Posted on 11/02/2002 7:18:13 PM PST by hole_n_one
October 31, 2002
Get Smart Tuesday Night
What to Look for as Networks Report House and Senate Results
By Josh Kurtz
But how the story gets told - and when - depends on what network you tune into and what races their pundits designate as bellwethers.
As is the case most election nights, logic would seem to dictate that competitive House races in Indiana and Kentucky, where polls close the earliest, will offer some clues to the direction of this election. Voting ends in Kentucky and Indiana at 6 p.m. - though both states are divided between the Eastern and Central time zones.
Indiana's 2nd district, where former Rep. Jill Long Thompson (D) and businessman Chris Chocola (R) are competing for the seat of retiring Rep. Tim Roemer (D), is as pure a tossup as you'll find in the country, most experts agree.
But Indiana's 7th district, where three-term Rep. Julia Carson (D) is trying to hold off a tough challenge from former Dan Quayle aide Brose McVey (R), could be a truer bellwether.
The Indianapolis-based district has a large black base and trends Democratic, so if Carson loses it could signal a long night for the Democrats.
On the other hand, Democrats believe Bryan Hartke (D), son of former Sen. Vance Hartke (D), has a chance to upset Rep. John Hostettler (R) in Indiana's 8th district. If that happens, it could foreshadow a long night for the GOP.
In Kentucky's 3rd district, Democrats have long dreamed of knocking off three-term Rep. Anne Northup (R). But attorney Jack Conway (D), though considered a formidable challenger, has been hurt by the sex scandal surrounding his former boss, Gov. Paul Patton (D). If Conway is able to withstand the Republicans' attempts to connect him with the scandal and win, that could auger well for Democrats across the country.
The polls in other Southern states with close House races also close early: at 7 p.m. in Georgia; at 7 p.m. in Florida (though portions of the Panhandle are on Central time); and at 7:30 p.m. in West Virginia. They close at 6 or 7 p.m. Central time in Alabama depending on local elections boards.
The first Senate battlegrounds to report will also be in the South. In addition to Georgia, polls close at 7 p.m. in South Carolina; at 7:30 p.m. in North Carolina; and anywhere from 6 to 8 p.m. Central time in Louisiana, depending on the parish.
Republicans are slight favorites to hold onto their seats in the Carolinas, so any Democratic victories would be significant. In Louisiana, the issue is whether Sen. Mary Landrieu (D) will top 50 percent of the vote and avoid a Dec. 7 runoff with one of three Republicans.
Politicos looking for early and easy answers on televisionaren't likely to find them if they don't have cable. In contrast to presidential election years, the major over-the-air networks will have scant coverage of these midterm election returns. Here is a roundup of who's doing what on Tuesday night.
ABC
Peter Jennings will anchor an hour-long election special beginning at 10 p.m. Eastern time. He'll be joined in the studio by several ABC News regulars, including Cokie Roberts, George Stephanopoulos, Claire Shipman, Michel Martin, George Will and Political Director Mark Halperin.
Of note in the post-Florida 2000 world, a team of ABC correspondents will monitor states for voting discrepancies and irregularities.
Following local news at 11 p.m., a special edition of "Nightline," hosted by Ted Koppel, will focus on the elections.
CBS
Dan Rather, who has covered every major election since 1964, will once again be in the anchor chair for a one-hour special starting at 10 p.m. He'll be joined by CBSNews stalwarts Bob Schieffer, Ed Bradley, Lesley Stahl, John Roberts and Anthony Mason. In addition to focusing on the major races, Bradley will report on who voted and why, and Roberts, the chief White House correspondent, will shadow President Bush, who has plenty on the line Tuesday night.
CNN
Aaron Brown, Judy Woodruff and Paula Zahn will co-host the cable network's coverage, which begins at 3 p.m. CNN analysts Jeff Greenfield and Bill Schneider will also be on hand, and political insiders Paul Begala, Tucker Carlson, James Carville and Bob Novak will provide analysis. The ubiquitous Larry King will also be on hand.
While every network - including CNN - will rely on the beleaguered Voter News Service for projections on all the races, CNN is the only network funding its own vote-counting system, to minimize the importance of exit polls.
C-SPAN
Election coverage will begin about 9 p.m., with Susan Swain handling hosting duties in the studio. Most of the time, however, C-SPAN will carry live (or occasionally taped) feeds from a dozen local TV newscasts across the country.
Steve Scully, C-SPAN's political director, said the public affairs network is focusing on the Senate races in Minnesota, South Dakota, Arkansas, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Missouri, Colorado, Georgia, North Carolina and Texas, as well as the gubernatorial races in Maryland and Florida.
"We expect it to be a long night," he said.
C-SPAN will carry the local stations' news coverage until about 2 or 3 a.m., and then replay a host of victory and concession speeches until its "Washington Journal" program airs at 7 a.m. Wednesday.
Fox
All of the election night action will be on the Fox News Channel on cable, with Brit Hume serving as host for a report scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. and run until at least 3 a.m. Commentary will be provided by Roll Call's Morton Kondracke, along with Fred Barnes, Michael Barone, Juan Williams and Bill Kristol.
"I think we've got the dream team," Producer Marty Ryan boasted.
Legal eagle Greta Van Susteren will report on referenda - because many involve complex legal issues, Ryan said.
And Tony Snow, host of "Fox News Sunday," will report on the exit polls and exclusive Election Day phone polls that Fox is conducting with the Opinion Dynamics polling firm.
NBC
The bulk of the action will be on MSNBC. "Hardball" host Chris Matthews will host the coverage, which is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. and run until 3 a.m. MSNBCanchor Lester Holt and NBC political reporter Norah O'Donnell - a Roll Call veteran - will also be featured prominently.
Roundtable discussions featuring Newsweek's Howard Fineman, former Ronald Reagan speechwriter Peggy Noonan, Democratic operative Donna Brazile, and former Democratic pollster Patrick Caddell will be a regular feature.
"NBCNightly News" anchor Tom Brokaw will host an hour-long special for the over-the-air network beginning at 10 p.m., with "Meet the Press" host Tim Russert in tow.
It is not clear whether Russert will have his dry-erase board with him.
PBS
"The NewsHour," hosted by Jim Lehrer, will provide what little election night coverage there is. But if you blink, you may miss it.
The program will offer what few results it can when it airs in its usual 7 p.m. time slot in the Washington area. Then, local PBS stations are expected to air the first 10 minutes or so of an updated "NewsHour" broadcast at 9 p.m. Eastern time - when the program airs in its regular slot on the West Coast - with fresh election results. But that's probably all there will be.
"The next day, 'The NewsHour' will pretty much be 100 percent dedicated to the elections," spokesman Rob Flynn said.
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