2016: The Ultimate Election - Concession or not?

[FEMA Camp Administrator]

Great so far! I love both tickets & wouldn't object to either winning. How are NH, MI, and PA polling? How has the presence of 2 Catholics on the Republican affected the race?

[Niemeyerite]

Definitely, Schwitzer/Manchin would beat almost any GOP candidates.. but Christie/Rubio are a really strong ticket. There would be looooots of toss-up states.

[Reaganfan]

Great so far! I love both tickets & wouldn't object to either winning. How are NH, MI, and PA polling? How has the presence of 2 Catholics on the Republican affected the race?

July 2016

New Hampshire

Christie: 54%
Schweitzer: 42%

Michigan

Christie: 46%
Schweitzer: 46%

Pennsylvania

Christie: 48%
Schweitzer: 47%

[FEMA Camp Administrator]

Huh. Could the Republicans possibly win without taking Ohio? It's strange, as I tend to group WV, PA, OH, and others into a more Populist group of states, and yet the more Conservative ones are going for the Democrat and the more Liberal ones are going for the Republican. Strange. Also, this is my idea for how a map might look. This is the oddest thing. Republicans do well in the Deep South and the Industrial states. Democrats do well in Appalachia. It's ironic, at least in my opinion. Neither candidate heading the ticket is the most socially conservative, and yet Christie will probably get a large amount of Catholics while Schweitzer will do well among farmers and miners in Appalachia. FYI, this map turned out to be an exact tie, no joke and I didn't intend it that way.

[Reaganfan]

"The time now fellow Americans to recapture our greatness. To make Government less consequential in your lives. We must do it, we can do it and with your help, I will do it!"



Chris Christie comes out of the Republican National Convention with a solid bounce in nationwide and state polls. Indeed, his lead in his home-state of New Jersey tops 14% in some state polls, while the swing states all show Christie ahead.

NATIONAL POLL POST-GOP CONVENTION

Christie: 54%
Schweitzer: 42%

On Fox News Sunday's panel, the panel discusses the race that August following the Republican National Convention.

Bret Baier: Bill Kristol, what is happening to this race?

Bill Kristol: Look, Bret...it's simple. This bounce comes from the convention, there is no doubt about that. The problem for Brian Schweitzer is that for the last oh, 5 or 6 years, Chris Christie has set himself up as the natural heir to Barack Obama's throne if you will.

Bret Baier: His throne? (laughs)

Bill Kristol: (laughs) Yes, his throne. This was especially true after Mitt Romney lost four years ago. It's been all Christie all the time. Then here comes the nomination race. Christie's the front-runner, just like Reagan, just like Bush, just like Dole, just like George W. Bush, John McCain, Mitt Romney...what happens? Christie becomes the nominee. Then, the Democrats as expected nominate someone totally out-of-the-box, an unknown, someone with whom the American people have to formulate an opinion on, and it puts him at a disadvantage.

Bret Baier: Juan Williams, in fairness to Governor Schweitzer, he is performing well in polling across the country.

Juan Williams: Oh there is no question about it, I mean what happened four years ago scared Democrats to death. The President kept running ahead of his approval rating and in the end 100,000 votes in Ohio allowed Obama to keep his job. Now, the Democratic base, the liberal base is looking and saying, "So we have Christie or we have this cowboy from Montana?" They are angry. They don't like the folksy cowboy image, it reminds them too much of George Bush, yet their alternative is Chris Christie and Marco Rubio. So, the question is in a few months do they stay at home or do they bite the bullet and vote for Schweitzer?

Bill Kristol: And don't forget Juan, the idea of a Christie/Rubio ticket isn't far from the 2008 dream ticket idea of Obama/Clinton...Christie choosing Rubio has made conservatives ecstatic. Remember five years ago when they all wanted Christie to jump into the 2012 race, now he's their nominee and has Marco Rubio at his side.

Bret Baier: So the question for you Juan, is Christie 12 points ahead in polls because of the convention only, or because America is beginning the bandwagon effect around him?

Juan Williams: Oh I think it's the convention for sure, but I'll tell you this much, if on election night Christie wins New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Florida and Michigan...Democrats are going to be shutting their TVs off at 9pm.

