parade for mad bum as soon as his schedule slows down. >> they call it bum town out there in north carolina. >> i like it. >> brian williams is next. see you at 6:00. decision twent 14. this is "nbc nightly news" with brian williams. >> good evening, from here in the east, our election headquarters in new york. all indications we are in for a long night. some very tight races that may go well beyond poll-closing time. some already have. we may not know the results tonight. in fact, the possibility exists that when all the votes are in, we could be watching a significant power shift in washington and elsewhere. let's go to some results right now at this hour. this is a big one. arkansas senate, this is a gop

flip. a pickup for them. tom cotton will replace senator pryor in the u.s. senate. illinois senate, as expected, dick durbin, a major official for the democrats in the senate going back. ditto, main senate, susan collins, the republican. ditto massachusetts senate, ed mackie, as he's known locally. mississippi senate, the veteran cochran. new jersey senate, a rookie corey booker going back to the u.s. senate. tennessee, lamar alexander, a veteran there. this was an early call tonight, mitch mcconnell is the leader of the republicans in the u.s. senate, the projected winner, a contested race in kentucky. virginia, too close to call and that's notable. mark warner, the democrat, trying to go back to the u.s. senate. this is republicans up two. this donut graphic we'll be referring to all night, showing

the balance of power. again, the gop needs to flip six. they're up two. but it's early yet. and earlier tonight, we projected republicans will retain control of the house of representatives. right away to the board we go, to chuck todd. what are you looking at at this hour? >> it's still the east coast senate races. obviously the question is going to be, how important are the iowas and the colorados going to be to the republicans march to find their sixth seat. the early warnings have been new hampshire, north carolina, and a surprise in virginia. let me show you here, north carolina, this one is an incredibly close race, as you can see at this point. hagan is maintaining a lead here. all of our models indicate she's slightly up, but it's still a too close to call race. up in new hampshire, another democratic incumbent, jeanne shaheen, one of those republicans were picking this up, makes it a lot easier to find their road to six seats.

but as you can see here, we have her ahead, just 16% in, but our models also seem to indicate that shaheen has a good lead. but we'll see how big it is later down the road. but the big surprise to me that tells you a little bit about this environment, it really was a republican environment, is what's going on in virginia. most of the vote that's come in is from republican territory. ed gillespie wins here. one of the reminders in 2012, if you remember, took a long time for barack obama to get the lead when he carried the state of virginia. the late reporting counties are in the washington, d.c. suburbs. so our models indicate that warner is likely to be able to hold a small lead when all the votes are counted. but this tells you something about the nature of the national election. >> always a debate between whether people are voting in their local elections or sending

a signal nationally. >> i think they are sending a signal nationally. all the incumbents are struggle upon. virginia was about a low democratic turn-out. when you look at the washington suburbs in general, that may tell you something. ed gillespie ran out of money. the national party did not pour money into new hampshire. they were debating which one to go. i have to say, i bet you there are folks at the national republican headquarters saying, maybe we should have gillespie over brown at the end of the day. because new hampshire, it looks like brown, a carpet bagger, trying to do something senators don't do. struggling there to get over the top. >> chuck todd remaining at the board as he will all night. chuck, thanks so much. kelly o'donnell is covering it all from a central location, kansas, which happens to be home to one of the more closely watched races of the night. good evening. >> good evening, brian. the fact that we're coming to

you from kansas says so much. because it's a reliably republican state and yet it's in play tonight. what do voters want? we've been talking to people and the set-up feeling is all across the country. >> reporter: finally today, voters get their say. from iowa -- >> there's too much gridlock. i do want compromise. >> reporter: to lines at neighborhood polling stations in georgia. >> i feel good, my voice is being counted, is being heard. >> reporter: to kansas, and wearing those "i voted" stickers. >> what message do you want to send? >> let's get together, guys, and work things out. >> reporter: the stakes are enormous. 11 incumbents are in trouble. nationally there's a bruising fight to control the senate. republicans need to gain six seats overall. three look easy. republicans need to win another three out of seven states where democrats are in office.

