Rep. Lloyd Doggett – no doubt enjoying the greater notice his press releases will get now that he's in the majority – said the following today in reaction to the announcement that Defense Secretary Rumsfeld would step down:

"When it comes to Iraq, President Bush just cannot seem to speak the truth. After proclaiming one week ago Rumsfeld and Cheney forever, President Bush explains today's abrupt reversal by claiming he had no choice but to once again mislead. We don't need just a change of slogans, a swap of secretaries or a slight adjustment. Americans are demanding a fundamental change in policy that begins with candor that is still sadly lacking." Read More | 2 Comments »

The Corpus Christi Caller-Times is reporting that the "final count of three San Patricio County voting precincts won’t be complete until at least 3pm." As of last count, incumbent Republican Rep. Gene Seaman was up by a scant 24 votes over Democratic challenger Juan Garcia. Read More | Comment »

While Bush blathered, CNN and AP both called the contested Senate seat for the Dem.

A Webb victory in Virginia will give the Senate – and both chambers – to the Democratic Party. Read More | Comment »

"A superb leader in a time of change," says the president. Former CIA director, and Texas A&M president Robert Michael "Bob" Gates nominated by Bush. Let the Aggie jokes begin. In other news from this press conference, Bush is a contradictory ass.

We wax Rummy with a wealth of his quotes below the fold. Read More | Comment »

Yes, you read that right: CNN just reported that Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld will step down. We were giddy for about 10 minutes, until an astute political observer (my mother-in-law) just posited a way this could turn bad: Bush could appoint pro-war Democrat Sen. Joseph Lieberman as Rummy's replacement. Connecticut's Republican governor could then appoint a Republican replacement for Lieberman, which would take away the Democrats' apparent edge in the Senate. Remember, a 50-50 Senate gives the edge to the GOP, because Vice-President Dick Cheney would cast the tiebreaker on any even votes. Be careful what you wish for. You might get it. EDIT: Thank God, I've already been proven wrong. See the post above about Bush appointing Robert Gates as Rummy's successor. Read More | Comment »

Paul Burka pauses from delivering mustache rides to nowhere (like this real boner: "[Bell] lost any chance of getting my vote when he decried high-stakes testing"), to wax rhapsodic on last night's D wins as only he could. Read More | Comment »

Granted, it's a Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee press release posted on Daily Kos, so take with a grain of salt. But things continue bode well for the D's:

"Both Jon Tester and Jim Webb have won their races in Montana and Virginia but want to make sure that every vote is counted. We expect to have official results soon but can happily declare today that Democrats have taken the majority in the U.S. Senate."

The entire entry after the jump. Read More | Comment »

The Democrats may not be done rolling up the score in Congress. Because of court-ordered redistricting, Dist. 23, which stretches from San Antonio almost to El Paso, was a special election rather than a general election. Unlike a general election, just getting the most votes is not enough – to win a special, an actual majority is required, and if no achieves it, a run-off is required. And an unlimited number of candidates from any party may run.

Dist. 23 was gerrymandered by Tom DeLay in 2003 to favor Republican Henry Bonilla, but the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the lines violated the Voting Rights Act and ordered them redrawn again this summer; the new boundaries weren't quite as GOP-friendly.

Bonilla may have come up just short: With 306 of 326 precincts reporting, he has just 48.07% of the vote. If those numbers hold, he'll be thrust into a run-off against Democrat Ciro Rodriguez, who is in a comfortable second with 20.27%. To whip out that old cliche, turnout will be everything in a run-off: Rodriguez and five other Democrats combined for 49.19%. Note to the Democratic National Committee: Pump some money into this race now. The run-off, if it happens, will likely be held in December.

UPDATE: New numbers, with only two boxes uncounted: Bonilla's percentage is down to 47.97%. It will definitely go to a runoff. Read More | Comment »

That blue island in the sea of red that is Travis County added some land last night, as the neighboring Hays County government made a dramatic flip from R to D. All three Republican incumbents on the commissioners court were swept from office – including County Judge Jim Powers, who was first elected in 1998 – completely reversing the court makeup from 4-1 GOP to 4-1 Dem. There is still room for Republicans in Hays, though – they won Precinct 5 constable, Precinct 4 justice of the peace, 428th District judge, and county clerk, although the latter two were by razor-thin margins, 1.2% and 0.6%, respectively. Dems took county court-at-law and criminal district attorney, the latter by just 99 votes. It's definitely a divided county – the biggest percentage of the vote by any of those victors was 54.9. Read More | 4 Comments »

Apparently, the Democrats picked up four Republican seats in the Texas House last night, and could get a fifth: In District 32 (Corpus Christi area), sleazeball incumbent Gene Seaman – fighting for his political life amid investigations of criminal conduct – is clinging to a 24-vote lead over Democrat Juan Garcia with one box out in San Patricio County. Read More | Comment »

Democratic control of both chambers of Congress hang in the balance of two outstanding Senate races, which, as of this writing, are leaning Dem.

