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The Situation Room
Election 2006 Coverage; Battles for U.S. Senate Seats Come Down To The Wire; Many Issues Drive Voters in Montana; Exit Polls Held Top Secret; Ken Mehlman Interview
Aired November 07, 2006 - 16:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: To our viewers, you're in "THE SITUATION ROOM" where new pictures and information are arriving all the time. Standing by, CNN reporters across the United States and around the world to bring you today's top stories. Happening now -- America votes. The balance of power on Capitol Hill is on the line. Your voice, your future, your country, the issues you care about hanging in the balance as well.
We're watching all the Election Day activity right now. On our radar, a rash of voting problems, as well as the races that matter most. How the best political team on television will share with us what is going on. Keep all of us up to the minute on the dramatic decision day events.
Plus, this is where you'll get the very first word on the exit polls. Are voters sending a powerful message about President Bush and the war in Iraq. The information in a virtual lockbox right now but we're only about an hour away from bringing you some early glimpses of the big picture. I'm Wolf Blitzer at CNN election headquarters in New York, you're in "THE SITUATION ROOM."
BLITZER: This is it. The ultimate test of our political system and America's officeholders -- Election Day. All 435 seats in the House, 33 in the Senate are up for grabs. Democrats have high hopes of picking up at least 15 seats they need to seize control of the House. A much iffier prospect -- can they gain six Senate seats and reclaim the majority in that chamber? We will be watching make or break battlegrounds in the hours ahead.
Polls close at 7:00 p.m. eastern in Virginia where Republican Senator George Allen is trying to beat back a strong challenge by Democrat Jim Webb. At 7:30 p.m. eastern, polls close in Ohio where Republican incumbent Mike DeWine is on the ropes against Democratic challenger Sherrod Brown. At 8:00 p.m. eastern, a flood of potentially decisive races. One of the closest is in Missouri. Republican Senator Jim Talent and Democrat Claire McCaskill are duking it out.
In Pennsylvania, Republican incumbent Rick Santorum fighting for political survival against Democrat Bob Casey, Jr. In Maryland, Ben Cardin hoping to keep an open Senate seat in Democratic hands, but Republican Michael Steele has other ideas. In Tennessee, Bob Corker trying to keep an open Senate seat in the Republican column against Democrat Harold Ford, Jr. And in New Jersey, a Democrat on the defensive. Incumbent Bob Menendez versus Republican Tom Dean, Jr. Rhode Island also in our sights at 9:00 p.m. eastern. Republican moderate Lincoln Chafee trying to hold on against challenger Sheldon Whitehouse. And at 10:00 p.m. eastern, the key western battleground -- Montana. Republican Senator Conrad Burns is in a brawl with Democratic challenger John Tester. Our correspondents are in all of those critical battleground states all across America. We're going to be hearing from them through this day and well into the night.
This hour, Chris Lawrence standing by in Montana, Delia Gallagher in Missouri, Joe Johns in Tennessee, Ed Henry in Virginia. But, first, first -- new problems emerging at some polling places across the country. Let's check in with our Ali Velshi who is keeping tabs on these reports that are coming in -- Ali.
ALI VELSHI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This is just in right now, Wolf. Denver District Court Judge Sheila Rappaport (ph) is now hearing a request by the Colorado Democratic Party to extend voting in Denver County until 9:00 p.m. Mountain time. I should tell you, this hearing started at 12:00 p.m. Mountain time. This has been going on for sometime. Look at those lines.
Our Sean Callebs is in Denver. He has been right there and he is saying that the lines -- the last I heard from him, it was three or four city blocks. That's the Botanical Garden Place. The lines there are causing a lot of problems for voters. They didn't have information to start those polling booths on time this morning.
Now, that's not the only county where we're looking at delays. In Indiana, in Delaware County, around Muncie, a two hour and 45- minute extension to voting there because of electronic voting machines that didn't work properly at the beginning of the day, another problem where there are delays. We're also looking at delays in Pennsylvania. At least one county, Lebanon County, has had its polls extended by one hour and we are covering reports of lots of problems, voting problems in Pennsylvania. We're looking into all of those.
New Jersey also has electronic voting problems and allegations of intimidation and tricks going on by both sides. And in Illinois, we have reports confirmed of at least two precincts in Cook County that have had extensions because they didn't get started on time.
We're also tracking down reports of at least a couple more in another county. So we do have delays, voting delays in some of those cases, particularly in Colorado, or in New Jersey, or Pennsylvania, these may have some effect on decisions tonight.
We do not have any delays reported yet in New Jersey but we have reports of several problems. I should also tell you, Wolf, that in Virginia, there were phone calls made yesterday, there were at least 50 calls reported before polls opened this morning of people getting misleading information about where to vote, how to vote, and whether they are properly registered. The Board of Electors has looked into this.
They did try to inform Virginians that isn't a problem, but the FBI is now taking on the investigation to see whether any damage has been done, whether people who actually should have been voting, didn't go out and vote or got wrong information about their ballots. So, Wolf, it's going to be a long night on a lot of levels, but there are lawyers across this country now trying to figure out whether voting needs to go on for longer than it was scheduled.
