happening now, the final push so many races across the country are coming down to the wire. the balance of power across america hinges on crucial votes and races that are neck in neck. who will take control and who will be left picking up the pieces. >> it's 8:00 p.m. in jerusalem and wherever you are watching

from around the world, thanks for joining us. we begin with the final push for votes on this, the eve of the 2014 midterm elections. the control of the united states senate hanging in the balance. some new polls may give republicans momentum and sources from both parties now say a gop takeover of the senate could be coming. we're covering the election as only cnn can with reports from iowa to colorado to kentucky and beyond. we'll get the view from the white house, including an exclusive interview with the vice president, joe biden. first, here's where things stand in the final hours before the election. republicans need a net gain of six seats to take control of the senate and they are optimistic. listen to what senator rand paul possible 2016 presidential contender told our candy crowley. >> will the republicans take over control of the senate? >> i think in all likelihood, yes. i think this election is going to be a referendum on the

president. even he acknowledged his policies will be on the ballot. >> part of the reason for the optimism, a new des moines register poll showing joni ernst leading bruce braley in the iowa senate race, 51 to 44%. but hold on. a new poll puts it at dead 47%. iowa is not the only state that has democrats worried. the latest polls gives kentucky, georgia, and louisiana a boost. with so much at stake and so close, everyone brought out the surrogates. among those, bill and hillary clinton and new jersey governor chris christie. joe biden had a weekend swing through florida for gubernatorial candidate charlie crist. biden has been showing confidence that democrats will remain in power after tomorrow.

gloria borger sat down with the vice president and ask why he's so confident that his party can defy the odd makers? >> first of all, i don't agree with the odd makers. i predict we're going to be in 67 races all told and i don't get the feeling that the odds makers are given. >> but what if that were to be the case? >> i don't think it will change anything in terms of what we're about. we know we have to get done the last two years and, quite frankly, going into 2016, the republicans have to make a decision whether they are in control or not in control or they are going to begin for things to happen or become obstructionists and i think they are going to choose to get things done. >> will the white house have to change the way they do business? >> no. i think we have to be more direct and clear about exactly what it is we're looking to do and, look, we're ready to

compromise. the message from the people is they are tired about not being able to do anything. >> so here we are in florida. you were campaigning here for charlie crist. they wanted him to stay in d.c. was that the right strategy, keeping the president off the campaign trail in a large way? >> look, i ran for the senate six times. one thing i know about senate races, off years and on years, the same with governor races, it's all local. it all gets down to what the specific issues in that district are, that state is, and each senator makes a judgment about whether or not he thinks it's helpful or hurtful. >> this is the president of the united states. you have democrats up for re-election. >> look, we've been through this a lot. first term, second term george

bush didn't show up. the older bush, reagan. you know, every state is different and here's the deal, if you look at every single major issue in this campaign, the american public agrees with our position, from federal support to infrastructure to minimum wage to marriage equality, every single poll. >> but wait a minute, our polls show voters are angry, they are fearful, they are frustrated, not only about domestic policy like the rollout of the president's health care reform but also on the handling of ebola and isis. so, you know, the question is, how do you fix that? the public isn't with you on that. >> two issues. the public is concerned and frightened and it's a frightening world. a lot has happened. what is happening, in every one of these crisis, there's twitter to major programs like yours.

when the follow up occurs, there's not much follow. when the russians crossed the border into ukraine, it was, my god, things are over, why did they do it? to stop an election from occurring. to keep ukraine from moving forward. >> so the public should not be as anxious as they are? >> i don't think the public should be as anxious as they are but it's understandable why they are. there's five cases in ebola in the entire state of america. the public is gaining confidence in that science does matter. you look at what is happening with isis. isis is not confusing and frightening and it's totally understandable. the president and i have to figure out how to better communicate what is being done.

