By this hyper partisanship and divisive rhetoric. I wish the race was more competitive than it was, but you know, something changed is hard. I saw a card recently that said hope has been described as a small rebellion, and so.
Change takes time.
You know, winning over an incumbent who has a lot more money than you is hard enough. But when you have a primary and then there's nine weeks only after that primary, for a candidate that doesn't have a lot of name recognition, it can be an uphill battle.
I knew that from the beginning. You know.
This system we have, it's very incumbent friendly. I was with Bernie Marino and I hope Bernie Marino wins in Ohio and we get rid of shared Brown. And Bernie was shocked when it was in June.
He goes, what do you mean you still got a primary.
I said, yeah, we got primary in September, September third, because that gives you like two months and I said yeah.
He goes, I don't know if I would do it, and so but it's worth doing.
It because change takes time. But we need change in this state.
All right, Well that was John Deaton speaking there conceding the race to Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren, who has just won her third term in Washington. We're going to do a little bit of a m CAST ballot questions now for you. There were five ballot questions on the ballot today in Massachusetts. In fact, several communities had a sixth and or seventh question that they had to deal with. But one of the questions in Massachusetts had to do with the future of the m CAST some of the buses.
Brook mccarthury takes a look right now.
It's something all tenth graders need to take to graduate, the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessments some tests better known as mcasts. But on the ballot is Question two, which would eliminate MCAST as a high school graduation requirement. If Question two does pass, students would still need to take the MCAST exams, but they would no longer need to get a passing score. Instead, the over three hundred school districts across the state would
set their own criteria for graduation. This would make Massachusetts one of just a handful of states without a common graduation standard. Those in favor of Question two say this would give all students the opportunity to thrive and reach their full potential because some don't get their diploma because of it. Those against Question two argue it's unfair and it's not right to grant diplomas to kids that aren't
ready to graduate. Less than one percent of high school seniors don't get their diploma because of the mcast Brooke McCarthy WBZ, Boston's News Radio.
We don't want to catch you up on some of the results that perhaps you have missed so far today. More polls have been closing at nine o'clock tonight. But in the presidential race across the country, Kamala Harris, as expected, has taken much of New England. New Hampshire undecided right now, and so is Maine. But the vice president has won Vermont, in Massachusetts, Connecticut, Ed Rhode Island, as well as New York, New Jersey and several other states. She has ninety nine
electoral votes right now. She has just picked up Ohio as well. We are also looking at Donald Trump has picked up Ohio. I should say here one hundred and thirty seven electoral votes right now. He won Florida earlier, as well as Tennessee in Arkansas and Oklahoma and several other states. So we're watching the presidential race for you throughout the evening. We'll continue to keep you posted. Several college campuses reported long waits at their polling places today.
ABC political consultant Steve Roberts says this apparent high turnout is a break in tradition from the way young people usually vote.
Young people have always been a very important element and democratic coalition, but also a very uncertain element. Young people just don't vote in the numbers that older people for obvious reasons. They're more mobile, they don't have the vested interest in schools and taxes and street improvements, all the things that tether their parents and grandparents to their communities
and incentivize them to vote. But when they do get organized and they do get energized, they can be an important factor.
In several colleges across the country, in fact, let their students take the day off to vote. It includes Tofts, U, mass Amherst, and Suffolk University. Senate control is up for grabs this time around, and the nation has its eyes on several key races that could flip the Senate. In Massachusetts, We've told you Elizabeth Warren held on to Hurst Senate seat. WBC's Emma Friedman is here with Moron. What else is up for grabs, Emma Ben.
There's thirty four Senate seats up, but nine of the most competitive races could ultimately decide the balance of power in the chambers. Senate races in Montana, Ohio, Michigan, Arizona, and Pennsylvania could shake up the democrats current slim majority. One major upset already. Republican Jim Justice has won in West Virginia, flipping the seat that was held by Senator Joe Manchin, and results are coming in in New England.
Bernie Sanders wins Vermont, Rhode Island, Connecticut. Incumbent senators also hold on to their seats. It is still early, but we are getting election results pouring in here. We will keep you up to date with the latest coverage.