Bill Kristol: Remember, America sometimes has a "defacto next President". But that person doesn't always become President. Remember at the start of the 2008 election, there were polls asking who people thought would be the next President, it was John McCain, solidly. He wasn't the next President. So at this point, anything can still happen, and the Democrats still have the Convention in Las Vegas next week for Schweitzer and Manchin to make their pitch to the American People.

The Democratic National Convention at the end of August formally nominates Governor Schweitzer and Senator Manchin. Governor Schweitzer makes his case for his Presidency.

"I am optimistic about America....because I've lived the American dream. It's out there, founded in our principals, seen in our greatness, and the time has come, for us to pursue those dreams!"



Following his stirring speech, Schweitzer regains ground, gaining a 10 point bump in the nationwide polls, again making the Presidential election too close to call.

NATIONWIDE POLL POST-DEM CONVENTION

Schweitzer: 51%
Christie: 45%

[tmthforu94]

Note sure if there would be that large of a swing from the convention, but nevertheless, good work.

[Reaganfan]

CAMPAIGN '16



The Christie/Rubio takes to a nationwide bus tour taking it from a rally in Atlantic City, through Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, all the way to a rally in San Diego. Christie takes the stump talking about smaller, less intrusive Government, and blames the eight years of Barack Obama for increasing the size of Government and helping keep the economy from making a full recovery.



The Schweitzer/Manchin ticket takes to the Southern strategy, holding huge rallies throughout September in Indiana, Kentucky, Missouri, and West Virginia. Christie is surprisingly strong in the Northeast region of the nation, which causes the Schweitzer campaign to focus heavily on traditional moderate Democrat states that voted for Bill Clinton in 1992 and 1996.

The candidates first debate takes place at the end of the month at Arizona State University in Tempe, Arizona. Arizona itself is considered at best a lean-Christie state and most polls show it to be a complete toss-up.

Christie and Schweitzer get into a feud while discussing the size and limitations of government.

Christie: I am going to be very clear and persistent on this one, Brian. The Federal Government during the past eight years of this President has overreached and expanded itself to such a degree, that it has almost completely wiped out the private sector. We all know that the private sector is vitally important for creating jobs and influencing economic growth throughout this country. Under your administration, nothing would change. It would simply be more expansion and overreach of government.

Schweitzer: Chris, I'm gonna be honest with you. You stand up here and talk about the Government as if it is some sort of big mean enemy out to hurt the little guy. In all actuality, I feel that Government is very, very beneficial to the economy and to our people. Government knows it's limits and if something is going to far and overreaching, then yeah, we're gonna rein it in during my Presidency.

Christie: But Governor you cannot let Government continue to overreach and then hope to stop it, you need to limit the size and scope of Government before it becomes a negative factor for America and for our economy. People know when it's getting out of hand.

Schweitzer: Well of course they do, Governor. Even a dog knows the difference between being stumbled over and being kicked.

The debate is seen as a draw.

[Reaganfan]

The Vice Presidential debate between Rubio and Manchin is ALSO said by most pundits to be a draw. Rubio was seen as very clear and concise while Manchin seemed to appeal more to middle class voters. Nonetheless, both sides agreed that the debate was a draw leaving pundits wondering, what exactly will the electoral map look like?

Nationwide polls are very inconsistent. On a Monday in mid-October, a "shocking" poll came out with a Christie lead nationwide of 13%.

NATIONWIDE POLL

Christie: 55%
Schweitzer: 42%

All news agencies and the internet were abuzz with rumors. However, three other distinguished polls then released showing the race a dead heat. Two days later, the same thing happened showing Schweitzer with a solid 9 point lead against Christie.

NATIONWIDE POLL

Schweitzer: 53%
Christie: 44%

But again, the other polls showed no movement whatsoever. Neither candidate appears to be gaffe prone, and both appear to appeal to Middle Class voters, while liberals seem somewhat unenthusiastic. This makes the Schweitzer campaign nervous. Their worst fear is that liberals stay home and conservatives come out in droves to elect Christie.

