California’s 25th Congressional District, Wisconsin’s 7th Congressional District, and Nebraska hold elections today during the coronavirus crisis.
In Wisconsin’s Seventh Congressional District, Republicans, in a special election, are favored to keep the seat vacated by former Rep. Sean Duffy. In California’s 25th Congressional District, Republican Mike Garcia will look to defeat Democrat Christy Smith in a special election and flip the seat, which was held by disgraced former Democrat Rep. Katie Hill. In Nebraska, Democrats will choose their candidate in the state’s Second Congressional District to take on incumbent Rep. Don Bacon in November.
Stay tuned to Breitbart News for live updates. All times eastern.
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When the final results roll in and the likely victor, Republican Mike Garcia, is confirmed as the winner in the special election in California’s 25th congressional district, he will be the first Republican in 22 years to claw back a seat from Democrats in the Golden State.
“We did make history this evening and hopefully the confirmation of the results will prove that here very shortly,” Garcia said on a conference call late Tuesday night with supporters as the results showed him with a decisive lead over his Democrat opponent. “To my team, to the folks on the line and with us this evening, I can’t thank you enough. We’ve set a model on how to run a campaign and how to win.”
My statement on tonight's election results: pic.twitter.com/jCa3B4hpbd
— Mike Garcia (@MikeGarcia2020) May 13, 2020
Christy Smith statement: “I am extremely grateful for the support our campaign has received from every corner of this district. The outcome of this race remains too early to call.” #CA25 pic.twitter.com/DHVx9ZhhZ4
— Bridget Bowman (@bridgetbhc) May 13, 2020
12:32: Garcia has every reason to be optimistic about heading to D.C.:
12:13 AM: Elections in the age of SARS-CoV-2: Garcia Hypes “Major” Zoom Event:
.@MikeGarcia2020 says he "won't give a victory speech tonight." Announces there will be a "major event" on Zoom tomorrow.
Garcia says he'll continue to watch results come in tonight and hopes to declare victory tomorrow morning adding things are looking "extremely good."#CA25
— Musadiq Bidar (@Bidar411) May 13, 2020
Ventura County will be releasing today's in-person and mail-ballot votes tomorrow at 4 PM PST. And as long as they were postmarked today, mail ballots are accepted up until Friday.
So far, the LA County results show an 11,000 vote lead for Garcia. https://t.co/HapJeA8urz
— aaron navarro (@aaronlarnavarro) May 13, 2020
12:10 AM: MAIL-IN BALLOTS!
Going back over my notes on #WI07: A Republican in the state told me that Tiffany had one of the best mail-in operations he's seen in a while, and that Tiffany's team was proactive about getting supporters to get (and return) ballots. Gonna be an important strategy for November https://t.co/8LYvLwomM2
— Zach Montellaro (@ZachMontellaro) May 13, 2020
12:03 AM: Garcia confident:
Mike Garcia on a call with supporters and reporters says the results so far are "extremely encouraging,” and says he looks forward "to declaring victory very soon and getting to work in Washington DC”
"We did make history this evening," Garcia said.#CA25
— Bridget Bowman (@bridgetbhc) May 13, 2020
11:59 PM: Garcia, who has a very comfortable lead right now, speaking to Boyle over the weekend:
11:42 PM:
Former CA Governor Pete Wilson is speaking on a conference call with @MikeGarcia2020 and media, supporters. "I have worked for many candidates. Never with greater enthusiasm than for this one."
Wilson says he wishes everyone could see his "Mike Garcia For Congress" hat.
— Libby Denkmann (@libdenk) May 13, 2020
If Mike Garcia (R)'s lead over Christy Smith (D) in #CA25 holds, and chances look pretty good it will, he'll become the only House Republican from a district Hillary Clinton won with more than 50% of the vote.
— Dave Wasserman (@Redistrict) May 13, 2020
Note that some county election sites will say 100% precincts reported, though there are still an unknown number of votes to be tallied in this vote-by-mail election (can be received as late as Friday if they are postmarked by today) #ca25
— Greg Giroux (@greggiroux) May 13, 2020
11:25: Numbers looking good for Garcia:
It would be imprudent to call the race w/o knowing how many ballots are left to count, but the odds of Garcia (R) ultimately winning #CA25 seem pretty high to me right now.
— Dave Wasserman (@Redistrict) May 13, 2020
11:20 PM: Garcia 56%, Smith 44% with 76% reporting.
