jeff zeleny has our report. >> control of the house, and changing the balance of pow ner washington. but far less change than they envisioned, with turmoil inside the gop, dampening the party's mood. >> i'm not good deal anywhere. >> reporter: mitch mcconnell surviving a threat from florida senator rick scott, with 37 republicans voting to keep mcconnell tess helm, 10 voting for scott, amid deep infighting. at the center of broader recriminations is former president trump. >> much criticism is being placed on the fact that the republican party should have done better, and frankly much of this blame is correct. >> reporter: who took no responsibility for midterm election losses, as he pulled a trigger on another bid for the white house. >> i have no doubt that by 2024, it will sadly by much worse and we'll see more clearly what happened and what is happening to our country, and the voting will be much different. >> reporter: his announcement is being met by a collective groan from a broad swath of the republican party, including many who served in his administration. mike pompeo, who

jeff zeleny once again in georgia at the center of the election this time again. thank you, jeff. appreciate it. >>> let's go to columbus, ohio. after your interview with kevin mccarthy you must have flown overnight to get there. what are you hearing on the ground? >> well, listen, we have tim ryan, the democrat. he's the congressman versus j.d. vance, the republican. he's the author of "hill bbilly elegy." democrats, if they can flip this, this would be a massive upset. tim ryan thinks he's going to, quote, shock the world. very optimistic outlook. this has been a closer than expected race. especially considering it is a red state that trump won in 2022. republicans have had to spend money and resources here. tim ryan has been able to raise a ton of money even without the help of the national republican party. a big part of that reason is that he has been a really good messenger on the economy for democrats. he has leaned into the economic pain that voters are feeling. he's talking about bringing manufacturing jobs back and he's also been a fighter. he's gone up against j.d. vanc

cnn's jeff zeleny is joining us live from kennesaw, georgia. what message are the candidates focusing in on during these crucial final hours? >> reporter: wolf, they're delivering their final messages. senator warnock is in columbus, georgia, right now, talking with supporters. republican challenger herschel walker will be here right outside atlanta in kennesaw, the critical piece of cobb county to rally republicans tonight. it's clear, as jessica was saying, pennsylvania is the most expensive race, this is the second-most ex-penpensive race. warnock is worried about the headwinds, the inflation concerns that have complicated his path to re-election. they are feeling confident on the eve of election here, largely because of the early vote. 2.5 million early georgians have cast their ballots. that means there's a few million more to do so tomorrow when the polls open at 7:00 a.m. republicans are trying to nationalize this race. they're trying to tie senator warnock directly to the policies of the biden administration and president biden himself.

. >> cnn's jeff zeleny back with me. all right. ff, could rick scott have the votes to challenge mcconnell? how do you see this battle playing out? >> in a word, no. rick scott is coming off of one of the most disappointing and some would even say disastrous times as the chair of the national republican senatorial committee. rick scott is not going to be the leader of the senate republicans. there's no question. now, it is an open question what the timeline of this is. senator lindsey graham said he thinks the leadership elections should be put off until after that georgia runoff. so, the timing of this is still an open question. mitch mcconnell, the republican leader, certainly has the support of the majority of his conference. at least it seems like that right now. it would be hard pressed to see who would step forward to challenge him. take a listen to what senators bob cassidy and -- had to say about mitch mcconnell. >> the great wrestling champion rick flare used to say, to be the man, you've got to beat the man. so, i support

jeff zeleny, cnn, atlanta. >>> meantime, republican brian kemp defeated democrat stacey abrams to win re-election. abrams said though she never crossed the finish line, she's not going to stop fighting for georgia. >> i want to give stacey abrams a little bit of acknowledgment here. she's not going to be governor. she's probably never going to be governor but you can have a cause that succeeds when your candidacy fails. it is possible now for black folks to win statewide in georgia in both parties. i think that's a big deal. i think warnock is going to need an awful lot of help. i don't think he should keep anybody out of the state if they can help him. my belief is it will be another race. if he pulls it off, warnock, he will owe stacey abrams. >> that was cnn political common tater malin jones. >>> you'll hear about the conversation he says he had with former president trump just hours before a violent mob stormed the building. >>> later, florida takes a beating from nicole. we're on the ground with a look at the latest conditions there. inside, outside, big or small, angi helps you

