Dispatches from the front lines

How race and identity are shaping politics, policy and power.

Nov 09, 2022 View in browser   By Brakkton Booker With help from Alexander Nieves, Elena Schneider, Jesse Naranjo, Krystal Campos, Teresa Wiltz, Jesús Rodríguez and Rishika Dugyala  Brakkton Booker/POLITICO What up, Recast fam! Election night has come and gone. The predicted red wave appears, for now, to just be a ripple. But we're still waiting for  confirmation about which party controls the House and the Senate. More on that in a moment. First, though, we focus on history from the barrier-breaking bonanza in Baltimore on Tuesday night.  The atmosphere at the Wes Moore campaign headquarters — similar to the Maryland gubernatorial race — was never one of doubt: Democrats came to show out and to get down — and they danced their way into the history books with a historic sweep of statewide offices. The festivities started long before the race was called shortly after polls closed at 8. The ballroom at the Marriott Waterfront in Baltimore felt more like a club, with supporters bobbing and swaying to a DJ cranking out banger after banger on the loudspeaker from Beyoncé to Montell Jordan to Aretha Franklin. Moore becomes Maryland's first Black governor — and just the third to ever be elected to a governor's mansion in U.S. history. Democrat Wes Moore, center, stands on stage with his children, Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) and other statewide candidates during an election night gathering after Moore was declared the winner of the Maryland gubernatorial race, Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2022, in Baltimore | Julio Cortez/AP Photo During the primary and on through the general election campaign against Republican Dan Cox, Moore could not escape the constant reminders from reporters, including me, about the history he was poised to make. But he would always pivot, shifting focus back to others on the barrier-breaking ticket. "We've had a lot of firsts tonight," he said, " Aruna Miller, the first immigrant and first woman of color to serve as lieutenant governor. Brooke Lierman, our first female comptroller. Anthony Brown, our first Black attorney general." But then, he stopped to acknowledge the magnitude of the moment. "And it is not lost on me that I've made some history here tonight, too," Moore said. "But I also know I'm not the first one to try. This is just more proof that progress is possible in Maryland. And I am humbled to be a part of this legacy." The two previous Democratic nominees, Attorney General-elect Brown and former NAACP head Ben Jealous, were also African American, but both lost to Republican Larry Hogan. Hogan, the popular governor who is now term-limited, called to congratulate Moore on his win. Moore is still waiting for a similar call from Cox, his opponent. Before the night was capped off in a shimmering crescendo of gold and white confetti, several Democratic Party leaders took the stage to crow over the night's victory after being shut out of the governor's mansion for eight years. Moore speaks on the phone with Gov. Larry Hogan after the Democrat was declared the winner of the Maryland gubernatorial race on Tuesday. | Bryan Woolston/AP Photo "The people of Maryland have spoken," said Rep. Steny Hoyer, the House majority leader, before leaning into a joke. "It took a long time to tell us that — about four and a half seconds." He later turned serious, putting a remix on a famous quote from civil rights icon Martin Luther King Jr.  "This election is an historic election because of the color of the new governor's skin," Hoyer said. "But ladies and gentleman and citizens of Maryland, this is a great election for our state because of the content of his character." Backstage, I got a glimpse of what life is now like for one of the Democratic Party's biggest stars. Moore hugs his daughter, Mia, as his mother, son and wife look on after he spoke to supporters during an election night gathering in Baltimore. | Julio Cortez/AP Photo There were long embraces with his wife Dawn, their children Mia and James and many loved ones and supporters. And there too was an unmistakable beefed up security presence — with one officer pushing me away from capturing the scene saying, "It's a private family moment." He was then whisked behind a curtain, off to do more media interviews. As he waited for his MSNBC hit, he asked one of his aides about another gubernatorial candidate chasing history. "How's Georgia?" An aide, perhaps not wanting to put a damper on his moment, told him the Senate race was too close to call, but that Democratic incumbent Raphael Warnock was leading against his Republican challenger Herschel Walker. Stacey Abrams, the Democratic nominee, ultimately fell short in her rematch against Republican Gov. Brian Kemp. Three other Black gubernatorial nominees — Deidre DeJear in Iowa, Yolanda Flowers in Alabama and Chris Jones in Arkansas — also failed in their quests to be their state's first Black governor. Later in the night, I asked Moore if it was a relief to have made history — or if he feels there is more pressure now to prove he can govern. WATCH: Moore wants his legacy to be more than Maryland's first Black governor "I want to make sure that our long-term legacy is not that I've made history," Moore told me. "I want that to be something that's brought up after people talk about the other things that we accomplished as the governor of the state of Maryland."   Power dynamics are changing. With The Recast, you'll get a twice-weekly breakdown of how race and identity are the DNA of American politics and policy. Was this forwarded to you by a friend? Subscribe to the newsletter here .   FROM THE GEORGIA FRONT LINES Sen. Raphael Warnock waves to supporters after speaking during an election night watch party, Wednesday, Nov. 9, 2022, in Atlanta. | John Bazemore/AP Photo At 1:48 a.m., Warnock still wasn't ready to declare a December runoff, reports POLITICO's Elena Schneider. But he told the 50 or so diehard supporters still left at his election night party in Atlanta that "we know when they're finished counting the votes from today's election, we're going to have received more votes than my opponent." Warnock leads Walker by just over 35,000 votes with some outstanding precincts. But neither candidate cleared 50 percent, likely forcing the race into a Dec. 6 runoff, when both candidates will go head-to-head for a race that could potentially decide who controls the U.S. Senate, a repeat of the stakes in 2021. Warnock boosters, who spoke throughout the night, remained bullish on his odds "Whether we win it all tonight or we fight on until December, we will send the Sen. Rev. Warnock back to the Senate," Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-Ga.) said. But even early in the night, it felt like Warnock supporters knew this was coming: They only filled about half the ballroom, as if they were resting at home in preparation for another four weeks of campaigning instead. More from Elena here .   