in hot battlegrounds, frustrations directed at president obama and his policies, have been used like a hammer on democrats. including new hampshire incumbent jeanne shaheen up against scott brown. >> it's a spirited battle and i'm looking forward to seeing the results. >> reporter: what's been spent? staggering. $429 million to general election ads. for the republican party tonight, there are trouble signs too. here in conservative kansas, pat roberts has become the country's most vulnerable republican senator. accused of losing touch with his home state by businessman greg orman, running as an independent on a wave of voters' anger. >> this campaign is really a tremendous opportunity, i think, for the voters of kansas, to send a message to politicians of both sides in washington, that you've got to end the gridlock.

>> reporter: and part of what has made orman an interesting figure, he hasn't said which party he would work with if he goes to washington. it's not quite time for speeches at his headquarters. his supporters are here in rooms adjacent to us. there is a party going on, despite there aren't too many people behind us just yet. >> you've got a heck of a race to cover there, kelly. and as you point out, the night is young. thanks. beyond the candidates, we have a lot of different things to cover tonight, but we also have some governors' races to get to. arkansas governor, this is a pickup for the gop. asa hutchinson. more on this in just a moment. in florida, a barn-burner. we'll be watching this until late tonight or early tomorrow or both. charlie crist, former governor against rick scott, the incumbent. this is a gain for the democrats. the governor elect of pennsylvania will be tom wolf. no relation.

maine governor, too close to call. the incumbent is paul lepage. connecticut, more of a fight than democrats would have predicted a few months back. dan malloy, former mayor of stanford, connecticut, in a close one with tom foley. and new hampshire governor, just into us this moment. maggie hasen will be going back. we have some interesting results in the state of keark tonight where senator pryor has been defeated. a pickup for the republicans. asa hutchinson, the republican, will be the new governor-elect. you see the results another way. >> through the filter of bill clinton. bill clinton campaigned and it was personal. senator pryor's father, the long-time senator was a former governor who got bill clinton into politics in arkansas. this was so personal with him. besides the fact that the new governor, hutchinson, was the leader of the impeachment fight

against bill clinton with george w. bush's fema director. so it got really personal there. and also the opponent that he defeated is bill clinton's former driver. so it's all local when it gets to arkansas. hillary clinton never campaigned there. >> the clintons and the pryors, they were holding off the southern wall. every other southern state has been going republican. and somehow arkansas sort of held out for almost as long as possible. this is just demographics. >> it's demographics, but it's really tough, because it is so personal for bill clinton. and she whe was down there a lo. >> we'll remain all night long at this table, because we have a lot to talk about. tamron hall has been looking at the exit polls we've all come to know, but we said at the top of the evening, voters were in a sour mood and tamron, it looks like your numbers are backing that up. >> absolutely, brian. good evening. we're learning so much from the exit polls. we've been asking this key

question for some time now. you're familiar with it. do you think the country is headed in the right direction? or is it headed down the wrong track? now in 2010, 61% said we were headed in the wrong direction. fast forward to 2014, today that number has picked up to 65%. now with that backdrop on your mind, take a look at the next question we asked. we asked voters how life will be for the next generation of americans. in 2000, 48% said things would be better for the next generation. take a look at this number of 2014, 22% now have that same view. and today we also ask voters about a number of key social issues, including the legalization of marijuana. 49% say they support the legalization of marijuana. breaking that number down, it paints an interesting picture. a divided picture.