more on that now from cnn's jeff zeleny. the. >> reporter: republicans winning control of the house after a mid-term election that will change the balance of power in washington. but far less change than they envisioned. with turmoil inside the gop dampening the party's mood and complicating its future. >> i'm not going anywhere. >> senate majority leader mitch mcconnell. . fighting over the gop's failure to win a senate majority. at the center of broader incriminations of republicans is former president donald trump. >> much criticism is being placed on the fact that the republican party should have done better and, frankly, much of this blame is correct. >> who took no responsibility for mid-term election losses as he pulled a trigger on another bid for the white house. >> i have no doubt that by 2024 it will sadly be much worse and they will see much more clearly what happened and what is happening to our country and the voting will be much different. >> his mar-a-lago announcement is being met by a collective grown from

jeff zeleny is live in kenesaw tonight. this one is incredibly close, jeff. >> reporter: it certainly is. and herschel walker will be arrive momentarily on his red bus. it was very much an open question weeks and certainly months ago but he's going to be joined on stage by senator lindsey graham and some other republicans. the question are all georgia republicans and independent swing voters with him? moments ago in columbus, gentleman. democrat senator raphael warnock is trying to disqualify herschel walker and he told georgians it's now up to them. >> everybody is asking me what's going to happen tomorrow? listen, i am making the case, it's really in your hands. if the people show up, i win. if the people of georgia show up, i win. if the people of georgia show up, we win. are you ready to win this election! >> so of course a quarter of a billion dollars has been spent on television ads here in georgia. 2.5 million have already voted. the question, who does show up tomorrow? are democrats able to sort of match that republi

jeff zeleny, cnn, sioux city, iowa. >> thank you for that. >>> notable endorsement in the pennsylvaniaate race between john fetterman and mehmet oz. >> if i lived in pennsylvania i would have already cast my vote for john fetterman. >> oprah winfrey helped turn dr. oz into a household name. he was a regular guest on her show. winfrey later backed his own spinoff, the dr. oz show. >>> elon musk will start laying off twitter employees this morning. a memo sent to staff said workers will notify people if they still have jobs by noon eastern time. we understand twitter has closed the offices temporarily. workers must be bracing for those layoff notices today. >> reporter: that's right, christine. workers received this memo last night that basically told them layoffs are coming today, that they would be closing twitter's offices preemptively out of a concern about safety. this memo told employees, if you're at an office, on the way to an office, go home. i think it's worth saying regardless of how you feel about elon musk, regardless how you feel about twitter, it seems like this is going t

our jeff zeleny is on the campaign trail talking with republican voters. ♪ proud to be an american ♪ say donald trump is coming back to the campaign trail would suggest he has ever gone away. >> make america great again. >> reporter: but starting tonight, he is back in a new way, four rallies in five days in a sprint to election day. >> hello, iowa. >> reporter: iowa is hardly the hottest spot on the map of 2022 battlegrounds. but the state has something even more enticing. it hopes to ring the opening bell of the next republican presidential race. ♪ i'm walking on sunshine ♪ >> reporter: as republicans ride a wave of optimism in the final days of the midterm elections, the 2024 campaign is about to burst from the shadows. and the former president is eager to solidify his role as the party's top leader, inching ever closer to announcing another bid for the white house. >> in order to make our country successful, safe, and glorious again, i will probably have to do it again. >> reporter: the question is whether potential rivals would join him or step aside. a parade of republicans wit

so the timing probably is the end of this month. >> jeff zeleny on the campaign trail for us. eat your wheaties, thank you. >>> now to cnn reporting involving a potential trump run. the justice department is considering whether it needs to appoint a special council if he decides to run again. this is fascinating and it could happen soon if trump runs. >> good morning. poppy, traditionally in the weeks leading up to an election, the justice department does not take any overt action in cases that could have political consequences. though over the past several weeks behind the scenes the biden justice department has been planning how to handle several of their most politically charged cases. and sources tell cnn that justice officials discussed whether they should appoint a special counsel into looking into president trump's efforts to overturn the 2020 election and his alleged mishandling of security documents kept at his home. officials debated whether doing so could potentially insulate the justice department from accusations that the biden administration is targeting his chie

