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After months of posturing by candidates, millions of miles trekked by volunteers and oceans of ink spilled by pundits, the 2010 midterm election campaign ends today. Ftor many analysts, the game is only just beginning, and the outcome of American votes gives rise to many possi bilities: social, economic, and of course, political. So you’re not lost as results come in tonight, The Red & Black presents your guide to today’s election. -Robbie Ottley Senate Races RED & BLACK PROJECTIONS Democrats: 51 Republicans: 49 GEORGIA Isakson (R) v. Thurmond (D), incumbent: Isakson (R) Safe Republican A graduate of ______ the University and member of ':/ Congress since Ilf m 1999. Johnny I Isakson won his first term in the BraMT.. J§ Senate by a ■■ margin of 58 percent to 40 ISAKSON percent. He is widely expected to win his second term by a similar margin over Democrat Mike Thurmond, the Georgia Labor Commissioner. WEST VIRGINIA Raese (R) v. Manchin (D), Incumbent: Goodwin (D) Tossup, tilt Democrat Democrat Robert Byrd, the oldest Georgia’s Next Governor? Deal (R) v. Barnes (D), Incumbent: Perdue (R) Lean Republican The Georgia gubernatorial race has been surprisingly competitive this year. With incumbent governor Sonny Perdue began with a Hg_ r ary a E , a L ly BARNES favorite John Oxendine faded as further ethics questions came to light, and an August runoff pitted former Secretary of State and Sarah Palin-endorsed Karen Handel against former Congressman Nathan Deal. After his victory in the runoff, Deal POLITICS: Most voters find middle ground ► From Page 1 “The reason that the Republicans in Georgia took over is because the Democrats in Georgia did not gov ern," she said. “People began to see that the Republicans had good ideas and did have a plan for America.” Everhart said her party takes nothing for granted, but members expect big gains in today’s election. “There are some people in this country who are mad at both parties, but they do see us as the more sen sible party,” she said. “Right now, the Republicans are the party of hope.” And both parties’ hopes may hinge on tonight’s results after this year’s census. Georgia is projected to pick up a Congressional seat, and which ever party wins the governor’s race will play a huge role in redistricting. “If we don’t get the governor’s office, redistricting will be disastrous for Democrats,” said Jane Kidd, chairwoman of the Democratic Party of Georgia. “We’ll be in the wilder ness for another decade.” ' This election will certainly be dif ficult for Democrats. Not only does the party face bigger hurdles in fund raising than Georgia Republicans already in office, Democrats must also combat the natural loss in seats the nationally in-power party sees in midterm elections. “It’s hard. It is an uphill battle. A lot of people came out to vote for President Obama that were not active voters in the past, so we want to get back with them and explain to them the importance of midterm elections.” Kidd said. “As long as the popularity of the federal government is so low, then the Democrats are gonna have to say, ‘Well, we’re the ones with the good ones up there,’ but if we’re talking about Georgia politics and Georgia government and its governor, let’s talk about the problems in Georgia and the leader ship we’ve had in the last eight years. Is this what you want to continue? And people are in that ‘throw the bums out’ mood. Well, in Georgia, that means throwing out the Republicans.” Kidd said her party has a good chance if voters focus on state rather than national issues. “If you hear the Republicans talk ing about national issues to state offices, it’s because they don’t want to talk about the failures of the last eight years," she said. But Everhart said whether talking about state or federal issues, Georgia voters focus on a candidate’s ideolo MIDTERM MID-TACULAR serving Senator, died on June 28. Democratic Governor Joe Manchin appointed Carte Goodwin to till the seat, with the understanding that Goodwin wouldn't run in a special election Tuesday to fill the remain ing two years of Byrd's term. Despite Manchin's individual popu larity, he must overcome many Democratic policy positions, partic ularly dimate change legislation which is unpopular in this coal-min ing state. Manchin's response was to air a campaign ad in which he fired a bullet into a copy of the Democrats' cap-and-trade bin. The race in West Virginia is among the closest in the country, and extreme ly important for Republicans wish ing to gain a Senate majority. NEVADA Angie (R) v. Reid (D), Incumbent: Reid(D) Tossup, tut Republican Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid breathed a sigh of relief upon the Republicans' nomination of Tea Party-backed Sharron Angle, which put the race back into play. Nonetheless. Reid is expected to lose a narrow race tonight. is facing