question, the bell hop, they are all voting for landrieu. this is in new orleans where she has a lot of support and this is what she'll count on. jake, very likely it's going to be a long one. >> a real nail biter. suzanne malveaux, thank you. "the situation room" starts right now. i'm jake tapper. >> cnn is now saying that we will pick up another 50 seats in the house. >> it's clear tonight who the winners really are and that's the american people. >> we will never let you down. god bless you and god bless our country. >> this is cnn. >> happening now, it's election night in america. >> the races couldn't be closer and the stakes couldn't be higher. >> right now, it's america's

choice. will republicans win the keys to the senate? or will democrats stay in charge? >> who's going to fight for you? that's what it boils down to. >> the president's record is at issue. >> it's a bunch of hogwash. >> and the senate's top republican has a lot to win or lose. >> the races across the country are about barack obama's agenda. >> barack obama is not on the ballot. i am. >> this is cnn's election night in america. the fight for governor and the warmup for 2015. >> i need to you do this. your current needs you to do this. >> we're in the home stretch. it all comes down to who is going to show up. >> the polls are open. the nation is choosing and anything is possible.

>> we're live in washington and just moments away from getting the first exit poll information on this election night in america. we want to welcome our viewers in the united states and around the world. i'm wolf blitzer in the cnn election center with a special edition of the situation room. we're counting down to the first real results in this fight for control of the united states senate. many places in kentucky close in less than an hour. that state has one of the highest profile contests of the night. alison lundergan grimes is challenging the most powerful in the senate, mitch mcconnell. if mcconnell can hang on, he may get another title. majority winner. this will decide whether republicans can take control away from the democrats. these are the contests where the

seat might flip from one party to the other. the best political team on television is covering all of the action in all of the key states. we have more than two dozen correspondents in the field. let's check in with some of them right now. first, brianna keilar over at mitch mcconnell headquarters in kentucky. brianna? >> reporter: wolf, every candidate in one of these tough races has written two prefunctory speeches. in kentucky, the speech that mitch mcconnell was editing and finalizing today was the victory speech, not the concession. polls show him up several points and alison lundergan grimes is promising a surprise. on the flip side, one mcconnell aide joking to me that there may be a run on borboun tonight. we'll find out very soon.

>> let's go to martin savidge in georgia there at the headquarters of the democratic candidate michelle nunn. >> they have to get 50% of the vote plus one or there will be a runoff. four points separate the two candidates. michelle nunn, i talked to her, she thinks she's going to win. perdue thinks he will win. you would say that they are political unknowns. but they are widely known. sam nunn is the father of michelle nunn. the voters know their names. >> martin, thank you. let's go to the senate race in new hampshire. it's another critical contest. brian todd is standing by. brian? >> wolf, another long line

building here in manchester, new hampshire, because heavy voter turnout, according to analysts, will favor the democratic incumbent jeanne shaheen. shaheen had a very narrow lead. in other polls, scott brown, the republican challenger had a narrow lead. this is razor thin coming in to this vote tonight and it's really up for grabs here. this is where the voting station here is in ward 1. people come in and register, get their chip, their paper ballot. it's old-school voting here, wolf, and it will decide the very crucial senate race, a must win for the democrats. >> brian todd, thank you. new hampshire will be an early test of whether democrats have a serious chance of holding on to the senate. let's bring in anderson right now. he's got more with our analysts. anderson, we'll all be watching this very closely. >> no doubt about it. i'm here with peter hamby, our national political reporter for cnn digital and politico.

what races are you watching? >> i'm watching new hampshire and north carolina. north carolina i think is looking better for democrats than they thought a few weeks ago. new hampshire is what i'm looking for if the bottom is falling out. she is doing very poorly in keen and new hampshire. the democrats you will know is in a tough night. >> those are the bellwether states. >> yes. and new hampshire is funky because it's a quirky state. it's mod moody in terms of how it votes for federal races versus statewide races. she's done a good job of defining scott brown as a carpet bagger. >> peter? >> i'm watching colorado. there's so many dynamics with the anti-incumbent sent met and

thom tillis is tied to the legislature. looking out west, it's interesting to look at iowa and colorado. these are two states that have been trending towards democrats for over a decade now. >> right. president obama did well in both. >> exactly. but trending blue. democrats have been very confident about their field operations in both of those states for a long time. go back to 2012, presidential year, very dynamic, i remember talking to iowa republicans and they were confident that they had the state in the bag. obama closes by 6. a little bit of precaution there but republicans think that they have fixed the ground game problem and joni ernst -- >> we've heard from democrats so often, especially during the presidential election when president obama was running about the ground game that the democrats had. it seems like republicans have learned the lessons from president obama in that. >> the reason i disagree with et p peter on this unwione, it's two states as part of their firewall

out west. the reason i would talk about both of those, you have cory gardener and in iowa you have joni ernst who has won a really good race but bruce braley has made a lot of mistakes. >> and when you talk about all of that stuff, that will get you one point two, points, three points. >> yep. >> but once the campaign is drifting in a direction and you have a drag at the top of the ticket, it becomes harder and harder to overcome the final margin. >> how has it turned out today particularly among african-americans? >> it's vital. both sides it's going to -- i hate that it all comes down to turnout but it all comes down to turnout. it's going to be who gets their side out. democrats are making it a very unusual midterm year. democrats don't vote as well during midterm elections when there's not a presidential at the top of the ticket and they

are trying to use their advantage to try to outweigh what republicans have. we'll see in races like iowa and colorado if it works. >> it will really be tested in north carolina where african-americans get voters out early and they are doing well and governor races in florida, wisconsin where it's a total jump ball. in wisconsin and florida in particular, very sort of polarized states, wisconsin especially. so that's why it's completely about mobilizing supporters. >> that's right. >> we're going to start getting exit polling information relatively soon. are there key questions that you'll be looking at in terms of how things are going to go? >> i think what i expect it to be is that the economy is going to remain the most important issue for everybody and if that is true and how the president is viewed in exit polling, that will be a key indicator. i think if it's incredibly low and that's the top line, you know you're in for a rough night. >> one thing, maggie, when you

talk to voters, they are fed up with everything. banks, institution, politics. >> trust in nothing. >> i'd be interested to see the data about how much of that is a factor, that washington is broken and they are done with everything. >> it's going to be a long night. grab the popcorn and get ready. >> it will be exciting for sure. president obama spent this election day concentrating on his day job as well, a little bit at least on politics. let's go to jim acosta. he's got an update for us. he did at least one radio interview, right? >> reporter: as it turns out, wolf, he did a bunch. the president has stayed behind closed doors for almost 48 hours but he's been working on behalf of some democrats, recording a radio spot that we know of for kay hagan but he also did a dozen radio interviews over the last two days. four of those in north carolina. despite assurances that the democrats would hold the senate,

he explained why the gop may have a big night. >> in this election cycle, this is probably the worst possible group of states for democrats since dwight eisenhower. there are a lot of states being contested where they just tend to tilt republican. >> now, as for vice president biden, he's been busy, too, but he may have handed republicans an election day gift saying that democrats have a chance to pick up independent greg orman. orman has insisted that he can caucus with either party but roberts has blasted out his comment and aides to the president said that there has been no conversation between the president and orman, that they know of. the white house gently distances themselves from the overall result that we may see several hours from now and it would be, quote, the quality of the

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it's election night in america. welcome back to this special "situation room". we're getting in the first results from the exit polls. john king is joining me. i take it the voters out there

have strong views on the obama administration and the u.s. congress. >> they do. it's safe to say they are worried about the economy, wolf, and are mad at everybody when it comes to their politics. let's look at the first exit polls and add this up. your opinion of the obama administration, this is nationwide. people telling pollsters, 58% dissatisfied or angry when it comes to the obama administration. that's not good for the president in a midterm election year. 41% are satisfied. an important but, 36% dissatisfied and 23% angry. that's a whopping 59% when you add that up. they are mad at the obama administration but also the republicans who run the congress. let's move this over. opinion of the democratic party, the president says he's not on the ballot but his policies are. this is nationally.