Back to you, Ben, all right, Still too early to call the key swing state of Georgia right now. It's leaning in Donald Trump's direction, but one voter block is turning things in that direction.
Our polling shows fifty four percent of independence in Georgia went for Republican nominee Trump, compared to forty three percent for Democrat Harris, but in North Carolina, the two candidates tied among independents who went for President Biden in twenty twenty.
President Biden flipped the Peach state blue four years ago in rout too, winning the White House. Many voters who headed to the polls today felt like their votes carried a little extra weight this time around. WBC's Hyle Shaffle caught up with some of them.
For so many of the voters I talked to, this is not just a humdrum election. It's the big one.
It's probably the most input an election that I can remember in my entire.
Lifetime, your entire lifetime.
And I'm old, I'm seventy two.
That was the general sentiment among voters at a West Roxbury polling station. Absolutely incredibly important election.
Oh absolutely, this is a hugely important election.
That sense of urgency maybe what drove people to the polls. With election workers telling me they had a steady poor of voters all day.
I will tell you that I'm absolutely thrilled to see how many people have come out to vote.
It has been amazing.
To put things in perspective. People were so motivated to vote this time. More than a third of all registered Massachusetts voters cast a ballot early this year. Kyle Shaffeld to be Busy Boss's Radio.
It's still a long way to go before we know who has won the White House. But if former President Donald Trump does win this time around to do something that hasn't been done since the late eighteen hundreds, become president for a second non consecutive term. The first and only time it was done, Grover Cleveland turned the trick, elected as the twenty second and then again the twenty
fourth president in the late eighteen hundreds. Cleveland's loss in eighteen eighty eight featured in winning the popular vote, but he lost with fewer electoral votes. The iconic Empire State Buildings getting in on the election results this year. The building decked out in red, white, and blue when it comes to results. If a swing state is called for Vice President Harris, the building will shine blue for five minutes.
A state called for former President Trump, the building will light up in red for five minutes, and if the race is called tonight, the building will shine either red or blue for the rest of the evening. We will be bringing you election results throughout the evening here on WBZ. Don't forget. You can always hear us streaming on the iHeartRadio app. More results and more of Dan Ray and Nightside coming up in just a couple of minutes. Here on WBZ, I'm Ben Parker.
Nightside with Dan Ray, Election Night in America, WBZ, Boston's news Radio.
Well back at you here on a very important night. My name is Dan Ray, the host of Nightside. Have the honor tonight to talk to several guests who are people who are well steeped in the tradition of Massachusetts politics, and none more steep than my next guest, Former Congressman Mike Capaano. Mike Capaano, Welcome back to Night'side. Always good to have you on, particularly on an election night.
I love talking to idian.
So on a night like tonight, You've been through what uh ten or so elections to Congress, you were the mayor of Somerville. Do the juices still float? Is the adrenaline flow as you're watching this? Are you like, you know the former guy that you know played in the NFL or the major leagues who still gets excited about watching NFL on Sunday or a Major League Baseball at a World Series in playoff.
Time significantly less than you might think. I mean, really, you're in the ring so long you kind of get tired. And I mean, don't get me wrong, I'm desperately interested in the outcome of this election, but the juices are really interested in the outcome, not so much the game so much anymore.
Okay, Now, I know that you were never, in any way, shape or form a big fan of Donald Trump. Can you explain to me from your perspective, how, after all that he has been through that he's still standing. I mean, this is a guy, you know, ben impeached, been indicted, been shot.
At all of this.
Most everybody around.
Yeah. Absolutely.
I don't know if he's personally insulted you or not. But I've never had the honor of having him on my show, and I've always been convinced that he can win the Republican nomination if he wanted it. But I don't know that he can win tonight, And of course we'll know that he's the only Republican.
I think he's the only Republican we can beat at this point in time. I think the Democratic label is a little bit damage at the moment on a national scale. But I think Donald Trump himself has significantly damaged on a national scale. So we'll see. It's is very It's gonna be an interesting election. I think I don't know too many people who are terribly excited to vote for somebody. A lot of people I know voting against somebody.