thanks for coming in. >> kate, thanks for having me. >> i want to jump off of what jeff zeleny was talking about, the fallout between mike pence and donald trump. and i want to play for you what mike pence, as he's mulling a white house bid for himself. >> do you believe that donald trump should ever be president again? >> david, i think that is up to the american people. but i think we'll have better choices in this future. i think people of the country get along well once you get outside of politics and i think they want to see their national leaders start to reflect that same -- that same compassion and generosity of spirit and i think so in the days ahead, i think there will be better choices. >> and you could see what mike pence is kind of laying out there. do you think pence is a better choice, mick? >> a couple of different things about that passage. that is sincere. if you saw another politician do that, you may sound like it is a contrived, but with mike he's being sincere about giving it prayerful consideration about there beingp better choices and i think he's going to run and h

even if the president isn't necessarily where jeff zeleny was in georgia or arizona, they believe ita message that they can turn out democrats and actually win in those races. part of that message has been the high stakes of this moment when it comes to democracy. take a listen. >> these deniers not only are trying to deny your right to vote, they're trying to deny your right to have your vote counted. i'm not joking. i'm not joking. with these election deniers, there are only two outcomes for any election, either they win or they were cheated. >> there are more than a few democrats who question the strategy of focusing on that issue given how salient the economy is for voters right now. when you talk to white house officials, they made clear, that is an issue that resonates with younger voters, the type of voters that they need to turn out, that's critical in this moment in time. the president will be in maryland, not exactly a swing state at this point in time. but will be delivering a message very similar to that tonight i'm told. guys. >> we'll be watching, thank you. >>> well, u

jeff zeleny is on the trail for us in atlanta. good morning to you.ow are candidates making their final push toward election day there? >> reporter: democratic senator raphael warnock is trying to fend off the aggressive challenge from republican herschel walker. georgia is the path to control of the senate. but also one person who has not been on the ground here for months who's at the center of the race, that is president joe biden. we see that in state after state across the country. republicans trying to make this a referendum on the biden administration, the biden policies. walker was even questioning how president biden has been sounding the alarm on democracy. >> you heard the president, the biggest threat to democracy, to vote for someone in the republican party. is it crazy? the biggest threat to democracy is to have him in the white house, is it not? >> and walker has been, of course, trying to make this about president biden. but raphael warnock for his part has been trying to say that herschel walker was a good football player, which of co

cnn's jeff zeleny is live outside of a trump rally in sioux city. , jeff, is this about boosting republican candidates or is this about trump boosting himself? >> reporter: briana, the answer is yes to both. there's no question that donald trump is starting a series of four rallies in five days here in iowa for a reason. of course, iowa, also is the up 0i opening bell for the 2020 presidential primary. now, the former president has not said if he fully intends to run, but with every passing rally, he's inched closer to that line. we will see what he says here tonight. but we are learning from his former adviser kelly anne conway, she says that there should be an expectation of a november surprise, perhaps announcing in a couple weeks, i'm not sure that would be much of a surprise, given the fact that he's been talking about this really for much of the last year or two. but the question is, yes, he's campaigning for senator chuck grassley, who is running for his eighth term, he's 89 years old, the oldest republican in the senate. he has some soft supp

cnn's chief national affairs correspondent jeff zeleny is on the trail in sioux city, iowa. we expect to see trump with senator chuck grassley. it's a finite amount of time before election day next tuesday. why did trump decide to stop in iowa, and i wonder what you're hearing from voters there? >> reporter: iowa is hardly the hottest battleground of 2022. the former president will be here in sueioux city later toda trying to shore up the base for senator grassley who is running for his eighth term in the u.s. senate. he's having a closer-than-expected race. still this is a republican part of the state and largely viewed as a republican year. not much worry from republicans about senator grassley. a bigger reason that former president donald trump is coming here to kick off four rallies in five days going into the election. of course, it's all about the next election down the road, 2024. we've seen the former president inch closer and closer to saying he is going the seek a third bid for the presidency, and he clearly wants to make his mark starting here in iowa, of course,