53% have a unfavorable view of the democratic party. however, an unfavorable opinion of the republican party. let's take a peak here. how is congress doing its job? eight in ten voters went to the polls to decide, do the republicans keep their house majority, will they grow the house majority, will the republicans get a senate majority, as they answer that question, 8 in 10 are disapproving about their views of the president, the views of the economy, their views of terrorism and ebola and the like. anderson? >> alex castellanos, what do you

make of that? >> if they could hire both sides of congress and both parties in it, americans probably would right now. but the guys in charge right now are the democrats and the president is barack obama. and he lifted this country's hopes way up six years ago. the higher you go, the higher you can fall. the country is angry that the government doesn't work, the economy doesn't work and they are scared. they are looking for strength. the only problem is, the republican party is disappointed from the previous lapse. they've got to get out of where they are but they have nowhere to go. >> cornell, what are you reading into those numbers? >> i would agree with alex. the problem is, this is why the republicans can't have a way. we talk about the electoral map, demographics, history says they should have a way. they are going to probably have a good night because they are lined up to do so but they won't

have a '94 or what we had in '96. you guys talk about obama's disapproval. obama's numbers are a lot better than republicans in congress and congress overall. that's why you have such dissatisfaction and that's why i don't think you'll see the republicans win tonight. >> that's good news to talk about. democrats have not talked about the good news. you've seen in states like colorado where mark udall is on women issues that they've nicknamed him mark uterus. it doesn't seem like democrats have done a great job in talking about low gas prices, better job economy. >> amen, sister. >> and so that's on the democrats. and republicans, to their credit, have run very credible, disciplined, smart candidates. they've exploited that weakness and they've offered an

alternative that i think a lot of people who are afraid of the incompetence are tapping into. >> the republicans are trying to call this referendums on the incumbent. the answer is yes, of course. it's hard when you're president to see your party do well. history shows with the past 100 years only three times has the party done well. reading a republican take over of the senate which is likely and something historic which is what the rnc said earlier on cnn tonight, it won't be historic if republicans pick up six seats.

and instead it's an average, not a wave. >> republicans beating democratic incumbents is very hard. that's a big evening. >> here's the problem with that. and the push back on that. if -- right now tonight, you have more republicans governors and it's all about the president because it's not. >> you see optimism on the governor front? >> well, look, there will be a sort of historic delivery if republicans can turn out wins in blue states. massachusetts governor, that's no small feat. rhode island governor could go republican, maryland could go republican. these would not be surprised

upsets, i'm not predicting anything but that would be historic. at a time like this, a republic republican. >> blue states where gubernatorial candidates are running well, that's where we'll see whether or not republicans are making inroads as opposed to winning states that the president lost by huge margins two years ago. they ran a really good cycle. they put up candidates who were not crazy or made them unelectable, by and large. when they did that in the past, it prevented them from making gains. >> we had a rule this year, you couldn't believe that trigonometry was evil. >> that's a good one. >> as someone whose job was a spokesperson for the president, your job was to try to get the president credit for the lower

gas prices, unemployment numbers being down, good news on the economy. in your opinion, i assume you feel he doesn't get the credit that he deserves for it. why? >> there's one fundamental reason why. that's the economic anxiety that tends to dissipate when you see unemployment drop as it has, when you see the economy grow as steadily as it has lately has not diminished and that's because median income has not gone up. the middle class families so they don't feel -- there's been a reduction in that. there's a number of reasons for that, though. there's an anxiety about the economic future that is born out of the economic collapse in 2008 and that hasn't been erased by even the positives that we've seen. it's worth noting that mitt romney ran in 2012 promising to bring the unemployment rate down below 6% by 2016. it's below 6% and it's 2014. >> a lot to talk about tonight.

let's go back to wolf. >> john king is with us at the voter analysis center, as we like to call it, our magic wall. >> let's pick up on the conversation that anderson was just having with jay and the other analysts. even though people feel okay about the economy right now, people have their doubts. that was the number one each as people voted today 45% of people say the economy was the number one issue. illegal immigration for 14. nearly half of the electorate saying the economy is the most important issue facing the country today. this is stunning. for a president who, as jay just said would like to say that the numbers are getting better, 78% of the people, 8 in 10 voters going to the polls today say they are worried about economic conditions. lower unemployment numbers are not reaching the american electorate. they just don't trust it yet. 78%. that's a stunning number. and the united states economy is a plurality, 35% say it's

getting better. 31 say it's getting worse. 33% say we are treading water. there's an even split about if the economy is getting better, worse, or just the same. national economic conditions not so good rapport. again, 30 something percent are saying that things are getting better and they are worried about the horizon. t if you're an incumbent, that's a bad number for you. we talked about the republican brand being established as well. and before they take it out across incumbents across the board. and this is the american dream question. life of americans will be -- and this is where the long-term anxiety kicks in. worse than today. 49% saying life in the future economically will be worse than today. only 22% are optimistic that the next generation will have it

better. 27%, wolf, think it will be just about the same. you have this, even people who think the economy is going okay for them right now, they have long-term doubts, especially when they look over the job's horizon and their children. >> and these are national numbers, not numbers in battleground states. these are nationwide and this is the first wave. we're getting more information. polls are open still. >> sometimes they give you a hint of how the vote is going so far. we want to wait, just to be safe, until the polls are closed before we dig deep in the individuals states. >> which is smart. we'll get information from the early exit polls and share them with our viewers. in the meantime, anderson, back to you. >> i want to talk to maggie haberman and peter hamby. how much of this election, do you think, looking at those election polls is driven by fear. 78% driven by the economic

conditions? >> it's what we were talking about before where nobody trusts anything. that is the fear factor and that's what you're seeing. the economy is getting better. the data shows that the economy is getting better. voters do not feel it's getting better. this is why it makes it so hard to predict. this is why you have so many within the margin of error race. >> and these governor races, it's really a good place to get the temperature of these crosswinds as well. we were talking about maryland, connecticut, rhode island. democrats are confident they will hold on, although narrowly. there are issues that frustrate people. if you're in the senate race, you're tied to obama, you're an incumbent and you're in rough shape. >> it's interesting, certainly

you have the news cycle, ebola has been very big, across the middle east, it's got to contribute to that overall sense. >> if you look at it in a broad term of terrorism, you're going to see a higher number as we get along further in the evening and you start seeing more individual states coming in. you've got a couple of races where you have people tie all of this together. scott brown is particularly who i'm thinking of. >> yeah. and there are a lot of factors. look back to 2006 which is remembered as the iraq war. it was a lot of things. it was dubai ports and scandals in congress and katrina. all of these little things sort of build up to a general kind of permeating anxiety and that's what is driving things other than one single issue. >> i think that's right. there's a general sense of anxiety and disgust. that's why you can say to your point about why governors are in

trouble, serve in trouble. people who are able to pull off staying in office are going to be the surprise. >> how did something like ebola in the last couple of weeks -- did you see it out there in the campaign trail? were people asking questions about it? >> they were. certainly much less so than on the east coast than the west coast. in the middle of the country, especially when you have a lot of people listening to conservative radio where there was a lot of discussion about how terrorists are going to sneak across the border and they are going to cough ebola on you. there was a version of this. this obviously did not fit with science and with what was being discussed among the medical community. there was this sort of low-grade fear that began bubbling up. it's abated somewhat because you haven't seen widespread outbreaks or seen it go all over the place but there was a flash there where it took hold and you started seeing numbers, if you talked to strategists on both sides and parties, these numbers in various states started going all over the place and that was