Yeah, I said, a friend of mine looked for my predictions today, and I simply paraphrased Rick Patino and sent back a text that said, Jack Kennedy and Ronald Reagan are not through not walking through that door anytime soon. Uh and and you long for the day of that. How much of a mistake. And it has to have been a tremendous mistake for for former President Trump not to invite Nikki Haley out on.
US trail with him. I mean, really, I don't get it. It's almost political malepractice, you know, like an I know she's said some tough things about him, But in publitical business, you're supposed to have a thick skin. You're supposed to understand that when the campaign's out there, it's like it's like a contest on a football field. Nobody goes out
there and gives half half a loaf. They give everything they got, including against their best friend, and once the game is over, you shake hands, move on, you know, and you get on the maybe on the same team next year. But all that being said, I couldn't agree with you more. It's a huge mistake not to have reached out to her. Don't get me wrong, He's a good Democrat. I'm glad he made that mistake.
Yeah, and there were others. I don't think that he campaigned with DeSantis or Rubio or many others.
It almost my knowledge.
It's almost seems to me that given a choice between winning with the help of say Nikki Haley, or realizing that he would lose, that he almost would prefer to lose then to have to share any credit for a win. And that to me is I'd like to talk to some psychologists a psychiatrist about that decision, who might have a minor.
In two he might he governed that way as well. He didn't govern He governed by browbeating his Republican friends and totally ignoring Democrats. You know, that's he did that for four years. And that's one of the reasons you asked. In my opinion, he didn't show any of the business acumen of trying to work with people at all other than people who agree with him. And I don't think there's a successful businessman in the world who hasn't learned how to work with other.
People, including competitors.
Especially competitors. Now me, you compete when you compete, but then you try to get on the same side if you can. It's a game of addition, just like life. It's not a game of division.
It just isn't that he assuming that.
He were to win tonight, and I'm not making that assumption. But if he were to win tonight, do you think he will govern any differently in a second term?
No, I think I personally think it'll be worse. I think he will have vindicated himself. Everything I have said, everything I have done, has now been vindicated, so I will do whatever I want to do. I think it will be worse than the first two.
It's it's it's it's an interesting night. It's a fascinating night. I hope that when this is over, whoever wins, everyone at least gives them a chance to do the right thing, even if in the case of Donald Trump it's probably not likely. But I hope that whoever wins, you and I both can say well, that person is our president until they start.
To stir up back right from your lips to Gazias, I totally agree. And you know, it's just the country is too divided. It's too there's too much animosity out there. And again, I've been in lots of street fights politically, and you know, fine, but I've also made friends as we go along, some people that I'm probably with today that I never would have thought I was friendly with
thirty years ago. Why because things change, different issues come up, you work together, you realize, Okay, they're not so bad, and maybe I can be with them the next time. It's again, it's life, and I just I hope you're one hundred percent right. I pray to God you are. I think the country really needs it.
You know, in another time and in another place, you were considered sort of the Democratic firebrand.
There were some comments.
That you and I don't have to recall that you made at rallies, which some of the Democrats will say, hey, can you keep it down a little bit, But today you would be considered a moderate Democrat within the contest of the National Democratic Party. How tough is that?
It's again, I think it's one of the reasons the Democratic Party is struggling a little bit. I don't think we should be, but I think we are because of things like that. We have radicals in the party as well. Many of them are activists in the party, just like the Republican Party. And there are a lot of moderate regular people just going ahead a dated basis, try to make a living, try to make ends meet, and they
want to be on the Democratic side. But they look around and they see some of the things that they just don't want to hear about. You know. They don't want to be told, you know, what kind of a neighborhood they have to live in. They don't want to be told they have to be a needle exchange or whatever it might be next to their own house, you know, and they don't want to hear it, so that you know there And my problem is that there are too many politicians who refuse to then go out and actually
solicit and listen to the opinions of others. There's always some issues where a politician is going to have to say, look, I love and respect my constituents, but on this issue, it's a moral issue to me, I have to do X. But we're supposed to represent the people that we that elect us, and sometimes that means you do things that maybe you don't personally share one hundred percent, but that's what the job is, at least I think that's what the job is.