that's part of the problem. that's part of the dilemma. >> let's move to 2016 and you. >> okay. >> i need to ask you, of course, where's your head right now? >> it's any job. there's plenty of time to make that decision. >> there is? >> it really is. everybody talks about how everything is going to be gone by the summer and i don't see that at all. i'm confident but -- >> where is it? 50/50? 60/40? >> i haven't made up my mind what i'm going to do. >> it's not about hillary? >> no, it really is not. you know me too well. if i run, i'll be able to mount a campaign that will be financed, credible and it will be serious. >> will you run if she runs? >> absolutely. that's not the reason to run or not to run. the question is, am i convinced that i am in the best position of anyone else to lead the country the next four years. >> are you? >> that's a decision i have to

make. >> everybody's talking about hillary, hillary, hill. doesn't that kind of annoy you to a degree? >> i know you know me well. it really doesn't bother me at all. what i am focused on for real -- and even when i say it doesn't sound real. >> right. >> no. but honest to god, i have not made up my mind. it's that simple. >> gloria is with me right now. you asked an important question, what if the republicans take the majority in the u.s. senate. what does the white house do for the final two years of its administration? >> well, he talked about compromise. you see the beginning outline of a strategy which is, we're willing to compromise. it depends on whether the republicans will be able to get their act together in the house and the senate because now they will control, if it were to happen, one branch of government. so i think he was laying that out and saying, okay, folks,

we're willing to do things. i don't think he said it but in my discussions with folks at the white house, perhaps some kind of corporate tax return, perhaps some infrastructure, fixing roads, bridges, that kind of thing. but obviously this is their strategy, we're willing to do it, the public is sick of gridlock. now it's up to you guys in the republican party. >> i know he's campaigned with gubernatorial candidates. has he gone out with the embattled democratic senators? >> well, he has a little and he's gone out with congressional candidates a lot and i think what you see with joe biden is what you've seen with the president of the united states. the president of the united states is very unpopular, being kept out of red states. i think the same thing goes for joe biden. he was in florida yesterday with charlie crist because what they are trying to do, they are done persuading people. early voting in florida. i was with him at a rally. they were saying to people at that rally, largely african-american voters, okay, now you've got to get to the

polls to early vote and that's where someone like joe biden can be very influential and i think if democrats lose the senate, there's going to be a lot of questions being asked about whether the president should have been used more to motivate the base, to get his base out to vote. >> that will be a good question and we'll have more of your interview with the vice president in "the situation room" later on today. gloria, thanks very much. >> sure. coming up, republicans need just six seats to take over the senate. we're taking a look at some of the closest races and you're going to find out which ones could swing the balance of power. and the president is back at the white house today. why is he there when so many races are coming down to the wire? we're going to hear the most recent comments, also, about the iowa republican joni ernst. we'll take a closer look at what left her so deeply offended. ten. i was right out of school. my family's all military. you don't know what to expect. then suddenly you're there... in another world.

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it's eb. eggland's best. better eggs. it's eb. it was a solid weekend for republicans. georgia, kentucky and iowa has joni ernst leading bruce braley. another poll has the race dead even. can the candidates take control of both houses of congress? our political analyst ron brownstein is joining us. ron, what should we make of the latest polls? like in iowa, for example, they seem to be all over the place. >> yeah. partially what you're seeing is variation in polling but there's an underlying question here. given that the map has been

troublesome for the democrats, that's made it tough and president obama's weakness has put into place three senate states in colorado, iowa, and new hampshire. and democrats have a few opportunities in red states, primarily georgia and kansas. but those look tough. essentially, the big question in the final hours, really the only remaining question is who turns out to vote? does the actual electorate look different than what the pollsters are modeling? particularly where democrats have invested a lot of money to turnout their presidential year coalition. if they can do that, places in colorado, iowa, and north carolina being the best examples. they may be able to salvage those seats and if they can and it holds up, republicans can have a very, very good night. >> so the ground game tomorrow will be critical a turnout, as you point out. in midterm elections, there usually is enough turnout, is

there? >> right. right. in fact, the democrats face a structural problem. it's heavily dependent on young people and minority voters who turn out much less in midterms than in the presidential year. they are facing, in addition to all of the other challenges that they have, the six-year itch. the fact that the president's party almost always does poorly. the map where they are defending seven seats in red states at a time when it's becoming harder for parties to win senate seats because they vote the other way for president. plus, obama's own weakness, all of these things reinforce the systemic problem that midterm elections are tougher than presidential elections because they are heavily dependent on minority and younger people who don't vote as often. >> if the democrats were able to lose states, especially iowa,

