A Blast From the Past Wins California

Democrat Jerry Brown wins third term in three decades

The results are in for the California Governor’s race. Replacing Republican Arnold Schwarzenegger will be Democrat Jerry Brown. This will be Brown’s third term as governor of California—a position he last held 35 years ago!

Brown served two terms as governor in the 1980s. He is allowed to be governor for a third term because the law prohibiting more than two terms did not exist when he was Governor the first time.

Brown is currently California’s Attorney General. He has served numerous other elected positions in the state, including Mayor of Oakland. His father, Pat Brown, was also a California Governor.

With the support of President Barack Obama and the endorsement of former President Bill Clinton, Brown was able to win a mostly Democratic state with about 3.9 million votes.

California now has Democrats in two of its major postions. Barbara Box won re-election as Senator.

Brown’s opponent Meg Whitman received 41 to 42 percent of the vote. Whitman is the former head of eBay. This was her first time to run for public office. She spent a record of more than $140 million dollars on the campaign, most of the funds coming out of her own pocket.

 —Miranda Rector

PHOTO: Democratic gubernatorial candidate Jerry Brown speaks at his campaign party at the Fox Theater, November 2, 2010 in Oakland, California. (Photo: Ray Chavez/Oakland Tribune/MCT/NewsCom)

 

A Grand Old Party in Georgia

Nathan Deal new Peach State Governor; two new Republicans in House

When the Georgia Republicans gathered for their Election Night Party at the Grand Hyatt in Atlanta tonight, they had a lot to celebrate. The roller coaster ride campaign for Governor was over and Republican Congressman Nathan Deal defeated former Governor Roy Barnes for the state’s top political job.

Among the many GOP (Grand Old Party) members celebrating with Deal were U.S. House Representative Tom Price, also victorious, and U.S. Senators Saxby Chambliss and Johnny Isakson. While Chambliss was not up for re-election this year, Isakson was. Georgia voters sent him back to Washington, D.C., for another six-year term.

State Republicans were also celebrating two big wins in the U.S. House of Representatives that helped the GOP become the majority vote in that house of Congress. Republicans added 60 of its members to the House of Representatives. They only needed 40 to win a majority.  In the Senate, they gained six seats, the only bright spot for Democrats. While two seats are still too close to call, the Democrats will retain a slim majority in the Senate.

Before making a victory speech, Deal had to wait to be certain he had won. The wait was agonizing for both his supporters and himself. He did not address the crowds as Georgia’s next Governor until around midnight.

While others were celebrating, the candidates talked to reporters about what they would do after taking office.

“The first priority is to make sure next year’s budget is balanced,” Deal told the Scholastic Kids Press Corps. “Next year is going to be challenging, and I think everybody recognizes that.”

Voters have strong opinions too. Most of the ones at this celebration voted the party line and wanted to see changes locally as well as nationally.

“I think Nathan Deal listens to the people and knows that we need jobs,” said Randall Smith. “He’ll bring more people to the state, he’ll bring more jobs to the state, and it’ll become a cycle. That cycle then grows and we move forward.”

Senator Isakson summed it up. “We need to get our economy back and our jobs back,” he said. “That’s my number one priority.”

—Andrew Liang

PHOTO: Kid Reporter Andrew Liang with Nathan Deal, Georgia's next Governor at an election night party in Atlanta, November 2, 2010. (Photo Courtesy Andrew Liang)

A Candidate's Daughter

What it's like when dad runs for office

This weekend I interviewed 10-year old Amanda Rubio, oldest daughter of Florida Senator Marco Rubio, who has four kids.

I asked her how it felt knowing her father could very well be the next Senator of Florida. As I type this story on election night, her father has just been declared the winner in a three-way race.

“It feels really good,” she said on a campaign stop with her dad in my hometown of Lakeland, Florida. “I know that he could go around the world expressing what he feels, and try to make this country a better place.”

I then asked her about her favorite TV show. She said it was the Disney Channel show Good Luck, Charlie. I was thinking, “That’s mine, too!”

Finally, I asked her what she believed was the hardest thing about all her dad’s campaign.

“I think it is that my dad is not here a lot,” she said. “I feel like, ‘Where’s my dad,’ and my mom says he is all the way in Washington (or other places).”

As I was watching her dad make his acceptance speech, he mentioned that point as well. He thanked his wife for “raising the kids practically by herself,” and his kids for allowing him to devote so much time to the campaign.

While he spoke, Amanda was on stage with her sister and two brothers. Her mom’s arm was around her and she was grinning from ear to ear. Even though she is now a Senator’s daughter, she is still a kid who is proud of her dad.