off against Roy Barnes, who previously served as governor from 1998 to 2002. Barnes, a grad uate of the University for both undergrad and law school, isn’t par ticularly personalty popular, espe daily because battle standard Meanwhile. Deal has faced ethics ' questions of his own, surround ing his personal finances, especially in relation to an auto repair shop he owns in Gainesville. But unless undecided voters surprise the pundits with a heavy swing toward Barnes, it looks like Nathan Deal will be moving to West Paces Ferry next year. “We have basically tossed away competence. We are in strict ideology.’” Jn Gmummv ATtANTA JoURNAL-CoNSTnXTION gy, and her party’s candidates may be more in line with the state than Democratic candidates. “When they run for office they become moderate Democrats. Once they get elected, they become liberal Democrats,” she said. “I mean, any body that would have elected Nancy Pelosi speaker of the House needs to have their head examined.” The recent intensity of emotion In politics has shown the importance placed on candidates’ ideologies over other qualities. “There’s a political gauge that says, ‘This candidate cannot be defeated unless he is found in bed with a live boy or a dead woman,’ and this is where we are right now. We are essentially in an ideologically divided area,” Galloway said. “Generally, an election balances ide ology and competence do you want a fellow that can do the job, do you want a woman who believes the right things, and then you make your decisions. Those two are very far apart right now. We have basically tossed away competence. We are in strict ideology.” And today, the atmosphere is like ly to help Republicans. Eric Tanenblatt is senior manag ing director of Atlanta law firm McKenna Long & Aldridge, where he leads the firm’s National Government Affairs Group. Tanenblatt has served as Perdue’s chief of staff and was a long-time adviser to late Republican Georgia senator Paul CoverdelL "The Republican party in Georgia today is much more representative of the conservative values of people in the state, and I think the Democratic party in Georgia tends to be much more philosophically to the left and I don’t think they’re in line with the majority of Georgians,” he said. “There aren’t a lot of conservative Democrats in the state anymore. The conservative Democrats have assimi lated into the Republican party.” But Kidd said her party wasn’t as far to the left on the political spec trum as some say, and most Georgians fit right In the middle. “The majority of Georgians are The Road to a Majority SENATE The Red & Back does not project that Republicans win win a majority in the Senate. But if they were to gain a majority, here's one route to victory. Republican Senate seats not up for re-election this year. 40 Democratic Senate seats are not up for re-election this year. Seats The Red & Black rates as leaning toward or safe tor Republicans. The Red 4 Black rates nine seats as leaning toward or safe for Democrats. Seats rated as tossups, tilting toward toe Republicans (Pennsylvania and Nevada) or too dose to call (Colorado and Illinois). Seats rated as toesups, tilting toward toe Democrats (West Virginia and Washington). A one-vote majority in the Senate of toe 112th Congress. 23 +22 +4 ±2 51 HOUSE AH 435 seats in Congress are up for re-election, with 218 seats needed for a majority. Though The Red & Black did not rate House races, most politi cal analysts expect Republicans wiH gain a large majority in the House. 130-150 +35-85 165-235 160-200 +4O-70 200-270 GOVERNORS There hasn't been quite as much focus on the races for governor in the various states, as they don't have much of a direct effect on national policy. Nonetheless, the governors naturally have significant influence over local policy, and with sway over the upcoming redistricting process, governors elected this year wiH have an important indirect role on national policy. 7 Democratic seats not up for election. This year sees an extraordinary 37 gubernatorial seats that wiH be contested. +3.2 Contested elections The Red 4 Black projects will go to Democrats. The total number of governors projected to be Democrats after this election. 0 Republican seats not up tor election. , /") /\ Contested elections The Red 4 Black projects will go to ' Republicans. 