Cnn reporters are on the ground for us, tracking all the biggest races in the country. Lets start in florida. Home to two of the most contentious races. Rosa flores is in hialeah, florida. What are you seeing on the ground there . Kate, good morning. Slow and steady. Thats what were seeing here in hialeah, florida. Take a look over my shoulder. You can see some of these lines are slow but steady here in florida. Now, there are multiple florida races that are being watched across the country. One of those, of course, the governors race between ron desantis and Andrew Gillum. Our cameras were rolling when ron desantis voted this morning in st. Johns county. They were also rolling when Andrew Gillum went to vote this morning in tallahassee. And then he made these remarks. Take a listen. Us winning tonight, i think, will send a message to mr. Trump and mr. Desantis as well that the politics of hatred and of division, of separation, that they have come to an end. At least in this election thats what were going to show. People are going out and voting for something and not against. And by voting for something, were returning the politics of decency and whats right and whats common between all of us. Well worry about history later, but today, were working to win. Now, the governors race is locked in a dead heat. And if early voting numbers are any indication of what this race is going to be like, it will be nail biting. Take a look at these updated numbers from the florida secretary of state. More than 5 Million People have already voted, and if you break down those numbers from party, heres the breakdown. The republicans that are registered that have already voted, 40. 1 . Democrats, 40. 5 . The rest, 19. 4 , are no Party Affiliation or other. So kate, when you look at those razor thin margins, thats why florida is either famous or infamous for these razor thin margins, and thats how people win these elections. Lets not forget in 2016, trump took florida by about 1 . Kate. And also worth noting, of course, this is also the day when candidates get to bring out the most important people in their lives, their absolutely adorable children. Andrew gillums child there, and also ron desantis walking in. We saw a video of that. Perfect. A little highlight on this day. Thanks so much. Democrats begin this election day with high hopes. They need to gain a net gain of 23 seats to take control of the house. And the prime battlegrounds to gain those seats, the suburbs. Cnns senior political analyst mark preston has been watching this all Campaign Long and is going to break it down for us. 435 seats all up for grabs. What are you seeing . As you said, for democrats, the focus right now for them is on the house of representatives. We currently stand at 193 democrats in the house of representatives. You need 218. Lets put a little odds making into this. This is where were going to start the night based on our projections and forecasting upon incumbency and open seats and what have you in polling. This is where democrats stand. Theyre only 11 seats away based upon these numbers right now. That in itself is very good for democrats heading into tomorrow, kate. As we talk specifically about this, we have to talk about specific races. When we do so, lets look at two very different races that are very much in common. Lets head down to new jersey right now. We have tom mccarthy, an incumbent. He represents an area in new jersey that is considered the most conservative part of the state, yet hes in danger of losing. Why . Because he supported the federal tax bill that actually can hurt a lot of folks in new jersey based upon their income. Thats one, and also, he voted to repeal obamacare, a very big issue in that race. At the same time, look where he rests, over in here, the philadelphia suburbs, major metro suburbs. Even though hes in jersey, philadelphia right to the west. Lets head down to the south. When we head down south to a state where you dont see a whole lot of yellow, look in the state of texas, a little bit. Lets go down here, down into houston, and when we get down into houston, look at this race right down here. Thats the crenshaw race. Lets go next to it, lizzy fletcher, shes a democrat challenging the nineterm incumbent john culberson. Very nasty race. The argument on this one right now, kate, is over health care and if lizzy fletcher is able to win, if shes able to beat culberson, thats going to help them. When i say them, the democrats, take back the majority, but it really does come down to all of this. It really comes down to the subers. When we talk about the suburbs, look at this last graphic here. When you look at the gender gap in our latest poll right now between women and men, democrats and republicans, look at this right here. That is the suburban vote that we have been talking about so much. 62 of women say theyre going to vote for democrats. Only 35 of republicans women say theyre going to vote for republicans. Thats scary if youre a republican today. Great to see you, mark, thank you. Lets go to one of those suburban battlegrounds mark is talking about, Northern Virginia. Barbara comstock is fighting to hold on to her seat. Political watchers on both sides of the aisle say shes in real danger, facing democrat Jennifer Wexton at this point. Cnns brian todd is at a polling station in sterling, virginia. Brian, what are you seeing there . Well, kate, you guys talked about people bringing their families to the voting places in florida and elsewhere. People bringing their families here to this voting place. This is 2 1 2yearold keegan