Who were the winners and losers in last night’s election besides the presidential candidates? Take poll analysts, like Nate Silver, for example. Remember all the Republican conspiracy theories that pollsters were cooking the numbers? Back in September, Radio host Rush Limbaugh said this about pollsters who were predicting a win for President Obama: “They’re all Democrats. They’re all liberals. They just have different jobs. The polls are the replacement refs. They see certain things. They don’t see other things.” Who came out on top in that face off?
Then there’s the money factor, or, as it’s known on Hardball, “Dirty, Angry, Money.” Casino mogul Sheldon Adelson shelled out at least $70 million to help sway the race towards Mitt Romney, and he was no outlier. Two-time failed Connecticut Senate candidate Linda McMahon contributed about $100 million out of her own pocket over the course of both races to try and get elected. She was defeated in yesterday’s election by Democrat Chris Murphy.
On the positive side, it was a big night for the LGBT community as well as gay rights advocates across the board. Both Maryland and Maine voted in favor of same-sex marriage, and we are still waiting for the final results in Washington state..
It was also a record-breaking night for the U.S. Senate! When the next term begins, there will be a total of twenty women in the Senate, the highest number in U.S. history.
Check out the Hardball Sideshow for the rest of the 2012 winners and losers roundup.