(Photo: YouTube)

A number of key New York congressional seats were at stake election day last week. When all the votes were counted, though there were over a half-dozen competitive races only three districts changed partisan hands. One of those belonged to Hudson Valley Rep. Nan Hayworth, a freshman Republican who came in on the Tea Party wave two years ago and narrowly lost her seat this time around to Democratic attorney Sean Patrick Maloney. On Friday, Ms. Hayworth went on Richard French Live to look back on her unsuccessful election, as well as the broader national race.

"Look, Hurricane Sandy did have an effect on the public discourse," she contended. "There are issues of momentum that affected races like mine. The President had a substantial percentage margin over Governor Romney and we had known if there were a really large margin for the president, above say 5 points, that that would be very hard for us to overcome structurally in the new district that I was running in."

Another problem, Ms. Hayorth said, was the press' framing of the campaign. “I'm not blaming the media, but the media did tend to take up the president's message more vigorously than Governor Romney's message," she argued. "But then again, it's incumbent upon those of us who are in this contest to recognize those factors and apply resources accordingly."

Overall, the congresswoman sounded fairly remorseful about returning to private life.

"I loved this job and I cherished it and it was a great honor," she said. "So my most fervent wish was that I could continue to serve, or I wouldn't have run. But I'm confident I'll find other ways to be useful. It's a tough life."

Watch below:

Democrats managed to hold onto, or win, a large number of seats in the New York City area. (Photo: WNYC.org)

Although most of the attention last night was rightfully placed on the presidential race, a number of important state legislative campaigns were also waged, which, depending on how they turn out, could potentially have a significant impact on the legislation and policies that emerge out of Albany in the coming years. Notably, control of the New York State Senate hangs in the balance, and if Democrats win there, the party would control the trifecta of the state government as they already have an overwhelmingly majority in the State Assembly and a similarly aligned governor.

With one temporary exception, the senate has been continuously controlled by the GOP in recent years. Despite a large fundraising edge and an aggressive gerrymander which appeared to have locked in a Republican majority for the immediate future, a number of surprisingly strong Democratic victories pushed back against the conventional wisdom that they had no chance at reversing their fortunes this year,

Notably, the Republicans had specifically targeted two Democrats for elimination, Queens' Joe Addabbo and Westchester's Suzi Oppenheimer, by refashioning their district boundaries to include far more Republican turf than in 2010. However, Mr. Addabbo fended off a challenge GOP Councilman Eric Ulrich, and, thanks to Ms. Oppenheimer's retirement and the strong candidacy of Democratic Assemblyman George Latimer, Democrats managed to protect both seats.

Elsewhere in the state, Democrat Ted O'Brien successfully claimed a Rochester seat previously held by Republican Jim Alesi. Mr. Alesi, facing a likely primary challenge after voting in favor of gay marriage in 2011, opted to not run for reelection. Another pro-gay marriage Republican senator, Poughkeepsie's Steve Saland, survived a primary challenge only to have his opponent run against him on the Conservative line in the general election, allowing Democrat Terry Gipson squeak by in a 43%-to-42% plurality surprise win. This was despite Democratic Governor Andrew Cuomo providing a cross-party endorsement to Mr. Saland.

(With Republican Roy McDonald losing a primary challenge of his own, only one of the four Republican votes for same sex marriage will be in the State Senate next year, Buffalo's Mark Grisanti.)

And in the closest race of all, Democrat Cecilia Tkaczyk has a razor-thin 140-vote margin over Republican Assemblyman George Amedore, whom a new State Senate seat was drawn for in the Albany suburbs.

Additionally, Simcha Felder, who ran on the Democratic and Conservative Party lines against GOP incumbent David Storobin, pulled off a win in a heavily Orthodox Jewish seat in Brooklyn. Mr. Felder had sent signals he would prefer to caucus with a Republican majority, but with stronger-than-expected Democratic performances elsewhere, it's possible the Democrats will be able to cut a deal to keep him on their side.

The Democratic conference is particularly prone to infighting, however, and there is an outstanding issue that must be resolved even if Ms. Tkaczyk holds onto her win and Mr. Felder comes around: the four Democratic senators who broke away from the party and stopped caucusing with them last year. Protesting the leadership of Minority Leader John Sampson, the quartet formed a breakaway, Republican-friendly "Independent Democratic Conference" in 2011. If they cannot be brought back into the fold, Republicans would still be able to cling to a 30-29-4 majority.