coming here with her grandmother and her mom to vote. Look how cute she is. A gentleman back here bringing his 10monthold son max. Max is in the yellow hoodie behind the voting station there with his dad voting. A lot of people bringing family members, kids, elderly members of their family. A lot of handicaps people have come in here. Theyre making it easy to vote in this precinct. You mentioned the hot race here in this battleground. This is the virginia tenth district. Northern virginia with a very affluent suburban base. The suburban battleground that really is going to be key for democrats if theyre going to take back the house of representatives. Jennifer wexton is the real challenger, challenging republican incumbent barbara comstock. Republicans have held the seat in this district for almost 40 years. Wexton is mounting a very serious challenge to comstock here. A very close race. Just yesterday, president obama stopped in this district to stump for both Jennifer Wexton and for incumbent democratic senator tim kaine. So again, a very hot and heavy Battle Ground here in Northern Virginia and the turnout is absolutely popping. We just got an influx of new voters coming in here to check in and vote over here. But we just talked to an official, an election official here in louden county. He said they had roughly 50,000 voters just cast ballots just this morning, as of 10 00 a. M. Eastern time. He says thats way up from the midterms of 2014. So you get an idea, these battlegrounds are absolutely crucial, especially in these house races. Kate. Great to see you. Thank you so much. Joining me to talk about the races to watch, political analyst rachel bay. Forming adviser to four president s, political analyst david gergen, and ron brownstein. Great to see you guys. So, races to watch. The races to watch, we could do this for the entire hour. But narrowing in, if we go off comstock is one thing. Exactly. Theres another race everyone is watching in virginia which is virginia seventh, the congressional district. Dave brat facing a big challenge from his democratic challenger, abigail span brger. Why is everyone watching this one . We know the epicenter of republican vulnerability are the whitecollar suburbs outside of the south. Brat will measure how far the blast radius extends. Comstock is one thing. Democrats have to win that race. They expect to win that race. And it will be a big surprise if they dont. Brat is something else. Brat, like Brian Fitzpatrick in philadelphia, are republicans who are in a stronger position but are subject to the same current that we are seeing. And that current is the pullback from, and its ordinarily republican leaning suburbs, among College Educated voters who are thriving. Theyre the most likely to have a 401 k going up, yet theyre making a judgment about the president , on his values, his behavior, the way he talks about race, the way he talks about women. And they are essentially taking that out on republicans. If brat goes, i think there will be a lot of nervous republicans as we move west through the night. Its also a fascinating turn of events, for someone who beat the republican leader, eric cantor, four years ago. Yeah, just four years ago. Totally shocked washington when out of nowhere this Tea Party Candidates takes out the majority leader. This is a district that has been a republican hands for more than a century, i think the last time they elected a democrat was in the 60s, the early 60s. This shouldnt even be on the map, and its interesting. I have been following this race closely. Brat has been talking out of both sides of his mouth here. He has campaign ads in the district touting bipartisan bills that he has sponsored, which is so bizarre for me because when i talk to him in the hallway, hes always talking about red meat issues. Freedom caucus member, super conservative. Ads about saving puppies. Things both sides of the aisle love. But then you listen to things he says in private fundraisers which i have heard recordings of, and hes praising the president. Talking about how he goes on fox news and mimics jim jordan, who is one of the president s number one defenders. And goes out against the mueller investigation. Tries to undercut that all the time. So i mean, its just a really interesting race to watch. If abigail can pull this off, youre right, democrats are probably going to experience a big wave tonight. David, do you think there is at all i want to know what races youre watching in the house right now, but do you think theres by chance too much focus on the suburbs . Yes. Theres a danger here. Look, one of the things i love about election day is the control of the narrative moved from commentary and is now in the laps of the gods, the vot voters. And we have to shut up for a while. We wont shut up, but we have to step back. Let the spotlight fall. I think at this point, theres so many conflicting signals. I think democrats have reason for cautious optimism. I dont think it ought to go beyond that, but there are some contradictory signs that are giving republicans. Its a tale of two americas. One thing thats really striking is if you look at the 2010 and 2014 midterms, democrats ran about seven points better with collegeeducated whites than nonCollege Whites who have become the base of the Republican Party. In 2016, democrats ran about 13 points better. In the cnn poll, democrats, all of these polls, running 20 points better among College Whites than nonCollege Whites. An unprecedented gap. What that means is you have a lot of vulnerability for republicans in the suburbs. Much