jeff zeleny has more from atlanta. >> reporter: more than 2.5 million votes have already been cast earlygeorgia, which is home to a key governor's race as well as a top senate contest that could determine control of the u.s. senate. on sunday, herschel walker, republican candidate, was out in force, trying to tie raphael warnock tie warnock directly to biden. >> you heard president, the biggest threat to democracy is to vote for somebody in the republican party? is he crazy? the biggest threat to democracy is to have him in the white house, is it not? >> trying to tie senator warnock to the policies of the white house and administration. that's their closing strategy to link the two together. senator warnock tried to put distance between himself and the white house. on issues like immigration, on trade, on the economy and indeed inflation. but in the final hours of this race, there's no doubt that georgia could be front and center in the race for control because of a runoff rule here. georgia is unique in a sense that each candidate must get over 50% or the winner must get over 50% to wi

cnn's jeff zeleny is here with more. now, jeff, even if you the majority does it matter if there's so much fighting within the party? how messy could this get? >> reporter: well, look, it could get very messy and we're about to find out this week. "a," we aren't going to know the answer to the question if republicans are actually going to be in control of the house for possibly a few more days. but the house republicans are going to be holding leadership elections on tuesday, and there's no doubt there is a serious challenge to kevin mccarthy's leadership. at this point no one as emerged as necessarily one rival. as we have speen in speaker elections in years past. he's trying to shore up support and he has considerable support of course from some hard liners like jim jurden, obviously his long time colleague steve scalise as well. there certainly is a question of how much support he has out there and what he will have to do in order to assure the votes, what concessions he'll have to make even to get the job. but of cour

sioux city, iowa, jeff zeleny is there and donald trump returns to the campaign trail there tonight.prisingly close. >> reporter: it is certainly closer than senator grassley has experienced and he's running for his eighth term. he is 89 years old, the oldest senator on the republican side, but donald trump is doing something slightly more than that. yes, it's an insurance policy for senator grassley who all the years we've been covering politics here, he's never been a big favorite of the trump base, if you will, of the far right conservative base, so the former president coming here to sioux city, the conservative corner of iowa is offering him some support. but, john, we should be quite clear. this is about potentially the next election, of course, donald trump is beginning his sprint of ra rallies, four rallies in five days here in iowa. he'll go on to pennsylvania to florida and ohio but clearly he wants to join this republican movement and lead this, what he believes and others think will be a republican wave. of course, there have been many other potential republican 2024 repu

the campaign, our jeff zeleny is reporting, is preparing for a runoff. just 96% in.crats but experts saying they don't believe it will be enough to get warnock to 51. if you take out georgia here, then democrats are only at 49. if you take out georgia, right? but if they have the runoff and they're able to win georgia that, would give them the 50, kamala harris would break the tie, they control the senate. >> didn't we warn everyone, they're not going to know? >> if for some reason mark kelly is able to hang on in arizona and masters was able to retake the lead in nevada, then the runoff would not matter in terms of control. >> we're going to get to vick t victor blackwell. and the situations are fairly similar as well. >> yes, similar between what we're seeing in maricopa county and nevada. in maricopa, they are checking the signatures on the dropoff ballots that have been sent into those offices. listen, we're going to be in a posture for several hours where we are waiting for those votes to be tab lated, the ones that have been dropped off. i think we have video o

joining me for more, dana bash and jeff zeleny. good to see you guys.iss term ballots are still being counted. it is 720 days until the 2024 election. >> oh, my gosh. >> the point is there's a long way to go. what do you think of this? >> not only is there a long way to go, donald trump is the only person in the race right now. that really is one of the, if not the biggest question at this point, as they look forward. who else is going to run? how many other people are going to run? that could help determine whether or not you're going to see donald trump sort of rise above others, like he did in 2016. a big reason he did so well in 2016, but he had so many opponents. >> remember that picture on the stage? >> and then they split the vote. there were a lot of republican governors ash oats indicating they might be interested. will they get together and say, we have to pick one to take him out? it's hard to see that happening. if they want to change the dynamic of the republican party, they have to do that, starting with donald trump. >> and jeff, what's n

