ayotte won by less than 2,000 votes. we start tonight with the smell of battle lingers from last night, grand old tea party.

ayotte. we will ask you to welcome the candidates. [applause] our panelists for the evening are here with us. let's get to it. josh, first question. mr. binnie, first response. >> we're here to talk about the issues. the tone of this race has become an issue. a lot of people say it has been one of the nastiest primary races in recent memory in new hampshire. where do you draw the line between an honest critique -- of their critique of your opponents background and nasty campaigning? >> it is a pleasure to be here tonight. it has been my pleasure to run for the united states senate. the people of new hampshire have gotten to know me. my dad introduced me over nine months ago. folks understand that i care about the job and the economy. when i became the frontrunner in the august, we were attacked by all kinds of private organizations. i thought that was not fair. i did not like it. not for amnesty. i am a liberal. ask my kids. what i am about is talking and dealing with the economic crisis that

lamontagne has held the lead throughout the night. 41% to 38% for kelly ayotte. several other conservatives in that race. 30% of the vote counted. they're counting slowly tonight in new hampshire, lamontagne holding his leads but the numbers have closed just a bit. we need to keep watching in. new york governor, carl paladino, the tea party candidate, will be the nominee for governor. he beat the establishment republican candidate rick lazio. let's break down the numbers here. carl paladino winning over rick lazio. the numbers are mixed up, but we know mr. paladino is mixed up in the state of the percentages are obviously a mistake in the graphic. mr. paladino is winning that race, going up against the attorney general, andrew cuomo. charlie rangel, cnn now projects, will be the winner in the democratic primary in the 15th congressional district. he has represented that district for 20 terms, that's 40 years in the house of representatives. he is now the runaway favorite despite ethics allegations against him. and one more we're waiting for tonight, the d.c. mayo

ovide lamontagne is in a battle with kelly ayotte. ayotte once had the clear advantage. but now she appears to be facing some stiff competition from lamontagne. although ayotte has the blessing of palin. >>> and for the democrats, new york representative charles rangel certainly has his work cut out for him. he is not only been plagued by a cloud of house ethic charges, today he faces five challengers, although, he does have the advantage of a large campaign purse. >>> in other news -- with investigators still trying to figure out why a gas pipeline exploded in san bruno, california, last week, industry watchdogs are raising the alarm that there are literally thousands of pipelines, just like the one that exploded nationwide. aging piping is the problem. the one that exploded in san bruno, killing four and leaving four others missing was more than 50 years old. critics say utilities aren't willing to spend the money necessarily to avoid disasters like the one in san bruno. the cost to replace lengthy stretches of pipe can exceed $30 million. meanwhile, the owner of the p

the new hampshire primary, kelly ayotte, ovide lamontagne. she was the favorite. he is winning in the moment. another message to the establishment, 42% for lamontagne. this is not over yet. big cities to come in. a lot of conservatives say her support for sonia sotomayor could be a reason her conservative challenger is out pacing her. charlie rangel, 20-team house democrat. he had five challengers. this crowded field could be a factor in the results. let's look at the early numbers. charlie rangel facing ethics charges, his lead challenger adam clayton powell iv 24%. the crowded field could be a factor. we'll keep an eye on that. the 15th district. this could be another stunner. the new york primary for governor. rick laszio was considered the favorite, tea party candidate karl palladino. you might get a gasp. 67% for the tea party's carl palladino, 33% for rick lazio. this is holding up. karl paladino saying this is an establishment republican. we need a break in the party. the d.c. mayoral race. no results in this one. getting late after 11:00, the democratic re

last we checked, ayotte had a really, really thin lead. we'll keep you posted. one still up in the air. turn to a guy a bit sleep deprived. there he is. you're looking pretty good for having no sleep last night. paul steinhauser, political deputy's three different groups reacting to what we saw last night. the reaction from the tea party, the democrats and republicans. start with the tea party. how are they reacting to what happened last night? >> they are, you can imagine very, very happy and thrilled with the results. t.j., o'donnell's victory and paladino, you mentioned up in new york, big victories for the tea party movement, conservative, the outsiders, anti-establishment republicans. kind of like almost in a way the grass voots now running the party. in a way the tail wagging the dog. you can imagine, tea part groups excited about what happened. it's a new chapter in the same book we've been reading all primary season, and murkowski in alaska. bennett, two other republican senators ousted by candidates backed by the tea party as well. results yesterday, sa