Chris Christie is far from safe, however. While he leads in states like New Jersey and New Hampshire and Pennsylvania, he trails in the west, in states such as Colorado, Montana and Nevada. Texas and many traditional red state appear safe for him, although some, such as West Virginia and Missouri appear to be in the danger zone. Nonetheless, Christie's campaign hopes that suppressed liberal turnout, along with carrying a couple traditionally Democratic states will allow the Christie/Rubio ticket to sail past 270 electoral votes on election night.

Election night is coming fast...and oh what a night it will be.

[Vern]

Could be get an E.V. map showing where the race stands? One with tossups and one without.

[Niemeyerite]

Could be get an E.V. map showing where the race stands? One with tossups and one without.

[Reaganfan]

Could be get an E.V. map showing where the race stands? One with tossups and one without.

Light Blue is lean-Christie, light-red is lean-Schweitzer

Christie/Leaning Christie: 187
Schweitzer/Leaning Schweitzer: 186
Too close to call: 165

As of Halloween 2016, the candidates make one last pitch to the voters. The final rallies are held in Madison, Wisconsin by Brian Schweitzer and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania by Chris Christie.

[Pingvin]

GO CHRISTIE!

[Reaganfan]

THIS IS A FOX NEWS ELECTION ALERT, I'M BRET BAIER.

Welcome to continuing election night coverage. Tonight, I am joined by Bill Kristol, Charles Krauthammer, Juan Williams and Nina Easton.

This is the electoral map as it stands right now. Zero to Zero. But as polls close, these states will be filling in and will show if Governor Chris Christie of New Jersey or Governor Brian Schweitzer of Montana will be the 45th President of the United States.

It's now 7pm in the East and the polls are closing in six states and we are ready to call them.

INDIANA - TOO CLOSE TO CALL
KENTUCKY - TOO CLOSE TO CALL
SOUTH CAROLINA - CHRISTIE
GEORGIA - CHRISTIE
VERMONT - SCHWEITZER
VIRGINIA - TOO CLOSE TO CALL

Well, we were atleast ready to call three of those states. You can see Christie victorious in South Carolina and Georgia, polls several months ago showed Schweitzer competitive there but not as competitive as it other traditionally red states. That gives Christie 25 electoral votes...3 for Governor Schweitzer in Vermont, a state which also looked close but in the last several weeks Schweitzer began to pull away.

Christie: 25
Schweitzer: 3

Still many states to go, many results still to come in and this race is anybody's as of right now. Juan Williams, thoughts?

Juan Williams: Well Bret, what is amazing to me is that Kentucky and Indiana are too close to call. That is a very good sign for Brian Schweitzer tonight. He and his campaign have been hoping that they can win in those rural traditionally Republican areas and pull together a coalition of states to give them 270 and as of right now at the very least they're keeping Christie's numbers down.

7:30pm in the East and polls are now closed in Ohio and West Virginia, and neither state can we yet project a winner. This continues to be the case as it has for the last thirty minutes, as you see on the board...only three states declared winners out of eight states with polls closed. That is very unusual.

Bill Kristol: But it's keeping with the fluidity of the evening and of the entire campaign. No candidate has seemed to have an advantage. At times it seemed like Schweitzer was on track, others it seemed advantage Christie, but in general nobody has made a prediction that seems reasonable at this point.

[FEMA Camp Administrator]

Christie!

[tmthforu94]

Christie!

[Reaganfan]

It's 8pm Eastern Time and the polls are now closed in 15 more states and we have some projections.

ALABAMA - CHRISTIE
CONNECTICUT - SCHWEITZER
DELAWARE - SCHWEITZER
D.C. - SCHWEITZER
FLORIDA - TOO CLOSE TO CALL
ILLINOIS - SCHWEITZER
MAINE - 3/4 FOR CHRISTIE
MARYLAND - SCHWEITZER
MASSACHUSETTS - SCHWEITZER
MISSISSIPPI - CHRISTIE
MISSOURI - TOO CLOSE TO CALL
NEW HAMPSHIRE - CHRISTIE
NEW JERSEY - CHRISTIE
OKLAHOMA - CHRISTIE
PENNSYLVANIA - TOO CLOSE TO CALL
TENNESSEE - CHRISTIE

Christie: 79
Schweitzer: 57

You can see, Christie off to a strong lead, but Schweitzer is clearly gaining and none of these states were really expected to be a result different than the ones we are currently projecting.