for example, will people look back and say the democratic candidate should do more to bring the president? because he may have been suited to bring that turnout out there? >> that's a really important question. i have two thoughts about that. first, whether or not you bring in the president, you are tied to him in modern politics. george bush's approval rating was at 40% or below. the republicans lost 19 of the 20. in 2010, obama was at 47 or below if 15 senate races. democrats lost 13 of the 15. whether you run with or against the president in modern politics, you are tied to him. they really did not talk about what has or has not achieved and did not have a coherent defense of the administration's record and that, i think, is a puzzle that hillary clinton or joe biden is going to have to solve

and can you defend more effectively to hold the white house. >> sort of reminds me of the dilemma in 2000, al gore, when defeated for president of the united states, he didn't use bill clinton in the home state of arkansas and if he had carried arkansas, that would have been the difference right there. if you go back and look back at history and i guess come up with different conclusions all the time and i suppose people will be doing that after tomorrow as well. ron, thanks very much. ron brownstein helping us better appreciate what is going on. meanwhile, the president has only been making very limited campaign appearances so why wouldn't the candidate want the commander in chief helping to get out to vote? plus, what the president's final two years might look like if republicans controlled both houses.

president obama has been mostly sidelined and many don't want to be tied to a president with sagging poll numbers. the president was a headliner at rallies for two democratic governors. it stops over the weekend and they are trying to fek kus on getting voters to the polls tomorrow. can he mobilize that huge democratic base if it's ready to get out there and support candidates?

>> we >> reporter: well, the president was doing all that he could. it was striking to note that the president is not only campaigning with democratic candidates, he's not out in front of the cameras. there are no scheduled events. he is laying low. as you said, wolf, he was out on the campaign trail over the weekend but primarily with gubernatorial candidates. he was with gary peters in michigan but he's expected to win that race in michigan so that doesn't really count. he was trying to turn out african-american voters and women voters which have been pivotal in races in the past. saying that the ukrainians do a better job in elections than americans do. here's what they he had to say. >> ukraines have a war going on and they had a 60% turnout. there is no excuse for us to just give away our power.

if you wonder why things don't happen, if you wonder sometimes why elected officials don't seem responsive it's because so many of us stay at home. >> reporter: white house press secretary josh earnest wrapped up the briefing here. he said that the president and vice president are confident that democrats will maintain control of the senate. but josh earnest said, whatever the outcome is of tomorrow's midterms, he said try not to reach too much into what the voters say. of course, the white house would want to say that because really, wolf, it does not look that good for them. >> it doesn't. but it's not over until it's over, as they say. we'll see what happens when people show up and vote. thank you, jim acosta. still ahead, if republicans win big in tomorrow's election, will that pavement way for a white house victory in 2016? our next guest says not necessarily. the former white housed adviser

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welcome back to our viewers in the united states and around the world. i'm wolf blitzer reporting from washington. at stake in tomorrow's midterm elections here in the united states, nothing less than a possible shift of power in the u.s. government. here's the makeup of the senate as it stands right now. republicans need to win six

seats to get control of both houses of congress, the house and the senate. joining us here in washington, our chief congressional correspondent dana bash and political analyst david gergen. david, if the republicans were to become the majority in the senate as of tomorrow, would that necessarily mean they would have a clear path to becoming the power in the white house in 2016? >> not at all, wolf. it's a cautionary note and even as the republicans seem poised for big victories tomorrow night. to those who think this means they have a clear shot at the white house, there are big dould boulders in the path. mainly, the blue wall. the blue wall is a set of 18 states plus a district of columbia that, over the last six presidential elections, that's a long time, have voted democratic

every time. every time. now, in terms of 270 electoral votes to win the white house, those 18 states and the district of columbia represent 242 votes. 242 out of the 270. only need 28 more to get to the white house. florida with 29 puts you in there. that's what the republicans are up against. in other words, two years from now they are going to be facing a much tougher electorate with a lot of momentum on the democratic side and there's an anomaly. the contestants in this election are in red and purple states. it's in the red and purple states. the next time out, there are going to be a lot of senate races with republicans in that blue wall and that's why they are vulnerable two years out. that means they can glow tomorrow night if they win the senate but a tough road to get