less for republicans in bluecollar districts further away from the met rocenters, and democrats are trying to built the majority on half of the playing field. They can do that, but there may be idiyiosyncratic measures. Its the epicenter of vulnerability. Kentucky six is indock tf of a number of districts that republicans drew in redistricting that combine suburban areas with more rural areas. You see that in seattle and washington eight, in North Carolina with the charlotte seat, North Carolina nine, where you have suburban areas moving very much away from the republicans and rural areas where trump is still very strong along the lines we just discussed, and this will be a big test of which of them are more enthused. Conor lambs victory in pennsylvania was exactly that kind of district as well. Go ahead. I was going to say a couple things. First of all, i want to spotlight another group. I think there are two groups really interesting in this election. If the democrats win, this is going to be by far and away a huge breakthrough for women. We had the number of women running that set records. Number of women who are donating, the women of democrats could take back the house with just women winning seats. And the number of women in the house itself may go well over 100 by the end of the night, which would be a real breakthrough. But the other group i want to mention, i have been very engaged in the cycle, in trying to help veterans, young veterans get elected. Republic and democrat. Im involved with a super pac that is called with honor. And we have about 40 young veterans who have been endorsed and supported one way or another on both sides of the aisle, and there are three of them i would like to mention briefly. All of whom are underdogs who have now worked their way into tight races. In southern minnesota, dan theen, a former student of mine. And were close friends, and hes doing really well there. Amy mcgrath in kentucky, who captured the nations imagination, and North Carolina, dan mccready, first class candidate in a tough, tough district. But what were trying to do is build what i think the country needs is a more of a center again. And these veterans are going to form a group who will work across the aisle with each other. Theyre pledging to do that. Seeing veterans serve, toib to serve in this way is one of the most important things we can see. Rachel, talk to me about the senate. When i talk to everybody before the show, missouri is the place everyone is keeping an eye on. Why missouri . Does it all come down to Claire Mccaskill here . Yeah, Claire Mccaskill is a fighter. I remember one of my colleagues was out following her on the campaign trail. She had this big rv and she was driving around the state. At one point, they were talking. There was a bug on her shoulder. She flicked it off, found it kroosdz the room, stomped on it. My colleague said, this is Claire Mccaskill. Very much so. Not entirely sure what that shows, but continue. Shes a fighter. So this is a state that President Donald Trump won by 20 points, and shes a top target for the republicans. But again, her opponent, josh hawley, he has been party to this lawsuit where a lot of state attorney generals are trying to get rid of obamacare. This has been a big problem for him because it allowed mccaskill to say youre trying to get rid of protections for preexisting conditions. A top talking point for democrats in the senate and house, but we have to see because hawley is saying Claire Mccaskill is a progressive. She retorted by saying im not a crazy democrat. There were some democrats in her state that were not happy about that, but well have to see if they give her the leeway to distance herself from them to win. Real quick, what do you think is more important to kind of the direction the country is headed . Is it the Indiana Senate race or Arizona Senate race . Theyre equally reflective. Indiana shows like missouri, like north dakota, lie many rural districts how trump is strengthening the gop in places that are heavy white, heavy blue collar, big rural populations. Religiously traditional. And those benefits have been clear in 2016. I mean, thats what was on the ledger. In 2018, the costs of the trade that trump is imposing on the party are going to be more apparent. In the house, the potential for a suburban annihilation, really, for republicans from coast to coast. In the senate, it means trading those bluecollar interior states, potentially, for losses in the fastgrowing diverse sunbelt states where democrats are probably favored to win nevada, tossup in arizona, and texas may be on the pathway if they dont get there tonight. And that is, as i said, the costs of the trade, the benefits have been there for trump, but the costs of it, i think, and the question i have tomorrow morning if in fact they lose these suburban places not only in the obvious places but in atlanta and dallas and houston, is there anyone in the Republican Party who gets up and says maybe the cost of this is too high . No. No. Im already talking to House Republican members who are saying okay, if our losses are greater than 30, if theyre 40, if theyre 50, are we going to call for new leadership . Theyre talking about their own leadership. Theyre not talking about the president. Theres republicans who are going to say the reason we didnt keep the house is because we didnt hug the president enough. That is exactly that is exactly what i feel like were going to hear from folks. Thanks. Really appreciate it. Coming up for us, voters in georgia hitting the polls as Stacey Abrams fights to