cnn's jessica dean and jeff zeleny are tracking all the action on the campaign trail. jeff, there you are in georgia, a state that could hold a key for control of the senate. what has been the message today from the candidates? >> reporter: fredricka, georgia is absolutely essential to democrats holding their senate majority because senator raphael warnock is one of the most vulnerable democrats going down into the final days, the final hours of this election season. you can see behind me here herschel walker, the republican challenger, is shaking hands here. he just finished speaking a few moments ago. now president joe biden has not been here to georgia for quite some time. he's not been campaigning here for senator warnock. that was the theme of herschel walker's message, tying him to biden and the white house. >> my opponent, senator warnock, is campaigning. the people on the left, they're campaigning. they're lying to you. they're telling you this is a new nonormal. don't tell me there's a new way. my offensive linemen used to say, herschel, follow me. i'll take yo

jeff zeleny is live in michigan for us. so, jeff, what are we going to see today? >> well, kate, it is certainly unusual. and they're billing this event this evening as a evening of bipartisanship and patriotism. of course congresswoman liz cheney is coming here to michigan to campaign for elissa slotkin. both of them share a seat on the house armed services committee. they have a bit of background. when liz cheney was working in the state department, slotkin was working as a pentagon official. so they have known each other for years. but their politics consider differently. cheney was defeated as a republican and they are coming together tonight around democracy. take a look at what slotkin said this morning on cnn this morning. >> i think we have to be honest with ourselves that there are things that are more important than any one person winning an election and my race is going to be a nail hbiter. it is those i'm speaking to, moderate republicans and independents that know this kind of toxic anger that people are throwing back and forth in the political realm i

let's go to jeff zeleny joining us from east lansing michigan now.mething you don't see every day. republican congresswoman liz cheney campaigning there. what is going on? >> reporter: that's certainly two months but she is here tonight campaigning for a democratic congresswoman in one of the important election integrity, free and fair and truth in elections is to this campaign. she's coming here to campaign trying to reach out to republican and independent voters. the key district was won narrowly by donald trump in 2020. for alicia to win reelection for the third term in congress, she needs to get republicans and independents and advisors believe having china here offers a permission slip for those voters to support slotkin. is she firing up the republican base for her opponent? next week we'll find out. unusual to see liz cheney on the democratic campaign trail. >> thanks very much. from michigan, let's head to nevada right now where former president obama is trying to help this party in a very, very close race. cnn chief congressional corresponde

jeff zeleny is in sioux city where trump is headlining a rally tonight. so jeff, is this iowa stop about midterms and about chuck grassley's re-election, the party's oldest senator in 89 years old or is this about 2024? >> reporter: well, kate, i think the answer to both of those questions is yes. in the short-term it is about chuck grassley. he's running for the eighth term and there is a sense among his advisers, this is a closer race than he was expecting. he has softness among the trump base. they've never been huge fans of senator grassley as he's run for re-election again and again. so there were conversations to get the former president here to rally up from the supporters for senator grassley. but there is no doubt it is about 2024. iowa is the hottest battleground of 2022. but when the former president arrives here in sioux city tonight, it is the first of the five rallies in the next four days. so clearly trying to reassert himself back into this midterm conversation and be part of what he and other republicans believe could be a red wave. >> and

jake. >> all right, jeff zeleny at herschel walker's campaign headquarters.eorgia. david, what are you looking at gentleman. >> along these lines, we're taking a look about what was on georgia voters' minds in the election. when it comes to the calls they were looking for in their candidates and i think it's pretty clear it's sort of a character election that is taking place there. 36% of georgia voters are looking for a candidate who shares their values, 32% looking for a candidate that has honesty and integrity. less so about empathy and experience, 19% say i'm looking for someone who cares about people like me and only 8% are look for the candidate with the right experience which may be good news for herschel walker since he is new to politics. who shows good judgment? we asked that of georgia voters. 46% say only warnock shows good judgment. far fewer say only herschel walker, 28% shows good judgment, both 5%, 18% of voters in this georgia election say neither candidate shows good judgment. are warnock's views too extreme? and this has been something that

