The Other McCain

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PA-12 LIVE Election Results; UPDATE: Democrat Wins; Burns Concedes

Posted on | May 18, 2010 | 122 Comments

WASHINGTON, Pa.
Election results online here.

11:30 p.m. ET: Well, everybody else has gone to drown their sorrows, but I’ve still got to hit a late deadline for The American Spectator. A defeat is always harder to report than a victory. Maybe when I get off deadline, I’ll feel better. If anyone feels an overwhelming urge to hit the tip jar — hey, don’t fight the feeling.

Part 1 of the concession speech:

Part II of the concession speech:

10:55 p.m. ET: The people who supported his campaign “will not give up, and they will not give in,” Burns said in his concession speech. Video to come shortly.

10:30 p.m. ET: With 74% of precincts reporting district-wide, it’s Critz 54%, Burns 43% and, looking at county-by-county results, I don’t see where Burns can make up the difference.

Critz wins. Just heard that Burns called Critz to concede. Expect Burns to make concession speech about 10:45 p.m. Will update.

10:16 p.m. ET: In Indiana County — where Tim Burns went to college at IUP — it’s Burns 57%, Critz 41% with 38% of precincts reporting. The music in the ballroom now: “Don’t Stop Believing” by Journey.

10:14 p.m. ET: In rural Somerset County, 88% of precincts are reporting, dead even, Burns 49%, Critz 49%

10:07 p.m. ET: In Westmoreland County, only 14% of precincts reporting, Burns 50%, Critz 48% — three weeks ago, a campaign source said Westmoreland would be decisive. We continue watching . . .

9:55 p.m. ET: Just got off the phone with a source who is at the Fayette County Courthouse, which he says is now swarming with election lawyers watching eagle-eyed over the ballot-count after the report of double-voting. Meanwhile, Dave Weigel notes the potential for Libertarian candidate Demo Agoris to play spoiler if the race is, as my source says, “tight.”

9:45 p.m. ET: 11% of precincts now reporting — Critz 58%, Burns 39%, and 3% for the Libertarian candidate. Waiting for more numbers . . .

9:30 p.m. ET: With just 6% of precincts reporting, Critz 62%, Burns 38%, but Diana Irey said don’t worry about such early numbers. Based on previous experience, I’d say you won’t get a better idea of the result until 70% of precincts are reporting. We wait . . .

9:20 p.m. ET: Still waiting for more numbers. Meanwhile, more photos:

Tim’s father, Ed Burns, and Tim’s son, Brock Burns.

Brock Burns rocks the fedora.

9:10 p.m. ET: Diana Irey just got me some results. Five precincts reporting from a 3-to-1 Democrat area in the city of Washington, Critz 803 (55%), Burns 667 (45%). And this indicates . . .? “He’s gonna win,” Irey says — “he” meaning Burns, of course.

The music in the grand ballroom right now just hit Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Gimme Three Steps.” That’s a good omen.

8:55 p.m.: Now seriously hassling the sources: “Numbers! I want some %#&#ing numbers!” Until I get the numbers, what I can tell you is that all the Burns people who worked precincts today felt encouraged. One guy talked to a Democrat operative who was reportedly impressed with the GOP turnout. But that’s just anecdotal. I want some %#&#ing numbers!

8:50 p.m. ET: Just another completely random “man on the street” interview:

Meanwhile, that random kid’s dad gets interviewed:

8:30 p.m.: I’m currently hassling sources: “Numbers! I need numbers!”

8:10 p.m.: I was just showing the video of campaign HQ to Ed Burns — Tim’s dad — when he said, “Oh, there’s Tim. Gotta go.” Video inside the grand ballroom:

7:55 p.m. ET — Polls close at 8 p.m., and the dignitaries and media are already beginning to gather in the second-floor grand ballroom of the posh George Washington Hotel for what Republicans hope will be a victory celebration for Tim Burns in Pennsylvania”s 12th District.

EXPECT UPDATES . . .

Category: Congress, Election, Pennsylvania

Comments

122 Responses to “PA-12 LIVE Election Results; UPDATE: Democrat Wins; Burns Concedes”

  1. PA-12: The Baloons Didn’t Drop « Red Dog Report
    May 19th, 2010 @ 8:01 am

    […] Stud Reporter Stacy McCain of The OTHER McCain did an amazing job updating the story all night long; Read it here: PA-12 LIVE Election Results. […]

  2. ak4mc
    May 19th, 2010 @ 1:07 pm

    Art. I Sec. 4 Cl. 1 explicitly allows Congress to override state regulations as to the “time, places and manner” of holding Federal elections.

    Hmm. So it does. Can anyone say whether that specific power has ever been used (as opposed to drawing on, say, the 14th Amendment)?

  3. ak4mc
    May 19th, 2010 @ 8:07 am

    Art. I Sec. 4 Cl. 1 explicitly allows Congress to override state regulations as to the “time, places and manner” of holding Federal elections.

    Hmm. So it does. Can anyone say whether that specific power has ever been used (as opposed to drawing on, say, the 14th Amendment)?

  4. Cassy Fiano
    May 19th, 2010 @ 8:24 am

    […] The Other McCain Burns concedes; Democrat wins […]

  5. Thomas L. Knapp
    May 19th, 2010 @ 2:03 pm

    I wonder how much impact the Dems’ attack ad based on Burns’s support for the “Fair” Tax (as mentioned here on The Other McCain might have had on those swing areas that ended up going for Critz?

    Aside from being generally silly and evil, support for the “Fair” Tax lets liberal Democrats make an honest end-run around the right flank of conservative Republicans.

    Or, to put it a different way, it’s hard to sell a 30% sales tax, coupled with a scheme to put every man, woman and child in America on a monthly federal welfare check, to any libertarian at all, or to any conservative who still has functioning brain cells.