Well, you did the job for a long time, and you did really well, and you're a Democrat that certainly had the respect at the time, and you still will have the respect and you are always welcome here at nightside. Mike Capawano, I want you to get back in the game. Thanks, thanks so much, my friend. Okay, we will talk again, and we'll talk soon. Thank you, Mike, say aha to
Boubra form. We have Elizabeth Warren would be speaking pretty soon, so stay with us and we have more guests coming up and more program on this special election night twenty twenty four coverage.
If you're listening to comprehensive coverage of the twenty twenty four election on New England's news leader WBZ News Radio.
Campaign without money from corporate superpacks, we prove them wrong again and we financed our campaigns from the grassroots. Even more experts and insiders said, okay, you won, but progress will be slow to impossible, so go small but together we demonstrated that we.
Can make change, big change.
And here's where early gets to be fun. We beat big Pharma and now we have thirty five dollars insulin. Yeah, we've capped out of pocket prescription drug costs of Medicare can now negotiate lower drug prices.
Yeah.
We beat big oil and pass the most ambitious climate legislation in history. Oh and better yet, we paid for it with my plan for a minimum tax on billionaire corporations. And now Amazon and other billionaire corporations are paying for our investments in a greener, cleaner America. We beat the big banks on Wall Street, and we cracked down on
overdraft and jump fees. I led the charge to create the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau GHOSTS, and now with a cop on the beat, big banks have been forced to return more than twenty billion dollars directly to consumers. They cheated that CFPB has survived every attack, and I got news for Wall Street. The CFPB is here to stay.
Yeah.
We got billions of dollars for roads, bridges, broadband, Cape, Codbridge's East West Rail, and enough help so that even when our economy was hit by COVID. Massachusetts towns didn't have to lay off a single teacher, firefighter, police officer, librarian, town clerk, or anyone.
Else who served our communities.
And Lord, we need to do more, but make no mistake, every one of these accomplishments is living proof that we can make government work for people.
Senator Elizabeth Warren. They were hearing Senator Elizabeth Warren. She won reelection today in Massachusetts, her third term as Senator in Massachusetts, beating John Deton pretty handily. A results have not all been counted, but it's a bit about seventy percent or so for or Elizabeth Warren in the early counting. And again she wins reelection to the US Senate over John Deaton in the election today campaign.
Twenty twenty four America votes. This is WBZ, Boston's news radio.
Sixty four degrees in Boston. It is nine to thirty on election day. Good evening. I'm Ben Parker. Here's what's happening. About half the country is done voting. Polls closed in Massachusetts at eight o'clock this evening. There were long lines in many of the polling places today. In fact, so many people voted in Boston. That's some extra ballots had to be dispatched to certain polling stations this afternoon as
they ran out of ballots. We'll crunch some of the numbers for you coming up in just a couple of minutes.
Right now.
On update on what's happening across the country from ABC News.
This is a special report from ABC News. Your Voice, Your Vote. I'm Dave Hacker. New projections this hour. Based on our exit poll, ABC News projects that Donald Trump will win in Louisiana and Kamala Harris will win in New York, Rhode Island, and Delaware. And based on those exit polls, we project that Democrat Blunt Rochester wins the Senate race in that state, Heriston Jillibrand keeps her New
York set at seat. ABC News also projecting that Florida's abortion band referendum will fail, meaning a six week abortion band will stay in place.
Back to the race for the White House.
All eyes on the battleground state of Pennsylvania tonight, and we may not know the winner there tonight. Governor Joshuapiro, pleading with the public and pressed to be patients, saying counting the votes takes time.
Counting millions of votes accurately. It takes some time.
Our goal is to get it right.
Pennsylvania's nineteen electoral votes could be the key to winning this razor close election.
This is ABC News, this is WBZ News Radio. Don't forget keep it tuned to us. We are keeping you up to date on election Day twenty twenty four. We will be here for you throughout the evening and of course always streaming on the iHeartRadio. We heard just a short time ago from Elizabeth Warren. She won re election third term to the US Senate. She defeated Attorney John Deaton. He gave his concession speech at Nash Bar on Tremont Street earlier this evening.
Change takes time.
You know, winning over an incumbent who has a lot more money than you is hard enough. But when you have a primary and then there's nine weeks only after that primary, for a candidate.