the white house and the congress. >> david is right when it comes to the map and geography and when you look at the substance of what it would mean if the republicans take over tomorrow night, they are going to have to prove that they can govern. they can no longer say that they are the opposition party. they are going to have to prove that they can do big things. maybe some form of immigration reform. because if they can't, that could hurt them. and any senior republican looking at the long ball will tell you that, that if they take it, they've got to be more productive. >> david, do you think it was a mistake for some of these democratic candidates fighting for their political life to run away from the president of the united states as quickly and as hard as they have. >> well, i would have thought that they would have made more of an effort to wrap themselves around. instead of running away from him, some of these things are working, they are going to work

better. the economy in particular, they are getting zero credit for the state that the united states economy is rebounding faster than any other major economy in the world right now. we're the world leader. the democrats haven't been able to make a note of that. this reminds me of al gore in 2000 when he could have run on the clinton economic record and he did not and he lost. and i just think they could have made a bigger effort to embrace that part of his -- of obama's record. >> are the republicans on capitol hill, dana, you've covered congress for us, are they already measuring the bigger office suites over there? do they already think they have it locked snup. >> mitch mcconnell's suite is pretty sweet already. locked up, no. but they are certainly feeling more bullish and confident. he got a call from a senior strategist over the weekend who was going through the numbers, the turnout, polling numbers and so part saying that any which way you slice it, it looks almost impossible, no impossible

but almost impossible for democrats to hold on and he'd very much likely be the next majority leader. i've spoke to the parties and the outside groups because they are all doing polling and have people on the ground and they think it's going to be pretty hard to keep the control of the senate for democrats but the question is, what's going to be the margin? because that matters when it comes to governing and when it comes to the election the next time around. >> 52/48? is that what you're saying? >> yes. let's just say it's 52/48, that gives the republicans the majority. it allows them to set the agenda, which is huge. it makes a huge difference, but it doesn't necessarily make it easy to govern and, not just that, it also means as david was saying, the next time in 2016, it's not just going to be a white house race but a congressional race, there are going to be a lot of races that are easier for democrats to win. if they keep the margins low, it

will be a short-lived republican majority. >> david, you've worked for four presidents so you know this well. if republicans are majority in the senate as they are in the house, with that comes subpoena power. they can demand that certain officials show up, documents that they get. they have the votes to go forward and that could make the last two years of the obama administration pretty miserable if they want to go in that direction. >> i think that is right, wolf. what the republicans are very likely to do is to go in two directions at once. on the one hand, to look as if they were cooperative with the president. as dana said, maybe immigration reform, trade, maybe even tax reform. on the other hand, they are going to play hardball and that would be investigatory power that they would have in the senate. there's so many issues, it's not just benghazi, it's the v.a., ebola, how we fight the war against isis, you have the

defense secretary skeptical about what we're doing with the war against isis. there's a lot of things that they can do if they have power of the committees if they win and pick up the six seats or even more. >> it's why people should be paying attention closely to what's going on because with the majority comes a lot of extra power that the u.s. senate republicans, if they are the majority, will certainly have. david, thanks very much. dana, our thanks to you as well. there's much more cnn coverage of the midterm elections coming up. we're going to take you live for an up-close look at the races that could shift control of the senate into republican hands. [ julie ] the wrinkle cream graveyard. if it doesn't work fast... you're on to the next thing. clinically proven neutrogena® rapid wrinkle repair. it targets fine lines and wrinkles with the fastest retinol formula available. you'll see younger looking skin in just one week. one week? this one's a keeper.

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republicans need to pick up six seats tomorrow to take control of the u.s. senate from democrats. several of the races are too close to call right now.

our ana cabrera is joining us from colorado, brianna keilar is watching the kentucky race and our own kyra phillips is watching the races there which include members of, shall we call it, southern political royalty. let's go out west, first to colorado, the swing state has done well for democrats in recent years. president obama once it twice. in the race for the senate, the incumbent democratic senator, mark udall has seen his early lead in the polls evaporate. ana is joining us from arapahoe. where do the polls stand right now? >> reporter: wolf, this race is neck-and-neck. the poll out this morning has republic republican cory gardener ahead

of mark udall. it's given democrats a bit of a morale boost. it's a mail-in election here in colorado. the folks behind me are doing sorting, going through the signature verifications. hundreds and thousands of ballots have been returned. nearly 1.4 million colorado voters have already marked their ballots and sent them back in and republicans have the edge with about 100,000 more republican ballots returned than democrats. they also have an advantage of the president's very dismal approval ratings in this state right now, just 37% in a state that voted for president obama twice. now, mark udall is relying on his strong ground game and he has an advantage with latino voters and also with younger voters and he's focused his message pretty squarely on the female voters, focusing on