when. >> both campaigns, we were talking about the get out early to vote, they are able to target and track their universe of voters how these things are registering and people who may attribute more or less anxiety. these exit poll numbers present a real opportunity for whoever is running for president to get out there, to be authentic, to not be conventional and to really tap into the economic anxiety that the country is feeling. candidates, whether it's iowa or new hampshire, are going to be punished if they are cautious. this is going to start happening tomorrow. >> you just described one person who that's a real problem for, democratic. >> popped into my mind as well. but that's -- it's a real issue. >> when you've seen hillary clinton and former president bill clinton out on the campaign trail for a number of democratic candidates. >> yes. and she's been on the trail for

people and much more like the 2008 version of herself and she's been trying to form an aspirational forward-looking message. she's not a candidate yet and, b, she's not doing her own message and she's going to have to talk very clearly about the economy and it's going to be difficult. >> maggie was in massachusetts and she tried to bear hug maggie leaning too far into the economic populous anxiety has taken hold suggesting when she said corporations and businesses don't create jobs, that was about corporate tax breaks. but it's really in her comfort zone. >> the language of the populous left as it has gone from sort of 2008 to 2011 until now has changed dramatically. >> we'll be watching these exit

polls number closely. let's go back to wolf. >> all right. as part of our comprehensive coverage, we have exclusive access to the democratic party's war room. let's go to our correspondent dana bash. what are you seeing where you are? >> reporter: well, i'm behind the scenes inside what is effectively the democrats' nerve centers where they are tracking campaigns all across the country. i've covered politics for a long time but i think it's cool to be in here. we're behind the curtain. we're seeing people at their desks doing incredibly difficult and important work. they are collecting data across the united states. what they are trying to do is not just gather the results but effect the results. for example, i was just told -- i can't tell you -- i was told that i can't say which state because it's still active but there's a swing state, a very competitive senate race where

they got word that there was one particular area where democratic turnout was very low. they used the tools that they have, not just the e-mail list but the sort of obama e-mail list to shoot out all across this particular state to get their volunteers to get their motivators out and encourage votes in that area. i want to show you one other thing on the wall here. you see a big d there. here we go. that's sort of a projection there. what is going to happen there when the results start coming in, they will compare the actual results with the turnout models that they have created with what they need to win for any particular district or state. wolf? >> it looks like they are watching cnn there at the democratic war room, as they should be, dana.

>> reporter: they were. >> let's go back to john. more exit poll information coming in nationwide. >> nationwide. let's look at two big races. >> national numbers for now, and 53% say the government is doing too much. 41% says the government should do more. that's the view of the electorate. you trust the government in washington? 61% say only some of the time. 18% say never. 18% say most of the time. 3%, i'd like to meet them, say just about always. 61% saying only some of the time do they trust the united states government. this is where we see fear.

this conversation about quarantine, u.s. troops into west africa, how to handle the crisis of the mistake at the dallas hospital. do you support u.s. military action against isis forces? a big number here for the president. 58% approve his actions so far against isis. 35% disapprove on this election day as people cast their ballots. here's a big number. are you worried about a major terrorist attack in the united states? 72% say yes. 28% say no. the numbers is not so much about trust in the government but dysfunction in washington, people out there don't have a lot of faith, especially in this town. >> you'll spend a lot of time at the magic wall here. guess what viewers out there can do right now? they can do the same thing that you're about to do throughout the night. we've made it possible for you,

our viewers to try to get your own hand at our magic wall. go to cnnmagicwall.com. you can zoom in on your favorite state and see what is going on county-by-county results for every election going back to 2006. the address again, cnnmagicwall.com. find out what is going on at any state you want. just like john king can do. >> you go back in time, look at senate races in the last midterm cycle, look at the last presidential campaign if you want, zoom in to a county and you can learn a lot. >> i feel very john kingish. if it's a close race, people can go in. >> you'll get the results just as fast as we do. >> we'll be base see having fun as well tonight.

we're only minutes away from the first poll closing and the first results from one of the most closely watched races. in plus, political animals. it's a jungle out there on this election day. big day? ah, the usual. moved some new cars. hauled a bunch of steel. kept the supermarket shelves stocked. made sure everyone got their latest gadgets. what's up for the next shift? ah, nothing much. just keeping the lights on. (laugh) nice. doing the big things that move an economy. see you tomorrow, mac. see you tomorrow, sam. just another day at norfolk southern. fifteen percent or more fifon car insurance.d save you everybody knows that.

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welcome back. we're getting more exit poll results here at the cnn election center. john king is over watching what's going on. we're learning more about who actually showed up and voted today and what their inclinations were. >> we'll give you a pick at the national exit poll and their views on the big issues, at least the issues we thought

would be big issues. voter i.d., 37 democrats, 34% republicans and 29 independent. we'll see in different states whether these numbers hold upstate by state. but 37% democrats. this is interesting. only 23% of the voters describe themselves as liberals. the biggest chunk, 40%, describe them as moderates and 36% conservatives. so the candidate that wins the middle in most races wins the election. let's move on to what people think about the president. 54% disapproving of how the president is dealihandling the issues. 44% approve. the exit polls showing the electorate disapproving of the president but the president's numbers are a little better than they were a couple months ago

back. we thought that the obamacare would be the defining issue in the campaign. didn't work out that way, especially at the end. 47%, nearly half of the electorate thinks it went that far. 26% say it was not far enough. these are the folks who think it was not liberal enough. remember, that has been a big part of the opposition, even if the majority opposed, a lot of people think it didn't go far enough. 47% say it went too far. here's one more for you. most illegal immigrants working in the united states now should be 58%, nearly 6 in 10 americans should be offered legal status. 38% say deported. this will be an interesting number to watch, especially if the republicans build on their house majority and if the republicans take control of the senate. their leadership has had a hard time convincing their caucus to deal with this issue. 6 in 10 americans say illegal immigrants working in the united states should be offered legal status. we'll see if the polls have any impact on that contentious issue. the president will use his

executive action, we're told. >> john, thank you very much. i want to quickly check in with jim sciutto who is in kansas. tell our viewers what you're seeing over there. greg orman could be a pretty powerful guy if he goes on to defeat the long-time incumbent pat roberts. >> reporter: no question, wolf. this is really a remarkable race. here we are in kansas, the reddest of red states where you have senator pat roberts, 34-year capitol hill veteran running against greg orman, a bit of a novice. you had vice president joe biden seeming to say in a radio interview that he was confident that orman would caucus with democrats. orman has been very coy about that not saying which party he'd commit to. saying, greg has never spoken to the vice president in his life

and he's not going to washington to represent the democrats or the republicans. he's going to represent the people of kansas, to be fair. one thing driving that message, he says, is voter frustration, frankly, with both parties in washington and cnn's exit polls have been reflecting that. i managed to catch up with greg orman as he cast his ballot. here's what he said to me about driving his support. >> why do you think you can make a difference if you win today? >> well, certainly the voters of kansas are going to make the difference. the voters of kansas are going to send a really strong message to washington with this election that you can't hide behind your party label. >> well, if orman pulls it out tonight, the courting by both parties, offering a powerful committeeships, perhaps leadership positions, et cetera, et cetera. all of that coming down to the math, wolf, as you know, a real possible shakeup coming out of

kansas. >> we'll be watching it every step of the way. jim, thanks very much. let's check in with anderson for a little analysis. >> let's talk about that race with jay carney, s.e. cupp, alex cast ya castellanos. >> what was the vice president referring to? >> well, i think he was hopeful. if orman wins, he's available to caucus with the democratic party. as said on cnn earlier, it's just as likely if the republicans prevail that he would caucus with the republicans. i was in kansas this morning, actually. i was with the fine students and faculty at fort hood state university. and kansas is feeling fortunate because it has an extraordinarily unlikely senate race. >> right. >> and it has have a very close

gubernatorial race with an incumbent governor threatened by a democratic challenger. this doesn't happen very often in kansas which is a pretty red state. >> did vice president biden do damage to greg orman? his opponent was trying to mobilize voters. >> i don't think he did. you seldom see this. they are so disciplined on message. his response was spot-on to how to respond. they run sort of a campaign that you seldom see from independent candidates. the other part of this is, going back to the numbers that john king has been giving us about how frustrated they are with politics, it's a unique opportunity for a lot more independent candidates to get in there. of course, you know, they take a lot of money and pay guys like alex. but that's part of the problem. but i think given the frustration with washington, i look to see a lot more sort of viable independent candidates out there. >> you see we'll see that two years from now? >> i think you might.