That doesn't have a lot of name recognition, it can be enough. Hill Battle. I knew that from the beginning.
Also in New England, senators in Rhode Island and Connecticut held onto their seats from voters. Today. Bernie Sanders won again in Vermont, and so did Vermont's governor now in Massachusetts there are some house races. Most of them, well five of them out of the nine were unopposed challengers, So Jim McGovern, Laurie Trehan, Jake Achinklaus Catherine Clark, Seth
Moulton and Aana Presley all winning without a challenge. But I should tell you Jim govern is now the winner over Cornelius Shay, and Richard Neil has won his District one race as well. We'll continue to follow results as they come in throughout the evening here on WBZ, both in the local races and the governor's races. There's one in New Hampshire that so far is too close to call. We'll keep tabs on that as Kelly Aod and Joyce Craig look to succeed the outgoing governor Sinunu, who decided
not to run for another term. So lots still to unpack here. On election night nine thirty three, we get caught up on traffic and weather together, starting with the Super Bowl retailers of New England all wheel drown traffic on the threes Zach, what are you seeing?
Well, We're going to take a look downtown where things are good.
The deck to connector in the Tobin are fine, so's the pike, but work crews on the way Airport tunnels on time.
South of the City Expressway north the crash just clear that.
The Braintree split was causing delays. That's over Route twenty four north. They're going to reduce speed with the work zone right before Route one forty and Route three north.
Under the speed limit.
Passing work in Duxbury at Route fourteen four ninety five south. Has construction in Middleborough at Route twenty eight at the speed limit getting by there a bit slower with northbound work by ninety five north of the city.
One twenty eight north jams at a crash at Walnut Street.
Heavy delays. Getting through your backed up about a half mile there.
Route one has minor delays with the southbound work crew after the Linfield Tunnel and another northbound Route one fourteen ninety three south. The left lane is taken at Roosevelt Circle down to Route sixty in Medford.
Not much of a delay there.
Four ninety five heavy work crew delays northbound at mass Avens southbound and andover at Route twenty eight west of the City of the Pike. You're going to reduce speed with the work crew in both directions between the Charleton Service Plaza's minor delays there four ninety five north slows
for work between the pike and Route nine. Steve Perez WBZ twenty four hour Traffic Network, And as we check the forecast, if you like temperatures that don't feel like November, boy, you're going to love tomorrow.
We'll be in the mid to upper seventies and we could break a record.
Complete coverage of campaign continues now on WBZ News Radio.
Nine point thirty four. As we continue along on election Night twenty twenty four, still plenty of results to get to when we're still counting ballots. Well we're not, I mean I'm not, but somebody is all across the country. Voters, by the way, we're asked a few questions at the ballot box today. There were ballot questions in Massachusetts and by the way, Nicole Davis is here with they there were five state wide ballots. There were also some local
ballot questions. Many's had six and seven and even eight. I saw in some communities with various questions locally. But we're going to talk about what was happening state wide. And there were a bunch of questions.
Yeah, I just got in from counting ballots, and boy or my arms tired?
Hah.
Now these results have been coming in super slowly then really dripping into the newsroom. But we'll start this time with question four. This one has been incredibly close. That is the question about using and growing certain psychedelics. Now, for a bit a few minutes there, the race was all but fifty to fifty, but with six percent reporting, No is now edging out fifty five to forty six percent.
As for question one, the question about auditing the legislature, Yes on one has had a pretty healthy lead, and that's been the case pretty much the entire time, with seven percent in. It stays that way seventy two to twenty eight. Question five, the question about raising the minimum wage for tipped employees. No on five. Getting a bigger margin here, sixty one to thirty nine. Question two, which is all about getting rid of the graduation requirement with
the mcast about eight percent in. Yes on two is up sixty to forty percent. And then Ben, we have that fifth question we're watching.
Yes, we have the fifth question, which is actually question three. You follow me along at home?
Good.
It's about ride share drivers. In wc's Jeremy Russ fills us.