—Shelby Fallin

PHOTO: Kid Reporter Shelby Fallin with Amanda Rubio, 10-year-old daughter of Marco Rubio, Republican candidate for U.S. Senate in Florida, at a campaign stop in Orlando, Florida, October 2010. (Photo Courtesy Shelby Fallin)

Too Close to Call

Shades of hanging chads, Florida Governor's race could go to a recount

Right now, the Governor’s race in Florida is neck in neck. Republican candidate Rick Scott has 50 percent of the vote and Democratic candidate Alex Sink has 47 percent of the vote. So far, 73 percent of the precincts have reported.

More than 500,000 votes are still being counted in Dade County and South Florida. Less than 100,000 votes separate the two right now.

If Alex Sink wins, she would be the first woman Governor of Florida. Rick Scott, a businessman, would be the first non-politician to be elected. If these two candidates come within a half a percent of each other, there will be a recount of the votes. And we all know Florida’s history with recounts!

Keep watching this race, it’s too close to call!

—Shelby Fallin

 

PHOTOS: (TOP) Democratic candidate for Florida Governor Alex Sink. Credit: Zuma Press/NewsCom (BOTTOM) Republican candidate for Florida Governor Rick Scott. CREDIT: Brian Blanco/Reuters

Rubio Wins U.S. Senate in Florida

First big Tea Party win of the night

Tea Party supported Republican Marco Rubio was declared the winner of the U.S. Senate race in Florida shortly after the polls closed. Rubio dominated the three-way race for the open Senate seat in the Sunshine State.

When he first announced his intention to run, Rubio was not considered a major player in the race. As Election Day neared, however, popularity polls showed him pulling ahead of his two opponents by more than 10 percentage points.

Also running for the seat was current Florida Governor Charlie Crist, and Florida Representative Kendrick Meek. Crist changed his party affiliation from Republican to Independent to make the race. Meek ran as a Democrat. Former President Bill Clinton recently endorsed Meek at a rally.

A Cuban-American, Rubio was backed by the Tea Party movement. He began his political career in the Florida State House. Keep an eye on this Senator. Many Floridians believe he could be a future presidential candidate.

Check out my interview with Rubio when he made a campaign stop in my hometown over the weekend.

—Shelby Fallin

PHOTO: Florida Republican Senate candidate Marco Rubio, and his wife Jeanette smile as national TV stations call the race in his favor. He was watching election results in Coral Gables, Florida on Tuesday November 2, 2010. (PHOTO: Alan Diaz/AP Images)

Iowa's Race for the Governor

As the weather gets colder in Iowa, the gubernatorial election is heating up. 

Current Governor Chet Culver is running against former Governor Terry Branstad, who was Governor from 1983-1999. Culver is a Democrat while Branstad is a Republican. Just hours before election day, polls show that former Governor Branstad is leading Governor Culver by 12 points. Both candidates are confident that the voters will turn out strong for their cause. But who will win?

Culver has been Governor since 2006. This is his first term. On October 12, Governor Culver came to Davenport to talk about what he will do if he is elected as governor again.

"The future of Iowa is the most important issue in this race by fighting to make Iowa the renewable energy capital of the United States," Governor Culver told the Scholastic Kids Press Corps. Right now Iowa is building a smart grid in order to be able to export that power to other areas.

Terry Branstad was governor for 13 years and was Iowa's longest serving governor. Governor Branstad decided to run again because he felt that Iowa needed to get back on track. He feels that with his experience and track record, he is the person for the job. The most important issue to Governor Branstad is that Iowa needs more jobs and a boost for our economy.

"Iowa has the highest level of unemployment we've had in the past 24 years," Branstad told the Scholastic Kids Press Corps. "There's a lot of people out there right now that can't find work." 

He also feels that we need to improve education here in Iowa.

"Iowa used to be near the top of the list in leading education. Now we are somewhere in the middle," Branstad said at the Davenport Municipal Airport.

The one concern people seem to have in common this election is the economy and jobs. With the unemployment rate high, voters want to see change.

"The economy is not going well. I would like to see that change," Jeff Terronez, a lifelong Democrat, told Scholastic.

Jamie VanFossen is a Republican and a former Iowa State Representative from Davenport. He feels that the economy is also a major issue in this election. He would like to see more jobs become available, especially for those who are just finishing college. "The economy needs to be the main priority in everyone's mind," VanFossen said. 

Whatever the outcome of this election, voters from both parties feel that this election will be a reflection on how the people feel about the job that President Obama is doing.

                                                                                                              —Kid Reporter Alysa Goethe

Photos: (top) Kid Reporter Alysa Goethe with Iowa Governor Chet Culver, (bottom) Kid Reporter Alysa Goethe with former Iowa Governor Terry Branstad. (Photos courtesy Alysa Goethe)

A Midterm Storm!