11:10 PM: Garcia (R) opens up double-digit lead:
Huge dump from LA County. Smith trails by double digits with 41% in. #CA25 pic.twitter.com/jaKPvfOd9x
— Niles Edward Francis (@NilesGApol) May 13, 2020
11:00 PM: Polls closed in California
10:45: Spin, spin, spin:
Here's the statement by Tricia Zunker herself on tonight's results—pointing out that no Democrat has gotten over 40% of the vote in this district since 2012. This race "showed that Wisconsin is trending blue for the fall." pic.twitter.com/WHrWkjtjTW
— Ben Wikler (@benwikler) May 13, 2020
Not sure I'd make too much of fact that GOP margin (14 pts?) in WI-07 will be smaller than 20 pt Trump margin in '16. Remember Jan. 2018 "wake-up call" GOP loss of state Senate seat in western WI that Trump had carried by 17? That was a 27-pt swing ->Dems. This is 6 pt swing
— Craig Gilbert (@WisVoter) May 13, 2020
NRCC Chair Emmer:"Democrats are once again stuck w/Comrade Kara Eastman & her embrace of most toxic parts of socialist agenda..Don Bacon has dedicated his life to serving his country & is invaluable advocate for NE families in Congress.I look fwd to working w/him for yrs to come"
— Craig Caplan (@CraigCaplan) May 13, 2020
10:42 PM: Could be a very important Electoral vote if this poll is even close to being accurate:
New: @DCCC says it has #NE02 polling showing Kara Eastman (D) leading Rep. Don Bacon (R) 48-47% AND Biden beating Trump 52-41%
Poll details: Live Caller + IVR, 448 LVs, May 7-10, +/- 4.6%
Trump won #NE02 by 2 in 2016. Bacon beat Eastman by 2 in 2018
— Ally Mutnick (@allymutnick) May 13, 2020
10:35 PM: Sasse gets his opponent:
Sasse, the incumbent for the seat, will face off against Janicek in November. https://t.co/0Mynb29SJ7
— KCAU 9 News (@kcautv) May 13, 2020
10:32 PM: DCCC more optimistic than analysts about NE-02:
NEW: DCCC recently finished polling in NE02 and they have Eastman, who just won her primary, up 48-47 over incumbent Don Bacon, source tells me. https://t.co/yhpVIWHO4G
— Ryan Grim (@ryangrim) May 13, 2020
10:30 PM:
NRCC Chair Emmer on #WI07 race: "Tom’s victory is a rejection of the socialist agenda of House Democrats that is wildly out of touch with what they promised voters less than 2 yrs ago. Tom is a proven fighter for WI families & I look forward to serving alongside him in Congress."
— Craig Caplan (@CraigCaplan) May 13, 2020
10:05 PM: Cook Political Report’s Wasserman thinks AOC-backed Eastman will have a tough time flipping the seat in November:
Likely missed opportunity for House Ds as Kara Eastman (D) defeats Ann Ashford (D) in #NE02 primary to face GOP Rep. Don Bacon (R).
If Eastman couldn't beat him in 2018, her chances aren't much better in 2020. But the district (one Electoral Vote) is a Toss Up for president.
— Dave Wasserman (@Redistrict) May 13, 2020
9:42 PM: How Dems are planning to spin:
Wisconsin Democratic Party Chairman @benwikler playing the expectation game, basically saying anything less than a 20-point win for Tiffany is bad news for @realDonaldTrump in the fall https://t.co/bgC76vtACF
— Scott Bauer (@sbauerAP) May 13, 2020
9:35 PM: Tiffany (R) projected to win in WI-07:
Decision Desk HQ projects @TomTiffanyWI the winner of the WI-07 special election.https://t.co/M8030dmhn6 pic.twitter.com/pSniPGdyeV
— Decision Desk HQ (@DecisionDeskHQ) May 13, 2020
9:30 PM: In NE-02, Kara Eastman is the projected winner for the Dems.
Congratulations to @karaforcongress for her primary victory in #NE02.
We are proud to fight alongside you for a nation that belongs to all of us, not the wealthy few. pic.twitter.com/7ZWO3TeP24
— Justice Democrats (@justicedems) May 13, 2020
9:25 PM: WI-07–Tom Tiffany (R) 56%, Tricia Zunker (D) 44%, with about 4% reporting.
9:20 PM: And in the first shocker of the night (sarcasm!)…
BREAKING: Joe Biden wins Nebraska Democratic Primary, NBC News projects. pic.twitter.com/czGciamvFb
— NBC News (@NBCNews) May 13, 2020
9:15 PM: CA-25: The Risk/Reward Choice Facing Many Republican Candidates This Year:
Less than 4 hrs left to cast your vote to prevent liberal Sacramento policies from spreading to DC. Polls close at 8pm, so make sure to return your ballot or visit a Vote Center ASAP!
