The Note: Election Day 2016 -- The Moment of Truth
— -- NOTABLES
--10 STORYLINES TO WATCH ON ELECTION DAY: It’s a big day for America! The long-awaited election of 2016 is finally here, and it could be a historic one for a number of reasons. The United States could elect its first female president; Republicans could take back the White House after two terms of Democratic control; there could be record voter turnout and the leading campaign election night parties will both be in New York. Here are 10 of the biggest storylines to watch as the results come in, courtesy of ABC’s MEGHAN KENEALLY: http://abcn.ws/2fuTH4V HELPFUL LINKS FOR VOTING ON ELECTION DAY: http://abcn.ws/2fBU55f
--ELECTION DAY LIVE UPDATES: The ABC News team will be live blogging Election Day 2016. Check back for updates throughout the day and night, courtesy of ABC’s JULIA JACOBO, VERONICA STRACQUALURSI and ADAM KELSEY and the entire politics team: http://abcn.ws/2eIH2fX FULL COVERAGE, LIVE STREAMS and MORE: http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/Election
--CLINTON'S POSSIBLE PATHS TO VICTORY. Hillary Clinton hit three important states yesterday in the final lap of her presidential campaign, with her team seeming confident that her road to the required 270 electoral votes is secure. Clinton travelled to Pennsylvania, Michigan and back to Pennsylvania, before finishing up in North Carolina. She spent time in Ohio this weekend with some all-star supporters such as Beyonce, Jay Z and a native son, LeBron James. Of all the competitive states on this year's map, only Florida needs to go into Clinton's column for her to win the race, reports ABC’s MEGHAN KENEALLY. http://abcn.ws/2fadIzt
--TRUMP'S POSSIBLE PATHS TO VICTORY: Donald Trump's path to victory isn't clear and isn't set, but the Republican presidential nominee and his team have been working to ensure he has multiple paths to reach 270 electoral votes. One route he has been working toward includes states such as Wisconsin, Minnesota and Michigan. Of the three, Michigan was the most recent to vote Republican, but that was back in 1988. http://abcn.ws/2fLSA4J
--ANALYSIS -- ABC’s RICK KLEIN: Of the 2016 election, it shall not be said that the country didn’t learn a great deal about itself. Those lessons do not have to be things you embrace, or things you want to know, to be important to remember. Of the end of the campaign, it should be remembered, both candidates had the room to finish the way they wanted. Emails and tapes alike faded so that the discussion could be, if not quite about issues, at least about competing visions. No voter can say he or she did not know the tone or direction that his or her candidate would take the nation, whether that’s to “make America great again” and “strike back” at the special interests, or to be “stronger together” and embrace “a hopeful, big-hearted America.” What has not been uplifting has at least been edifying. When the task turns to governing, as it always does, the clarity of tomorrow should not and cannot forget the divisions – and the lessons – of today.
TODAY ON ‘GMA’:
--KAINE EYES 'CHECKMATE STATES' IN TODAY'S PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION. After voting in his home state of Virginia, vice presidential hopeful Tim Kaine said today's election could come down to four "checkmate states," which he and running mate Hillary Clinton are keeping a close eye on. "The ones we watch really close are checkmate states. Those are states where if we win, we know Hillary will be president,” Kaine said on "Good Morning America" today. “And I say this about North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Florida, Ohio. I think if we win any of those four, Hillary will be president." More from ABC’s MORGAN WINSOR: http://abcn.ws/2eIAk9V
--TRUMP JR. SAYS HIS DAD WILL BRING THE COUNTRY TOGETHER, WIN OR LOSE. Donald Trump Jr. said today his father will work to unite the country, whether he wins or loses today’s presidential election. Trump, who said "the last 18 months has been the longest ten years of my life," stressed his father's ability to "bring people together," citing his willingness to campaign in the inner cities as an example. "It's been incredible to see people who have been disaffected by the political process," he told “Good Morning America” today. More from ABC’s MICHAEL EDISON HAYDEN: http://abcn.ws/2eIINtK
YESTERDAY ON THE TRAIL with ABC’s ADAM KELSEY and VERONICA STRACQUALURSI
CLINTON AND TRUMP CRISSCROSS BATTLEGROUND STATES ON FINAL FULL DAY OF CAMPAIGN. Both presidential candidates made the most of the time they had left, with Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton making a combined nine stops in battleground states yesterday. While Trump visited five states in just 12 hours, Clinton hosted a star-studded event in Philadelphia Monday night, with the Obamas, Bruce Springsteen and her husband, President Bill Clinton. ABC’s VERONICA STRACQUALURSI and ADAM KELSEY have more: http://abcn.ws/2fy1eyD
OBAMA LIGHTS TORCH FOR HILLARY CLINTON TO CARRY IN LAST DAY OF CAMPAIGN SPEECHES. President Obama yesterday framed a Hillary Clinton presidency as the natural continuation of his own, urging voters to be as excited for her election as they were for his own, ABC’s ALI ROGIN writes. Speaking to a crowd at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Obama implored the crowd: "Michigan, I ask you to do for Hillary what you did for me. I ask you to carry her the same way you carried me. I ask you to make her better, the same way you made me better." http://abcn.ws/2eG5yyf
EXPERTS SAY HIGH HISPANIC EARLY VOTING NUMBERS SEEN AS BOOST FOR CLINTON. High turnout among Latino voters -- including a record in Florida -- is being viewed as a positive sign for the Clinton camp, some experts say. Michael McDonald, a political science professor at the University of Florida and senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, said early voting turnout by Hispanics in Florida bodes well for the Clinton campaign, but cautioned the Sunshine State is still very much a tossup, notes ABC’s JOHN KRUZEL and MEGHAN KENEALLY. Almost 1 million Hispanics have voted early this election, nearly double early vote numbers from 2012, McDonald said, citing early voting figures obtained by University of Florida Political Science Professor Dr. Daniel Smith. http://abcn.ws/2ftpCT6