In under federal law of ride share drivers don't have their right to unionize like most other workers because they're not employees. They're independent contractors. This measure aims to hurdle the semantics and let them organize anyway. A yes vote would give drivers the right to unionize. A no vote would keep the law as it is. Backers like the Service Employees Union and the International Association of Machinists say
it just makes sense. Whether they're classified as employees or contractors, drivers are still workers and they should be able to bargain for better wages and conditions. On the flip side, critics say is not in line with federal law to let independent contractors unionize. They also claim the measure it'll lead to price hikes for customers no matter what. The measure doesn't apply to other gig drivers like door dashers and insta carters. Jeremy Russ WBZ Boston's news radio.
And with about six percent reporting in and being counted, Yes on three is winning right now sixty to forty percent. Abortion has been one of the top issues in this election. Voters in nearly a dozen states voting on whether to establish the right to abortion access. Ten states Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Maryland, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, to Vada, New York, and South Dakota all with measures on their ballot today aimed at protecting the right to
abortion access or reproductive freedom. And for the first time since Roe v. Wade was overturned in twenty twenty two, an abortion measure on the ballot has failed to pass. That measure in Florida did not get the sixty percent of the vote it needed to pass. Prior to this election, all seven states that had similar measures had passed them. Republicans pick an early victory in their battle to control the Senate. More on that from BBC.
Stephen Portnoy, West Virginia Republican Jim Justice is elected to the Senate, defeating Democrat Glen Elliott. This is for the seat that was occupied for a couple of terms by Joe Manchion, West Virginia Democrat who's decided not to run for re election this year, and now it's the first flip.
Senate.
Democrats are on defense, particularly in some of the key battlegrounds in Michigan, in Wisconsin, in Pennsylvania, in Arizona and Nevada, there are Democrats who Republicans hope to beat, and if they can, well, then they could flip the Senate.
In Massachusetts, Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren won her third term in the Chamber today. Control of the US House also was up for grabs this election. Republicans try and hold on to a slim majority, but several of the districts they're defending are in some deep blue states, places like New York and California. And then there's control over Virginia's seventh district, which is a toss up between Democrat Eugene
Vinman and Republican Derek Anderson. Nebraska's second district, the key swing district, is leaning blue, Republican Don Bacon fighting to keep his seat there. Paul showed the race in New Hampshire for governor. Isn't that connect?
W BZ.
Sherry Small is here with the latest on the vote count so far. Sherry Ben, that's right.
If you have any doubt that this is a tight race, just think about the contentious television ads you've been bombarded with by both candidates that's been going on for months, Republican Kelly Aod and Democrat Joyce Craig trying to replace outgoing Republican Governor Chris Sanunu. Aot has statewide name recognition and going back decades, she was a one term US Senator and is also the former Attorney general. Craig is the former mayor of Manchester, that's New Hampshire's largest city.
Prior to that, she was an Alderman. Now, with thirty three percent of the precincts reporting so far, AOT is in the lead, but only fifty to Craig's forty seven percent. Now, Craig has built her campaign around protecting and expanding abortion rights and also attacking Aot on her pro life track record, but Ayot claims, if elected, she will uphold New Hampshire's current law that allows a procedure up to twenty four weeks of pregnancy under certain circumstances afterward.
All right.
Aot also has the endorsement of the very popular governor Sanunu.
Ben all Right, and we are watching a couple of congressional races in New Hampshire tonight as well. District one right now, the Republican challenger Russell Prescott has inched ahead of Chris Pappis, who is the Democratic incumbent. It's real close, just over fifty percent for Prescott, just under fifty percent for Pappus. There's about sixteen percent of the votes counted, about the same amount of votes counted in District two, where Maggie Goodlander has about fifty three percent of the
vote over Lily Tang Williams. Many young voters this time around, casting their first ballots in their lifetime.
Eighteen year old timcasts first ballot and says it's a big.
I really feel like my voice is being heard, even though it's one vote.
He was initially turned away from the polling place because he was wearing a Trump van's T shirt and political attire isn't allowed at the polls, but he is proud of Trump.
I just I think he did better for our country.
And being from Texas, Tim says.
I really think the biggest thing for me is immigration.
Allison Key CBS News.