the problem is with people like me, the democratic party and republican party, unless you're rich, unless you're bloomberg, it makes it hard to get in there and spend that money and generate that infrastructure. >> i doubt you'll see many more independents. the country's so polarized. you're either wearing a redskins' jersey or a dallas jersey. there is almost no in between. both parties are moving forward a bit. the democratic party is becoming, i think, moving to the left. it's losing moderates like tonight maybe like pryor in arkansas. it's going through what the republican party went through a few years ago. it's distilling into a very -- >> but look at the exit polls, the majority said that they were moderate. >> and both parties are going to the ends. both parties are now fairly much at the extreme. that really doesn't leave voters -- voters have really

stark choices. i think which party -- there isn't a new democratic left in the democratic party. even hillary clinton is preparing she's elizabeth warren. >> if both parties are moving to their ideological corners, we know most americans are, in fact, in the middle ground. what is happening in kansas among an independent is kind of important. >> someone like cory gardener in colorado will smile and one of these two parties will -- >> i think the lesson of this election for republicans is sort of the resurrection of the establishment candidate. with the exception of virginia, you saw establishment candidates in cochran and mitch mcconnell swat away tea party candidates and i think pat roberts is going to hold it out in kansas as well. so i think -- >> you think roberts will be? >> i do.

i do. it's going to be tight but i think he's going to pull it out. i think while the idealogue was important, i think what the gop is doing now is proving that they can govern again and that's why you're seeing high turnout among voters voting for moderate republicans. >> i think that's the problem. that's the goal and it would be a good goal and wise goal for the republican party. what is true still about the house of representatives is what alex said. it's less true about senate races and gubernatorial races but if you're a republican, your only fear, if you're an incumbent, comes from your right which encourages you to be more conservative and more beholden to the right wing, same if you're a democrat. you're looking to your left all the time because you're generally safe. this is the biggest problem in our politics, i think, and it cries out for -- >> and already you're hearing from -- >> in ohio, think about this, 52% of voters voted democratic

for the house of representatives. republicans one three seats for every one seat of the democrats because of gerrymandering, the way that the districts are drawn. >> you're hearing from conservative republicans already talking about hearings on the president, on obamacare ted cruz. he's very loud. my view, understands very clearly what he's doing and how it benefits him but maybe not for the party. the presidential race starts after this commercial break. that leadership is going to dwarf, it is, the noise coming out of the house. >> we'll see about that. a lot more to cover. wolf? >> i want to check in with cnm politics executive ed tore. explain how we're making these additions. when to project, when i can project a winner in kansas or louisiana or north carolina or any other state.

>> the most important things getting it right, not going too early. off to my left we have our exit poll desk right now, they're crunching the number. these are the number john king was talking about. talking about sentiment in the country. i'm surrounded by the decision desk. these professionals, math me who are crunching the number. they are looking the at the models to make sure they get it correct. let me tell you how we call the race. we can project the race just on the exit poll data. when it starts to come in, it dmoms in waves. we can use the data and start to match it up with the raw vote. throws people actually casting that at the polling places. or we can call it basically because we feel like that's the most important and the safest thing to do. or wolf, we might not call it at all. the races might be so close. there are so many races that are razor thin at this time.

we might not be able to call and it the last polls close at 1:00 a.m. in alaska. it will be a long night. >> it certainly will be. we're getting closer and closer to the first polls closing in kentucky. some parts of kentucky right at the top of the hour. we'll get those numbers. we won't report the exit polls numbers in a state until all the polls in that specific state are closed. >> correct. we do that because we don't want the vote to be, we want people to go out and continue to vote. we want to make sure the waves are coming in are strong enough. to talk about the sentiment of how people voted as well as who did they vote for. that's really important. when people are leaving the polls, we use this information. people are asked surveys. we pier that with telephone polls that took place before election day. that's when we start to release it. >> a lot of people voted in advance. early voting by mail or

whatever, as a result, we want to be precise when we finally release those exit poll numbers. stand by. we'll have a lot more coming up as we project winners and losers in the hours ahead. i want to take a look at the ads, the commercials during this mid-term election. you can say the election has gone to the dogs, and the chickens, and the alligators. >> it was a famous doctor, dr. doolittle, who once wondered what mate happen if you could -- >> walk with the animals, talk with the animals -- >> now we know the answer. if you can do those things, walk with the animals, talk with the animals, you can run for congress. >> because louisiana needs a senator that will stand up to the career politicians and the alligators. >> because judging by the ads, animal management is a big issue in this year's campaign. >> i'm joni ernest.

i grew up castrating hogs. >> alligators, hogs and dogs. >> i'm john. someone said if you want a friend in washington, get a dog. >> maybe this isn't such a bad idea. >> maybe not such a bad idea, senator mcconnell. with congressional approval at 13%, animals can only help. creatures have been around campaigns for a while. the donkey and the elephant, political symbols since the 1800s. in 2010 there was candidate carly's sheep and maybe the most famous, 1984. and ronald reagan's bear. >> there's a bear in the woods. >> those were largely symbolic. this year it isn't so much a metaphor over what a bear does in the woods. the animals have been central to the debate. >> 820,000 of our tax dollars were spent studying how monkeys respond to unfairness. >> in iowa, senate candidate

joni ernst ran hard on hogs. >> because washington is full of big spenders, let's make them squeal. >> you didn't hear a peep. >> and republicans count werd their own chickens. >> that's not very neighborly. it's not very iowa. >> the biggest advantage of most animals, they can't vote. the mammal that can vote seems pretty angry this year. maybe instead of focusing on them, it's easier to talk about wrestling an alligator, petting a dog and cutting off a hog's -- you know. even if congress can't get its act together to vote on whether to support war on syria, they could around sweet petting zoo. cnn new york. >> thank you. in just minutes, the first polls will begin closing. we'll be getting our first look at the elections. sheila! you see this ball control?

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>> cnn is saying we'll pick up 50 seats. >> today we have made history. >> it's clear tonight lou the winners really are. that's the american people. >> let come together. we know what the issues are. let's solve them. >> we will never let you down. god bless you and god bless our country. >> this is cnn. >> voters are casting ballots all across the country. we've we're getting the first mid-term results. right now it is america's choice.

>> it is really important. >> this is the last word on a campaign to shake up the u.s. capital and state capitals across the nation. >> texas. >> this is the last election to shape his final two years in office. >> they will tray to divide us and try to distract you. >> tonight republicans aim to take back the senate for the first time since the bush presidency. it will come down to about a dozen make or break races. >> there is nobody obama wants to beat worse than mitch mcconnell. >> the top republican could get a promotion or he could go home. if his toughest opponent wins. >> i don't know whether to call him senator no show, or senator shutdown. >> a night of razor close contests. >> i don't think scott brown really understands new hampshire. >> you satisfy, she is putting

new hampshire first. >> colorful personalities. >> i grew up castrating hogs on an iowa farm. >> bitter matches. >> this guy ran away from the state and he wants his job back? >> we want to may know florida scott-free. >> and some of the biggest names set to run for the presidency. sandy believe with all may heart that there mid-term election is a crucial one. >> the big thing about this election is it is a really clear choice. >> this is cnn's coverage of election night in america. the fate for congress. the battles for governor and the issues americans care about most. >> these races are going to be unbelievably tight. >> the people are choosing. the world is watching. and anything is possible until the last vote.