INSIDE THE LOS ANGELES RACE Democratic Los Angeles mayoral candidate Karen Bass speaks at an election night party in Los Angeles, Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2022. | Jae C. Hong/AP Photo The crowd at Democratic Rep. Karen Bass' election night party in Hollywood started heading to the door just after 10 p.m., a little more than an hour after they'd filled the theater on Sunset Boulevard, reports POLITICO's Alexander Nieves. Across town, the group of supporters cheering on real estate developer Rick Caruso were in their cars not long after being treated to a concise 45 minutes of speeches. The prompt gatherings reflect a reality that nearly all Los Angeles political analysts anticipated going into the night: It could take weeks before the city's next mayor is named. Bass and Caruso are separated by a razor-thin margin in early returns, with more than 80 percent of ballots still uncounted, according to estimates from county election officials. "It's going to be a long night," Bass told an enthusiastic group of supporters, "and it might take a few days." Los Angeles mayoral candidate Rick Caruso smiles as he speaks in his election-night headquarters Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2022, in Los Angeles. | Marcio Jose Sanchez/AP Photo Bass is vying to be the first woman elected mayor of America's second-largest city. A win would represent a political homecoming for the veteran congresswoman, a former physician's assistant who became an activist in the late '80s after witnessing the crack epidemic's toll on Black and Latino communities.. Caruso, a billionaire former Republican, has poured more than $100 million into his campaign, shattering spending records in the country's most expensive media market. Read more from Alex here .   THE BIG WINS Maxwell Alejandro Frost, the Democratic candidate for Florida's 10th Congressional District, celebrates with supporters during a victory party at The Abbey in Orlando, Fla., on Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2022. | Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel, via AP Voters sent the first Gen Zer to Congress last night. Maxwell Alejandro Frost, 25, defeated Republican Calvin Wimbish in Florida's 10th Congressional District, the seat held by now-unsuccessful Democratic Senate candidate Val Demings since 2017. While the election wasn't supposed to be close, Frost's victory heralds a couple of firsts: He's also the first Afro-Cuban member of Congress. Read more on the representative-elect . Democratic Rep. Abigail Spanberger managed to eke out a win in her reelection bid, defeating Trump-endorsed Republican candidate Yesli Vega en route to her third term representing Virginia's 7th Congressional District. Vega, who would have been the first Latina to represent the 17 percent Latino district, was a co-chair of a Latinos for Youngkin group. A fellow co-chair of the group knocked her advertisement of her appointment to Trump's now-defunct President's Advisory Commission for Hispanic Prosperity earlier in the campaign season, accusing her of being a no-show. Democratic Rep. Vicente González, who jumped from Texas's 15th District, secured a victory in a member-on-member race to represent Texas' 34th Congressional District, beating out GOP Rep. Mayra Flores. Flores became the first Mexican-born member of Congress when she won a special election earlier in the year, and Republicans considered her an important piece of their efforts to diversify the GOP rosters.  Republican Anna Paulina Luna emerged victorious in her second bid for Florida's 13th Congressional District, beating out Democrat Eric Lynn for a redrawn, more-Republican district once held by former Rep. Charlie Crist. In addition to Trump's support, Luna had the backing of members such as House GOP Conference Chair Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) and groups such as the conversative Turning Point USA, where she once worked.    THE NAIL-BITERS Republican U.S. Senate candidate Herschel Walker speaks during an election night watch party on Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2022, in Atlanta. | Brynn Anderson/AP Photo Georgia Senate — As Elena reports, the Warnock-Walker showdown appeared too close to call and likely headed to a runoff. Walker, a former football star, was backed by Trump in his bid to unseat Warnock, a senior pastor at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta who was first elected in a January 2021 runoff. The Walker campaign was forced into defensive posture after revelations that the candidate allegedly encouraged and paid for ex-girlfriends' abortions. They don't, however, appear to have pushed the race to the point of avoiding a runoff. Michigan's 10th District — Republican John James, who narrowly lost Senate bids in 2018 and 2020, is leading in his latest quest to come to Congress, this time as a member of the House of Representatives. He's leading over Democrat Carl Marlinga by roughly 1,600 as of 10:40 a.m. ET. If his lead holds, James will add to what's expected to be a record number of Black members in the GOP ranks. Connecticut's 5th District — That boost could be elevated further in this contest if Republican George Logan can overcome the slight deficit he has in his quest to topple the incumbent, Democratic Rep. Jahana Hayes. A few weeks ago The Recast spoke with Logan about what it would mean to flip this deep-blue New England seat. Republican House candidate George Logan greets voters outside Louis Toffolon Elementary in Plainville, Conn., Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2022. | Jessica Hill/AP Photo As always, we'll be watching to see how everything plays out in the battle for control of Congress. We'll see you back on Friday. In the meantime, we're sending you off with this timely reminder for our TikTok of the Day . All the best, The Recast Team   Follow us on Twitter Brakkton Booker @brakktonbooker Rishika Dugyala @rishikadugyala Teresa Wiltz @teresawiltz Jesús Rodríguez @jesusrodriguezb Jesse Naranjo @jesselnaranjo   Follow us

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