BLITZER: Some 10,000 lawyers have already been put in place by both political parties ready to deal with this. Ali, we're going to continue to check back with you. Our other team of reporters, we've got extensive reporting going on all of these glitches, all these problems across the United States right now. We'll watch this story. Ali, thank you.
Let's get to the nail biter, battle for control of the Senate right now to our reporters in some of the battleground states that will help decide if Democrats seized the day. Let's go to Virginia for CNN's Ed Henry who's joining us with the latest from there -- Ed.
ED HENRY, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, after months of bitterness, Republican Senator George Allen and Democratic challenger Jim Webb have finally found something they can agree on. Turnout in this red hot Senate race may reach historic proportions for a mid-term election. Both sides getting reports from the field that turnout is approaching presidential election year levels, which you just never hear of, all the way from Fairfax in the north, which would be Democratic turf down to the southwestern portion of the state, which would be Republican turf.
Also absentee ballots in the last midterm election in 200, there were 44,000 cast. This time, 131,000 absentee ballots requested. The question is going to be, who does this benefit? The Webb campaign is confident that they will get more turnout for a combination of factors -- number one, Senator Allen's miscues like that macaca moment.
Also, a anti-incumbent mood, his ties to the White House, and the issue of Iraq which has been front and center here. The Allen camp though believes that the fact that a ban on same sex marriage, a constitutional amendment banning that, is on the state ballot, that will drive more conservatives to the polls. The bottom line is we may get an early answer because the polls close here at 7:00 eastern time, Wolf
BLITZER: Ed, thanks very much. Ed Henry in Virginia. Let's move over to Tennessee right now. The heated battle for the Senate seat now held by the Majority Leader Bill Frist who is retiring. Covering the Ford-Corker contest for us is Joe Johns. Joe is joining us now live -- Joe.
JOE JOHNS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, this is the Peabody Hotel in Memphis, Tennessee, that's where we're expecting the Democrat, Harold Ford, to end up tonight. He is in the Memphis area. We started out with him today at a polling place. It's interesting here in Tennessee, there are some projections, probably about half of the people who will have voted in this election already voted in early voting, so they're describing the people turning at the polls so far as steady. There has been rain here, which is always an issue as to turnout. But both sides are thinking they're going to see a lot of people voting in this election. 1.8-1.9 million and so it goes here in Tennessee. The candidate, the Democratic candidate, was out today, as I said, at the polls speaking to people, not getting too close because there are rules against that.
He's been talking a lot about his faith in this final day, this voting day. Meanwhile, Bob Corker, over in Chattanooga, that's where he is expected to end up tonight, of course. This is a very close race. A lot of people think at least, according to the last "USA Today"/Gallup poll. Back to you, Wolf.
BLITZER: All right. Thanks very much Joe for that. Let's move over to Missouri right now, the Senate battle between Jim Talent and Claire McCaskill could hinge on a red hot social issue, embryonic stem cell research.
Our faith and values correspondent Delia Gallagher is joining us now from St. Louis with more on that -- Delia.
DELIA GALLAGHER, CNN FAITH AND VALUES CORRESPONDENT: Good evening to you Wolf. Well, embryonic stem cell research is an issue that states have been grappling with for the past two years. From California which funds it to South Dakota that bans it and tonight, it's Missouri turn to decide.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GALLAGHER (voice-over): It's down to the wire, but there's still time for Brian Curry to try on convince one more voter on the Missouri stem cell issue. Five pages of dense scientific terms obscured by even more campaign rhetoric boils down to this -- changing Missouri's constitution to prevent future restrictions on embryonic stem cell research. The opposition says it opens the door to cloning. Supporters say it's about cure.
BRIAN CURRY, OPPOSES STEM-CELL AMENDMENT: It says bans cloning, cures for everybody, this is going to be great. But then when you read the actual amendment, it does allow cloning.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I believe in research. And I don't think it's about cloning at all. I think it's all about research and helping people and everything.
GALLAGHER: Whether you believe the amendment would lead to cloning depends in part on when you believe life begins. It's a tall order. Voters must weigh moral values and cutting edge science.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think they can get stem cells from other places, from what I understand, so I'm going to vote no.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm leaning to voting for stem cells because of the endorsements by the African-Americans in the medical profession. GALLAGHER: It's been the subject of millions of dollars of advertising, divided members of the same party and even members of the same family.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I was going to say, I can't answer this because if my family is watching, they're very split on this so I know how I'm voting.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GALLAGHER: And the big question, Wolf, is how much this issue will affect the very tight Senate race here in Missouri -- Wolf.
BLITZER: All right, Delia. Delia is in Missouri for us. Let's move over now to Montana and another Republican senator in peril. It's Conrad Burns versus John Tester. Our Chris Lawrence is right in the middle of all of this. He's joining us live from Billings -- Chris?
CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, there's no one issue that is driving voters to the polls here in Montana. One voter told me he voted for Conrad Burns because he was afraid John Tester was going to raise his taxes.
Another told me he voted for Tester because he thought Burns had sold out to big oil companies. Now the last poll taken before the election had Tester leading Burns, but Burns said that Republicans are going to turn pit on big numbers and put him over the top. He did his part today by casting his own vote for himself. His opponent, John Tester voted in absentee ballot and he wasn't alone.
Nearly one out of every six registered voters here in Montana asked for an absentee ballot. Most of them got turned in days ago, so in some ways this race was well on its way to being decided before the polls even opened today -- Wolf.
BLITZER: All right Chris, thanks very much.
We're going to watch all of these races. Something else that is often controversial on Election Day, exit polls. They're a very valuable tool for predicting races. This year, we in the news media have gone to new length to try to keep the data secret as long as possible.
Let's bring in our senior political analyst, Bill Schneider, he's our expert on exit polls. Bill, tell our viewers what is going on.
WILLIAM SCHNEIDER, CNN SR. POLITICAL ANALYST: Wolf, in the immortal words of Sergeant Schultz from "Hogan's Heroes," I know nothing. That's because all exit poll results are in quarantine until 5:00 p.m. Eastern. Two years ago, we were shocked, shocked to discover that early and incomplete exit polling information was being leaked on Election Day. It spread instantly over the Web and around the world. That information was unverified and misleading.
Well this year, representatives of five networks and the "Associated Press" are meeting in a secure undisclosed location to review the exit poll results. They are sworn to secrecy. No cell phones, no pagers, no smoke signals, no contact with the outside world and hall monitors like in second grade. At 5:00 Eastern, we will see the results and begin to share them with you.
As always, everything in an exit poll must be taken with proper caution. It's a poll, a sample of voters interviewed at polling places, plus early and absentee voters interviewed by telephone. It's a piece of information. You'll hear me say a lot this evening about that. It is not a final result.
It's also CNN's policy not to reveal anything about whom we may project as the winner of a specific race until all the polls are closed in that state. So stay tuned to CNN at 5:00 p.m. when the quarantine lifts. Then I will know something and I'll share it with you -- Wolf.
BLITZER: All right, thanks very much Bill Schneider for that. Jack Cafferty is here with "The Cafferty File." Jack?
JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: Thank you, Wolf.
However today's election turns out, it's a safe bet it's going to be a good, long while before anybody successfully pedals a neoconservative agenda to the American electorate again. George Bush was elected twice by the thinnest of margins. If, in fact, he was elected at all.
And from the start, what we saw wasn't what we got. President Bush, I don't think our troops ought to be used for what is called nation building. That's exactly what we're doing in Iraq and it's not working.
Administration officials told us the war in Iraq is not about the oil. Three and a half years and 3,000 American combat deaths later, we're told it's about the oil. The president pledged to restore honor and integrity to the Oval Office and then along came Abu Ghraib, secret prisons, outsourcing interrogations, NSA spying, torture and a decline in the reputation of this country worldwide that is unprecedented in our history.
These midterm elections could be a tsunami of rejection for the Bush White House and its policies, but even if it's not, it's likely the neoconservative vision is toast, at least for a good long while.
Here's the question. How much damage has the Bush administration's agenda done to the Republican Party in this country? E-mail your thoughts to CaffertyFile@CNN.com or go to CNN.com/CaffertyFile. Wolf?
BLITZER: And Jack, throughout the night you're going to be reading our viewers e-mail and getting some input from them and sharing that with our viewers?
CAFFERTY: That's correct. BLITZER: Excellent. Thanks very much, Jack, to that. Jack Cafferty, Bill Schneider, Chris Lawrence, Delia Gallagher, Joe Johns, Ed Henry, Ali Velshi, they are all part of the best political team on television.
Plus, for the latest campaign news at any time, check out our political ticker, CNN.com/ticker. And remember, Anderson Cooper, Paula Zahn, Lou Dobbs, they'll join me tonight for our primetime coverage of "America Votes: 2006." It all starts at 7:00 p.m. Eastern.
Coming up, the non-candidate who may be influencing voters a lot right now. We'll have a live report on President Bush waiting out the results and what his Democratic rivals are saying about their prospects.
Plus, if the Republicans fortunes fall, the party chairman, Ken Mehlman, may have a lot of explaining to do. The RNC chief joins us with his predictions.
And we'll take you live to an Internet cafe in Washington, D.C. for our big blogger party. It's a first in our supersized coverage of the vote. We're live from CNN election headquarters in New York and you're in THE SITUATION ROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: President Bush is at the White House after casting his ballot in Texas earlier this morning. Now he's waiting for the election results to come in, along with the voters verdict on him and his party. The suspense also building on Capitol Hill as Democrats try to avoid any irrational exuberance. For some that's easier said than done.
Our White House correspondent Suzanne Malveaux is standing by, but let's go to Capitol Hill. Our Congressional correspondent Dana Bash is joining us with the latest from there -- Dana.