female productive rights. pundits have called him mark uterus. they say it's worked for michael bennett, a democrat back in 2010, they hope it works for him here. still, no one is taking any chances. they have their ground games in full swing today. they will be making phone calls and both sides tell us they like their chances come election night, wolf. >> in addition to the senate races, there's another vote getting attention in colorado, ana. a ballot vote on abortion. what does it look like? will it pass this time? explain what is going on. >> well, is it possible it will pass? yes. is it probable? probably not. it's the personhood amendment, amendment 67 that's been on the ballot before and they've been defeated pretty handedly. it would amendment the state

constitution to amend the criminal code. now, proponents of this measure say it's not about abortion. really, it's meant to protect pregnant women from criminal acts and they cite a 2008 example of a woman hit by a drunk driver who lost her unborn baby. but proponents of this measure say it's really too far-reaching. it could open a can of worms and say it would set up for possible persecutions and all kinds of situations where a pregnant woman loses her unborn baby regardless of the reason why, wolf. and i can tell you that there's a lot more noise against this measure here in colorado than is for it. back to you. >> ana, thanks very much. we'll stay in close touch with you. let's go to iowa. the iowa senator tom harkin has retired and it's given republicans hopes that they can steal his seat. pamela brown is joining us.

what are the early poll numbers indicating there? >> reporter: well, so far we're seeing record numbers with early voting, wolf. more than 400,000 ballots cast thus far. and the focus is to get the outstanding ballots in. right now democrats have a razor-thin lead over republicans, about 7,000 more ballots cast for democrats than republicans. but democrats want to see a larger lead heading into tomorrow. for democrats, it's really early voting. there's a huge push today to get more votes in, to get those ballots in. but both sides are fairly confident that they can win this hotly contested senate race that could really decide who controls the senate. it's really down to the wire right now. and there is some controversy brewing between senator tom harkin, the democratic senator vacating the seat in iowa and the republican candidate joni

ernst. take a listen to what tom harkin had to say last week. >> there's a sense of, well, joni ernst, she's really attractive and sounds nice. well, i got to thinking about that. i don't care if she's a taylor swift or as nice as mr. rogers. but if she votes like michele bachmann, she's wrong in the state of iowa. >> reporter: joni ernst heard about these comments late last night. she said she was offended by harkin's comments. she says that if she were a man, he wouldn't have said that. she said she's going to shake it off like taylor swift does.

>> all right. we'll be in iowa. pamela brown, thanks. still ahead, we're going to live to kentucky where a challenger is not giving up her fight against senate ma snort leader. we'll take you live to georgia as well where famous southern political families are fighting to establish their own legacies.

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kentucky back in 1984, it was an extremely close race. he won by only 5,000 votes. joining us is brianna keilar. how close of a race are we looking at with his challenger alison lundergan grimes? >> reporter: wolf, polls right now of late show consistently that mcconnell has a somewhat comfortable lead here of several points. this is a lead that i would say a number of candidates in these other close races across the country would be envious of. that said, it's not a done deal as mitch mcconnell tries to make sure he's re-elected but also fights to become senate majority leader of the senate. this has been a tough race. he's been up against a young, promising democratic woman, alison lundergan grimes, who is the current secretary of state in the state of kentucky. mitch mcconnell has seven events across the state today.

grimes has nine. last night she showed some of the stress of what has really been a tough battle here. >> and i do believe that you are the messenger that mitch mcconnell can't buy. he can buy the airwaves but he cannot buy the hearts and minds of each and every one of you. you know that after 30 years, three decades of mitch mcconnell, we deserve better. we're coming down the home stretch and let me tell you, i've got it left in me. i'm >> reporter: of course this fight is not over until all of the ballots are counted and certainly i think the mcconnell camp isn't taking what is a lead in the polls for granted. you look at the national political environment, it's really bad to be a democrat in, but it's also so bad to be an incumbent in. just like you said, mitch mcconnell was first elected to go to washington in 1984. he certainly has that sort of washington tarnish on him.