>> we want to welcome our viewers around the united states and around the world. i'm wolf blitzer in the cnn election center. we're here counting down to the first results coming in. the countdown is underway. the power to control the united states senate is up for grabs. three dozen senate seats are at stake but only 13 key races will determine if republicans take control of the senate or if democrats stay in charge. we'll focus in on those races all night long. we're standing by for the first raw votes to come in from kentucky where many polling places are now closed. here's what we're looking for in this high profile senate race. will a young democrat, allison grimes defeat the most powerful republican, mitch mcconnell hopes to hang on. majority leader if his party wins senate control.

this is magic number for republicans tonight. they need net gain of six seats to win a majority of 51 and regain control of the senate. we're counting down to the first major round of poll closings in georgia, indiana, kentucky, south carolina, vermont and virginia. and we're getting in new exit poll information right now. let's check in with john king at the magic wall. >> as we wait for more votes, let's give people a sense of the mad of the election and had a is voting. we'll to go some of the battleground states later tonight. across the country, what's the ideology of the electorate? the largest chunk describe. they as moderate. perhaps a slight advantage for republicans in that 36% say conservative. only 23% liberal. always in competitive elections, the fight for the middle. we'll go state by state through poll and the map. the most important shias by far, the economy was the winner.

health care came in second at 25%. jobs and the economy on the mind of most voters as they cast their ballots for the house and senate and the governor's races. this is a bad number for the president in the sense that referendum mid terms, 78% say they all worry about the economic conditions of the country today. this despite the effort by the president late in the campaign. hey, look at the improving unemployment numbers. look at the economic statistics. americans clearly worried about the economy. how is your family doing? your personal family situation? about half americans say they're doing about the same. 25% say worse. 28% better. you see the divide on the big question facing the electorate. the economy, one more question, how is the president handling his job? pretty consistent with the late national polls. 54% disaapproving of the president. the president is a big term election. he is not the only one on the ballot. people are deciding, keep a

republican house, maybe hand the senate to the republicans. what do you think of republican flaerds congress? the president's number aren't great. that's not great either. 60% say they're angry or dissatisfied. this time of area that should be a republican year, anger, dissatisfaction at the republican leadership. we'll see if that cuts into what should be a good night for them because of the favorable conditions. that anger doesn't help. >> thanks very much. we're just getting in the first really poll numbers coming in from the critically important state of kentucky. let me show you what we have. very, very early. mitch mcconnell with an impressive lead. 66% to 32% for alison lundergan grimes. it is going to be a much longer night before we can make any projections. all the states' poll will be closing at the top of the hour, 7:00. that's when we can share exit polls results. you can see the first poll number are just beginning to come in.

let's check in with joe johns. he is in lexington, kentucky. what are you satisfying, joe? >> reporter: hey, wolf, this is fayette county, kentucky, the clerk's office. it is in the heart of lexington. what you're looking at is a lane of people waiting for the first returns to start coming in. this is what will happen. as you can see here, this is a computer card. a disk. all of the information from all the more than 150 precincts around this area ends up on hear. and they bring to it this place in boxes. these ladies get it, put in it those boxes behind them and then aware off to the races. down hear to a computer room. some distance away. don blevins, the county clerk. we'll hopefully talk to him. around the sxoern to another office. fwrg lexington, in 2008, 2012, it went for president obama. the last time mitch mcconnell ran for the senate, he actually lost his county. this is the computer where the

disk goes in. these folks are sitting at the desk. they plug in from all the different places and then take it to another room across the way. what they do is upload that to the state main frame. with me now is don blevins, the county clerk. have you seen any results yet? >> not yet. we're waiting. we'll give you some numbers. >> how many people voted absentee? >> about 2,200 office and another 1,300 mailing in. >> hopefully we'll see the absentees and then more than that. >> good enough. so we're waiting for news hear, wolf. and hopefully in the next few minutes we'll have some of the very first results in the country coming out of lexington. >> as soon as we get those results, we'll check back with you. i want to check with anderson. >> obviously we're watching this

race very closely in kentucky. i want to go to brianna keeler. let's start with you. how is the mad there? >> hi there. i'll tell you, they were very comfortable and confident with the lead. the polls show they are enjoying several points. mitch mcconnell is in the building hear at this marriott in eastern louisville. he has done earlier out of the view of cameras a walk-through of this barn where he is expected to give a victory speech. he has a concession speech written but it has been shelved. he is expecting to give that victory speech. his opponent, alison lundergan grimes is promising an upset. she stles will be a sprays. she is saying voter turnout is hey but the question is would it be high enough to make a difference? it would be quite a surprise to

many around mitch mcconnell. i heard them talking about a celebratory run on bourbon. >> have you heard from the candidate today? >> well, we have. as a matter of fact, we spoke to the campaign manager just a short time ago and he reemphasizes, expect a possible surprise. keep in mind this race has been a statistical dead heat for much of it. the they've-year-old lawyer, the kentucky secretary of state has given the incumbent a run for his money. the campaign manager says one of the strengths they're booking is their grassroots campaign. 50 field offices. 6,000 workers out today, knocking on doors. some of them still out there. the poll close at 7:00 in half the state. they had they're not slowing down. even though they've been outspent 3-1, they believe if alison grimes loses, it is not because of her quality as a candidate but because they've been outspent. aware told she is on her way

hear. they're expecting to have a big outdoor event. a lot of people making their way here. >> i want to toss it back to john king and wolf. >> it is obviously only 1% of the vote is in but we're beginning to see a little of what's going on. >> what you see so far tell me from knowing the state, it is filling in the way we expect. you see in the red counties, you see the total vote count. we're talking about a little over 5,000 people. mitch mcconnell running ahead so far but hold the phone. the people live where joe johns was in jefferson county, here in fayette county, these are the two big places for alison grimes. she has to run it up where you have large population centers. also the african-american base of the party. mitch mcconnell likes to say the smaller i do, the better i do. you go to floyd county, not even 1% of the population. that's a pretty close race right

now. so in these small towns, he needs run it off. there will be some places where alison grimes does okay but it is only 100 votes, right? this is what he needs. as you get to the sxhuns the thousand. mitch mcconnell always has close races. 53% in 2008. let's just take math. look where he has to be red. he has to be red all down in hear. and it has to be that way. it has to be this way in rural kentucky. he has to run up huge numbers. the democrat will get big numbers hear. we just talked about jefferson county. bruce lunsford at 56%. not just the percentage, she has to turn out the vote where you get to that county. down near fayette county. she has to run up the math and mitch mcconnell has to not only

win them all but by good margins. we've got a long way to go. these places are filling in. these over here, eastern kentucky, the coal county hear, the unions are for alison grimes. the mcconnell campaign has said alison grimes would come to washington and help obama hurt the coal industry. watch these small counties here in the east. 73 mitch mcconnell can run it up. the kae for alison grimes. a long way to count, just starting. there's your first blue county starting to come in in the frank lynn county. just attainy percentage of the vote. >> the number are just coming in from those polls that are closed. all the polls will be closed at the top of the hour. we'll have a better sense of what's going. on we'll have some exit poll information. we'll be able to share with our viewers. let's go back to you. >> let's talk more with our

panel. why has the race been close? if this is a republican area in a republican state. >> well, it's anti-washington versus anti-obama. mitch mcconnell has been a fixture in washington for three decades. people hate washington. and it is the same in kentucky as it is everywhere else in the country. the question is, between, you know, grimes, he has attached her to obama at the hip so it is the lesser of two evils for these voters. and he could survive it because he is going around the state saying, look, i'm going to have a lot of authority, a lot of power, particularly if we take over the senate. i can do things for this state. he did have very hey negative ratings in the site. >> do we know which is a more powerful sentiment? anti-obama or anti-incumbent? >> that's the question of the evening. >> the anti-incumbent sentiment

