pm: Hmm, Oberstar/Cravaack looks close on SOS site. Oberstar’s lead expands to mid-50s, I think. Notable, however, is how for the first time I can remember local DFL legislators are outpacing Oberstar. If this goes south, that’s the fact I’m worried about.
10:24 pm: Also seems like Range legislators will hold, as expected.
10:18 pm: It’s still very early, but every indication I have is that Jim Oberstar will easily retain his House seat. Hype! Hype! Kudos to the GOP for getting everyone’s attention, including mine, but you shall not pass. Too bad he’ll lose his chairmanship but a Don Young chairmanship will still allow massive amounts of infrastructure spending, if that’s your thing.
9:32 pm DFL Sec. of State Mark Ritchie and Attorney General Lori Swanson have won re-election. Dayton leads, but much to come. I’m not getting ANYTHING from local races yet. Rural internet is a cruel mistress.
8:56 pm: I am back! A nice gathering with Tom Anzelc’s family and friends was held earlier. The mood as I return to the internet/TV is that the U.S. House is going to flip to Republican and the Senate, it would seem, will stay Democratic. No word yet on Minnesota races. Working on it!
4:32 pm: I’ll be out the door in an hour or so for dinner with my friend Tom Anzelc and his family. Tom is seeking his third term in House District 3A, a geographic and demographic oddity that might be swallowed up by redistricting next year. That is, unless the census bureau found a massive 1960s commune somewhere in southern Koochiching County, which would be unlikely but not particularly surprising in my experiences running Tom’s campaigns here. I’ll be returning to the house and the internet after I’m back from the restaurant up the highway.
2:30 pm: We’ve voted and the younger boys have used the local township playground equipment, including the new socialist publicly-owned basketballs, which were nice and bouncy. Turnout in Balsam is mostly tracking with 2006, maybe a shade lighter. I heard turnout was ahead of 2006, approaching ’08 numbers in some West Range cities. This is generally good for Democrats unless there is an unusual shift in voting patterns, which is possible.
Those d*&@ socialists and their basketballs!
Must have just missed you at the Scenic Pines..
Balsam goes for Cravaack by 19 points, while supporting Dayton by 4. Interesting ticket-splitting there. I guess Cravaack becomes the new Republican “rising star”.
Looks like it’s time to brush off that old post about potential DFL candidates for the 8th.
As for Governor, Jesus Pogof*cking Christ, not another recount! However this turns out, I predicted it after the primary and I’ll predict it again now: Swanson vs. Rybak in 2014.