Nina Easton: You can tell from Christie's wins in New Hampshire and New Jersey, the fact that we're able to project them this early shows his strength in the Northeast, and clearly those 18 electoral votes from both New Hampshire and New Jersey are key to his path to victory.

Charles Krauthammer: That's right because, Ohio is a battleground that is also 18 electoral votes, if Christie wins it, he's in a very strong position, but by carrying the 18 from New Hampshire and New Jersey, that will cushion him in any defeat he may have if Ohio goes Schweitzer's way.

Bret Baier: Now, I did want to point out as well, polls showed Christie performing well in Connecticut and Delaware, which we can already call for Governor Schweitzer.

Juan Williams: Yeah so I mean, look, it's clear Christie has the advantage, but he wouldn't have been in Pennsylvania for the last rally if he thought it was safe, he wouldn't have had Marco Rubio down in Florida if he thought that was safe. I'm telling you, it becomes a real cliffhanger as you get out west where Schweitzer will likely perform well.

[Reaganfan]

Bret Baier: We have a very big battleground call to project in the state of Florida, we project Governor Chris Christie the winner in Florida, snatching 29 electoral votes from that state. At 8:24pm, this is a rather early call but one that is sure to be very significant.



Bill Kristol: Bret, that is very, very big news for Chris Christie. Having led in most of the polling really throughout the election cycle, it's not quite a surprise but the raw vote is looking very impressive.

Bret Baier: Let's check in with Molly Henneberg in Billings, Montana outside the beautiful Beartooth Mountains with the Schweitzer/Manchin campaign. Molly, what's the mood there?



Molly Henneberg: Well Bret, right now there is a little bit of nervousness with the projections coming out of Florida but that is a state that the Schweitzer campaign admits was always going to be difficult. They have said all along that their strengths are in the areas of Appalachia and states like West Virginia, Kentucky, Ohio and then once you get out west here in Montana they are feeling quite confident, polls show Governor Schweitzer well ahead in his homestate. I must tell you the optimism has taken a bit of a hit but I'm sure once those western states come in for Schweitzer, the mood is sure to change, Bret.

Bret Baier: Molly thank you, now let's head to Drumthwacket in Princeton, New Jersey where Fox News' own "Campaign" Carl Cameron is standing by, Carl.



Carl Cameron: Well Bret, the mood couldn't be more different here at the Governor's victory rally. Governor Christie's motorcade pulled in here about 15 minutes ago and he and his wife along with Senator Rubio and his family exited and waved to the cheering crowd. Again, the weather is brutally cold here as it is up in Billings although Molly has the courtesy of being indoors. Nonetheless, the Christie/Rubio campaign has said all along that they would win Florida, which they have, and that they would carry New Jersey and New Hampshire, which they have, so right now the feeling is if they can hold atleast some of the traditional red states in the South and Appalachia, and then do atleast somewhat well out west that in the end, they can find a pathway to victory.

Bret Baier: Okay, Campaign Carl Cameron live at Christie Headquarters in Princeton, New Jersey. It's now 8:30pm here on Election Night, we have two more states closing their polls.

ARKANSAS - CHRISTIE
NORTH CAROLINA - TOO CLOSE TO CALL

Bret Baier: Arkansas, no real surprise, but North Carolina, of course a swing state for the last several elections, Juan Williams.



Juan Williams: I keep coming back to Schweitzer's southern strength. He is performing so well in these states, and I have a feeling he will win a few of them before the night is out, that Christie's electoral votes are suffering from a delay to get further in the count. Even if Christie wins these states, the fact that they are this close shows Schweitzer's strength.

Christie: 114
Schweitzer: 57

[Niemeyerite]

Schweitzer!!

[Reaganfan]

9pm here in the East and Fox News can make more projections...