>> as you know, at times this race between mitch mcconnell and alison grimes was a lot closer in the polls. how did mcconnell pull ahead as he has right now? >> reporter: off the top, this is a very red state. this is not a state that democrats typically do well in. president obama did not win here in 2008 or in 2012. mcconnell had that going in his favor. the other thing he did which is sort of interesting because grimes is a democrat from kentucky and hasn't been in washington, mcconnell tried his hardest and effective tying her to president obama. it was so effective that when she was asked if she had voted for president obama, which you would presume that she has, she wouldn't answer that question. that is something that his campaign used against her. the other thing talking to sources close to his campaign is that they feel that he's done very well on the ground game and that he's gotten out there and the get out of vote operations

have been more effective than grimes. we'll wait until tuesday to see if that's the case. >> we certainly will. thanks very much. still ahead, we're going live to georgia for a closer look at the senate candidate, the democratic candidate, michelle nunn on the ballot this time. sounds a lot like a republican at times. what's going on in georgia? kyra phillips is standing by. hello... i'm an idaho potato farmer and our big idaho potato truck is still missing. so my buddy here is going to help me find it.

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one of the key states we'll be watching tomorrow night will be georgia. the republican governor is facing jason carter, grandson of former president jimmy carter. the other big race to watch in the state is the senate seat vacated and could shift the balance. kyra phillips is joining us from atlanta right now. set the scene. what's going on in georgia? >> i tell you what. what should have been a sure thing for david perdue and fellow republicans could now impact as we've been talking about for months now who controls the senate. if republicans lose control of the senate because they lose georgia, that would be embarrassment on top of disaster for the gop. and that's because georgia, as you know is, a deeply ready

state. republicans thought they could win it easily. and now it's in play. it's in play because democrat michelle nunn is extremely competitive. why so competitive? shifting demographics for one in georgia and also the fact that she's been running as sort of a democrat who talks like a republican. she's been trying to say perdue is an out of touch wealthy businessman who only cares about his own pocketbook and she's been hammering him on his history of outsourcing. as for perdue's go-to criticism of his competitor this election season, he says she's just too cozy with president obama. that's been a major fodder for a weekend debate. >> this president is adamant about getting you in the senate because he needs you to be his rubber stamp in the senate. his failed policies are indeed on the ballot. in georgia, they go by the name of michelle nunn. >> i spent 45 minutes of my life with president obama. i have spent seven years working

for president george h.w. bush's organization and i have talked for the entire campaign that i am committed to working across party lines. >> just four points separating nunn and perdue. i want to show you this number. among african-american voters, nunn leads with an eye dropping 85% of the vote. until tomorrow, you know this phrase, it's all about get out the vote. knocking on doors and getting people out to the polls and if no candidates reach 50 plus 1, the georgia race goes to a runoff. >> given the fact that there's a third party libertarian candidate in georgia as you well know, a lot of people just assume it will go to some sort of runoff and that neither of these candidates, democrat nor republican, will get 50% plus 1 to avoid that january 6th

runoff. polls show if there was a runoff, the republican presumably would have some sort of advantage. is that right? >> that is right. it's interesting because if you -- we pay such close attention to the polls and right when you think, okay, nunn has the edge and then in the next day, the next two days, perdue picks up a couple points. it's really interesting. we were saying something totally different last week and as of the weekend, the new nbc poll we saw perdue up but four points. a lot of republicans saying to me over the weekend that they have a good gut feeling this is going to go into a runoff. we'll see. >> if it goes into a runoff, i think that perdue would have an advantage. they'll spend millions and millions of dollars in georgia over these next two months. >> we're talking about 100 million. up to 100 million. >> you never know what could happen with all that money being spent. thank you very much for that.

tomorrow night is election night here in america. cnn's special coverage starts at 5:00 p.m. eastern. please join us. that's it for me. thanks very much for watching. i'll be back 5:00 eastern in "the situation room." for our international viewers, christiane amanpour is next and for our u.s. viewers, "newsroom" with brooke baldwin starts right now. >> all right. thanks so much. great to be with you on this monday. i'm brooke baldwin. the election is tomorrow and the polls are breaking republican. should the gop secure a net gain of six seats in the 100-seat senate, the republican party will own capitol hill. will control both houses of congress. something barack obama has not yet faced in nearly six years in the white house. hold on though. you have to run these elections first. here is the vice president speaking to cnn saying his democrats still have hope. roll it. >> first of