I’m going to use this post throughout the evening to follow the six races involving Power Line Picks. There isn’t much to report yet, of course. For what it’s worth, Alex Mooney has jumped out to an early 7.5 point lead in West Virginia’s Second Congressional District. However, this translate into a margin of only around 1,300 votes.
The Second District is extremely diverse. Without knowing where the early returns are coming from, it’s impossible to have a clear sense of how Alex’s race is going.
UPDATE: Tom Cotton has been declared the winner in Arkansas. His victory represents a significant step towards flipping the Senate. I also believe that it will have important implications that extend well beyond that objective.
I’m pretty sure that Tom will be a great Senator. And I wouldn’t be surprised if he becomes a serious contender for national office within the next ten years.
MOONEY UPDATE: With about 20 percent of the precincts in, Alex leads by 5 points and nearly 3,000 votes. It’s still too early for me to draw any conclusions, though.
STEVE adds: Mark Pryor is now officially posterior. Heh.
MORE MOONEY: This is turning into a very tight race. With about two-thirds of the precincts reporting, Alex is up by 1 point and slightly more than 1,000 votes.
MOONEY EXTENDS LEAD: Now, more than 90 percent of the precincts are in. Alex leads by around 3 points and about 3,500 votes.
Meanwhile, the Republicans have flipped West Virginia’s Third District. Evan Jenkins has defeated incumbent Dem Nick Rahall, who was seeking his 20th term in Congress. Jenkins is a former Democrat. Maybe, given the political climate in West Virginia, Sen. Joe Manchin will soon become a former Democrat too.
MOONEY WINS: ABC News has declared Alex the winner. He’s up by 3 points and around 4,000 votes with very few precincts left to count.
I doubt that West Virginia has sent a candidate as conservative as Alex to Washington in many decades.
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