ARIZONA - TOO CLOSE TO CALL
COLORADO - TOO CLOSE TO CALL
KANSAS - CHRISTIE
LOUISIANA - CHRISTIE
MICHIGAN - TOO CLOSE TO CALL
MINNESOTA - TOO CLOSE TO CALL
NEBRASKA - CHRISTIE
NEW MEXICO - TOO CLOSE TO CALL
NEW YORK - SCHWEITZER
RHODE ISLAND - SCHWEITZER
SOUTH DAKOTA - CHRISTIE
TEXAS - CHRISTIE
WISCONSIN - TOO CLOSE TO CALL
WYOMING - CHRISTIE

Christie: 177
Schweitzer: 90

Bret Baier: No doubt a competitive race out west, Bill Kristol?

Bill Kristol: That's right Bret, with-

Bret Baier: I have to interrupt you, Bill. Fox News is actually going to project that Schweitzer wins Minnesota. That's gotta be good news for Brian Schweitzer tonight.

Bill Kristol: Staying true to it's Democratic roots. Remember, this was the only state Ronald Reagan lost in 1984.

Christie: 177
Schweitzer: 100

[Niemeyerite]

Arizona should be red

[Reaganfan]

Charles Krauthammer: Now I would say that Chris Christie's best bet is for victory in Michigan, where polls have shown him most competitive. Funny enough, the union labor vote that Brian Schweitzer has really motivated tonight to get out the vote is strong in Michigan, but Christie has performed very well there as of lately and I think there is a good chance that he can make a pickup there.

Nina Easton: Remember too, the last time Michigan went for a Republican was in 1988, some 28 years ago.

Bret Baier: We're gonna make a call...it's 9:34pm Eastern Time. We're projecting Virginia will go for Governor Christie, this is a good battleground win for him tonight, Virginia and it's 13 electoral votes, go to New Jersey Governor Chris Christie.

Nina Easton: That is a very vital state to the Christie campaign. As we saw in 2008 and 2012, both Republicans and Democrats can win it. Four years ago, the President underperformed against Mitt Romney in the Northern part of the state which helped Romney narrowly win it, we have to assume that tonight, Chris Christie was able to motivate the conservatives in the Southern part of the state and swing enough voters in the northern portion of Virginia to give him the state.

Christie: 190
Schweitzer: 100

[Reaganfan]

Bret Baier: Let's check in with Carl Cameron with the Christie/Rubio headquarters outside Drumthwacket in Princeton, New Jersey. Carl?

Carl Cameron: Well Bret, as you can hear behind me despite the freezing cold temperatures and the flurries beginning to fall here in Princeton, the mood is absolutely positive. The supports here and Christie campaign staff genuinely believe that tonight on this stage set up behind me, Governor Christie and Senator Rubio will be accepting a victory, they truly deep down feel that his victories in Florida then Virginia combined with wins in New Jersey and New Hampshire have allowed the electoral map to fall in their direction, and I should note that one Christie Campaign official said privately that he expects Governor Christie to speak around Midnight tonight, which would imply that the campaign expects Governor Schweitzer to concede sometime after polls close in the west, Bret.

Bret Baier: Carl, thank you. Now let's head to Billings, Montana where Molly Henneberg is standing post indoors at the Schweitzer/Manchin Victory Headquarters, Molly, what's the mood there?

Molly Henneberg: Bret, I can tell you that the temperature outside has become so cold that a senior campaign aide told me that if and when Governor Schweitzer addresses the nation, which they say they still expect to hear a victory speech, he and Senator Manchin will most likely do it from within the large room you see behind me rather than outside. Of course the campaign had hoped for an early victory and pleasant weather and was going to have Governor Schweitzer address the nation with the Beartooth Mountains during sunset as his backdrop. It seems quite unlikely that anything like that will take place now, especially given the likelihood of a long night and the bitter cold weather outside. We haven't heard any reaction from Governor Schweitzer, he is with his family and Senator Manchin at a hotel about a mile from here, and no doubt the blistering cold is keeping everyone indoors where they are confident of victory, Bret.

Bret Baier: Molly Henneberg at Schweitzer Headquarters in Billings, Montana.