is real. the anti-obama thing is very really but there's also an anti-incumbent sentiment. you have to keep in mind how good mitch mcconnell is at winning elections even though he is not particularly popular in his state. not particularly liked in his state. he is usually such a negative attacker as a candidate. i believe it is something like four out of his last five opponents never ran for office again. they were so damaged. now, he had a different challenge with this because alison grimes is a likable young woman but he has been effective tiger will to obama. >> she wouldn't even say if she voted for obama. remember that? >> ken sken an unusual state. and it's not unique but it does have a strong tradition. there is a democratic governor there, for example, who really was very aggressive about

putting obamacare into place hx more success than almost any other governor in the country. it has pushed education reform in both left and rate. it pushed education reform in various ways. there are additional elements. one has to be in kentucky. a little like north carolina. you can find both traditions in the state. >> i think you see from looking at these exit polls that people in this state, just like all over the country, are unhappy with washington. they're unhappy with the president. and i think mitch mcconnell made, just tied her directly to president obama and did that very well. and then she had some unforced errors. >> if he wins, is this a message to work with president obama? to compromise? or is it a message to the obstructionist? >> i don't think we know yet. >> two or three big questions hang they have to election. one of them is, how do both parties frame it after it is over? what are their commitments?

what do they decide? a lot depends on how they come out. >> you're being optimist if i can it will come out tonight, by the way. >> that's probably rate. >> but we heard joe biden yesterday in his pre but theal saying we want to compromise. >> kentucky is coming up soon as we countdown to the top of the next hour. looking ahead to possible road blocks in kansas. a veteran senator is threatened. we'll tell you why his opponent could be a decider in the battle for senate control. ♪

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. people are getting ready to vote, industrial voting over there. a critically important race. new hampshire, one of 13 states with key senate battles underway. they will be crucial in deciding. let's look at the three key races. early races that could create major road blocks. the senate match-ups in georgia, louisiana and kansas. they are competitive. >> we have correspondents across the entire country. the key races, kyra phillips is in georgia. david purdue, what are you hearing about the possibility of run-off? >> if you talk to the communications director for david perdue, she says no way. she believes they can take it 50

plus one. this race, there is a slim lead in the final stretch. and according to david perdue's communications director, he has been working the phones today. making personal call to voters to get out and vote. he's been thanking people personally for already voting. within the past two weeks, within ten days, he's hit 65 cities in georgia. now as you know, michelle nunn has been very competitive, hammering him on outsourcing and that's where we really saw a change-up in this race. republicans thought they could win this easily and now it is in play. we're talking of course about the control of the senate here. governor, former governor mike huckabee from arkansas said if he doesn't get this senate seat, not just that for georgia but america. and with the unemployment rate at 8%, jobs servingful it is changing the face of this race. >> thanks very much. the other state where run-off is very possible, very likely is

louisiana. ed lavendera is covering that. what are you hearing? >> hi, anderson. everyone here at the cassidy campaign in baton rouge, louisiana, basing for a possible runoff that will be needed a month from now. in early december. let me explain to you why. there is a third candidate, a republican candidate, a man by the name of rob mannis. he has garnered the support of the tea party and sarah palin and has taken away some of the votes from bill cassidy. according to the latest cnn poll, mary landrieu who is in a very close fight obviously, no one here doesn't think they'll break that 50% mark here tonight. so that is what people will be watching very closely. you have to get 50% plus one vote to avoid the run-off. at this point, all polling and a lot of the conversation i've had with several republican folks think this will be headed to a run-off in about a month.

>> most likely. thank you for that. we'll to go kansas. a fascinating race in kansas. i talk to greg orman. you had vice president biden saying he would caucus with democrats if he is in fact elected to the senate. orman's campaign, a very quick response to that. >> you're right. quick to respond, quick, anderson, to dismiss it saying in a statement to cnn, greg has never spoken to the vice president before. and then returning to a consistent message from the orman campaign saying that he is not going to washington to represent democrats or republicans. but the people of kansas. and that message, frankly, has had some resonance with voter in kansas, like many americans, showing 6 in 10 americans dissatisfied. on the other side, senator pat roberts, being fed by the other

number, 6 in 10 americans dissatisfied or raining with president obama and senator pat roberts' argument that greg orman is a closet democrat. those comments from vice president biden not helping. being in kansas, this is normally a redder than red state. you have a remarkable race here. an independent taking this 34-year capitol hill veteran roberts to the wire here. in a sense from voters that they know that their voice is being heard tonight. they're making a difference and that turnout, both sides hoping the turnout will help push them over the wire. >> we'll be watching throughout this very long night. let's go back to wolf. looking at the scenario that's could play out. >> i want to go to tom foreman. he is in a virtual senate studio taking a close look. this could be while indeed, what we're about to see. >> because of the wild cards. we just mentioned louisiana. that could push us into a run-off which would make it

impossible to know who is really in charge. same thing with georgia. add in kansas, the sunflower state. you do have the incumbent, pat roberts, in the fight for his life. and orman has not been willing to say whether he would caucus with, vote with the republicans over hear or jump across the aisle and vote with the democrats over there. another independent to keep in mind. angus king from maine. he is not even up for election and he has swroetd the democrats in the past but he has suggest that had if this dust settles for all this, and he feel it is better for maine, co-jump to the republican side. all of which could make it very hard when the voting done to know which party is in charge of the chamber. >> amazing. this can also come down to a 50/50 tie. explain to our viewers what that would mean. >> in one sentence, it means the democrats win. republicans have to have 51 to

control this chamber. democrats only need 50 because of that man. joe biden. remember, by law, if you have an evenly divide senate, the vice president can cast the deciding vote. co-help push legislation the white house wants. he could help push issues the democrats care about and he could put himself in a very powerful position heading into the 2016 presidential race. >> as you know, the republicans almost certainly going to be holing on to the house. maybe even gaining some seats. why could they call that such a very, very sure or safe bet? >> let's travel across the rotunda to the u.s. house of representatives and look at the math. that's what favors the republicans so heavily. they have 234 seats in red. the democrat, only 201. that's a steep climb to gain that back and get advantage. we've also looked at the details. if you look at the past voting

trends and the demographics, all of that suggests, it is not impossible for the democrats to re3 chamber. it is really mathematically improbable. will. >> all right, tom. we'll be staying in close touch with you throughout the night. i want to look at some raw votes. right now, once again, very, very early. only 1% of the vote is in. mitch mcconnell, the minority here has 60%. 38%. alison lundergan grimes, it is very, very early. you're taking a close look at this kentucky race because it is so important. >> only one% of the vote in. it is the beginning of the raw votes. 60% to 38%. so an early lead for mitch mcconnell. guess what. we knew that was going to happen. you get the smaller rural counties. they're reporting quickly. he is going to be ahead. no surprise. it is interesting to go back to the last race. remember the red here.

in his last race the democratic candidate did do well. this is a big competition. so let's see what happens. even in these counties, a small smattering of the votes. fwhoi means it is red. if you're at mcconnell headquarters and you're looking very, very early results, you will see it fill in. no one at the grime headquarters will get overly concerned just yet until we get the results here. the largest county hear, it slatly critical. she has not said whether she voted for president obama last time. african-american politicians get it them say it is a strategy. but i was there. some rank and file, average joe saying they didn't lake that. another big place to look is down here in fayette county. about 7% of the population. again, a huge democratic center. >> hole on. joe johns is getting more votes

coming in. what are you seeing over there? >> they have just gotten -- >> hold on. we're having trouble connecting with him. he will be getting more votes even before we get the official votes. he will be getting those votes from lexington. but this is, we can't overemphasize how important kentucky is. >> and these two cities, i want to show you. mitch mcconnell normally has close races. he won 53% statewide. last time he did fairly well. i was there three or four days ago. what the democrats were saying, they would do better than this. they promised they would do better. >> it we've reconnected with joe. tell us the number you're getting couple of hear me okay? >> okay.