  6. Thomas L. Knapp
    May 19th, 2010 @ 9:03 am

    I wonder how much impact the Dems’ attack ad based on Burns’s support for the “Fair” Tax (as mentioned here on The Other McCain might have had on those swing areas that ended up going for Critz?

    Aside from being generally silly and evil, support for the “Fair” Tax lets liberal Democrats make an honest end-run around the right flank of conservative Republicans.

    Or, to put it a different way, it’s hard to sell a 30% sales tax, coupled with a scheme to put every man, woman and child in America on a monthly federal welfare check, to any libertarian at all, or to any conservative who still has functioning brain cells.

  7. Roxeanne de Luca
    May 19th, 2010 @ 2:10 pm

    Oh, damn. This is bad.

    Now, if I’m not mistaken, Critz will only take office until January, correct? There will still be time for him to make stupid votes between now and then and get knocked out in a few months?

  8. Roxeanne de Luca
    May 19th, 2010 @ 9:10 am

    Oh, damn. This is bad.

    Now, if I’m not mistaken, Critz will only take office until January, correct? There will still be time for him to make stupid votes between now and then and get knocked out in a few months?

  9. A Mixed Electoral Bag For Republicans | IgnorantME
    May 19th, 2010 @ 9:56 am

    […] And now for the bad.  In PA-12, the district formerly represented by John Murtha Republican candidate Burns was defeated by a comfortable margin by Democrat Critz.  At times this race polled closely, with the thought that Burns might pull it out, but in the end, the Democrats prevailed.  Many pundits and prognosticators looked to this race to see what November may look like for Democrats.  A Republican would have been doom and gloom for Democratic chances across the country.  Instead, it looks like things might not be quite as bad as many on the left had feared.  For a delayed reading of a liveblog of the night’s events, and the final concession speech from Burns head over to The Other McCain. […]

  10. Tim Burns: The day after – Washington Post (blog) | DEMOCRAT.GNOM.ES
    May 19th, 2010 @ 10:49 am

    […] activists. Robert Stacy McCain, a freelancer who made four trips into the district to shadow Burns, reported that Burns allies like Diana Irey, who ran against the late John Murtha in 2006, were even […]

  11. Joe
    May 19th, 2010 @ 4:21 pm

    Geraghty gets forgotten (at least by me) until an election comes around. But I guess that is why he calls his blog the Campaign Spot.

    There is some good analysis there. He does not pull punches, but it is not eye-orisms either. Well worth reading and digesting.

  12. Joe
    May 19th, 2010 @ 11:21 am

    Geraghty gets forgotten (at least by me) until an election comes around. But I guess that is why he calls his blog the Campaign Spot.

    There is some good analysis there. He does not pull punches, but it is not eye-orisms either. Well worth reading and digesting.

  13. wallamaarif
    May 19th, 2010 @ 5:55 pm

    Tom Davis, a former Republican House member and top party campaign strategist, saw the win by Democrat Mark Critz, a former aide to Mr. Murtha, over Republican Tim Burns as a serious blow to the Republican claim to be within reach of the 40 seats needed to recapture the House.

    “If you can’t win a seat that is trending Republican in a year like this, then where is the wave?” asked Mr. Davis, who said Republicans will need to examine what went wrong. “It would be a huge upset not to win this seat.”

    Via Larison.

  14. wallamaarif
    May 19th, 2010 @ 12:55 pm

    Tom Davis, a former Republican House member and top party campaign strategist, saw the win by Democrat Mark Critz, a former aide to Mr. Murtha, over Republican Tim Burns as a serious blow to the Republican claim to be within reach of the 40 seats needed to recapture the House.

    “If you can’t win a seat that is trending Republican in a year like this, then where is the wave?” asked Mr. Davis, who said Republicans will need to examine what went wrong. “It would be a huge upset not to win this seat.”

    Via Larison.

  15. PA-12: The Final Wisdom : The Other McCain
    May 19th, 2010 @ 2:24 pm

    […] […]

  16. Tim Burns: The day after – Washington Post (blog) | REPUBLICAN.GNOM.ES
    May 19th, 2010 @ 6:05 pm

    […] activists. Robert Stacy McCain, a freelancer who made four trips into the district to shadow Burns, reported that Burns allies like Diana Irey, who ran against the late John Murtha in 2006, were even […]

  17. jfxgillis
    May 20th, 2010 @ 1:12 am

    ak4mc:

    Duh. Election day in the USA is uniformly the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November of every fourth year by Act of Congress.

  18. jfxgillis
    May 19th, 2010 @ 8:12 pm

    ak4mc:

    Duh. Election day in the USA is uniformly the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November of every fourth year by Act of Congress.

  19. The Hallucinogenic Effects of Centrism: ‘WTF Is David Brooks Smoking?’ : The Other McCain
    May 21st, 2010 @ 3:59 pm

    […] the way, I’m sorry I missed David Brooks Fisking Day on its regular Tuesday schedule. I was kinda busy Tuesday. var addthis_pub='smitty1e';var addthis_language='en';var addthis_options='twitter, digg, email, […]

  20. Bill Clinton 2, Barack Obama 0 « Red Dog Report
    June 9th, 2010 @ 1:58 pm

    […] A month earlier Mr. Clinton ventured out to Johnstown, PA in support of Mark Critz, Critz won. […]

  21. Bryan Jenkins
    June 30th, 2010 @ 2:15 pm

    i like the idea of solving crime using Mathematics that is why i love numb3rs.~,:

  22. Bryan Jenkins
    June 30th, 2010 @ 10:15 am

    i like the idea of solving crime using Mathematics that is why i love numb3rs.~,: