Five Big Things To Watch For On Election Night

Election night is now less than a week away. And, let's face it, with mail-in ballots, early voting, drop boxes and ballot counting that seems to go on forever, election night just ain't what it used to be. But if the vote turns out to be as lopsided as some expect (and this is still a big if) this election night may yet prove to be decisive and revealing.

So, with that hope in mind, here are five big things to look for on election night:

1) North Carolina - With polls closing at 7 pm North Carolina will be one of the first states to report. If  the NC Senate candidate ( Ted Budd) rolls up big numbers early, that will be a good sign for Republicans. If he wins by a significant number, that will be good news for GOP control of the Senate.

2) Bucks County, PA - In Pennsylvania polls are showing a big swing by Gen Xers and suburban women to the GOP. If this is accurate it will show up early in Bucks County, a leafy suburb of Philadelphia which has become a reliable bell-weather. A sizable swing to the Republicans in Bucks County would signal a GOP rout in Pennsylvania.

3) Kean and Pallotta - In New Jersey's 7th congressional district Republican Tom Kean is the favorite to flip a seat currently held by the beleaguered incumbent Tom Malinowski. If Kean is rolling up big numbers from the outset that could indicate that other Democrat held congressional seats in the Garden State are about to flip. Among these, pay close attention to the Frank Pallotta vs Josh Gottheimer race in the 5th district. Though he's been vastly outspent, Pallotta is a smart, scrappy contender who's been on the incumbent Gottheimer's heels. Pallotta's mastery of retail politics and his ragtag army of door knockers could win the day. And, BTW: don't underestimate the likable Bob Healey in his race to unseat shifty Andy Kim in the CD3.

 

4) New York and New Hampshire - Earlier in the game, these two states weren't even part of the Republican playbook. The New York outcome may take awhile to determine while New Hampshire results may come in earlier. If the GOP can garb the Granite State's senate seat and New York's governorship, Republicans will be on the road to running the table.

5) The West - As the evening goes on, watch the west. Keep a close eye on Nevada, Colorado, Arizona, Utah, New Mexico and even Washington state. This is where some of the biggest surprises (and biggest shifts) of the night may occur. Combinations of wins in these state could seal the deal for the GOP. Can the Republicans even flip that senate seat in Washington? Is it possible? Stay tuned . . . 

One final warning: Watch the fancy footwork and slippery narrative from Big Liberal Media as the night goes on. We're talkin' NBC, ABC, CBS, CNN, MSNBC and even some sneaky, snarky skunks at Fox. If they start to undermine GOP gains even before early votes are counted, you can bet they've seen exit polls that are telling them the Dems are dying. The alarm will sound and they will attempt to minimize Republican wins in every way they can. But, don't worry because bad news for them means good news for the USA!