DANA BASH, CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, Easier said than done is very true. Nancy Pelosi came into the Capitol this afternoon. Our producer, Ted Barrett (ph), bumped into her and jokingly said, how are you, Madam Speaker? She smiled ear-to-ear and said, I like the title, but quickly caught herself and said, not yet.
Now, in public, Pelosi may be cautious we understand that in private, she and her staff are already talking about whether or not they should move their office suite into the bigger space now occupied by the Republican House Speaker Dennis Hastert.
And there was not a lot of caution in the briefing just a short while ago from the two chairman of the Democratic House and Senate campaign committees. They were actually bubbling with optimism, Wolf. In fact, Rahm Emanuel, the Democrat in charge of the House, essentially said that he thinks that this is going to be a historic midterm election. They talked on and on about how voter turnout is up, especially in key Democratic areas. Meanwhile, on the Republican side, we understand that the Republican National Committee Chairman Ken Mehlman just did a private conference call with friends and allies of the Republican party, also trying to make the point that turnout that turnout is up, that will benefit Republicans.
But I can tell you that talking to Republicans in private here on Capitol Hill and elsewhere, it's not a question of how many seats they think they're going to lose to their -- if they think they're going to lose seats, it's a question of how many.
And as a matter of fact, the mood, I can tell you, is kind of a mixture of depression and resignation. I talked to one GOP House leadership aide earlier today who said, "I feel like I did in ninth grade when I was just about to take a chemistry test I didn't study for." He says, "I know I'm going to fail and there's nothing I can do about it." -- Wolf.
BLITZER: All right, Dana, thanks very much. From one end of Pennsylvania Avenue to the other, let's go to the White House.
Our correspondent Suzanne Malveaux with more from there -- Suzanne.
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, earlier today, we saw the president and the first lady casting their ballot in Crawford, Texas, and the president making brief remarks, decidedly nonpartisan, saying, look, all Americans should go out and vote, it's their civic duty.
But it's clear that Bush administration officials know that the Iraq War is the number one issue, that this election is going to be referendum on the Iraq War and the president, and that if the Republicans lose the House or the Senate, it is going to dramatically weaken the president's ability to push forward with his agenda for the next couple of years.
The White House insiders I talked to today say there is no talk of that here at the White House. They believe that they are not going to get into the "what if" game. If there is any hint of doubt, they believe that ultimately voters will not go to the polls, and so they believe they cannot actually concede at this point.
Another White House insider I spoke to as well said this is going to be a very bad day for Republicans. But he said that Karl Rove and company do believe in some encouraging news. They believe that there are more voters that are coming out in rural Republican areas in Virginia, Missouri and Montana, and that is, in fact, a good sign.
Now, Wolf, we don't expect to hear or see from the president today. That will happen tomorrow. But the president is going to be sitting down with his top political advisers, having a dinner this evening while he watches those returns come in -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Suzanne, thanks very much. Let's bring in our senior political correspondent Candy Crowley and our chief national correspondent John King. They're watching all of this very, very closely.
Candy, let's give our viewers a sense of a -- a little bit of a viewers' guide, what we can expect starting at 7:00 p.m. Eastern, when our nonstop coverage really gets going.
CANDY CROWLEY, SENIOR POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Very important Senate race closes for voting, Virginia. We -- I mean, three months ago, this race was not in question. Now Senator Allen running against Jim Webb is in deep trouble. If he loses here, first of all, his presidential chances are gone. If he wins here, it will be a squeaker.
You also have Ohio, which has been ground zero for everything wrong. It's -- the economy is a problem. There has been ethical and legal problems at the top, a Republican government in the statehouse. And there's the war. Ohio is in the top ten of states that have suffered the most war casualties. Everything is going on in Ohio. We may, in fact, see a sweep out of some of those Republican House seats.
BLITZER: Some of those states close at 7:00. Others close at 7:30.
But there's a lot of them, John, that close at 8:00 p.m. And we should be able to get a really -- during the 7:00 hour, assuming we get some results coming in, we can make some exit poll projections. We'll get a sense what's going on. But really at 8:00 p.m., we'll get a much better sense.
JOHN KING, CHIEF NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, I think we'll have a very good sense by 8:00 p.m. At 7:00 we'll get a good sense in the House. There are six Republican incumbents between two states, Indiana and Kentucky. Democrats think they have a chance to get four of those seats, maybe even better if there is a wave. I think we will know from those two 7:00 hours, is there an anti-Republican wave, or are we going to go race-by-race, fight-by-fight. We'll know that from the Indiana and Kentucky results. And at 8:00...
BLITZER: In other words, if the Republican incumbents lose in Indiana and Kentucky, that's a sure sign the Democrats are going to have a good night?
KING: If Republicans are losing in red states like that, well then you can be sure Democrats are going to pick up in Pennsylvania and all the other places they're trying to get seats as well. So those are what you want to watch that at 7:00 on the House side.
