(CNN)CNN Opinion is pulling together tweets from our contributors on election night. Follow along!
We're learning tonight that Mitch McConnell was so obviously right: candidate quality matters.
— Doug Heye (@DougHeye) November 9, 2022
That a Dem like Tim Ryan couldn't win in Ohio, and a Republican like JD Vance could, spells pretty serious trouble for Dems in that state and the rust belt.
— S.E. Cupp (@secupp) November 9, 2022
✨ candidates matter ✨
— Alyssa Farah Griffin (@Alyssafarah) November 9, 2022
Maggie Hassan was beatable. Republicans had the advantage of running on a ticket with highly popular incumbent Governor Chris Sununu. But the party nominated Bolduc, a bad, extremist candidate & election denier.
Early still to say least. But not a great night so far for former President. DeSantis showed what he's capable of in Florida. Kemp win in Ga. Shapiro beats Trump's guy in Pa. and pattern of some election deniers losing.
— Aaron David Miller (@aarondmiller2) November 9, 2022
Gosh, if only Republicans in MA and MD had nominated moderates for Gov — like their popular predecessors Baker and Hogan — instead of Trumpy candidates, they might still hold those state houses. But why go with what works? 🤷🏼♀️
— S.E. Cupp (@secupp) November 9, 2022
So far a much better night for DeSantis than Trump.
— Tim Naftali (@TimNaftali) November 9, 2022
With two-thirds of the vote in,
— Patrick T. Brown (@PTBwrites) November 9, 2022
the "no" side in Kentucky (keeping a pro-life amendment out of the state constitution) is leading by 56k votes, 53-47%
Not surprising that Abbott beat O'Rourke, but man. Such a sad moment to see men who have failed their constituents over and over continue to win.
— Jill Filipovic (@JillFilipovic) November 9, 2022
Democrat Rep Abigail Spanberger projected to win by CNN & NBC - giving Democrats two-thirds of an answer to whether Virginia has been turned red by Glenn Youngkin @RepSpanberger @SpanbergerVA07
— Shanlon Wu (@shanlonwu) November 9, 2022
Rs and Ds were looking to VA-7 as a bellwether on the direction of the night. Dem @RepSpanberger was trailing her Republican opponent Yesli Vega all night in a district Biden carried by 7 in 2020.
— David Axelrod (@davidaxelrod) November 9, 2022
Spanberger has pulled ahead by about 5,000 votes w/98 percent in.
According to @CNN, Abigail Spanberger has pulled narrowly ahead with 98% of the votes in. This is a swing district, so a good sign for Democrats -- and certainly good for Dems to keep a pro-choice Dem in office vs a woman who suggested that women rarely get pregnant from rape.
— Jill Filipovic (@JillFilipovic) November 9, 2022
In #Georgia there are definitely Kemp-Warnock voters. The question for #Warnock, how many and are there enough?#MidtermElections2022
— Ashley Allison (@ashleyrallison) November 9, 2022
Hard core Trumpist election deniers defeated in Governor races in Massachusetts and Maryland.
— Frida Ghitis (@FridaGhitis) November 9, 2022
When @GOP was feeling bullish in closing days, some were predicting upsets in NH and even CO. Not looking that way. Looks like control will come down the states that have been the focus for months:
— David Axelrod (@davidaxelrod) November 9, 2022
PA, NV, GA and AZ.
https://t.co/DnJaw7lnsT MGT is the new Gingrich, a bellwether for the direction of the party. But her move from maverick to power broker is happening much quicker.
— Julian Zelizer (@julianzelizer) November 9, 2022
Pennsylvania voters are not enamored with either Biden or Trump, according to @cnn exit polling. That should be a strong message to both parties that most of us still feel underrepresented.
— S.E. Cupp (@secupp) November 9, 2022
From exit polling data, it seems that race remains perhaps the most salient factor in how Americans vote. Class, too. But gender seems increasingly important, and I'm curious to see how many of the touted racial shifts are primarily male ones.https://t.co/c7DGmSjrLZ
— Jill Filipovic (@JillFilipovic) November 9, 2022
The GA Senate vote is close and still being counted - but exit polls GA show that "Warnock holds edge among Georgia voters when it comes to showing 'good judgment.'" We'll see how much that matters... https://t.co/c82rsH9iGx
— John Avlon (@JohnAvlon) November 9, 2022
What a bright spot in the night! Newly elected MA Democratic governor, Maura Healey, is 1st openly lesbian woman to be elected governor in the US. Plus: The election of her running mate, Kim Driscoll, as Lt. Gov is the 1st time any state elected 2 women to both positions. #Vote!
— Kristin Rowe-Finkbeiner (@rowefinkbeiner) November 9, 2022
A couple of still-way-too-early first impressions:
— Patrick T. Brown (@PTBwrites) November 9, 2022
- Florida is now, officially, a red state
- Doesn't seem like a black swan night, polls seem fairly solid (so far)
- Ticket-splitting in GA and PA could be a major part of the story - candidates still matter!
Bad news for Trump: DeSantis won by a wide margin.