[Reaganfan]

It's 10pm East Coast time, we have some projections to make in the race for President.

IDAHO - CHRISTIE
IOWA - SCHWEITZER
MONTANA - SCHWEITZER
NEVADA - TOO CLOSE TO CALL
NORTH DAKOTA - CHRISTIE
UTAH - CHRISTIE

Christie: 203
Schweitzer: 109

Bret Baier: Bill Kristol, Schweitzer making some good inroads in the Midwest with Iowa, but look at that...Montana, home-state of Governor Brian Schweitzer....he carries the state solidly, based on our projections.

Bill Kristol: The first time Montana has voted Democratic in 24 years since 1992 when Bill Clinton won it very, very narrowly against President George H.W. Bush. Remember though in that race, Perot got 26% of the vote in Montana, and without Perot, George Bush would have likely carried the state. The last time a Democrat won Montana like this in a regular head to head match-up was Lyndon Johnson 52 years ago in the election of 1964.

Bret Baier: We have A BIG CALL TO MAKE here at Fox News, we project Governor Christie will win Pennsylvania and it's 20 electoral votes. This was a biggie, a battleground for sure...at 10:04pm Eastern Time...Pennsylvania...with 20 electoral votes...Nina Easton, what does this do to Brian Schweitzer's chances of winning the Presidency?

Nina Easton: Bret, it's a very, very, very huge blow to the Schweitzer campaign. Brian Schweitzer and Joe Manchin made a very strong rural traditional, grassroots, union labor push for those voters in states like West Virginia, Ohio and Pennsylvania, and no doubt this is a state Governor Christie tended to have a slight edge in during the polling this year, nevertheless it has to hurt for Brian Schweitzer.

Bret Baier: Juan Williams?

Juan Williams: It's gotta be tough to be Brian Schweitzer or Joe Manchin right now. I mean, he spent this entire campaign essentially running as a complete opposite of Barack Obama. "Oh here I am playing football" and "oh here I am fly fishing in Montana". He ran as an everyman. The fact that Chris Christie has won Pennsylvania, it shows that Schweitzer and Manchin couldn't appeal to the rural, traditional Democrats enough or they were offset by Chris Christie's gains in the eastern part of the state. 

Bret Baier: That puts Christie at 223 electoral votes, 270 needed to win. So Juan Williams, is it time to pop the cork to the champagne bottle at Christie headquarters yet?

Juan Williams: (laughing) Not quite, although I'm sure some are. Look I mean, California is 55 electoral votes. That will shove Schweitzer's numbers way up when those polls close, so these early calls showing Christie way ahead could be misleading but of course, these are significant wins for Governor Christie no doubt.

Bill Kristol: Christie's won New Jersey, he's won Virginia, he's won Florida, he's won Pennsylvania. It's hard to see Schweitzer's path to 270 unless he can truly turn some red states blue. He really has to run the table. I say that with a completely open mind. Schweitzer has to deliver some kind of victory out west to stay viable.

Bret Baier: Let me make this pitch to you, Bill Kristol.

Bill Kristol: Oh, who, me? (laughs)

Bret Baier: If Governor Christie wins...Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky, Arizona and Michigan...it is possible for Schweitzer to come back?

Bill Kristol: No, I mean, then you're talking about a Christie electoral vote count of 320, 330 electoral votes...it would be a very healthy electoral college victory.

Bret Baier: Now, let's talk about the popular vote because we haven't touched on that yet.

NATIONWIDE POPULAR VOTE
54% of Precincts reporting

Christie: 32,345,480
Schweitzer: 31,840,211

Bret Baier: Half a million vote difference out of atleast 65 million votes cast and counted thus far.

Bill Kristol: Yes and if Christie narrowly wins most of the remaining battleground states...he could have a huge electoral vote win, but a very close popular vote.

Christie: 223
Schweitzer: 109

[Reaganfan]

Bret Baier: It's 10:30pm here at Fox News Election Headquarters, let's check in with Molly Henneberg live at the Schweitzer Campaign Headquarters in Billings, Montana, Molly?