jeff zeleny joins us on the trail in sioux city, what's the president going to say there today? what's he trying to do? >> reporter: president trump of course has been holding rallies throughout the year but i'm told this is the start of something different. he'll do four rallies in five days beginning tonight in iowa, then traveling to pennsylvania, florida, and ohio before election day on tuesday. he's trying to rally republicans for the midterm elections next week but i'm told he's also trying to remind republicans that he, indeed, is the leader of the party. his advisers say the entire midterm elections are resting on his shoulders. that means he's trying to take credit for some republican optimism out here we're seeing in the minds of candidates and voters as well. so certainly inserting himself at the end of the race. >> he's not the only big name republican to go to iowa in recent days. who else? >> exactly. it's been a year since donald trump has been here in iowa. why iowa? of course it begins the beginning of the presidential race a year from now. so this is one of the

. >> jeff zeleny, appreciate it. because this is in the end a numbers story. we're joined here by cnn's one and only senior, david -- only -- harry enten. which four senate races have you been analyzing and changed over the last month? >> yeah, so let's talk about this. let's start in arizona, which i think is the easiest story to tell because mark kelly has held a consistent lead. but that lead has shrunk. it's now down to three points over blake masters, the republican. you go to georgia, that race, oh my gosh. so tight, so tight. what is key about georgia is neither herschel walker nor raphael warnock are above 50%. what does that mean if this forecast is in fact correct? exactly on the button, it could mean a potential runoff in december to potentially decide the united states senate. because georgia, you have to win it to get a majority vote to win. go to nevada, how tight is the race there? another race in which the candidates are even. and then, of course, you might end up in the state of pennsylvania, where here's a surprise, given all the previous gra

jeff zeleny is in atlanta. omar jimenez in milwaukee and athena jones is in allentown, pennsylvania. >> georgia is one of the most closely watched senate races in the country. what are you seeing down there now that the entire country is really focused on what's happening? >> reporter: it is. the reality is more than 2.3 million georgians have already cast their ballots. it is extraordinary when you think of that. this race after spending a few hundred million dollars, this race is as close as any in the country and far closer than democrats had hoped it would be. of course senator raphael warnock was just elected in january, 2021, and is trying to run for a full term now but is facing a stiff challenge from republican herschel walker. spending time on the road today with the walker campaign this race is closing in a deeply personal way. herschel walker of course is a legendary georgian. he talked about football a lot. georgia obviously had a big win last time against tennessee. he invoked that and is hoping he

cnn chief national affairs correspondent jeff zeleny on the trail in sioux city where we are learning more about the former president's possible timeline. jeff, what do we know? >> reporter: jim, good morning. former president donald trump was here in iowa last night kicking off a series of rallies going into election day and we are now learning this morning that his team is eyeing the week of november 14th as a possible time when he could announce a third bid for the presidency. of course, et cetera' been hinting at this for weeks if not months. he he's been planning for this behind the scenes and clearly wants to ride what they believe is going to be a republican wave next week in the election. they are looking at the week before thanksgiving, potentially the week of november 14th. this is all fluid, again, depending on how next week's midterms go. but take a listen to the former president last night here in iowa as he framed his decision coming up. >> in order to make our country successful and safe and glorious, i will very, very, very probably do it again. okay? very, very, very

let's check in with jeff zeleny joining me now taking a brief break from the campaign trail. for senator herschel walker. he's rolling that bus across the state of georgia here and there and everywhere. what are you hearing from herschel walker and these other candidates as they make this final pitch? >> one thing he was talking about today, jim, was that big georgia, tennessee football game. he was also really talking about joe biden, and joe biden has not been in georgia for several months. he's not stepped foot here, but take a look at what herschel said about his senator rafael warnock. >> i want warnock to know don't let that door hit you on the right side as you walk out of the people's office. it's time for you to go. >> strong language there from herschel walker to senator warnock. even though 2.2 million people have already voted here in georgia it's clear herschel walker is still trying to get republicans around him. several times he was talking about faith, talking about god and talking about team. so the republicans needs to come together as a team. the biden agen