61% of democrats support legalization. a similar number of republicans, 66%, brian, oppose such a move. so as promised, we are learning so much from these exit polls about the feelings of voters this election cycle. >> and just imagine the change between our parents' generation and this one. forget marijuana, but the future of the country and the optimism and pessimism, it's unbelievable. we'll be tracking the numbers all evening long as the results roll in. we're back on the air for a full hour at 10:00 p.m. you can of course get results any time when we're not around on nbc news.com. there's other news on this election day tuesday. we've learned a lot more tonight about the wild moments just before and after the explosion of that virgin galactic aircraft now four days ago now, over the mojave in california.

while the co-pilot was killed, the pilot was able to survive. we turn once again for this story tonight in nbc's jacob raskon in the mojave desert tonight, jacob, good evening. >> reporter: brian, good evening. it is almost unbelievable that anybody could survive a rocket plane crash at the speed of sound. but new information from sources close to the investigation make peter siebold's story of survival even more astonishing. sources close to the investigation of the failed virgin galactic test flight tell nbc news, at 45,000 feet after co-pilot michael alsbury prematurely unlocked the plane's tails, or feathers, and they deployed, the space plane actually broke up around the pilots, thrusting them at the speed of sound into an atmosphere with almost no oxygen. and sources confirm the pilots had no oxygen supply of their own outside the aircraft. both crewmen were wearing parachutes but only pilot peter siebold was able to deploy his. investigators theorize either

alsbury's parachute failed or he blacked out and was never able to deploy it. the ntsb now says wreckage from spaceshiptwo landed as far as 35 miles away from the original debris field. in a statement released today the company's founder richard branson praised the company's 400 engineers and technicians and says, while this is a tragic setback, we are moving forward and will do so deliberately and with determination. one industry watcher says this accident, while tragic, will not cripple the drive to space tourism. >> i think the industry can recover. there will be much more attention now on both how these vehicles are built from an engineering standpoint and a regulation standpoint. >> reporter: when investigators finally do interview siebold, they hope to find out why alsbury pulled that lever. meantime the company that employed both pilots has set up a memorial fund for alsbury and

already in two days has met its goal of $100,000. brian? >> jacob rascon in the mojave desert tonight, thanks. a break here, still ahead tonight for us, the striking video showing a woman kidnapped off the street. and the clue that has investigators on the suspect's trail thankfully tonight. and later, why a big arrival was something of a surprise in los angeles.

we're back with these images that have sparked a manhunt going on in two states. they show a young woman walking alone when a man suddenly approaches her, attacks her and drags her to his car. whether the suspect knew it or not, it was all captured by a surveillance camera. luckily more clues have now presented themselves in this case. we get our report from nbc's rehema ellis. >> reporter: this disturbing three-minute surveillance video shows a young woman's desperate struggle. police say 22-year-old carlesha

gaither was kidnapped sunday night in the germantown section of philadelphia. today her mother begged for her daughter's life. >> give me back my baby. give me my child. please. >> reporter: the video shows a gray ford taurus being parked. moments later a heavily built man is seen approaching gaither violently dragging her down the street, and shoving her into the car where authorities believe she kicked out one of the car windows. police say after the abduction they found the young woman's glasses and cell phone here on the sidewalk. today police released photos of a man using gaither's atm card early monday morning at a bank in aberdeen, maryland. that's 75 miles south of where she was taken. it's also the place her grandmother says she called home for most of her life. >> she's a very strong person and i have a lot of faith in her and i have a lot of faith in god. i know she's going to make it through. >> reporter: her sister says he

-- she was exploring a nursing career while working with cancer patients. >> she's really a sweetheart. if y'all are looking at pictures, y'all can tell. she loved animals. she's just a free person. >> reporter: this afternoon back at the crime scene. >> we're going through every step and we're going through everything, you know, twice, to make sure we didn't miss anything. >> reporter: tonight a $45,000 reward is being offered. as a family clings to each other and the hope that their loved one comes home. >> please bring her home. >> please bring her home. >> reporter: rehema ellis, nbc news, germantown, pennsylvania. when we come back here this evening, something remarkable in hawaii. we'll show you what's been spared by the lava flow on the big island.

on the big island of hawaii tonight, something of a freak of nature as the slow flow of lava continues to overtake a hillside, including a japanese cemetery in the town of pahoa.