TRUMP'S TAX RETURNS REMAIN A MYSTERY. One of the presidential campaign's greatest mysteries remains unsolved: Donald Trump never released his tax returns. The Republican presidential candidate's campaign was full of firsts, but he also earned the title of the first major party candidate not to release his tax returns since President Gerald Ford. Trump repeatedly claimed that his taxes were under routine audit and said that he would release them as soon as the audit was completed. He later said that he would do so if Hillary Clinton released the 33,000 emails that she deleted. ABC’s RYAN STRUYK and MEGHAN KENEALLY have more: http://abcn.ws/2fb1sPo
BILL CLINTON GIVES FINAL SOLO CAMPAIGN RALLY OF THE ELECTION CYCLE. The Clinton campaign has released prominent Democratic surrogates out on the trail on the eve of Election Day, and Monday in Greensboro, NC, former President Bill Clinton was among them. He delivered his closing, passionate plea in what was his last solo campaign event of the election cycle. "North Carolina you got a lot on the line!” he cautioned. “It’s close. It always is.” After more than 200 campaign rallies, countless retail politicking and headlining a number of fundraisers, a sense of urgency was still present, reports ABC’s MATTHEW CLAIBORNE. http://abcn.ws/2fMCzvo
NEW YORK CITY RAMPS UP SECURITY. New York City is typically high on any list of possible terrorism targets for big public holidays and national events, and this year's election brings an added need for security as the two top presidential candidates will have their election night parties there, blocks away from each other. This is the first time in over 70 years that both major-party presidential nominees will be in New York City on election night, and the city's police force is preparing in kind. Carlos Gomez, the New York Police Department's chief of department, said the city is planning to deploy more officers on Tuesday than on any previous Election Day, writes ABC’s MEGHAN KENEALLY. http://abcn.ws/2fvCURR
THE NATION'S CAPITAL TO VOTE ON FULL STATEHOOD. On the ballot in the nation's capital today: Whether the District of Columbia should become the 51st state. D.C. is home to more than 650,000 residents who do not have a voting representative in the Senate, though they do have a delegate in the House, and all residents must pay federal taxes. The lack of a vote in the more senior house of Congress is a sticking point with many D.C. residents. A popular version of the city's license plates is emblazoned with the phrase "Taxation Without Representation," reports ABC’s MARGARET CHADBOURN. http://abcn.ws/2faQZ6C
FLASHBACK:
--CLINTON'S AND TRUMP'S CAMPAIGNS BY THE NUMBERS. A look at the election’s notable facts and figures from ABC’s CANDACE SMITH and LIZ KREUTZ. http://abcn.ws/2fxCh6j
--REPORTER'S NOTEBOOK: MY 'GOLDEN TICKET' COVERING TRUMP'S CAMPAIGN. June 16, 2015 was a big day for two guys from Queens. One announced he was running for president. Another was about to embark on the greatest roller coaster ride. The candidate, Donald J. Trump. The passenger, me. We met with Donald Trump in late April 2015 as rumors swirled he might run for the White House. My role prior to election coverage was to go after major interviews for ABC and, with the year we were entering, politics was my focus. When Trump later sat for his first interview with ABC, he turned to me pointing across the gigantic conference room, over the huge marble table to a model of his 757 jumbo jet. "I’m flying that around the country," he said. I smiled, thinking this will be a fun project for a few weeks. More from ABC’s JOHN SANTUCCI: http://abcn.ws/2fB1Of9
--TOP TWEETS OF THE PRESIDENTIAL RACE. This year’s presidential race has been unprecedented for a number of reasons, including the influence of social media. Discussions about the election have extended far beyond the campaign trail and onto platforms like Facebook and Twitter. ABC’s JENNIFER HANSLER takes a look back at some of the candidates’ biggest social moments: http://abcn.ws/2fhmQ32
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
TRUMP SUPPORTER'S 'MAZEL TOV COCKTAIL' COMMENT DELIGHTS TWITTER. How is the 2016 election different from all others? For one, it has gotten “mazel tov” to trend on Twitter. The reason: Critiquing rapper Jay Z on CNN Sunday night, Donald Trump supporter Scottie Nell Hughes alleged that one of his videos started off “with a crowd throwing mazel tov cocktails.” The phrase is, obviously, Molotov cocktails, a combustible mixture of rags, gasoline and glass bottle common in street protests, as host Don Lemon pointed out a few moments later. Twitter took notice. “Mazel tov,” a Jewish expression of congratulations or good luck, has been tweeted about almost 18,000 times since late Sunday, and was averaging more than 4,000 tweets per hour on Monday afternoon, notes ABC’s EVAN MCMURRY. http://abcn.ws/2fwvJ9S
WHO’S TWEETING?
@amyewalter: Ron has been the definitive explainer of 2016. This is must read: @RonBrownstein: These four demographic trends should decide the winner tomorrow. http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2016/11/clinton-trump-demographics/506714/?utm_source=twb … #ElectionDay
@mikememoli: My parents always took me to vote with them. I'd often go twice. Wonder how many parents bringing sons, and daughters, today #ElectionDay
@ktumulty: Just a reminder to both sides: The republic has endured way worse things than an election outcome you don't like.
@RichardHaass: As 2016 campaign finally winds down, hard not to invoke words of Gerald Ford: "My fellow Americans, our long national nightmare is over."
@GlennThrush: I tweet this every Election Day and always get made fun of... but I mean it more than ever this year: God bless America!