The 8:00 will give us a pretty good glimpse of the Senate. You have a number of big states up at 8:00 in the Senate. You'll see the Missouri Senate race, one of the big Senate races. You'll see the Pennsylvania Senate race, which the Democrats think they will get. And you'll see a host of Senate races: the Tennessee Senate race, another of the big battlegrounds. So the 7:00 gives you your first primer on, what are we looking for in the House, and 8:00 will give us a pretty good guide into the Senate.
BLITZER: And that doesn't necessarily mean, Candy, that by 8:00, we know what's happening. This could be a long night, when all is said and done.
CROWLEY: Absolutely, especially if it's close. I mean, just because the polls close doesn't mean we're going to know much at that time. And if there are voting irregularities, or if somebody is slow counting, or if it's not all going into the central place, it's going to be a very long time. And some of these -- some of these, particularly the Indiana races, later when we see Connecticut, these are very close races, so we're not going to know at 8:00. And I mean this is sort of a vote-by-vote thing unless we have that giant wave, and then it's an early night.
KING: That's Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Missouri, Kentucky, all places with rural areas. They tend to report a little bit later. Reliably Republican votes the last few years, but the Democrats made a big pitch. The rural voter, especially the rural white voter, could be a big story this election year. Those votes would be counted a bit later, traditionally. So if those races are tight, we might be here a little late.
BLITZER: And a lot of those races we're going to have to count the old-fashioned way, one ballot at one time.
Guys, thanks very much.
Candy Crowley, John King, Dana Bash, Suzanne Malveaux, they are all part of the best political team on television.
Up next, are Republicans in Congress about to become a rare breed? Voters are having their say right now. We'll bring in the Republican party chairman, Ken Mehlman. He's standing by to join us.
And all eyes are on the polls and on the sky. Will the weather be a factor in any of the more of the critical battlegrounds? The forecast on our political radar.
We're live at CNN Election Headquarters in New York as America votes.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Welcome back to the SITUATION ROOM. I'm Wolf Blitzer at the CNN Election Headquarters here in New York.
Let's check in with Zain Verjee for a closer look at some other important stories making news -- Zain.
ZAIN VERJEE, CNN ANCHOR: Wolf, a suicide bomber blew himself up in a crowded coffee shop in a Shia neighborhood in Baghdad today. Iraqi police say 17 people were killed. Just hours earlier, mortars struck a Sunni neighborhood in Baghdad, killing five people.
A British judge has sentenced a confessed al Qaeda operative to life in prison for plotting to blow up New York Stock Exchange and London targets. Dhiren Barot must spend 40 years behind bars before he's eligible for parole. He pleaded guilty to conspiracy to murder.
A scene of destruction in northern Japan -- the country's deadliest tornado on record tore through a remote island town, killing at least nine people. Authorities say two dozen others injured. Many of the victims were construction workers just building a tunnel -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Zain, thank you for that -- Zain Verjee in Washington.
On this Election Day, the Republican Party's grip on power is -- is in jeopardy. The rest of the Bush presidency most likely will be affected, along with the 2008 battle for the White House.
Joining us now, a man with a huge stake in all of this, the chairman of the Republican National Committee, Ken Mehlman.
Ken, thanks very much for coming in.
KEN MEHLMAN, CHAIRMAN, REPUBLICAN NATIONAL COMMITTEE: Nice to be with you.
BLITZER: I see a big smile on your face. Maybe you know something that we don't know. I don't think you do.
But you're going to be at the White House watching the results come in with the president and the first lady later tonight; is that right?
MEHLMAN: I will be there for a while. I will also be on a lot of your television sets tonight. So, I will be -- I will be all over the place.
BLITZER: What...
MEHLMAN: I will be like you.
BLITZER: What...
MEHLMAN: I will be omnipresent.
BLITZER: All right. What do you...
(LAUGHTER)
BLITZER: What do you say to the president, though, if the Republicans (sic) take the majority in the House, and Nancy Pelosi becomes speaker?
MEHLMAN: Well, Wolf, I don't think that's going to happen. I think that we obviously are in a challenging year.
Any time you're in the sixth year of the president's term, as well as a nation at war, you look at historically, the party in power, the president's party, loses seats.
At the same time, if you look at some recent data that's come in, in terms of recent national polling, they all indicate a surge in momentum on behalf of Republicans.
Something else, Wolf, that I think is really important to consider, and that is that you will see in a bunch of the states tonight -- Tennessee, in Florida, in California, in Maryland, in Ohio, in Arizona -- in every one of these states, we already have data about early and absentee voting. This is not stuff that will be reflected in the exit polls. And Republicans did very well, exceeding in every one of those states, often by double-digit numbers, our registration numbers.
So, I think it...
BLITZER: So...
MEHLMAN: ... potentially could be a long evening. And we will have to see what happens.
BLITZER: Well, I know you have got some serious concerns about the exit polling, the whole process.
MEHLMAN: I do.
I think -- you don't have to take the concerns from me. Ask President Kerry. Ask President Gore. Ask Colorado Senator Strickland. The exit polls predicted the '00 election wrong, the '02 election wrong, and the '04 election wrong.