If you have any questions about voting in this election, visit https://t.co/U4kUtnnBzr pic.twitter.com/DawRqynMd4
— Mike Garcia (@MikeGarcia2020) May 12, 2020
Part of Mike Garcia (R)’s appeal in #CA25 (Clinton +7% in 2016) is that he’s a lot of things Trump’s not: a military veteran, son of a Mexican immigrant, even-keeled and well-credentialed.
If he loses, close identification w/ Trump (not a new voting site) = the likely culprit.
— Dave Wasserman (@Redistrict) May 12, 2020
Although it would be impressive for Mike Garcia (R) to have an initial lead of, say, >10%, my expectation is that we won't have a clear picture of who has won #CA25 by tonight…and probably not by tomorrow night either.
— Dave Wasserman (@Redistrict) May 12, 2020
The in-person voting site in Lancaster (hardly the "most Democrat[ic] area" in CA) for #CA25 special elex was requested by city's GOP mayor, per elections officials..a mayor who welcomed POTUS to CA this year. All-mail elections often have some in-person for those who need it. https://t.co/RDz1mmMrK1
— John Myers (@johnmyers) May 9, 2020
The controversy over Democrats pushing for a #CA25 polling location in Lancaster has bubbled up to the president. FWIW, the GOP mayor of Lancaster said there should be an in-person center to avoid “even the appearance of affecting the outcome by limiting the ability to vote." https://t.co/2MYHqAc3Mn
— Kirk A. Bado (@kirk_bado) May 9, 2020
9:00 PM: Polls closed in Wisconsin and Nebraska.
Polls close in 30 minutes in #WI07 for this Special Election. According to @WI_Elections website, more than 100,000 absentee ballots were sent out – roughly 1/4 of registered voters.
— Dan Hagen WJFW (@DanielCHagen) May 13, 2020
Polls close in less than an hour; meanwhile, some insight from @uwsppolisci chair Prof. John Blakeman on what a declining conservative margin in last month's election could mean for the district: pic.twitter.com/5zuzs8Eq19
— Naomi Kowles (@NaomiKowles) May 13, 2020
Additionally, we talked about another special election happening today across the country in CA-25. While the districts and candidates certainly aren't parallel (CA-25 appears tight while WI-07 is considered safe) they're both traditionally Republican (until 25 flipped in '18).
— Naomi Kowles (@NaomiKowles) May 13, 2020
“If both districts become Rep. but by a very small percentage, then it indicates that the Democrats are probably going to expect another wave coming into the house in Nov. But if both Republicans in WI-07 and CA-25 run away with the vote, then a blue wave is probably unlikely.”
— Naomi Kowles (@NaomiKowles) May 13, 2020
8:50 PM: Polls will close in Wisconsin and Nebraska at 9 PM ET. Polls in CA-25 will close at 11 PM ET.
Nebraska: Democrats think they have a chance of clipping NE-02 in the fall.
Kara Eastman, Ann Ashford, and Gladys Harrison are vying to take on incumbent Rep. Bacon in the fall.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) has backed Eastman.
Pretty quiet at the polls in Grand Island. This site was seeing 5-6 voters an hour. No lines, no issues.
They are making masks available, although it appears most are wearing their own. Poll workers are sanitizing the voting booths and tables in between voters pic.twitter.com/F9EEH6THWZ— Steve White (@NTVsSteveWhite) May 12, 2020
4 p.m. Update on 5/12
493K Ballots Mailed
398K Ballots ReturnedReturn your Early Ballot to your County's Drop Box by the time the polls closes in your county.
For those that are choosing to vote at your polling site…all are open until 8 p.m. CST / 7 MDT. #vote pic.twitter.com/lYIxSJVyqe
— Wayne Bena (@WJBena) May 12, 2020
Wisconsin:
.@TomTiffanyWI will be a great leader for the people of Wisconsin. He is strong on border security, tax cuts, the Second Amendment and crime and he will serve his fellow Badgers well in Congress. Vote Tom Tiffany today! pic.twitter.com/qfIWSeFVkI
— Mike Pence (@Mike_Pence) May 12, 2020
Wisconsin, the Bleach Injector In Chief wants you to vote for Tom Tiffany. So vote for Tricia Zunker instead. Here’s how to vote safely, curbside/drop-off/drive-through: https://t.co/XBROvUVHfA https://t.co/vQoqwXkn9V
— Ben Wikler (@benwikler) May 12, 2020
President Trump endorsed Tom because he knows he will help him defend our values, protect our country and rebuild our economy. #VoteTiffany pic.twitter.com/AyqDuIDzYI
— Tom Tiffany (@TomTiffanyWI) May 12, 2020
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