Hold On to Your Seats: This Wild Midterm Election Is Not Over Yet

image
Shawn M GriffithsShawn M Griffiths
Published: 10 Nov, 2018
2 min read

IVN Author Wes Messamore and I delve into some of the biggest races that haven't been decided in the 2018 midterms, and the controversies arising that could drag these races out longer, President Donald Trump and members of the Republican Party are calling "FRAUD" in states like Arizona and Florida, where the Senate races are still too close to call:

  • In Florida, a manual recount is expected, along with the possibility of a lawsuit from Gov. Rick Scott and the National Republican Senate Committee against the election officials in Broward County. Some GOP officials are claiming that new ballots coming from the county are a clear indication of fraud.
  • What you need to know about Broward County is that it does have a history of shady election practices -- even illegal. A circuit court judge found that the supervisor of elections illegally discarded ballots in the 2016 Democratic congressional primary for US Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz's district. However, with no clear evidence to point to yet, it is unclear whether fraud actually occurred or if the Republicans are just calling foul because the gap between Scott and Democratic nominee Bill Nelson has narrowed.
  • Arizona's Senate race is also too close to call, with Democratic Rep. Kyrsten Sinema holding on to a lead of about one percentage point over Republican Rep. Martha McSally. Again, President Trump is calling foul, tweeting about ballot signatures: "Just out — in Arizona, SIGNATURES DON’T MATCH. Electoral corruption - Call for a new Election? We must protect our Democracy!" Meanwhile, the Green Party candidate is being accused of potentially "spoiling" the race.

But the race that we, at IVN, are paying particularly close attention to is in Maine's 2nd Congressional District, which will be the first in US history to be decided by ranked choice voting. It's a deadlock between Republican US Rep. Bruce Poliquin and Democrat Jared Golden, with Poliquin leading Golden by less than a percentage point going into the second round of ranked choice tabulation. An exit survey indicates that Golden could overtake the incumbent's 0.7 point lead and get the majority vote.

Be sure to drop any comments, questions, and feedback in the comment section. We want to hear from you.

Thanks for listening, and as always... stay independent!

Photo Credit: Christos Georghiou / shutterstock.com

You Might Also Like

Will the Texas Republican Party be Successful Where the Hawaiian Democratic Party Failed?
Will the Texas Republican Party be Successful Where the Hawaiian Democratic Party Failed?
The Republican Party of Texas (RPT) is suing Secretary of State Jane Nelson in an effort to close the state’s primary elections to party members only – a move that the Democratic Party of Hawaii (DPH) tried back in 2013 in its state and failed. ...
05 Sep, 2025
-
3 min read
Supreme Court building.
Retired Attorney Takes Voting Rights Case All the Way to the Supreme Court -- By Himself
The next big voting rights case the Supreme Court of the United States could consider wasn’t filed by the ACLU, the League of Women Voters, Common Cause, or another household name when it comes to voter rights. ...
09 Sep, 2025
-
5 min read
congress flag
Poll: 82% of Americans Want Redistricting Done by Independent Commission, Not Politicians
There may be no greater indication that voters are not being listened to in the escalating redistricting war between the Republican and Democratic Parties than a new poll from NBC News that shows 8-in-10 Americans want the parties to stop....
10 Sep, 2025
-
3 min read