joining me now for more is cnn chief national affairs correspondent jeff zeleny and the white house bureau chief for "the washington post" is here too and john berman sticking with us. what do you think today will bring? it's an impossible question to answer. that's why it's so fun to ask. >> it will bring more counting. what we don't know, if it will bring more answers but, again, we should point out this does not mean the process isn't working, it is working but, of course, all eyes as josh was saying on nevada. particularly arizona. there is a sense that once we get sort of an idea of what that universe of those ballots are that were mailed, 290,000 ballots, once we have a sense of a sampling of those, who has more of a share of those, mark kelly or blake masters, there will be a sense of where this race is going. y yes, senator kelly has the lead and pretty optimistic about arizona, the democrats i speak to but we've seen many examples of how this can change and as josh was saying republicans were ushging their voters to vote exactly like this, late early they call them. near election

jeff zeleny is out front now. that is the big question tonight, which is when will we actually know the results of this election? because, in so many cases, because of all the ways that people are voting, early voting, day-of voting, absentee voting. the candidate who appears to be the leader on election night may not be the winner. how long could this take? >> the honest answer is we don't know. that does not mean anything is wrong with the election. that does not mean anything has goi gone afoul. and it changes cycle by cycle. here's what i mean by that. of course, almost 30 million people have already cast ballots. but those ballots, by and large, have not been counted. the counting varies state by state by state. if we take a look at some top battlegrounds here, you'll understand what i mean. the mail ballot processing begins meaning they are opened and counted in different ways. in pennsylvania and wisconsin, for example, top battlegrounds, those ballots cannot be opened until election day because of a state

jeff zeleny is in atlanta. omar

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, the ex president will launch a third business for the presidency tonight at his,resort and as jeff zeleny joins us now. you do have some republicans that are criticizing this decision now but other ws who a keeping their powder dry. what do you believe the reception will be to this tonight. >> we've seen the former president under more siege than we've seen since january 6, 2021. but you're right, we have to measure that. because his conservative base is still very much with him. but as i've been talking to voters throughout the summer and fall, there is a mix of people who support him but don't necessarily want him to run for president again. so he will have to make that argument for why he is running again. but look one thing that is different tonight, he was hoping to be flanked by many of these endorsed candidates, who he was hoping would win. well that would be a small list now. it certainly wouldn't fit the ballroom at mar-a-lago. so he still may be surrounded by some supporters this evening but mike pence, he's out with a new book coming out and he's talking specifically about what

>> jeff zeleny, thank you. billion dollars, amazing. >>> now to wisconsin where the focus ask on the state's senate race. democrat mandela barnes is attending an election day event in milwaukee, challenging republican senator ron johnson for his seat. lucy cavanaugh is live at a polling place in milwaukee. what are you seeing? >> reporter: anderson, polls in wisconsin opened about an hour ago, we're actually at a quite unique polling location, the charles alice art museum where folks can cast their ballots and get a free tour of the art, the incentive in this particular election is greater than that. this is a tight race for governor as well as senate. the outcome of which could determine the balance of power in the u.s. senate. you do have two-term republican incumbent senator ron johnson facing mandela barnes, it has been a tight bitter race, one of the most competitive races this year in a state that president biden won by less than 21,000 votes. a truly ly purple state. take a listen to voters. >> i think i

. >> jeff zeleny is also in atlanta, georgia for us. jeff, looks like we're headed for a runoff. said it's impossible for either of these candidates to get above 50%. so what now? >> well, jake, both campaigns have been planning for a runoff really since last evening and the republican strategy is quite simple. it's about president biden. i'm told by republican officials and strategists that they are trying to make this race about one thing and one thing only, to be a check on the biden administration and policies of the white house. of course, that will be much more amplified if control of the u.s. senate hinges on the georgia race, which it's looking increasingly likely it will. this also under scores a reality talking to republicans throughout the day. they're quite frankly disappointed by the under performance of herschel walker vis-a-vis governor brian kemp. nearly 200,000 fewer votes for the walker campaign versus the kemp campaign. there is also a sense of worry at the runoff on december 6th who will provide the ground game, who will provide the organization, the walker ca