And, after '04, the gentleman who oversaw the effort said that these exit polls are often inherently biased.
And, so, I think we need to keep it in perspective, given that it's been wrong in the last three elections.
In particular, in some of these races like, for instance, the Virginia race or the Missouri race, Republicans, as you have recently noted, typically -- and conservatives -- have historically done much better in the out-states parts -- in the out part of the state, in the more rural parts of the state.
And, often, the exit pollsters, whose job it is to produce, to get lots of people willing to do interviews, will concentrate on the more metropolitan parts of the states.
BLITZER: I will say, Ken, that, in defense of the exit polling system, which the five major television networks and the Associated Press are working with, we have been told that a lot of those earlier glitches have been resolved, and it's a much better...
MEHLMAN: I hope that they have.
BLITZER: It's a much better process this time.
Let me talk a little bit with you about some of the reported glitches coming up in voting. Democrats are already charging that Republicans are engaging in some dirty tricks out there, and they're complaining about some of the activity, especially some of those so- called robo-calls that have gone out from the National Republican Congressional Committee.
I want to give you a chance to respond to that charge, that your side is engaging in dirty politics.
MEHLMAN: I'm not familiar with that, Wolf.
I think that my goal is to get more Republicans and more Democrats and more independents. Everyone watching this show, if you haven't voted, I don't care what your politics is. I want you to go out and vote.
We know this, Wolf, in '04. We know two things. First, Democrats produced a playbook that they give to every one of their state parties. They said, if there's not intimidation, allege that there is.
Secondly, in 2004, there were two states. And, in both cases it was Democrats that were involved, in Ohio, in misleading voters about where they should vote and when they should vote, and, in Florida, about threatening and harassing people that wanted to hand out flyers at the polls.
In Wisconsin, we know that, in fact, there was a criminal activity, slashing tires of people that wanted to volunteer at the polls.
I hope Democrats won't do it again. But the fact is, you have already seen some questionable activities. In Heather Wilson's district, New Mexico 1, Bernalillo County, Republican precincts, where thousands of people tried to vote, they were turned away because there weren't enough ballots.
And, as of earlier today, the Democratic county clerk hadn't rectified that problem. I hope that's fixed.
Rick Santorum held a press conference earlier today, where he pointed out that, in a lot of the rural parts of that state, his supporters were having problems working with the voting machines.
In Montana, we saw the same thing that Democrats did in '04, where people were being misled when and how to participate.
So, I hope we don't have that problem. Both parties' goals ought to be more people participating, more people having confidence in the system, and more people being able to participate in a way that they know their vote won't be canceled out by someone playing shenanigans. I don't think people ought to cry wolf for the sake of gaining politically, particularly if they have been the ones, as they were in '04, that were engaged in inappropriate activities.
BLITZER: I think all of us hope that these elections today go very, very smoothly, as smoothly as possible.
But we have been reporting there have some problems, some glitches, some long lines already reported. I can assure our viewers we're going to watch this very, very closely every step of the way here at CNN.
MEHLMAN: Absolutely.
BLITZER: Ken Mehlman, thanks very much for coming in.
MEHLMAN: Thanks a lot. Appreciate it.
BLITZER: We will be speaking throughout the night.
BLITZER: Up next: all eyes right now on the Buckeye State this Election Day. We are going to go live to Ohio.
And get ready to party, blog-style. We are going to take you live to the Tryst Internet cafe in the nation's capital for the first- ever election-night blogger get-together. You're going to want to see this.
Stay with us. You're in THE SITUATION ROOM.
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BLITZER: In our "Political Radar" today: something every voter is dealing with. That would be the weather. It's been pretty messy out there in some places, like western Washington state. Storms stranded drivers and closed at least one polling station there earlier today.
Let's go to our meteorologist, Rob Marciano. He is standing by at the CNN Weather Center.
What is the latest, Rob?
ROB MARCIANO, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Well, Wolf, the rain is still happening across the Pacific Northwest, but it will begin to taper off later on tonight. But, by then, the polls will likely be closed, still flooding rains there.
Across the Southeast, we're having some issues -- good news today, not a whole lot of severe weather, but the heavy rain is certainly going to be a factor in places like Georgia, eastern Mississippi, the Carolinas, as well. And it's increasing as it heads up the Atlantic Seaboard.
If you look at the forecast totals expected over the next 24 hours, we do highlight a couple areas of yellow and red. That means the rains will be increasing parts of western, south and North Carolina, western West Virginia. We could see an inch or two just to the west -- west of Richmond.
So, it looks to be pretty soggy across the mid-Atlantic Seaboard -- Wolf, back to you.
BLITZER: All right, Rob, thanks very much. We will continue to watch the weather.
And, remember, for the latest campaign news at any time, including the weather, check out our Political Ticker, CNN.com/ticker.