become the nations first female africanamerican governor, and as both sides accuse each other of dirty tricks. Were live in atlanta. Plus, the most Expensive Senate race ever. Can ted cruz keep his seat in texas or will the Democrat Beto Orourke surprise anyone . Stay with us. At tmobile, forty bucks gets you an unlimited plan and a new Samsung Galaxy s9 included for every line. This is what you get with your 40 plan at verizon. Recap with tmobile, you get this four lines four phones for forty bucks. With verizon, you get this. The choice just got a whole lot more obvious. Get more because you deserve it. Only at tmobile. Takes more mathan just investment advice. From insurance to savings to retirement, it takes someone with experience and knowledge who can help me build a complete plan. Brian, my certified financial planner™ professional, is committed to working in my best interest. 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Liberty mutual insurance. Liberty. Liberty. Liberty. Liberty. History could be made in a lot of different ways today. This is certainly what Stacey Abrams is trying to do in georgia. The democratic candidate for governor is trying to become the nations first africanamerican woman governor. Shes in a tight race with brian kemp who is also the states secretary of state and in charge of the elections. Its one of the most contentious and has become one of the most dramatic elections dominated by abuse of power and allegations of hacking. Nick valencia is joining me from atlanta with a look at this. What are you seeing on the ground today . Were seeing an incredible amount of enthusiasm from the voters. When we got here, just after 8 00 a. M. , the line stretched around the corner. Then the rain settled in. It poured on us for a good ten minutes and fizzled out the line, cutting the line in half. Now it seems that voters, perhaps because its lunch time or maybe some of the voters who left early are starting to come back. About an hour wait at this mourningside location. It was earlier i talked to the polling manager inside. She said she worked here for 20 years and has never seen this kind of turnout, not even in president ial elections. Perhaps some of that is attributed to firsttime voters. I spoke to one earlier, and she says shes not alone. I have never voted before. This is my first time. And i just felt like it was my year to come out and vote and do my duty. Im 24 years old. And i feel like a lot of my friends also have not really r partaken voting, but this year, its been different. Kind of actually been talking about it, texting about it, and making sure that were registered and kind of keeping each other accountable. The governors race here is being closely watched. And it is a very contentious one here. The key for both Stacey Abrams, the democrat, and brian kemp, the republican in the gubernatorial race, is turnout as well as the trump effect. We saw brian kemp very recently in macon rally with the president. We have also seen Stacey Abrams attach herself to some National Political leaders like former president barack obama as well as celebrities out canvassing for her door to door. People like michael b. Jordan as well as will ferrell. For her, the key is women votes. Shes leading in the polls with women overall, but shes lagging behind in white women voters. That is being led in the polls right now by brian kemp. And for kemp, i think one of the keys as well is going to be winning some of these Metro Atlanta suburbs that President Trump lost and Hillary Clinton won. Suburbs that were historically and have been historically conservative, but at least for this election, could be up for grabs. Thank you so much, nick. Great to see you and great to hear from voters. Abrams is far from the only candidate who could make history today. In just the governors races alone, we could see the nations first openly gay man be elected, the first transgender governor, the first native american governor, and five states could elect a woman governor for the first time in history. Ron brownstein is with me, mike shields is also working with the campaign arm for the House Republicans this cycle. The nrcc, and former National Press secretary for bernie sanders, symone sanders. Mike, looking at the governors races. Republicans control two thirds of the governors mansions in the united states. 36 are up. Beyond washington, how this shakes out in terms of governorships. What will that tell us about the direction of the country . Well, the same it will be part of the whole election narrative. And this is an election where republicans came in, they had two big challenges. They had to turn out their base and they have a challenge with independent voters, particularly women. I think the base part of that challenge has been met. Remains to be seen how we do with independents and with women voters, especially educated women in the suburbs, but the high turnout, high early vote turnout, high vote turnout today is both parties. One of those critical things republicans had to do is turn out their base, and it appears from everything were seeing that has happened. Can i ask you a question . Isnt it possible with the way donald trump chose to solve the first problem of increasing base turnout exacerbated the second problem . It could have, but that problem had already existed democrats were already super motivated. We saw that in the special elections. Georgia is a great example. Kar Karen Handels race, the statewide race is similar to the election, which is if independents are breaking against you and every democrat alive shows