Democrats nevertheless declared victory last night, sending out a message to their supporters entitled, "Dems take back the Senate!"

"New Yorkers elected a Democratic majority in the State Senate," Parkside Group's Evan Stavisky, whose firm served as the principle consultants for the Senate Democrats, told Politicker this morning. “In a crowded election year with competitive races across the state, and up and down the ballot, the challenge is to maximize your resources and make every dollar count."

For their part, a spokesman for the Senate Republicans told The New York Times, “We are confident that once all the votes are in, we will retain our majority.”

(Photo: Getty)

Late in this year's election cycle, Mayor Michael Bloomberg suddenly announced the creation of a "super PAC," Independence USA, through which the billionaire mayor could funnel unlimited sums of cash to candidates who support his political agenda of gun control, gay marriage and education reform. Looking at the federal races Mr. Bloomberg aimed to influence through the new political action committee, however, a majority of his candidates narrowly lost last night.

For example, in western Connecticut, moderate Republican Andrew Roraback suffered a 48%-to-52% loss to Democrat Elizabeth Esty, despite Mr. Bloomberg spending more than a million dollars on Mr. Roraback's behalf. Similarly, in another suburban seat, Mr. Bloomberg dropped roughly a million dollars boosting GOP Rep. Bob Dold in Illinois, only to see him lose by less than 1%. And, down in Florida, he spent more than $2 million in an attempt to vanquish Republican Congressman Dan Webster, but the incumbent still beat back a strong challenge from Val Demings, 52% to 48%.

In New York State, Mr. Bloomberg only directly involved himself in one race, the rematch between former Rep. Dan Maffei and the Republican who defeated him in 2010, Ann Marie Buerkle. The hotly-contested campaign also featured Independence USA's smallest federal expenditure, at less than $500,000, according to the latest campaign finance reports. Nevertheless, Mr. Maffei did pull out a 48%-to-44% victory, with a Green Party candidate soaking up the remaining tally.

But, because millions of dollars from other outside groups were also involved in Mr. Maffei's campaign, Mayor Bloomberg can probably only point to one congressional race where his spending was clearly decisive. Thanks to the state's new nonpartisan primary system, the top two candidates in California's 35th Congressional District were both Democrats, Rep. Joe Baca and his challenger, State Senator Gloria Negrete-McLeod. By pouring in more than $3 million, Mr. Bloomberg successfully hammered Mr. Baca over environmental and gun issues, leaving the incumbent with a likely 7-point loss in a race he might have otherwise coasted in.

Before the election, Mr. Bloomberg described his electoral efforts this cycle as an attempt "to get our feet wait," with most of his spending to come after he's term-limited out of Gracie Mansion in 2014.

Update (2:40 p.m.): Stefan Friedman, a spokesman for Mr. Bloomberg's PAC, pointed out other elections Mr. Bloomberg has involved himself in, either through fundraising or other third-party efforts, as well as one non-congressional race Independence USA entered for Pennsylvania's Attorney General.  That list can be found below.

“Whether it’s getting guns out of the hands of criminals; allowing people to marry regardless of their sexual preference; or cleaning up the environment, a solid majority of Americans believe that government has to enact common-sense reform – and last night, they made clear that they don’t want to wait any longer," Mr. Friedman said in a statement. "By exercising their democratic rights at the polls and voting for common-sense candidates and causes, the people took a giant step towards achieving reforms that will last a lifetime and benefit a great many.”

WINS
NELSON (D)(FL)
KING (I)(ME)
KING (R)(NY)
MCCASKILL (D)(MO)
HEINRICH (D)(NM)
HATCH (R)(UT)
KAINE (D)(VA)
SCHIFF (D)(CA)
QUIGLEY (D)(IL)
MENG (D)(NY)
RANGEL (D)(NY)
MAFFEI (D)(NY)
CICILLINE (D)(RI)
NEGRETE MCLEOD (D)
KANE (D)(PA)
TESTER (D-MT)
MAINE MARRIAGE
MARYLAND MARRIAGE
MINNESOTA MARRIAGE
WASHINGTON MARRIAGE

LOSSES:

CARMONA (D)(AZ)
BROWN (R) (MA)
RORABACK (R)(CT)
DEMINGS (D)(FL)
DOLD (R)(IL)
VILSACK (D) (IA)

(Photo: Getty)

President Barack Obama has a pre-election ritual where he plays a friendly game of basketball as the votes are cast. Today was no exception and the president hit the court this afternoon as voters across the country cast their ballots in what he has referred to as "my last election."