Now let's head back to the Election Day battlegrounds. Our correspondents are in place across the country, watching the Senate races generating some of the most and greatest anxiety and some of the greatest heat. Brian Todd is standing by in Maryland. Bob Franken is in Ohio.
Bob Franken, let's start with you.
BOB FRANKEN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, here in Ohio, we're at the headquarters in Columbus, the state capital, where the Republicans are going to be holding their victory or non-victory party this evening.
Senator Mike DeWine, who is an underdog in the polls, made his vote today near his home, near Dayton, Ohio. And he is coming here. He is scheduled to arrive any minute here at the headquarters, where he will watch the results.
Sherrod Brown, the Democratic candidate, congressman, who has been ahead in the polls, also voted near his home in Avon, Ohio. He is heading to the Cleveland area, where he is going to have his party, or lack of a party, depending on how the results go.
Of course, he is considered to be ahead in the polls. The Republicans say that the heavy turnout that has been experienced in Ohio might be working to their favor. They're saying that, in the Republican areas, there has been that heavier turnout. Of course, Democrats at this point say the same thing.
There are so many issues involved, including the corruption issue. We're going to see if the Ohio Republican Party can pull off one of its miracles, as it has in the past -- Wolf.
BLITZER: All right, Bob, thanks very much, from Columbus, Ohio.
To Bowie, Maryland, just outside the nation's capital.
Brian Todd standing by with more from there -- Brian.
BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, can you believe we're in a battleground state? A lot of people think it is right now. And there's a lot of energy in this room.
Look at this. We have got fairly long lines here in Bowie, Maryland, at Bowie High School. This is about the biggest crowd we have had all day. We are told that Maryland has now had a very high turnout, over 60 percent.
And part of that is the energized campaign of one Lieutenant Governor Michael Steele, the Republican, who has really come from behind in this race. He has run an energetic, engaging, but a very aggressive campaign against Democratic Congressman Ben Cardin. That race has tightened considerably.
And a lot of pundits feel that this is almost a dead heat at this point. The polls close in a little over three hours. This is going to be one of the most tightly contested races in the country, we're told.
And, again, it's a state the Democrats didn't count on losing. They were worried about New Jersey. Now, a lot of analysts believe, they ought to worry about it right here -- Michael Steele making a very impressive late showing in this election, Wolf. And we will know in a few hours whether he pulled it out.
BLITZER: Brian, thanks very much. We are going to be watching this race especially close.
Coming up: Will the Mark Foley scandal make a mark on the battle for the House of Representatives? We will go live to two districts where the controversy could make the difference.
We're live from CNN election headquarters in New York, the last stop this campaign season for the CNN Election Express. There it is.
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BLITZER: There's been a cloud over Republicans in Congress for weeks now. But will the Mark Foley congressional page scandal actually sway voters at the polls today? The chances of that may be greatest in two specific House races.
Susan Roesgen is standing by to cover the race that Mark Foley used to hold in Florida.
But, first, let's go to CNN's Mary Snow. She's in Buffalo, New York, where the influential House Republican Tom Reynolds is really in a fight for his political life -- Mary.
MARY SNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, voters here telling us today that the Mark Foley scandal is a deciding factor in their vote.
Congressman Reynolds, the chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee, came under fire. Voters are angry, they say, because they feel he should have done more when he first learned about questionable e-mails between Foley and a congressional page. Some here said that they switched their vote to the Democrat, Jack Davis.
Some Republicans say they stuck with Reynolds, but say they had a hard time doing so, and that the whole incident did bother them. Now, Congressman Reynolds was seen as a shoo-in. His -- his race was put in a very tight dead heat by Congress -- by Jack Davis, who poured over $2 million of his own money into this race -- Wolf.
BLITZER: All right.
From Buffalo, let's head down South to Florida.
Susan Roesgen, you're there, where Congressman Mark Foley used to serve as the congressman. His name remains on the ballot, even though he is still in rehab, we're told.
SUSAN ROESGEN, CNN GULF COAST CORRESPONDENT: Yes. Can you believe it, Wolf?
I'm at the election-party headquarters tonight for a candidate whose name is not even on the ballot. Five weeks ago, when the Republican Party chose Joe Negron, a Florida state legislator, to replace Congressman Foley, after he had resigned, they had to find a way to explain why Negron's name would not be on the ballot.
It was too late to get Foley's name off the ballot. So, they had to come up with some kind of slogan, something. And this is what they came up with, Wolf.
It says: "Punch Foley for Negron." It's a way to acknowledge voters' disgust with the whole Foley scandal, while, at the same time, still urging them to vote Republican, vote for Negron.
Now, the catch is, Wolf, that, here in Florida, people don't punch paper ballots anymore. After the 2000 hanging chad debacle in the presidential race, it's all an electronic system. So, we won't know, until the polls close at 7:00, whether or not people did indeed punch Foley for Negron.
BLITZER: We will be watching very closely. Susan, thank you.