We are watching, of course, the presidential race. It may take some time to get the results completed, but so far, former president Donald Trump has one hundred and seventy eight electoral votes to Vice president Kamala Harris's ninety nine. Georgia, which was a key battleground state, a key state in this election, leaning to Trump right now, of course, there's still time to go, has not been called as of yet.
And some of the regular places we expected Harris to win she has done so, New York State, New Jersey, Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island among them. Trump has won Florida and Texas and Oklahoma, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wyoming, Indiana, and Ohio. So there is ways to go here in this election evening, and we will continue to keep you up to date on all of the happenings and all of the results
as they come in. Now there is still polls open across the country, all of the western part of the United States still voting. CBS is Nicole Skanga has more on today's voting that was not without its share of scares.
Officials in at least two states made in Georgia say police have responded to threats against schools and polling places today, none of them credible. Brad Raffensberger, the Georgia Secretary of State, saying in a news conference that officials had identified the source that it was from Russia. The FBI also putting out a statement indicating many of the threats appear to originate from Russian email domains.
We are all watching the election results here in America, but in other parts of the world they're watching too.
China has no official position but perverse stability, and I.
Think that probably means Harris.
A Trump presidency of cults would mean tariffs that would further hurt the slow in Chinese economy and a potential trade war. And of course questions remain. I think about how far either candidate would support Taiwan.
That is ABCZ and Panel on the close eyes. China is keeping on our election. We'll continue to have election results for you throughout the evening. Stay with WBZ news Radio throughout the night, and throughout the overnight. We will be here to tell you who won, who lost, and well where the whole thing is going. I'm Ben Parker.
Our election night coverage continues now with Nightside with Dan Ray on WBZ Boston's news radio.
Welcome back everyone.
We're now speaking with the cheer of the Massachusetts Republican Party, Amy Conna Valley.
Amy, Welcome to Nightside. Welcome back to Night's Side.
I believe that you're down in the southeast corner of the Commonwealth tonight at a number of Republican events. One of the things that I think you're most concerned about. I don't think you thought Donald Trump would carry Massachusetts or John Deaton would on seat Elizabeth Warren. But how are you doing at the legislative level here in Massachusetts tonight?
Dan, thanks very much for having me back on the show. I am coming to you this evening from Taunton, Math. I'm here at the Kelly Douner uh celebration. They are counting votes as Kelly is running for state Senate in an open seat. She is currently up, but the still awaiting additional votes to be cast.
Uh.
So we've not yet called the called the race, but this would be a pickup for Republicans.
Uh.
It's it's an open Kelly is able to witness.
Yes, open, it's what.
The it's what they call an open seat because the longtime Democratic incumbent down there, Mark Pachico, I guess, had decided that he would he would retire from from office. What a what percentage of the votes do you have at this point? And just be curious how how it books.
I know, you don't want to claim victory ahead of time, but she was a strong candidate, and I'd be interested as to what the numbers are looking like, either on a percentage basis or on a raw basis if you had had them available.
So we're still waiting on a couple of towns. But right now in Taunton, which is the city Kelly is is up, which is typically a good good sign for Republicans. So again, we're still waiting on a couple of outside towns to come in. But and where where them in some of the other towns. But but she's up right now in Taunton, so it's a great sign.
Okay.
So right now there are forty state senators here in Massachusetts, and the Republicans only represent four for for members of the of the Senate. Uh, if things break well for you tonight, that's one seat you might pick up. Are there any other seats that are are available for to increase your.
Your your number of senators?
I mean it's a it's a it's a small, a hardy group, but a small group nonetheless that I'm sure you'd like to.
Add to it.
Well, everyone makes a difference, as we saw by the the addition of Peter Durant last year in a special election. Even having just one more state Senator as a Republican who's willing to speak up and and voice objections to some of the policies that that are being passed through Beacon Hill without a lot of debate or dialogue makes a difference.
Uh so did.
Another seat we're looking at this evening is State Representive Matt Moore Torri, who is running for State Senate. That race is currently neck and neck. It's much too early to call, really, I think that one could be a nail bier, you know, rate down to the to the wire. A lot of money has been spent in that race. SOT again, Matt gave up his uh state rep Seat to run for State Senate, and that's in the area.
Okay, how are you doing again?
I know that part of the problem that the party has had for a long time, well predated your very active involvement, is that many, many, many members of the legislature, of the Democratic Legislature were not even challenged. Do you have any possibility of increasing You have about twenty five members of the one hundred and sixty member House Chamber. Do you have any shot to increasing that group number.
We do. So we have some challengers running and again some other seats open seats in the in the state house, state representatives, some open seats that were previously held by Democrats. So where we have competitive Republicans running, it is typically easier for Republicans, particularly in a presidential election year, to gain seats in when the Democrat is not running for
re election and we are. We're a party that's coming off losses two years ago, so we really wanted to few center sites this this cycle on winnable races, and which is what I think we've done. So we have some strong candidates running in state rep seats, in some open seats too. So for example, we have Jesse Brown and Plymouth running, Ken Sweezey and Pembroke running Christopher Thrasher,
which is an interesting race. He's running in Westport. That that race is actually five candidates, so you have of course the Republican, the Democrat, and three other political parties represented on the ballot, and that's an open seat. And Chris got on actually as a writing candidate, so it would be really interesting and if he could win that seat, and we think he has a real chance of doing that.
So let's let's talk about your job.
Your job is to revitalize a party which has been very dormant. Frankly, you've done well at the gubernatorial level. How are you getting people either to become Republican registers Republicans or actually you step up and say, hey, I'll run for city council or I'm going to run for state rep. Or I'm going to run for You know, It's one thing John Deaton to come in and try to take out Elizabeth Warren.
Obviously he was not successful tonight.
And Donald Trump at the head of the ticket is not going to have any cottails in Massachusetts whatsoever. How tough is it to get new members into a party that is such a minority party in a state like Massachusetts. Now you have a tough task in front of you.
Yeah, So I would say, you know, this year, starting last year was a little more difficult than this year. I think people saw some of the failures on Beacon Hill as a result of the policies like the migrant crisis, of billion dollars being spent, little policy changes being made, and those policies really starting to impact kind of everyday residents of the Commonwealth in their schools and their cities and police and fire protection, and you know, some of
this policy is like protection of victims over criminals. And so I do think we saw a real change in the mindset of residents in the Commonwealth this year, and we saw a number of Republican a number of our state rep candidates running as wright ins who really felt that they needed to step up and make a difference.
So I think we're going to see that continue into next year, and I think we'll see really a flood of Republican candidates much more so than we saw this cycle headed into the twenty twenty sixth election.
I want you to know that I know you're watching the competitive races very closely, but I also want you to know that the early returns on some of the ballot questions I think will please you when you think about how people think about issues. The effort to authorize the state auditor to audit the legislature again, it's only about fifteen percent center the vote, but is leading by quite a bit, seventy two percent to twenty eight percent.
The question about psychedelic substances looks to be very tight. Also, the increasing minimum wage for tipped employees. That does not that's not doing well either. It's losing about two to one. So on many of the ballot issues, people voting I think in line with the philosophy of the Republican Party.
Ironically, that's right, yes, And so the party did take a position on the ballot questions. We were we did join with the auditor on question one in favor of that, and you know, we think they are common sense issues of transparency and accountability for taxpayer dollars and the commonwealth.
And we were opposed to the remainder of the questions, in particular, most active on question five on on the tipped employees, because we heard from many of our family restaurants and workers at the restaurants that they, in fact were not in favor of this ballad initiative that really kind of came out of California.
It sure did, it sure did.
Amy Connor Valley, thank you so much, and thank you for attempting to make Massachusetts more of a two party state than it has been before your arrival. You're working hard at it, and my hat's off to you and a best of luck tonight for the balance of the evening. Thanks Amy appreciate it very much.
Thank you, Dan, and to all your listeners, thank you.
You're welcome.
When we come back during the ten o'clocker, I'll be talking with Congressman Seth Moulton a little after ten to fifteen, the Democrat from the north Shore. And then at ten forty five to time, we'll talk with New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu, who's celebrating, ironically, his fiftieth birthday. So we have Tom O'Neil speak, the son of former Speaker Tom O'Neil, coming up, as well as Polster Spencer Kimball.
Stay with WBZ News Radio thrillat tonight