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Rep. Blackburn (R-TN) argues Obama won re-election on ‘jobs and economy,’ says Hurricane Sandy broke Romney's momentum
Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) joins CNN this morning to discuss how President Barack Obama defeated opponent Mitt Romney in the presidential election on Tuesday. Blackburn argues that the president’s success lay in his campaign’s ability to convince voters that the economy is improving.
“I think the Obama campaign convinced people that jobs and the economy were getting better,” the Romney campaign surrogate argues, adding that she disagrees with the direction Obama has taken the economy. “But with voters all across the country, what we saw was jobs and the economy was the number one issue.”
Blackburn also argues that she is unsure of where “things kind of ran off the rails” for opponent Mitt Romney, but claims that Hurricane Sandy halted the former governor’s momentum.
“The point is President Obama won this race,” Blackburn adds. “Those of us in the House need to help him be a better president in the second term than he was the first term.”
Philadelphia Mayor Nutter: 'The election is over, it's time for governing'
President Barack Obama won re-election on Tuesday, defeating Republican Nominee Gov. Mitt Romney after a long and grueling presidential race. Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter (D) joins CNN this morning to discuss the president’s victory and to argue that now that “the election is over, it’s time for governing” not politics.
“It’s time for people to get serious about getting things done, putting Americans back to work,” Nutter says, adding that higher education and encouraging businesses to invest are also important. “Let’s put the politics aside – the point scoring politics – and let’s deal with real people, real personalities, real leadership and commitment to making things happen on behalf of the American public.”
VIDEO: Fiscal cliff looms over Obama election win – Christine Romans and Ali Velshi on what it will take to fix it
Christine Romans and Ali Velshi on how Congress and President Obama should handle the impending fiscal cliff.
Early Start/Starting Point Election Day after live blog for Nov. 7th, 2012
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Which candidate spent the most time in swing states? Christine Romans breaks down the numbers
Christine Romans on which states got the most attention from Mitt Romney and President Obama before Election Day.
Does the election end tonight? CNN Contributors Ana Navarro and Roland Martin weigh potential vote splits
After a whirlwind of an election season, today is finally the day Americans decide who will be sitting in the oval office for the next four years.
Some early polling stations are just opening up in states around the country. CNN Contributor and Republican Strategist Ana Navarro and CNN Political Analyst Roland Martin join our election coverage and share their Election Day roundup. They weigh the momentum and enthusiasm for the election and attempt to predict whether we will have a clear winner in D.C. tomorrow.
Martin thinks the winner will emerge tonight. “I don’t think it’s gonna drag on,” he says. “I don’t forsee Florida in 2000.”
However, there are already legal challenges and long lines at the polls in Florida today to imply a delay before the decision comes out.
“I don’t think it’s gonna be close enough for us to be recount,” Navarro interjects. She’s optimistic there won’t be a recount because “a recount finding is very divisive, long, difficult process,” Navarro says. “My hope is that this is over, if not tonight, at least tomorrow morning.”
Martin offers another distinction between the 2000 and the 2012 race. “The other difference is that the western states are gonna play key as well. And that’s Nevada and Colorado. We weren’t talking about those states in 2000, 2004.”
Rep. Forbes says Romney 'excited,' sees momentum: 'It's going to be a new day in the country tomorrow'
This is it. Today, Americans will decide who will be the next president to lead the United States for the next four years. In Virginia, the race is extremely tight. The latest poll shows candidates President Obama and Mitt Romney in a dead heat with 48% of likely voters for Obama and 47% for Romney. The voting booths are now open in battleground Virginia and we’ll be following the details throughout the day. Randy Forbes is a Republican congressman from Virginia. A supporter of GOP nominee Mitt Romney, Rep. Forbes joins us live this morningfrom the General Assembly Building in Richmond, Virginia with the latest on the momentum in his man’s campaign.
Governor Romney is still campaigning today, hitting Ohio and Pennsylvania. CNN’s Soledad O’Brien asks Rep. Forbes whether this means Romney is worried and must campaign until the final second. “I don’t think do,” Rep Forbes says, citing the enthusiasm for Romney in the crowds in his state of Virginia. “I think the governor’s excited. I think he sees this momentum and I think wants to take advantage of all of it. And I think that all of these states are coming into play.”
Rep. Forbes also responds to tweets by Nate Silver from the New York Times, in which Silver said President Obama has a 91% chance of winning the Electoral College. Rep. Forbes refutes the claim and points out that some of these national polls, which Silver noted showed a “pretty clear shift to Obama,” only measure hundreds of people at a time. “We’ve been measuring thousands of people across Virginia. And if the excitement across the country is anything like it is in Virginia, I think it’s gonna be a new day in the country tomorrow.”
Rep. Forbes is also confident legal hurdles resulting from delays in polls due to Hurricane Sandy won’t stall a decision tonight. “I think we’re gonna have a pretty clear decision by the end of this evening,” Forbes says. “I don’t think Sandy’s gonna have a major impact on that decision.”
VIDEO: Billions made, spent in 2012 races – Christine Romans breaks down the numbers
Christine Romans breaks down the amount of money spent in campaign ads in the 2012 presidential and congressional races.
Delaware Gov. Markell 'impressed' by President Obama's ground game in key states
A majority of polls are just now opening for voters in on the East Coast of the United States. The latest CNN national poll shows President Obama and Mitt Romney in a dead heat. They’re tied at 47% among likely voters’ choice for president. So it’s clear that anything can happen today. Obama Campaign surrovate Gov. Jack Markell (D-Del.) talks to Soledad on "Early Start" this morning with his take on the campaign in his state.
Gov. Markell says he feels good today. He’s excited to be on the ballot himself and feels optimistic for the president. “I’ve been really, really impressed by the President’s ground game in key states,” he says.
Gov. Markell also responds to tweets by Nate Silver from the New York Times, in which Silver said President Obama has a 91% chance of winning the Electoral College.
“We’ll know soon enough,” Markell says. “But I think in the end, I’m not much of a pundit, and I think the great thing about getting to Election Day is what people like me think aren’t really that important compared to what all the voters think. And in the end we all put our faith, we all put our future in their hands. And that's as it should be.”
Early Start Instant Poll: Who do you think will win the presidency today?
The first presidential election results are in – and it's a tie.
President Barack Obama and his Republican rival, Mitt Romney, each received five votes in Dixville Notch, New Hampshire.
The town in the state's northeast corner has opened its polls shortly after midnight each election day since 1960 – but today's tie was the first in its history. The town, home to about a dozen residents, has drawn national media attention for being the first place in the country to make its presidential preferences known.
The result in Dixville Notch is hardly a reliable bellwether for the eventual winner of the White House – or even the result statewide. Although the community typically leans Republican, residents went for Obama in 2008 – the first time the majority of folks in Dixville Notch went for a Democrat in 40 years.
This morning, we're asking you to look into your personal crystal ball to tell us who you think will win the presidency today. Vote in our poll below.
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