According to tweets from Alexi Giannoulias, a longtime friend of Mr. Obama's and a former Illinois State Treasurer, Mr. Giannoulias and Chicago Bulls great Scottie Pippen joined the president's team to face off against former Obama body man Reggie Love and Secretary of Education Arne Duncan.

Mike Ramos, a childhood friend of Mr. Obama's from Hawaii, and Martin Nesbitt, who befriended Mr. Obama in Chicago, were reportedly in on the action too, as was Bulls veteran Randy Brown, Sam Kass, who serves as Assistant Chef and Senior Policy Advisor for Healthy Food Initiatives at the White House, and Michelle Obama's brother Craig Robinson. Mr. Giannoulias tweeted that  Bulls alum Randy Brown was also involved. It wasn't immediately clear which team these players were on.

Nevertheless, based on a recent tweet from Mr. Giannoulias, Mr. Obama's team apparently came out on top.

"What a day! 'Coach Obama' coached us to victory! Great win, way to play, Pip!" Mr. Giannoulias wrote.

Now we'll have to see how well the president does off the court.

Update (5:17 p.m.): More details from the pool: 

The two five-player teams played four 12-minute quarters. Referees were brought in to call fouls. Each team had substitutes, though Giannoulias did not know exactly how many. The Potus team won by “like 20,” with a score of “like 102, 105, 108 or so to 80-something.”

“It was a lot of fun,” Giannoulias said. “We won. I scored more points than Scottie Pippen, which was my dream come true.”

Giannoulias said Potus “played very well" but did not say how many points he scored. Giannoulias scored 32, he said, and Pippen 21.

Giannoulias declined to identify the game’s other participants.

Another one of Mr. Biden's fans from a few days ago. (Photo: Getty)

Vice President Joe Biden, fresh off voting for himself in Delaware, returned to the pivotal battleground state of Ohio this afternoon to do a final round of campaign stops before polls close. And, true to form, Mr. Biden seemed to be having fun.

Approaching a booth at a Greek diner in Cleveland, Mr. Biden apologized for causing a commotion, jesting diners just came to get some spaghetti, "and Joe Biden shows up."

Next, the vice president met, according to a pool report, "the number one Biden superfan." The supporter, "struggling to contain excitement," offered Mr. Biden her food before chanting, “Biden! Biden!"

Another women walked up to him to inquire if he might run for the White House himself in four years, a possibility Mr. Biden seemingly hinted at after voting in Delaware earlier today when he said he didn't expect it would be the last time he cast a ballot for himself.

"I'm going to ask you one question, Mr. Biden. After Obama wins this election, are you going to run?" she asked.

This time, Mr. Biden downplayed speculation he might mount a presidential bid in 2016.

"Oh, I'm going to go back home and run for county council or something," he quipped.

President Obama and Bruce Springsteen today. (Photo: Getty)

In a conference call this afternoon, President Barack Obama's re-election campaign had one central message for their supporters when Election Day arrives tomorrow: They should "keep calm," even if they hear snippets of information favoring Republican Mitt Romney.

"My warning, we need to stay calm for much of the day," Stephanie Cutter, Mr. Obama's deputy campaign manager, said, touting thousands of early ballots already submitted by voters. "We've already banked a pretty big portion of our vote."

The fear, she explained, was early numbers leaking before voters have finished going to the polls, creating unnecessary panic and pessimism among Democrats.

"Keep calm and tweet on," Ms. Cutter said. "So, no matter what you hear tomorrow about turnout in Republican counties or exit polls, particularly early in the day, please remember and remind your readers that, because of early votes, we're where we need to be to win....I don't think there's going to be official exits until the end of the day, but if things leak out that aren't validated or weighted, please stay calm."

(Photo: Getty)

In a surprising announcement this afternoon, Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who left the Republican Party in 2007 and has been courted extensively by both presidential candidates, endorsed President Barack Obama for reelection. Mr. Bloomberg publicized his decision in a Bloomberg View op-ed and said Hurricane Sandy's destruction and the need to tackle long-term climate change motivated his decision.

"We need leadership from the White House -- and over the past four years, President Barack Obama has taken major steps to reduce our carbon consumption, including setting higher fuel-efficiency standards for cars and trucks," he explained. "His administration also has adopted tighter controls on mercury emissions, which will help to close the dirtiest coal power plants (an effort I have supported through my philanthropy), which are estimated to kill 13,000 Americans a year."