up to vote, then you have to get more republicans that are there. Are they interested enough to show up . There are more republicans in the state of georgia. If they show up and vote, were going to win. So that motivation really matters to counteract a lot of things were talking abouter. Many of the governorships up this cycle are important in 2020. That cant go without being said, right if you have ohio, wisconsin, florida. Pennsylvania, florida. All of them. Michigan. What could today mean then beyond the you know, tomorrow, when we start because lets be honest, what happens tomorrow, its the beginning of the president ial election. What does it mean for 2020 . Look, i think we have to look at who turned out to vote and what these coalitions look like. Particularly, when you look at wisconsin or michigan, and even georgia and florida, its really important to see, there will be a lot of new and unlikely voters. Folks that usually do not vote in a Midterm Election year. Those are people that i think democrats and republicans, but mainly, i think democrats who have done a lot of work turning out the new and unlikely voters will be focused on going into 2019 for primaries and again in 2020. I was just in wisconsin two weekends ago, i have been everywhere, but i was in Racine County with randy bryce and the Lieutenant Governor candidate and tony evers. The energy is crazy. Theyre running very pointed, paid canvassing operations. Theyre turning folks out. Thats what its going to take to win these governors races. Getting to kind of the Closing Argument bit. If you just look at how the president s Closing Argument last night, i mean, Broad Strokes about what he talked about last night. Be afraid of voter fraud. Be concerned about invasion of immigrants, and be concerned about leftwing socialists. There have been we know there was a lot of internal debate about what the message should be. Phone calls from paul ryan to donald trump asking him to cut it out. If Donald Trumps message wins out, as were discussing, if that message wins out and we see a red wall, what does that mean for the next what does that mean for the next two years . Were in a polarized country. Thats the politics were in. Both countries now speak to their bases. Barack obama spent a lot of time speaking more to his base in the 2012 reelection than independent voters. Thats where we are. One thing i have to caveat is both parties use fear. Democrats are trying to scare women voters on preexisting condition coverage saying republicans are going to take that away from you. They voted to do so. They did vote to allow insurers to charge every one of these competitive candidates say theyre not going to vote for it. They voted for it. They did vote for it. Heres my point. They all voted to repeal the protections in the aca. This is why im bringing it up, because theres a narrative republicans are using fear. Democrats use fear. Democrats every cycle say theyre going to cut medicare. He held a ceremony in the rose garden celebrating them voting to do precisely that. Your client voted to do that. Marthae mcsally who now siz she never met the marthae mcsally who voted to do that. In court, the administration is now with republican attorneys general, in court arguing the aca provisions protecting preexisting conditions should be declared invalid. For him to say some day he would sign a deal to protect it thats fine. Democrats are playing on their fear. Thats what republicans did. Republicans are talking about border security, and democrats are vulnerable because they want to abolish i. C. E. And they want an open border policy. Its okay to talk about fear when theres a policy. You think the way the democrats talk about preexisting conditions and the way the president talks about race are comparable . Yes, i think theyre both fear. Democrats try to scare seniors on medicare every election cycle. Thats a fear motivation. The fact of the matter is theyre not trying to scare folks. People are scared. Paul ryan and republicans in house and senate have said that we are going to have to raid medicare and Social Security to pay for your tax cuts. They have voted on these things. I sat with mothers in pennsylvania three weeks ago who have children who have complicated medical conditions, whom if they were to lose coverage for preexisting conditions, their kids would literally die. Thats a fear message. This is real life for these women, for mothers across the country. Fear that the president and republicans have played on is manufactured fear. Its scare tactics. Its demonizing brown people, saying theyre coming to the border and are going to invade our country and take your jobs. Thats not true. It is true republicans have voted to take away preexisting conditions and will do it again. Heres the only thing that matters. The only poll that matters today is everyone heading to the polls and voting because voters xet to have the final say on this fabulous debate were having here. Coming up for us, the southern showdown that has already made history. Ted cruz fighting to keep his seat from democratic challenger beto orourke in the most Expensive Senate race ever. Well go live to texas. Introducing the new Capital One Savor card. Earn 4 cash back on dining and 4 on entertainment. Now when you go out, you cash in. Whats in your wallet . That last place was pretty nice. I dont like this whole thing. I think we can do better. Change is hard. Try to keep an open mind. Come on, dad. This is for me, son . Principal. We can help you plan for that. 