In Montana, Jon Tester leads Republican incumbent Conrad Burns 146,449 to 139,675, 73% reporting, according to CNN. Dems are "extremely optimistic."

Which leaves the Webb-Allen knuckleduster in Virginia. Webb, leading as of this bleary-eyed writing at 1:50am, is up by approximately 11,500 votes; he's already declared victory, but this squeaker will likely be in for a recount.

Like Florida in 2000, or Ohio in 2004, the story hinges on Virginia this election. But with Webb in the lead, the shoe is on the other foot this go around.

Pardon my French, but... holy fucking shit!

Sweet dreams, blue dotters... Read More | Comment »

That's it for me, folks. My eyes are crossing from about 14 straight hours of staring at a computer. Some of my more nightowl co-workers might continue to post, but I'm heading home. Thanks for joining us tonight for our election coverage. Read More | Comment »

Dems two seats away from control of Senate - and both chambers! Read More | Comment »

We're digging through the state results. Of interest:

In Congressional District 10, Democrat Ted Ankrum did refreshingly well against incumbent Michael McCaul. With almost all votes counted, Ankrum, in a conservative district stretching from West Lake Hills to suburban Houston, has pulled in 41% of the vote, vs. McCaul's 54%. Austinite Michael Badnarik – the Libertarian Party's nominee for U.S. president in 2004 – drew 4%.

The threat to conservative Democrat Chet Edwards in CD 17 never materialized – he took 59% in President Bush's home congressional district.

Close the door on the Tom DeLay era: Democrat Nick Lampson will take his old seat, his 50% holding off the write-in campaign of Houston City Council Member Shelley Sekula-Gibbs, who pulled 43%. Lampson will have to be a mighty conservative Democrat – if Gibbs can do that well as a write-in, she could smoke him when her name is actually on the ballot. Read More | Comment »

CNN has finally projected that the Democrats have wrapped up at least 220 seats, two seats over the number needed to take the majority, making it sort of official. Read More | Comment »

The Travis County Republican Party's "No Blue Dot" campaign (referring to Travis County's tendency to appear as a blue Democratic Dot on Republican red Texas election maps) has failed miserably.

It took until nearly midnight, but with all 46 precincts reporting, Democrat Valinda Bolton has defeated Republican Bill Welch in state House Dist. 47, at a stroke replacing retiring incumbent GOP Rep. Terry Keel and turning the Travis Co. House delegation solid blue. "People are so hungry for change," Bolton had said a few hours earlier, at the Democratic Party election headquarters at the Stephen F. Austin hotel. Reached again by phone just after the final returns were released by the Travis Co. Clerk, Bolton said, "I'm excited, I'm enthusiastic, and I'm just beginning to realize that a whole new phase of my life is about to begin." Read More | Comment »

Knock on wood, but it could happen. Since my previous Senate post, McCaskill made a huge swing to pull into a slim lead in Missouri (19% remaining to be counted). The GOP's Corker has defeated Ford in Tennessee, so the current count is GOP, 49-48. Democrat Tester looks solid in Montana with about half counted, so it comes down to this: McCaskill needs to hang on, and Webb – who smartly has declared victory – needs to win the inevitable recount in Virginia. Read More | Comment »

All precincts have reported, except on the city of Austin bonds. Here are the winners in contested races exclusive to Travis County, and the percentage of votes garnered by the winners:
Read More | Comment »

The odds of the Dems taking the Senate look slim. The count is 48-48, with four races still outstanding:

Virginia: Democrat Webb leads by a mere 2,265 votes, with 1% of the precincts yet to report. If his margin of victory is less than 1%, a recount will be automatic.

Missouri: Democrat McCaskill is in trouble; she's trailing by 4%. However, only 65% of the precincts have been reported. If those precincts still outstanding are from Kansas City and St. Louis, she could pull even.

Tennessee: Ford appears doomed; Republican Corker leads him 51-48, with only 6% of the boxes left. Unless all of those are in Memphis, Ford's barbecue is smoked.

Montana: Tester looks solid, even if only 30% have reported; he leads Republican Burns 54-44. Read More | Comment »

In 2004, Democrat neophyte Hubert Vo pulled out a squeaker win against powerful Republican incumbent Talmadge Heflin in state House Dist. 149, ousting the chairman of the Appropriations Committee by a mere 33 votes. Heflin is trying to regain that seat tonight, but Vo looks strong: With probably about half the vote counted, Vo is leading at 52%. Read More | Comment »