In contrast, Mr. Bloomberg said Republican candidate Mitt Romney was "abandoning the very cap-and-trade program he once supported," and the issue is simply "too important" to let slide.

In his announcement, the mayor, who has been coy about whether he'd make an endorsement in this campaign, also cited his agreements with Mr. Obama's social policies.

"The two parties’ nominees for president offer different visions of where they want to lead America," he wrote. "One believes a woman’s right to choose should be protected for future generations; one does not. That difference, given the likelihood of Supreme Court vacancies, weighs heavily on my decision. One recognizes marriage equality as consistent with America’s march of freedom; one does not. I want our president to be on the right side of history."

The actual value of Mr. Bloomberg's endorsement is unclear.With election day only days away, it will be difficult for Mr. Obama's team to use it to leverage his appeal among the business community for additional contributions or to distribute targeted campaign mailers featuring the announcement.

(Photo: Getty)

For presidential contests, Ohio is important. Every politico knows that.

This year's race between President Barack Obama and his Republican rival Mitt Romney is proving to be no exception. Just a couple days ago, The New York Times’s widely respected number-cruncher Nate Silver released an analysis giving Ohio a 50-50 chance of deciding the next occupant of the White House.

With all eyes on Ohio, President Obama seems to be ahead in the potentially decisive battle for the Buckeye State. In an article today, Mr. Silver noted Mr. Obama has held the lead in 16 Ohio polls since the first presidential debate, while Mr. Romney has led in six, with the most recent three polls showing a tie and two slight leads for Mr. Obama. The wider of the two was a 5-point margin from a Time magazine survey.

However, Mr. Romney's camp doesn't buy the idea they're behind in Ohio. Earlier this afternoon, they released a memo saying these indications of Mr. Obama's strength in the state just can't possibly be true, taking particular issue with the Time survey.

"The Time Magazine poll shows Governor Romney trailing by 5 points statewide, but winning Independent voters by a 53%-38% margin," the Romney campaign's national and Ohio field directors, Rich Beeson and Scott Jennings respectively, declared. "That’s just not possible. Write it down – if Mitt Romney wins independent voters by 15 points in Ohio, he’ll be the next President of the United States."

The reason why this is impossible, they explain, is because the poll has a 9-point Democratic registration edge, while, during the 2008 presidential election, the Ohioan electorate favored the Democrats by 8 points.

It should be noted when Mr. Obama's team released a memo criticizing the methodology of Gallup's polling operations, the Republican National Committee said it demonstrated the "panicked" nature of the Democratic position.

View the Romney campaign's polling memo below:

(Photo: Getty)

Presidential candidates Barack Obama and Mitt Romney are facing off in their third and final debate tonight. The verbal contest, hosted by Bob Schieffer, will focus on foreign policy and provide a highly-anticipated back-and-forth as polls tighten and Election Day looms on the calendar, almost exactly two weeks away.

The debate will be divided into six segments, each of them fifteen minutes long:

* America’s role in the world
* Our longest war – Afghanistan and Pakistan
* Red Lines – Israel and Iran
* The Changing Middle East and the New Face of Terrorism – I
* The Changing Middle East and the New Face of Terrorism – II
* The Rise of China and Tomorrow’s World

Without further ado, you watch below:

(Photo: C-SPAN)

Governor Andrew Cuomo is widely talked about as a potential presidential candidate in the next election and he consistently dismisses the speculation by insisting he’s purely focused on the job of governing the State of New York. Let’s just say the featured guests at tonight’s Alfred E. Smith Memorial Dinner didn’t exactly help dampen the chatter surrounding the governor's future.

“I’m pleased to once again to see Governor Cuomo, who’s already being talked about for higher office,” former Governor Mitt Romney said as he was introducing the distinguished guests in the room. “A very impressive fellow, but he may be getting a little ahead of himself. Let me get this straight, he’s had one term as a governor, he had a father who happened to be a governor, and he thinks that’s enough to run for president?”

Of course, Mr. Romney and Mr. Cuomo are both sons of governors who had one term running their respective states, but if Mr. Cuomo does indeed run in 2016–possibly against Mr. Romney, should he win this year–it’d technically be with two terms under his belt.

For his part, President Barack Obama went to almost the exact same joke when he thanked Mr. Cuomo for his attendance at the charity dinner known for its self-deprecation and humor.

"Tonight I am here with a man who's the father of a popular governor, and who knows what it's like to run a major Northeastern state, and who very well could be president someday," Mr. Obama quipped. "I'm hoping it is Andrew Cuomo."