30 The total number of governors projected to be Republicans after this election. The Red 4 Black projects that independent Lincoln Chafee wi win the Rhode Island gubernatorial race. conservative to moderate and would agree on two-thirds of the top issues that divide the two parties right now,” she said. “We’ve allowed our selves to be characterized in a com pletely foreign, different way, and it’s our job to express to people who we are, why we believe the way we do and what our similarities are instead of our differences.” Kidd explained her point using the issue of abortion. She said sever al anti-abortion Republicans say abortions are only appropriate in extreme cases such as rape, incest or the mother’s life is in danger "Well, a lot of Democrats think that too, and I consider that a pro choice stance,” she said. “So wait a minute, we’re actually believing the same thing, but we’ve got different names and different parties for it. So there are hot-button issues like that, that have middle ground.” In Georgia, this middle ground is only likely to grow. “In the end, demographics are working against the Republican party,” Galloway said. “At some point Georgia will come close to a racial parity, where your population of African Americans and other minori ties will balance out the Republican dominance, and you can see that in census after census, it’s just a matter of when.” But today, Democrats face quite the challenge. Widespread dissatis faction with the state of the economy and the political status quo gives the state party a lot to deal with. “Who are the most pissed off peo ple? Republicans, specifically young white men,” Galloway said. “Right now, voters are not angry at Republicans in Washington, they’re angry at Democrats in Washington, so those voters who are inclined to vote Republican, they’re willing to give them a pass on that.” Try as they might to focus on state issues, state Democrats couldn’t distance themselves entirely from the federal government, even if they wanted to. “The direction they are taking our country is so offensive to so many people that that is what’s motivating Republicans,” Tanenblatt said. “People are disgusted with President Obama, Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi, and those are the people who are running our federal government, and Democrats in Georgia can try to sep arate themselves, but at the end of the day they have a ‘D’ next to their name, and the captains of the team are the people I just mentioned.” NEWS Democratic seats considered 'safe.’ Seats considered tossups’ Demo crats are expected to pick up. The number of Democratic seats in the House of Representatives of the 112th Congress. Republican seats considered ‘safe.’ Seats considered tossups’ Republi cans are expected to pick up. The number of Republican seats in the House of Representatives of the 112 to Congress. The Red * Buck | Tljrsdav, November a, abio Setting the Stage INCUMBENT SENATE Democrats: 57 .g&jffife, Republicans: 41 Independents: 2 SB -***— ffil INCUMBENT HOUSE Democrats: 255 Republicans: 178 President Obama Job Approval: Approve: 46%, Disapprove: 48% Though he began his presidency with approval ratings in the high 60s, with a spread of usually 30 or 40 percent in favor, Obama has seen his approval ratings steadily trend downward. Much of the dedine results from natural falloff after such high approval earty in his presidency, but also comes from unpopular legislation such as health care reform, enacted by the admin istration, as well as the administra tion’s failure to address an unem ployment rate that remains above nine percent. TODAY The Red 4 Black has maps and projections for every Senate and gubernatorial race based on race ratings from political websites. We also have analyses of several other races across the nation. I*■lf**flll 'I 1 I I 1 1 I 1 1 Tuesday j Red Black | ; C/0°? Corner: IS3HS r*i 11 1 NEW • USED 1 mm kiiJLlkU VINTAGE I ■n *8 OFF *3Ol BUV ONE BREAKFAST SANDUIICH AND GET A FREE GLAZED DONUT Wk soob thru wt *-F MO-5,e TbdhSkclT™ 1 Large Ufißfiillg Pizza *4"oiis H r - , Order Online • PjpaJofaw.cwn Hjpjr H Good for $2 M 2,0 H ° w + ofT > Ave. Ji JJoff your inkjet | 1 9 on, 5“ •”f K Hcartidge refill. %• > , m ’ 2.31 .uj I ** Cash & Carry Roses E I athensfuorist *ls per dozen! K I www.aOiens-floriat.nat j 1072 Baxter Bt. 700.849.8P40 I Just voted Athens- Best Florist | : EQZY YUM YUM xu*. i 55 off iTtIAI 2 entrees CUISINE; . Dinner Only ftp ires 12 31)0 ; * 179 N Jackson st. downtown I \ WWW CBZYVUMVUM ATHENS CBM ♦ 7U6 808 1747 / \ Urban a^itj/^Spa Facials, PediaM & Waxing (706) 613 - 3947 vwwMp>|KaiictuarySpa,corn (Now in the Mistier Brfflevard District) POLLING Generic Congressional Vote: Republican: 50%, Democrat: 42% More than any other single number, toe Republicans' significant advan tage in the generic ballot forebodes a major wave by the GOP in Con gress. The “generic vote’ number usually comes from questions such as, “Which party's candidate would you vote for, the Republican or toe Democrat?" Several polling services have shown double-digit leads for Republicans, signifying the possibil ity ot greater gains than expected. Polling data comes from the latest average by Real Clear Politics, a polling aggregation web site. ONLINE TONIGHT Log on to our website to follow and interact with The Red 4 Black’s iive blog about the election. Well be online from 6 p.m. until voting con cludes around fa m., and well be encouraging reader questions. 3