South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford forget something when he went to vote today, his voter registration card. The incumbent Republican, who is up for reelection, searched through his wallet at the polling station. No luck, though. His wife had to remind him to bring it -- she had reminded him to bring it. A poll manager told the governor he couldn't vote without the card. Sanford did get a duplicate, and showed up later in the day to cast his ballot.
Things happen.
Up next; The Bush administration has our Jack Cafferty wondering, how much damage has its agenda done to the GOP? What you're telling Jack, that is coming up next.
And, just minutes away, the very first exit polls from today's voting will be released. And we're going to share them with you. What surprised voters to go to the polls earlier today? What is going on right now? The first of the exit polls, that is coming up, 5:00 p.m. Eastern. We will be right back.
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BLITZER: Jack Cafferty is here with "The Cafferty File" -- Jack.
CAFFERTY: The question this hour is: How much damage has the Bush administration's agenda done to the Republican Party?
I suppose we will get a better sense of that later on this evening, but some of you have some ideas on it already.
Gary in Steger, Illinois, writes: "To hell with what he has done to the Republican Party. What about all the lies and horrors and damage he has wrought on America and we the people? Even today, Election Day, he's doing damage, telling Americans it's a privilege to vote. It is our right to vote. And no matter how much he wants only the privilege to be able to vote, it speaks volumes of his disdain for the American people. Stop running the clip, please."
Darren in Minneapolis: "Not as much as people think. The Republicans have done plenty on their own to screw up their credibility. From lobbyists' scandal to the page scandal, Republicans have created an environment of corruption over the past few years that rivals anything I have seen in my lifetime. Other than the war in Iraq, President Bush and his policies have been pretty benign, compared to the conduct of Republicans in the Congress."
Paul in Jacksonville, Florida: "How much damage has Bush administration's policies done to the GOP? It's irrelevant. Take this word of advice from a conservative Reagan Republican. Keep your powder dry. We're not going anywhere."
Dennis: "My father dragged me around campaigning for Barry Goldwater in 1964. He told me the other night the Republican Party has committed suicide, and he's voting for an independent for governor. What else do you need to know?"
And Lisa in Melbourne, Florida: "The Bush administration has caused at least Category 3 damage, in hurricane lingo, to the Republican Party. Some will be left without power. Others are holding on, but the roof is leaking, the water is rising, and everything generally is a mess" -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Leave it to somebody in Florida to come up with an analogy like that.
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BLITZER: Jack, see you in a few minutes. Thank you.
Still to come: Our Internet reporters are standing at a first- of-its-kind election night blogger party. We are going to take you there, find out what online pundits are saying and writing.
We will be right back. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Let's head back to the campaign trail.
Our Dan Lothian is in Connecticut, covering one of the more intriguing battles this year -- Dan.
DAN LOTHIAN, CNN BOSTON BUREAU CHIEF: That's right, Wolf.
And a little more than three hours until the polls close here, the Lieberman campaign saying that they are feeling cautiously optimistic. They say they are hearing some good things from their poll workers -- one telling CNN: We are feeling positive. We're certainly glad we are where we are, instead of where Lamont is.
For his part, Lamont has said that he is confident he can pull off what he did in the primary -- an official with his campaign saying that, just because where they are on the ballot, towards the top, and Lieberman being toward the bottom because he is an independent, they were hopeful that they could even get a little bit of an advantage there -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Dan Lothian going to have an interesting night tonight -- thanks, Dan, very much for that.
Our Internet reporters, Jacki Schechner and Abbi Tatton, are over at the Tryst Internet cafe in Washington, D.C., for this, the first ever election night blogger party.
Guys, what is going on?
JACKI SCHECHNER, CNN INTERNET REPORTER: Wolf, we have got food. We have got drink. And we have got bloggers.
Let me give you an idea what is going on here at Tryst Coffeehouse in Washington, D.C. We have brought in 29 or so bloggers from around the country, California, Minnesota, right here in Washington, D.C. Left and right, they're all together in the same room. So far, no fur is flying.
But we wanted to get an idea of what they thought was important. And we wanted to get an idea of what they were writing and how they were going to spend their time. So, we brought them out of their homes and living rooms into our sort of virtual living room.
And you can also join them virtually online.
So, Abbi is going to show you how to do that. She's joining me now with that -- Abbi.
ABBI TATTON, CNN INTERNET REPORTER: Jacki, yes, that's at CNN.com/blogparty, a list of all the bloggers who are joining us here tonight and links to their sites.
We're, of course, checking in with this as we go throughout the evening. But CNN.com is also the place you're going to be wanting to look at tonight, as real-time results and CNN projections of these races come in.
And I just wanted to show you this tool just launched. This is CNN.com/yourraces. You can customize the site to follow the key races important to you around the country, set it up. This is the page. It's going to be populated with real-time results and CNN projections. As we go throughout the evening, we're going to be checking in on this and, of course, with all these bloggers, who are just starting to trickle in and starting work here tonight at Tryst Internet cafe in D.C. -- Wolf.
BLITZER: All right, guys, sounds like a lot of fun. We will be checking back with you early and often, as they say.
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