>> tell us about the absentee results in fayette county. >> i know most of the nation is interested in our senate race. so alison lundergan grimes leads the race with 815 votes the mitch mcconnell's 1622. >> when you get absentee ballots in dourg see more republicans? more democrats or does it just depend? >> historically we tend to see more republicans turn out for absentee votes. this election it seems to be more democrats. >> we'll be looking for first results as they walk in the door. >> i don't know what that means but she has a slight little lead there with the absentee ballots coming in. >> let me come back innism need to move. this i want to tell you. if fayette county when i was there, this is right here. we don't have any official votes according to the system. that's the value of this.

a slight read there. about 200 swroets the absentee ballots. when i was here, local democrats said at the end of the night, athletics her margin has to be above 17,000 votes in this county. they said if she is under 17,000 just in this county, they don't think they can win statewide. that's how hard they've worked this. the obama campaign, the team in the campaign, the data team, they're working this. they do this micro targeting. they identify the voters. and they know how many they need to turn out statewide. so watch this. if alison grime is with above 17,000, they think she has a shot to win. if she is below it, they think she does not. as the map fill in, nothing to write home about. if you're watching at home. this is mcconnell, he says the smaller the town, the better i. do this is what he needs to do. this is tiny percent. until we get the cities, aware

just counting early. if you're at head quarks you're thinking so far so good but you're not cracking open the bourbon yet. >> she didn't want the president to come into kentucky she said didn't even say if she voted for the president of the united states. that obama factor is something we'll look at throughout the night. >> anderson, what's going on oh there? >> i like as soon as you say bourbon, you toss it to me. i wouldn't mind a little bourbon. i want to talk about whether or not this selection a referendum for president obama. you said that you think grimes actually started too early. >> see an outsider in a year when every one hates washington. mitch mcconnell is the leader of washington and the place everyone hates. you would have thought a fresh face would blow him off the board. >> although it is a republican state. >> it is. but still. what happened? she got out there so early in this campaign. the campaign has been so long and nasty, that the outsider

lost her freshness. the old saying you is roll around in the mud with the pig, you get mud on yourself and the pig likes it. you always have something with an animal. >> they fwhenl and flushed her out early. >> i want to go to joe johns. what are you hearing? we'll come back to joe. >> the first question you asked, is this a referendum on obama? and yes and no, the republicans want it to be. national media wants it to be. if it is really just the referendum on obama, why are we in a fist fight in kansas? in georgia? why haven't they swept north

carolina? it is a double referendum. you talk to people on the ground. we saw what happens when the tea party takes over in kansas and we don't like it. we saw in it north carolina. they went after voting rights. they went after women's rights. >> so when you say -- >> a reference tim on tea party governance. you get on the ground. people are talking about what these republican governors and legislator did to them. that's why you have to fight. you have a fight because they did not like what they saw when the tea party took over and nobody is talking about that. >> do you agree that. >> in there are some states. overall you're not getting all these states simultaneously moving in this direction just by accident. in any off year election, the president is inevitably a pollarizing force. and the country has to make a choice. >> and you know president obama gave an interview on the radio

blaming the math saying this is probably the worst possible group of states since dwight eisenhower. >> of those senate races that are up, the president lost 79% of them in 2012. and that means something. these are deeply red states. this not democratic territory. as naught said, sitting presidents tend to lose on the third year of their presidency. that combined the senate math we're dealing with make it very dill. i think it is interesting that we're talking about competitive races. there's a reason for that. >> we could make our first projections very soon. the poll close in kentucky. we've been following it very closely. a rising political star help democrats beat the odds and bring down the top gop leader? stay here.

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see car insurance in a whole new light. liberty mutual insurance. it's election night in america. we got more votes coming from from the important state of kentucky. 2% of the vote is in. mitch mcconnell maintaining his advantage over alison grimes. it's now changed a little bit. 2% of the vote is a small number of votes in. but it is still an impressive majority there. 58%. versus 40%. john king is taking a closer look at kentucky. we're beginning, even though it is only 2%, aware beginning to get a little indication from

some key areas. >> if you're if first state to chloe your poll, you're the first to get on our magic wall. let's look at the mood of the kentucky electorate. this has been a nasty race. kentucky has a favorable opinion, 52% have an unfavorable opinion. 45% have aifr football view of the mcconnell. somebody who they view unfavorably will win an election tonight. we don't know how this breaks down but this has been a huge fight. mitch mcconnell would be a huge leader. alison grimes has been saying no, send a democrat to washington. 88%, nearly nine of ten of the voters said control of the senate was important to their vote. once all the polls close, we can show you how they break down. that's a fascinating number.

let look at the math. we are very early on hear and i'll bet you whatever you want to bet, mitch mcconnell won't win if he wins by 20 points. 2% of the votes coming in so far. if you're the mcconnell campaign, this is not definite, this is not final. this is just 1 per or 2%. she needs to do some damage down here in coal country in eastern kentucky. this has been a major fight. they're small counties. mitch mcconnell will win out hear. we'll show you his 2008 race. mitch mcconnell will run it up here. aware beginning to see some of these votes. she preble needs to do better than that. joe johns just brought us these. these are the absentee votes. 52-47. she needs to stretch pout.

the next key place is louisville. she needs to be 55% or above there. us in math. not just the percentages. the president was the defining issue in this race. i want to show you why mitch mcconnell campaigned so aggressively. this is the 2012 race. one, two, three, four. 122 counties in the state of kentucky. 1 it was. the president of the united states in his re-election campaign carried four. so mitch mcconnell was in a close vase why democrats saying he is unpopular too. the major issue it was disaapproval of the president but mcconnell had a very strong head wind of dissatisfaction with the republican leaders of which he is one of them. >> in 2012 the president was reelected. in kentucky, not so much. it didn't long like a close race there. explains why she, alison grimes,

ran away in this election. once again, you can keep tabs on the control of the u.s. senate in a very, very cool way and only hear on cnn. it's back. we're talking about the empair state building. this year in honor of election day, the top of the building will resemble an american flag. take a close look at the top. it will be following cnn' official senate count. as we make predictions, bla for the democrats, red for the republicans. check this out. if the democrats maintain their majority, the building will flash in blue. if the buildings take control, it will flash bright red. new yorkers will be able to look up and see the results throughout the night. the rest of the nation can see it only here on cnn. >> that's not one of those virtual real thing? >> that's the real thing. >> i want to know how we arranged that.

a lot to talk about. why tonight matters. we'll talk about that. before we get to that, you tack issue with something president obama said today. essentially blaming the map for the challenges. >> i was surprising may friends, it is, is it a bad area for that? yes. every president goes through it. i think it would be really wrong and very, very discouraging if the message president obama takes out of this tonight, it has nothing to do with his governance work his performance. it is just bad geography. >> what message do you think he should take? >> i think he needs to take what realistic presidents do, i have some problems here. i need to satisfy if i can get a new dynamic. they control the senate. let's test them to immigration, tax reform, let's test them on tax reform. they tested things out with bill

clinton and got things about done. he has to look at his team. >> we're hearing a lot of stories. >> 2 points. you can make park i'm about some of the states. certainly alaska is not a friendly satellite democrats. some of the other states, montana, west virginia, south dakota, not friendly to democrats. generally speaking. look at a state like iowa. or a state like new hampshire or colorado. >> these are states that president obama won twice. and they are competitive races. a lot of these states went democratic when president obama was very pop lafrl you can't have it both ways. it is the same matted in 200 aext mark prayer in, a didn't even have an opponent. president obama was a big help at the top of the ticket but mark pryor was very successful in his own rate.