and it spared the headstone of the saito family. they thought they would never see it again. they were so relieved to see that it had been spared. it's now surrounded by this instantly hardening volcanic rock. and hawaii democratic congresswoman, a former mp and captain in the u.s. army has been activated by the national guard. she's expected to win re-election tonight approximate. following that she'll be on duty providing assistance in the area of the lava flow. the feds have fined ringling brothers & barnum & bailey circus $7,000 for a stunt back in may. the mishap sent eight of them falling 15 feet to the ground. some sustained serious injuries. $7,000 happens to be the maximum fine that osha is allowed to impose in such a case for safety violations. the spokesman for the company that operates the circus said it disagreed with osha's

conclusions here, but it will follow osha's guidelines for rigging equipment when the tour resumes next year. big buzz in los angeles over a big new arrival. for the first time in 26 years the l.a. zoo has welcomed the birth of a healthy baby hippo. it was something of a surprise because -- how to put this -- they were using protection. the mother hippo mara was put on birth control a while back but apparently no one briefed the father hippo adama. hippo gestation is eight months. the zoo is happy because the family of three is bonding. the baby will be a major and growing attraction. another break and when we come back, it may change your mind about car dealers when you see what one has done for the life of one young man.

finally tonight, a car dealership is not first place that comes to mind when you think about what could make a real difference in someone's life. but for one teenager in minnesota who happens to love cars, it has done just that, giving him a new window on the world. we get the story tonight from correspondent boyd hoopert of our station kare in the twin cities.

>> thank you for calling. >> reporter: by now you've been to enough car dealerships to know all the players. >> one moment, please. >> reporter: but unless you've been to the ford dealership in apple valley, odds are you've never met a player quite like this. >> how's it going? >> good. >> reporter: jake nelson has had a lifetime obsession with cars, which led instinctively to his fascination with car lots. >> we've been to hondas, chevys, all the different ones. >> name a brand. we've been there. >> reporter: but last year father and son stopped at the lot of apple ford lincoln, and for the first time a salesman paid attention to him. matt liukin introduced jake to some of his dealership co-workers. >> how are you? >> good. >> reporter: and from there things took off. don't bother looking for an unlocked door at apple ford lincoln or a wheel that's not

straight or a bumper over the line. >> he feels like he's a part of something. >> reporter: it's hard, as parents, to be told your 3-year-old will never read or write or even drive one of those cars he love, but at 17, jake has found his place. >> keep her going. >> reporter: several times a week jake's parents bring him by after school to tend to his lot. that's the senior sales manager he's leading around. to see jake so at ease picking the colors for the showroom display. a mom can't say thank you enough to the employees of a car dealership who shared a little. >> oh! >> uh-oh. did you find one? >> yeah. >> reporter: and gave a lot. >> i think we did pretty good. >> reporter: for nbc news, boyd hoopert, apple valley, minnesota. that is our broadcast on this tuesday, election night. thank you for being here with us. one last reminder, we'll have election updates throughout the

evening on this nbc station, then we're back, of course, for our decision 2014 special hour at 10/9:00 central. i'm brian williams. of course, we hope to see you back here tomorrow evening as well. for here and for now, goodnight. i want a different way to exit a life that i worked hard to live fully and purposefully. >> now it is her turn, at 6:00 now, the right to end her life, her own way. a bay area tech executive joining the crusade of californians to die with dignity. good evening, i'm jessica aguirre. >> it's been a taboo topic but now the right to die, there's a

push to allow terminally ill patients to control when and how they die. physician assisted suicide is illegal in california but one bay area woman is trying to change that. michelle roberts spoke with the cancer patient who says she deserves to die with dignity. >> reporter: i spent the afternoon with jennifer glass, she took this picture a year ago, a day after she shaved her head from chemo. she says it would offer her some comfort to know in her dying days that she had some control. >> the time flies by. >> reporter: time jennifer glasses hold dear. >> i have cancer. how bad is it? >> reporter: she was diagnosed with advanced lung cancer after her husband noticed a lump on her neck. she documented each day of chemotherapy with a picture, some day stronger than he