Democratic incumbent feeling the heat in congressional race in New Jersey

It feels like an electrical storm has spread across America, charging up voters everywhere. Does that mean ominous skies for incumbents?

In New Jersey the race for the 6th congressional district has drawn national attention. Democratic incumbent Frank Pallone is seeking his 12th term in office. Republican Anna Little, who is backed by the Tea Party, is running against him in what has traditionally been a Democratic district.

Last year's Governor's race may have changed that, however. Since 2004, Pallone has won his bid for that seat with more than 65 percent of the vote. Republican candidate Chris Christie won in the sixth congressional district by 15.5 percent in 2009. This year, popularity polls show Little closing the gap among likely voters.

I recently spoke with Ms. Little about the race.

“Jobs and the economy are what most people are worried about,” she said. “They’re worried that their children and grandchildren will not have an acceptable quality of life or a chance at the American Dream.”

Pallone, who has been in Congress for 19 years, is also campaigning on jobs and the economy. Getting American back on track economically has to be done on a national basis, he said.

 “That would mean a national manufacturing policy to try to create jobs, plugging up loopholes in the tax code that encourage jobs to go overseas, looking at new areas where we could compete with other countries,” he told a reporter for a local paper.

This is a closely watched race, and I’ll be watching it, too, as results come in on Tuesday night! Check back to find out what happens.

—Danielle Azzolina

PHOTOS: TOP: Republican candidate for the 6th congressional district in New Jersey, Anna Little. (Photo Courtesey Anna Little) Bottom: Democratic House Member Frank Pallone of New Jersey's 6th Congressional District. (Photo Courtesy Frank Pallone)

Debate in Florida

Three candidates for U.S. Senate meet in final debate

The three candidates for U.S. Senate in Florida met in a debate this week, just days before the November 2 election. Florida Governor Charlie Crist, Representative Kendrick Meek, and former state Representative Marco Rubio all want to fill the open U.S. Senate seat in the Sunshine State.

I attended the debate inside the NBC WESH studio in Orlando on Friday. It was the last of a series of debates in this race. The candidates were allowed two minutes to answer each question, which resulted in a fast-paced exchange. The topics included the foreclosure crisis, the unemployment rate, and social security.

THE INDEPENDENT

Current Florida Governor Charlie Christ was attacked with rapid-fire questions and comments as to why he had changed his party affiliation from Republican to Independent.

“I am running as an Independent in this race because I believe the parties are broken,” he said. “I did not change, the Republicans did.”

THE DEMOCRAT

Representative Meek expressed his dedication to his party.

“I’m a Democrat. You can count on that,” he said.

Meek focused his remarks on the economy and the national debt. When I talked to Meek after the debate, I asked him about his education policy.

“I will stand up in the United States Senate and continue to fight for education funding in this state,” he told me. “We need to be sure to challenge not only students and teachers, but business communities and policy makers like myself to do better.”

I know there are many different viewpoints between Democrats and Republicans. People have to understand both sides to make a compromise, so I asked him to name one valid point that he agrees with Republicans on. He had to think for a minute before he answered.

“I think it’s the accountability in the education system,” he said. “You hear the Republicans talk about accountability a lot, but the policy makers who mold the type of system we have, we have to take just as much responsibility—the Democrats and the Republicans—as the teachers in the classroom.”

THE REPUBLICAN

Representative Marco Rubio focused his remarks on the future.

“Our ancestors faced their problems themselves and left the world better off for their children,” he said. “This will be the first time that our children will inherit a country in decline.”

Rubio was not available for a comment after the debate, so I caught up with him a few days later when his bus stopped in my hometown of Lakeland, Florida. My initial question was about why he running for Senate in the first place. What did he like best about it?

“We’ve gotten to meet people from all walks of life,” he said. “It shows how special America is and how we need to keep it that way.”

I reversed my question for Meek to ask Republican Rubio what he thinks is a valid viewpoint he shared with the Democrats.

“Unfortunately we have a war going on in the Middle East and the fact is that Iran should not be allowed to have a nuclear weapons,” he said. “Those are the issues I think we can work on together.”

I also asked what he would tell voters about his viewpoint on education.

“Education really belongs at the local and state level and the federal government shouldn’t be interfering,” he said.