>> and we heard earlier, it is essentially the map. you can't read too much into it. but at the same time he said these mid terms are so important. you can't have it both ways. >> you can't just blame the map. >> what would change in washington? >> we don't know yet. if the republicans controlled the entire congress, it is a whole new world order. >> what does it actually may not? >> we have to see by how much they control the senate and what they decide to do. what the president decides. what message they take away. as david was saying, i was talking to a senior administration natural said, we are not going to sane their bad bills. done. fine. so you'll save some vetoing of thing. >> ted cruz' president is investigate the president. >> they're looking toward 2016 and if they can't get some stuff done, they have to go to the

voters and say, we were controlling the congress and by the way we got nothing back. >> i think one of the things about, what is not in this campaign. this is not a republican party run that looks like it is owned by the teen. they found candidates that transformed the tea party. >> look at a place like colorado where republicans got the endorsement of the post. because they thought co-work across the aisle. look at that republican in massachusetts. take it away from the democrats. he has run as somebody who is, i'm hear to get things done. not just to push an ideological position. >> a lot of republicans are convinced this is something of a sugar high. they'll have a good night tonight. pick up a lot of seats. it was a good map, good candidates. in 20 dean is demographics will be a lot tougher and they won't be reelected.

>> one of the few chances for democrats to make gains in the senate. the poll gloes georgia at the top of the hour. will the daughter of a u.s. senator follow in her father's fat steps?

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the man is now saying that we will pick up a net of 50 seats in the house. >> today we have made history. >> it is clear tonight who the winners really are, and that is the american people. >> let's come together. we know what the issues are, let as solve them. >> we will never let you down. god bless you. and god bless our country. >> this is cnn.

we're about to learn the first winners and losers of this important mid-term election. >> we're heading into the kickoff round of poll closing so buckle up. >> just moments from now, the first chance for democrats to make gains in the senate on a night when they are in danger of losing their majority. >> mitch mcconnell, he is out of touch and out of ideas, he will be out of time nir. >> in kentucky, a fight. >> she's the new face for the status quo. >> and in georgia, a daughter of an icon is looking to take over the seat. >> we are sick and tired of being sick and tired. >> this is cnn's coverage of election night in america, the fight for congress and the battles for governor and the issues americans care about most. >> republicans in congress love to say no. >> nothing i would like better than for him to have a bad night

on november 4th, what do you think about that. >> the polls are closing and anything is possible until the last vote. live from washington, it is election night in america. welcome our viewers in the united states and around the worl. i'm wolf blitzer in the cnn election center. we are counting down to the battle of control of the u.s. senate. all night long we're watching key races in 13 states and those states will decide whether the republicans take back the senate or the power stays with the democrats. polling places are about to close in kentucky and georgia. two states where republicans are on the defensive. here is what we are looking for right now. in kentucky, will democrat alice son lundergan grimes bring down mitch mcchonl. and he opens to survive and be

promoted to senate leader. in georgia, michelle nunn would be an early setback for republicans unless david purdue keeps the seat in gop hands. they need a net of six seats. it will be tough if they lose in georgia or kentucky. we'll get results very, very soon, when the polls close in georgia, indiana, kentucky, south carolina, vermont and virginia. as we count down to the top of the hour, let's bring in anderson cooper. >> we have more journalists in the fields than anyone else following all of the key races throughout the night. they are covering the candidates and taking us behind the scenes as the votes are tallied. as we said, polls close in kentucky in a few minutes. we have someone at mitch mcconnell's headquarters. are they very optimistic tonight? >> they are very optimistic.

i am told by an aide who has been up in the suite with mitch mcconnell, we are told he just wrapped a staff with the kentucky staff and d.c. staff here in louisville with him. he is watching the returns come in -- or he's watching from the suite with his wife and with his top advisors and kentucky is split between two time zones and some of the polls have already closed. right now mcconnell is watching the eastern counties. the bluer counties, hoping if he doesn't do poorly that is a sign of a good night for him. >> thank you very much. and polls set to close in georgia. we are counting down the results in the georgia senate race. we are at the headquarters of democrat michelle nunn. martin? >> it is an exciting night for them. because michelle nunn, she took a break in the afternoon from the campaigning and decided to go home. she lives very nearby. she's with her children and with her husband. she's having a bite to eat we're

told. spoke to her earlier. she's extremely confident that she'll do well and that they will win out right. in georgia, it is one of the states they need 50% plus one vote in order to actually win. they are feeling confident they will get that tonight. it should also be pointed out that there was a last-minute push on the radio and you saw some significant political figures, andrew young among them and john lewis the congressman and significant political figures and big in the african-american community where she hopes to draw a lot of the votes that she'll get tonight that she hopes to put her over the top, anderson. >> and a possibility of a runoff there. we'll follow that closely. martin savage, thank you very much. and i want to turn things over to jake tapper here in the election center. >> our ballot cam reporters are in position to give viewer up to the minute election results before anyone else and looking out for problems with the vote count. let's go to kentucky and georgia. first to joe johns in lexington,

kentucky. joe, what can you tell us? >> reporter: well, looking at what we've got right here, you can see a large crowd of people coming -- a large crowd of people coming into the lexington, kentucky precincts. they have the votes in these boxes. the most important thing here is this -- it is just a computer card. but we're told right now by the county folks, is that about 35 precincts have been counted so far and so far allison grimes is ahead, 58% to 40%. but this is allison grimes' home town and there are a lot of those that haven't been counted. back to you. >> and let's go to nick. >> reporter: this is the first step in the battol counting process. the poll workers were here getting ready for the process to happen. all 156 presyncs around gwinnett

county will show up here and they'll start to get tabulated. we'll see them show up here around 8:00 p.m. and this is the georgia board election results and virtually in realtime we'll see the results show up and with the close senate race between michelle nunn and david purdue expected to be down to the wire, we are looking at a an exciting night here in georgia. >> thank you very much. and as we get the results, we're getting an early read from voters of what is exactly on your minds. let's go to john king at the magic wall. >> let's look at the mood in kentucky and georgia as we wait for the polls to close. in kentucky, 63% of the voiters disapprove of how the president is handling his job. you would think that is a big benefit for mitch mcconnell. he said his opponent is close tolt president. but 54% are dissatisfied with

those in congress and their republican senate is one. so the public is divided and so is mitch mcconnell's leadership. and the kentucky electorate is a bit older than in 2008. and that tends to favor republicans and it is a bit wider and favors republicans as well. a slightly smaller nonwhite population than when mcconnell ran in 2008. in the state of georgia, are you satisfying, do you think the government is doing too little or too much, 55% think the government is doing too much, and 55% disapprove of how the president is handling his job. and when we look at the map, the votes in kentucky are the only votes we have so far as we pull that up and take a look, up to 5% in the state of kentucky, mitch mcconnell with the early lead. the thing the mcconnell campaign will be happy about is this area down here. this is normally democratic and you'll see a lot of blue. he lost a lot of the counties six years ago. it is early but if those hold

up, wolf, mitch mcconnell will be having a solid night in the state of kentucky. >> and we'll getting ready for the first polls to close in georgia and kentucky. stand by. and we have a major projection right now, cnn projects mitch mcconnell the republican leader in the united states senate will be re-elected, defeating allison lundergan grimes. we make this on the votes coming in, you see 55% to 42%. and also on exit poll results, this is a surprise. we were expecting that mitch mcconnell would win. we are not expecting we would be able to make the projections until all of the polls in kentucky are closed. let's go to brianna keeler in kentucky where i assume the folks are about to hear, if they haven't yet, what is going