>> jeff zeleny. thanks, appreciate it. people in georgia must be so sick of political ads as it is.w, -- is this effective? >> i think it is effective. i think messages get across. i think there is a glut to on the marketplace at some point and they become less effective. but i think it's the bluntest weapon there is in politics. and they are going to use it. if i had dave urban's money i would be buying a stevie station. >> i just got an email from herschel asking for money. >> it's going to be -- >> i wonder about the messages. maybe there is not so much persuasion left to do. but there is certainly engagement left to do. people who voted, you've got to remind them -- you've got to vote again. both parties are going to have to do that. so, for republicans, using biden to remind republicans, you've got to turn out one more time, and then there's also that matter of that 80 something thousand people who voted for the third party. can you get them to come to your side? maybe both parties will be competing for them. so, maybe not last persuasion, but certainly some engagement. >> does

let's go to jeff zeleny live for us in atlanta. the atlanta suburb of marietta, georgia.rning to you, sir. >> reporter: good morning, don. as you know cobb county, we'll be watching throughout the day and the evening, the suburban voters in atlanta and across the country are going to tell a story of this midterm election that is shaping up to be a referendum on the biden administration on president biden. that's what democrats are bracing for. so there is a sense of republican optimism, but also some democratic enthusiasm. but we caught up with republican herschel walker who is challenging democratic senator raphael warnock. and both men clearly had -- >> jeff, we're going to get back to you, dr. oz is speaking. we'll get back to jeff in georgia. let's listen. >> i'm very proud of how i've run this campaign. pennsylvania is sending a very clear message to washington, we want less radicalism, and more balance. so i encourage everyone to vote. it is your duty. >> what do you think of fetterman campaign lawsuit? >> will you accept the result no matter what? >> mr. oz, would

jeff zeleny is there.>> reporter: anderson, they're not. and all eyes tonight are on nevada and arizona because what happens there affects their races here. here's why. if control of the senate hinges on georgia, this is certainly going to heighten the importance of this race over the next month. but as you said, they're not wasting any time. starting tomorrow, ted cruz, of course the texas senator, is the beginning of the cavalry that's arriving here in georgia. republicans are planning to flank herschel walker, try and build up his support. and that starts tomorrow night with a rally that ted cruz is hosting in cherokee county. it's about an hour or so north of atlanta. and it's one of the very places that herschel walker underperformed governor brian kemp by about 9,000 votes or so. when we look at the vote totals across the state in georgia, it was happening in red counties, really in all corners. and it's one of the concerns for republicans, that herschel walker underperformed the republican governor

jeff zeleny is live for us in marietta, georgia. governor's race was called for the incumbent brian kemp. what's the latest on the senate race? >> reporter: well, anderson, understand the difference here between that governor's race and the senate race. it's really essential because governor brian kemp as you said won pretty easily, at least by today's standards, over democrat stacey abrams but herschel walker underperformed, really across the state, but particularly in the suburbs, like here in cobb county, just north of atlanta and other suburbs. so the state of play this morning is both campaigns are preparing for a runoff, that has not officially been called by the secretary of state's office but election officials have been bracing for this and preparing for this runoff which would be december 6th. so there's no question that 18,000 votes separate rafael warnock and herschel walker but early this morning as they addressed their supporters they asked for a little more time and patience. take a listen. >> whether it's later tonig

jeff zeleny is at the -- walker spoke just a little while ago. >> he did, jake.n here to the hotel ballroom. and he said he simply wanted to thank his supporters. and his message was hang in there a little bit longer. he said he came here to win. he got in this race to win. and he gave an upbeat and very brief message. so, there is no declaration of victory. there was no talk about the process. he said he was simply here to win and just to urge patients. so, that is obviously what everyone here in georgia is going to be patient for this. because this senate race has been seesawing back and forth all night long between raphael warnock, the democratic incumbent senator, and of course, herschel locker, the republican challenger. now, just a few thousand votes, up to 30,000 votes or so separate them. herschel locker has the narrow edge. but the walker campaign tells me they believe that some rural counties, the vote is still out and some rural counties in northern georgia, where they are fairly optimistic about the election day vote that benefits them. however, the w