— Frida Ghitis (@FridaGhitis) November 9, 2022
In 2018, DeSantis barely won against a Black, Progressive, little-known mayor. In last 4 years, FL GOP invested in registering new voters and painting D's as scary socialists. Democrats ignored the smoke alarms and fell asleep at the wheel. Today, the whole damn house burnt down.
— Ana Navarro-Cárdenas (@ananavarro) November 9, 2022
The #CNN exit polls are a resounding rebuke of Biden's policies and his failure to comprehend the suffering of people across the country. #Election2022 pic.twitter.com/fsWmFoy4fo
— Alice Stewart (@alicetweet) November 9, 2022
DeSantis' performance in Miami Dade is stunning - speaks to his strength in Florida & the pendulum swing toward Republicans. A former Obama stronghold is now squarely in the R camp.
— Alyssa Farah Griffin (@Alyssafarah) November 9, 2022
In PA, watch the Lehigh Valley, Scranton/WB, suburban Pittsburgh House districts held by Dem incumbents. Could tell us a lot about how this night goes nationally.
— Charlie Dent (@RepCharlieDent) November 9, 2022
Another argument to put Trump in the rear view mirror: #CNN exit poll shows Trump w/ 36% approval rating which is lower than Pres. Biden in the low 40's. #ElectionDay
— Alice Stewart (@alicetweet) November 9, 2022
Youth turnout is down nationally, according to exits. But lines outside polling place at University of Michigan awhile ago reportedly were four hours long--maybe a result of Prop 3 on ballot to codify abortion rights.
— David Axelrod (@davidaxelrod) November 9, 2022
Statewide, abortion on ballot could be meaningful.
Remember that for many key races, this will be election week - not just election night. Counting all the votes takes time in close campaigns - and making sure every vote is counted is not a sign of fraud but a free and fair election.
— John Avlon (@JohnAvlon) November 9, 2022
Warnock is the candidate that shows good judgment and yet Walker is still "in the race". We are better than this as a country. So we need to talk about why ASAP.#midterms
— Ashley Allison (@ashleyrallison) November 8, 2022
In the interest of accountability - I am locking in my picks at GOP net gain of 2 in the Senate and 23 in the House, a good, if not quite historic night. But I do worry that some of the state-level ballot initiatives are going to tilt against conservatives https://t.co/R60VtRNXRJ
— Patrick T. Brown (@PTBwrites) November 8, 2022
The GOP wants as little mention of Trump as possible, but this election is very much about Donald Trump. A GOP victory is a Trump victory and strengthens his grip on the party.
— ((Lincoln Mitchell)) (@LincolnMitchell) November 8, 2022
This election is about insecurity:
— Kristen Soltis Anderson (@KSoltisAnderson) November 8, 2022
-economic (inflation, markets)
-physical (crime, guns, immig)
-institutional (rights, democracy)
In uncertain times, voters will go for candidates they don't necessarily love if they think it keeps them a little safer. https://t.co/xTge6RFUfl
Democrats have been tone deaf for months - focusing on abortion and threats to democracy when #CNN exit polling shows nearly 75% of voters say the ECONOMY is not good or poor.
— Alice Stewart (@alicetweet) November 8, 2022
One exit poll should alarm Republicans: only 37% of voters — real voters, voting today— had a favorable view of Trump. And Trump is the front runner for the GOP 2024 nomination.
— Frida Ghitis (@FridaGhitis) November 8, 2022
My eyes on Virginia tonight: watching for Representatives Elaine Luria Abigail Spanberger & Jennifer Wexton races to be supposed bellwether ones for Democrats across the country.
— Shanlon Wu (@shanlonwu) November 8, 2022
Back in the spring, there was a lot of talk about how what the Democrats needed to do was accomplish a lot and then take credit for it going to the elections. That was never going to work because voters care about outcomes not inputs.
— ((Lincoln Mitchell)) (@LincolnMitchell) November 8, 2022
Those exit poll results — looking at issues priorities, views of the economy, etc — do not look good for Democrats
— Frida Ghitis (@FridaGhitis) November 8, 2022
2022 is about watching what happens to the balance of power within our democracy as well as the state of our democracy. We need to get to a place where the second issue isn't an issue.
— Julian Zelizer (@julianzelizer) November 8, 2022
Exit polls: Inflation is 32% and Abortion 27% electorate care about these issues - this is huge! #Abortion is going to be a deciding factor in this #midterms
— Ashley Allison (@ashleyrallison) November 8, 2022
Polls are still open. I know you're tired, volunteers. Every call you make, every door you knock, every voter you drive to the polls matters. Thank you for doing the hard work of freedom.
— Paul Begala (@PaulBegala) November 8, 2022
Early @CNN exit polling showing a whiter, older electorate than we saw in 2020 soooo that doesn't seem great for Democrats.
— Jill Filipovic (@JillFilipovic) November 8, 2022
The former President is preemptively taking credit for what's expected to be a good night for Republicans. Notably absent from his list: the money @LeaderMcConnell poured into competitive races to boost Senate R candidates. pic.twitter.com/tfkkrr1eFX
— Alyssa Farah Griffin (@Alyssafarah) November 8, 2022