Molly Henneberg: Well Bret, a senior aide to the Schweitzer campaign says that the Governor is in good spirits and is at a hotel about a mile or so from this event. The television screens projecting wins for Governor Christie in Pennsylvania were drowned out by the singers on stage, and right now I can tell you that many people are still confident that once more returns come in from Colorado and New Mexico and Arizona...and then the big call of California, they truly believe that Governor Schweitzer will be elected President tonight.

Bret Baier: Thanks, Molly. Now let's head again to Princeton, New Jersey where our campaign Carl Cameron has been hunkered down in the cold weather. Carl, what's the news from Christie Headquarters?

Carl Cameron: Bret, the news is that Christie has just won a state Republicans haven't carried in 28 years. That is considered monumental for them, as you and I both know, George Bush tried hard in Pennsylvania in 2000 and 2004, John McCain made a last-ditch Hail-Mary pass for Pennsylvania eight years ago that failed, and Mitt Romney pretty much wrote it off after Obama sealed the deal there, and so the mood for Pennsylvania was almost one of fools gold, but tonight Chris Christie made sure he was not made a fool and won Pennsylvania and with that they believe the Presidency will be his tonight, Bret.

Bret Baier: Carl, thank you. We're about to make some new projections in the state of New Mexico...we project that Governor Brian Schweitzer will carry New Mexico. We are also ready to project that next door in Arizona, when all is said and done, Brian Schweitzer will win the state of Arizona.

Nina Easton: That's a total of 11 from Arizona and 5 from New Mexico, so right there you have 16 electoral votes going for Schweitzer. Now, that is the equivalent of the state of Michigan, which is still too close to call, so if Christie wins Michigan atleast Schweitzer could take some comfort in the fact that he will have essentially cushioned the blow.

Bret Baier: 223, Christie. 125, Schweitzer.

Christie: 223
Schweitzer: 125

[Reaganfan]

It's now 11pm on the East Coast of the United States and Fox News is ready to make more projections for the Presidency.

CALIFORNIA - SCHWEITZER
HAWAII - SCHWEITZER
OREGON - TOO CLOSE TO CALL
WASHINGTON - SCHWEITZER

Christie: 223
Schweitzer: 196

Bret Baier: Schweitzer's electoral count jumps from 125 to 196 by picking up California, Hawaii and Washington. The state of Oregon, we're not quite ready to project a winner, polls have shown Governor Christie strong in that state, overall, still a close race.

Juan Williams: This is what I meant, with those votes coming in now, we have 125 for Schweitzer suddenly he's nearing 200 electoral votes. That changes everything and now we will have to wait and see if Christie can continue to deliver as he has been the last couple of hours.

Bret Baier: Well before we get into that, Fox News is now calling the state of Wisconsin for Governor Schweitzer.

Juan Williams: Labor unions. Period. I mean, I'm honestly quite surprised how strong Christie is in the state of Michigan given the huge amount of union labor that Schweitzer and Manchin have rallied across Appalachia, and to be honest, keep an eye on Kentucky and West Virginia because those ones are still too close to call for either Schweitzer or Christie.

Christie: 223
Schweitzer: 206

It's now 11:30pm here at Fox News Headquarters and we're now able to make a call in the very, very close contest in Kentucky. Fox News projects that Governor Brian Schweitzer will win the state of Kentucky and that state's 8 electoral votes.

Bill Kristol: Not since Bill Clinton 20 years ago has a Democrat carried Kentucky, this is significant but as Juan was alluding to earlier, the labor support and the traditional blue dog Democrat appeal Schweitzer and Manchin have certainly helped, no question about it.

Charles Krauthammer: Also notice that Schweitzer is now at 202 electoral votes...Christie has been stuck at 223 for atleast an hour now. Now the pressure is on Christie in these battleground states, because if these states begin to fall for Schweitzer, that 223 could become a lonely number for Chris Christie.

Nina Easton: Right, I mean here we are and two hours ago we were saying, "Oh man, the goose is cooked!" and yet here we sit at 11:30 at night with no candidate higher than 223 electoral votes and 11 states still yet to be called or too close to call at this point.

Christie: 223
Schweitzer: 214