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Theres a lot of enthusiasm here in Tarrant County. This is the third most populous county in the state of texas, and its the last large urban county to be a red county, to vote republican. There is this is a bellwether county, thats why were here. This county, President Trump won it by nine points. Thats exactly the margin that he won the state of texas by. And we have heard from folks, from beto orourke, who hopes to replace senator ted cruz, theyre going to be watching closely to see what happens in this county. Orourke has said as tarrant goes, so goes texas. We have to win Tarrant County to win texas. Our cameras caught up with orourke outside a polling station in el paso this morning. Texas is not going to be defined by our fears. Were going to be governed by our ambitions. Were going to be fiercely focused on the future, and were going to do this together. We just do not care about the differences between us right now. We want all of us republicans and democrats, independents alike to come together and do something great for this country. And thats what i have heard from the people of texas over the last 22 months. Thats what folks are voting for today. I think thats what its going to represent. And beto orourke is going to need high enthusiasm on his side. We have seen the early voting numbers here in this county. The early voting ballots topped 465,000. Thats far more than in past midterms. Its even more than the early vote totals in 2012, according to the election administrator here. Early voting in texas, 4. 8 more than 4. 8 million. A lot of enthusiasm. The question is on which side. We talked to voters on both sides. Supporters of ted cruz who support him because hes going to support President Trump. They believe President Trump is sending this country in the right direction. They want border control, the selection of conservative judges. People supporting orourke are concerned about the heated rhetoric in the country. They want a unifier and thats what they see in orourke. Well see how it turns out. Good to see them all there. Thank you so much. Really appreciate it. Coming up for us, republican Governor Scott walker in a tight race to keep his seat in wisconsin. Hes not the only republican on the ropes right now in the midwest. Details ahead. Dependability as midsize carthe chevy malibu. I forgot. Chevy also won a j. D. Power dependability award for its lightduty truck the chevy silverado. Oh, and since the chevy equinox and traverse also won chevy is the only brand to earn the j. D. Power dependability award across cars, trucks and suvsthree years in a row. Phew. Third times the charm. Whoa phone rings daddy, mommys on the phone hi how are you guys . At t proudly offers wireless and tv discounts to military, veterans, First Responders and their families. Visit att. Com hero. 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Wisconsin is 1 of 36 states choosing governors today. Republican Governor Scott walker is running for a third term, facing his toughest challenge yet. Hes in a dead heat with the head of the wisconsin states public schools, democrat tony evers. Lets go to the ground there. Cnn National Correspondent ryan young is on the ground for us there, and has some people with him. What are you hearing . One of those days where its been raining and cold. People have been lining up since early this morning to vote. I grabbed these two voters to ask them their opinions. What motivated you about wanting to be here to vote today . Its just important. We have a close race with our governor. So its important for us to get our vote in. How do you think scott walker is doing . I think hell do fine. You know, we got low unemployment, taxes are going down. I dont want to go back to the old days, so thats why were out here today. Basically. But theres a senators race going on, too, so we had to put our votes in for that. Fantastic. So you heard that from them. They basically believe things are going well in the state. We also heard frame people concerned about wages and health care. A lot of issues but what we have also seen is a motivated public, filing in there and voting. Thank you very much. Joining me now, the former democratic mayor of maryland and former president ial candidate martin omalley. Thank you for coming in. We were talking about it in the break. You have been all over the place campaigning, speaking out, campaigning with democratic candidates. Its not just wisconsin. You have governors throughout you have governors in races throughout the midwest that are getting a lot of attention. And it makes me wonder, you know, trump made big inroads in the midwest in 2016. How important is the midwest in terms of what happens for democrats in 2018 and beyond . Its critically important. Its also critically important to the sort of congress we have. Because i think youre on to one of the big stories potentially of this night. That is the potential sweep from pennsylvania through ohio and all across the great lakes of democratic governors being elected in states that have had their congressional delegations gerrymandered in a kind of lopsided republican way. You look at the exciting race in ohio. With cordry, you look at wisconsin, of course, and michigan. Minnesota. Fred hubble in iowa, and even billy sutton in south dakota is making it close, even beyond that swath. You could see a whole swath of blue across the great lakes from pennsylvania to south dakota. Lets talk about there are some big name progressive candidates that have been getting a lot of attention as well. You have florida governor, the governors