—Shelby Fallin

PHOTOS: (TOP) Kid Reporter Shelby Fallin and Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate in Florida, Kendrick Meek at a debate in Orlando, October 2010. (Bottom) Kid Reporter Shelby Fallin with Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate Marco Rubio, center, his 10-year-old daughter Amanda, and Shelby's mom Cindy, at a campaign stop in Lakeland. (Photos Courtesy Shelby Fallin)

Georgia’s Next Governor

Former Gov. and current Rep. fight to lead the Peach State

Two experienced politicians are fighting to be the next Governor of Georgia in this midterm election.

The race is between Democrat Roy Barnes, a former Georgia Governor from 1999 to 2003, and Republican Nathan Deal, a member of the U.S. House of Representtives since 1992.Both are debating different ways to create new jobs, improve the education system, and protect Georgia’s water rights.

Deal comes from a family of educators. His parents and wife all worked their entire careers in the education system. He has ideas on improving student achievement in Georgia.

“When there are fewer state dollars in the budget, local administrators and educators know what will work best for their school system,” Deal told the Scholastic Kids Press Corps. “We need to give them flexibility, especially at this crucial time.”

Barnes is pushing for more technology in the classroom to enhance education.

Another item on voters’ minds is water rights. Georgia has been in several disputes over water resources and water rights with neighboring states like Alabama and Florida. Barnes and Deal both promise to settle the disputes and help Georgia keep its rights to water such as Lake Lanier and the Chattahoochee River, both important water sources.

“The availability of abundant, clean water has become as important in Georgia as the availability of other natural resources, such as gas and coal,” Barnes said. “Currently, we are in a major water crisis because of the escalation of the dispute with Alabama and Florida over Lake Lanier. This poses a threat to everything we have built in Georgia. Immediate action is imperative.”

Boosting the economy is also what voters are looking for in the candidates, with unemployment rates exceeding 10 percent in Georgia.

Barnes’ strategy is to create public jobs in the short run. Deal has a plan to bring jobs to Georgia by creating a business friendly environment.

“I want to lower the corporate income tax by one-third,” Deal said. “This will encourage corporate businesses to hire more employees. Also, I want to give a waiver to small businesses that open in Georgia.”

Opinion polls show that Deal has a slight lead, but the margin of error in polls makes this a very close race.

Georgia governor’s race can make a difference in the balance of power in the U.S. Congress. Since Georgia’s population has increased according to the recent 2010 Census, Election Data Services estimates that next year, Georgia will gain one seat in the House of Representatives. The congressional districts in Georgia have to be redrawn, so every district has a population of equal size. Both parties will fight to redraw the districts to its own party’s advantage. It will up to the state legislature and the governor to veto or approve the new congressional districts. Whether that new district will be made up of primarily Republican or Democratic voters could be up to the next Governor.

As Deal and Barnes face off in the final few days before November 2, Scholastic Kids Press will be there to cover the final stage of the race. Check back here for the results on Election Night, November 2.

—Andrew Liang

PHOTOS: (Top) Nathan Deal. (Photo Courtesy Nathan Deal.) (Bottom) Roy Barnes. (Photo Courtesy Roy Barnes)

Tight Race in New Hampshire

House set in Manchester could make a different in D.C. balance of power

Former Manchester Mayor Frank Guinta hopes to unseat Representative Carol Shea-Porter to win the 1st Congressional seat in New Hampshire this mid-term election.

A Republican, Frank Guinta served two terms as mayor of Manchester. He was elected twice to the New Hampshire State House of Representatives. If elected to the U.S. Congress, he says he will work to reverse President Obama’s health care package. Guinta wants to lower taxes, cut spending, and reduce violent crime.

Democrat Shea-Porter is seeking her third term in the U.S House of Representatives. When elected in November 2006 she beat incumbent Jeb Bradley. She beat him again in the 2008 election.

Shea-Porter is the first New Hampshire woman to have been elected to a national office. She was inspired to run for congress after volunteering during the Hurricane Katrina disaster. She noticed the poor federal response and decided someone from New Hampshire needed to speak up.

According to recent popularity polls by WMUR-TV and the University of New Hampshire taken on October 15, Guinta has taken the lead. Polls shows Guinta with 48 percent of likely voters to Carol Shea-Porter’s 36 percent. 

Shea-Porter is winning the money race. Currently she has $605,595 on hand, while Guinta has $421,000. Most of Guinta’s funding is coming from the national Republican Party, which has targeted this seat as a possible win in their attempt to regain a majority of votes in Congress.

You can check back here on Election night November 2 for results as I am one of many Kid Reporters covering important races around the nation.

And don’t’ forget: Remind your parents to vote!

—Chloe Conway

PHOTOS: (Top) Former Manchester Mayor Frank Guinta. (Photo Courtesy Frank Guinta) (Bottom) Representative Carol Shea-Porter (Photo Courtesy Carol Shea-Porter)