race. I was there the other day. You also have the senate race in texas. If progressives do not win in some of these big and critical seats, is it time for the party to move away . Is it a message the party needs to move away from the progressive wing Going Forward . No, i dont think so. Look, i think whats really happening out there is a new generation of leadership, somewhat suppressed over the last few years, is actually coming in to their own. So many of the attitudes that progressive attitudes, the messages have been greater inclusion socially, economically, politically. You see it in, you know, wanting people to vote rather than trying to suppress the vote. You see it in the economic policies. These are attitudes that are endorsed by young americans. Whether theyre democrats, republicans, or independents. I think this is a Movement Forward in the Democratic Party and for the country. If today, if this election, these elections are a referendum on President Trump, what does what does success look like for you come tomorrow . You have been out in you have been out in these races, out with these democratic candidates. What does a rejection of President Trump look like in the results to you . I think its an affirmative vote for those messages that you have heard on your show today, of decency, dignity, solidarity, that were are all in this together. And what does victory mean . I think it means regaining democratic leadership of the house of representatives. I think it means regaining a majority of democratic governors across the country. Particularly in those great lake states and other states like florida, georgia, places with lots of democratic voters. And it also means one other thing, and that is flipping a number of state houses across the country. Iowa, new hampshire, minnesota, colorado, new york. There are many states that are on the verge of turning their state senate or their state house blue. And that is also critically important for the sort of governing coalition that these governors will have and also for the redistricting that follows in just two years. Thats how i see it. House of representatives, democratic knvers and also a number of state house chambers. Notably missing is taking over the majority of the senate. That would be awesome. Less likely. That would be awesome. Great to see you, mayor and governor. Thank you. I appreciate it. Coming up, after an Aggressive Campaign push, President Trump is planning to stay out of public view today. So whats he up to behind the scenes . Thats next. Gavin newsom has lived a privileged life. The rich made him powerful. But hes done nothing to help us. Every day i work harder. Rent, food, and gas prices climb. Poverty, homelessness gavin admits it. We created it happened on our watch. What you see out there on the streets and sidewalk happened on our watch. Now he says hell have courage, for a change, but gavins had his chance for eight years, and he never lifted a finger. Its time for someone new. John cox, governor. One of the people most talked about this election is nowhere to be seen. President trump staying away from the cameras as voters head to the polls today. What is he doing instead . Sarah, whats the president up to . The president is staying out of the public eye as voters cast their ballots. Sarah sanders said he will be making calls and keeping tabs on the races unfolding and we are told at some point he will likely be stopping by the war room his Political Team set up where they are also keeping tabs on all the races. He and First Lady Melania Trump have chosen to watch the returns in the residence to see if the divicive immigration rhetoric he unleashed at the midterms motivated voters to get to the polls as they argued had would. They told Sinclair Scott thurman is he said one of the things he regrets is divicive rhetoric and perhaps he would like to change it. Thats something the president has a chance to see how effective it was, later tonight. Let us see if there was a change in the rhetoric after tonight and if we will see the president come before cameras at all. Thank you so much. In case you couldnt notice, it is election day. The first polls close in six hours. Taking a look at live voting in cleveland. More of our special election coverage straight ahead. When you book at hilton. Com, you get the price match guarantee. So if you find your room at a lower rate, hilton is like. Were gonna match that rate and give you an extra 25 off. What would travel sites do if you found a different price . Thats not my problem, its your problem. Book at hilton. Com and get the hilton price match guarantee. Takes more mathan just investment advice. From insurance to savings to retirement, it takes someone with experience and knowledge who can help me build a complete plan. Brian, my certified financial planner™ professional, is committed to working in my best interest. I call it my comfortable future plan, and its all possible with a cfp® professional. Find your certified financial planner™ professional at letsmakeaplan. Org. All the tools you need for every step of the way. Make it, squarespace [ neighing ] [ neighing ] [ sigh ] its bring your own phone, not pony. So i couldve taken the bus . Yeah. Bring your phone. Switch your carrier. Save hundreds a year with xfinity mobile. Call, click or visit a store today. Welcome to inside politics. Im john king. Thank you for sharing election day with us. Democrats predict it will bring them big gapes at the state level also. Chi shay, but true today. Does the trump base deliver another surprise or do millennials and