pale insplit with the tea party to support ayotte there. tea party activist, one bump in the road, in maryland. odds-on favorite bob ehrlich defeated the palin favorite, brian murphy there. that's our report tonight for the big political night. a lot more tonight tomorrow morning. for all of us at abc news, good night, america. >> jimmy: it's the "jimmy kimmel live" fantasy league, presented by gmc. hello, i'm jimmy kimmel. >> and i'm cousin sal. >> jimmy: we have much to cover tonight, so let's get right to it. >> jb smoove shows no mercy to kristen bell, beat her 77-63. >> joel mchale on top of dax shepard, 80-53. jx in the all william round, william perry chews up the sports guy bill simmons, 86-83. >> jimmy: and the big scorer, jimmy kimmel crushes adam carolla, 115-86, which stirred up a bit of controversy. >> jimmy: i'm adding up the points again, and i did -- i've confirmed that i did beat you, i did win. >> awesome. >> your cousin's the commissioner. >> huh? >> did we have an independent party do the scoring -- >> independent cousin

the new hampshire primary, kelly ayotte, ovide lamontagne. she was the favorite. he is winning in the moment. another message to the establishment, 42% for lamontagne. this is not over yet. big cities to come in. a lot of conservatives say her support for sonia sotomayor could be a reason her conservative challenger is out pacing her. charlie rangel, 20-team house democrat. he had five challengers. this crowded field could be a factor in the results. let's look at the early numbers. charlie rangel facing ethics charges, his lead challenger adam clayton powell iv 24%. the crowded field could be a factor. we'll keep an eye on that. the 15th district. this could be another stunner.

sarah palin is backing ayotte. it's paying off. ayotte leading lamontagne by seven points. >>> also playing out right here in new york's race for governor, tea party republican, carl paladino, millionaire developer and political novice is closing in on rick lazio. he's the choice of the republican and the conservative leaders in the state. the new poll shows lazio leading paladino by one percentage point. not a lead at all. on the democrat inge siic side, rangel has been charged with 13 ethics violations, stripped of his position as the chair of the ways and means committee. he's going to hold on. he's raised more campaign money than all of his challenger combined. >>> and in wisconsin, watch out for republican businessman ron johnson. if the political newcomer wins it primary today as expected, analysts say he's got a good chance of unseating democratic senator russ feingold, a main stain in washington for years. republican leaders in congress are backing away from a possible compromise with the obama administration into that by h

how many votes are out in this senate primary between ayotte and lamontagne? >> i think about 85, 88% of the vote has been counted. probably somewhere between 750 and 1,000 votes separating the two. but the fact is, you have to go town by town. and i think over the course of the day, the secretary of state will tabulate all the votes, certify the votes and we'll have a clear picture of whether or not it's going to be close enough for a recount or whether or not there'll be enough daylight between the two candidates that it can be called today. >> what do you make of the results, not only what's happening in new hampshire, but certainly you're aware of what's happening in delaware, and across the republican party. are you concerned that it's essentially moderates no longer able to win elections, win republican primaries, and what that might mean for the party's long-term prospects. >> well, look, there's definitely an ideological undercurrent across the whole country. people looking for fiscally responsible candidates, conservative candidates. people are going

tea party supported lamontaine facing kelly ayotte in new hampshire. right now, lamontaine is ahead 35% to 45% over ayotte. blue dog katrina swett facing ann custer. right now, ann custer well out ahead of katrina swett. in new york, where veteran democratic congressman charlie rangel is trying to hold his seat, we cannot give you results in that race. we're keeping a close eye on it. in new york state, the republican nomination for governor. rick lazio facing a strong challenge from carl paladino. with just 6% of precincts reporting now, carl paladino well out ahead of rick lazio. the story of the night, christine o'donnell has pulled off the upset in delaware's senate primary. defeating mike castle for the republican nomination for senate. with tonight's win, christine o'donnell becomes a name of which americans will be much more familiar. tonight she actually won, which should not be confused with her false claims during the campaign, that she defeated or maybe tied joe bind when she ran in the 2008 senate race in two of delaware's three counties an

and kelly ayotte is officially the winner of the new hampshire primary seat. she defeated the tea party favorite by a slim margin of under 1700 votes yesterday. after an extended night of vote counting, despite the close margin of victory, he said he will not request a recount. ayotte faces paul potis in the replace to face retiring senator judd gregg. >> the november election seemingly can't come soon enough for some voters. a new cbs news "new york times" poll this morning shows some republicans desperately want new blood in the building behind me. 34% of them said the representative deserves to be re-elected this year. 55% of them said it's time for someone new. 58% say they disapprove of what democrats are doing in congress, and 30% approve. according to the same survey, more americans disapprove than approve of president obama. his approval rating stands steady at about 45%. president obama continuing his call on congress yesterday to pass an extension of bush-era tax cuts for the middle class. standing next to members of his cabinet and his economic team

a number of recent polls shows that ayotte would be host in a matchup. perhaps the first sign of a reversal of fortune who swept in 2008. in manchester, new hampshire, molly line, fox news. >> bret: more politics later as democrats answer the question, where is the beef? and straight ahead, some possible movement in the beef >> the imam leading the controversial efforts to build an islamic center near ground zero are says he's exploring all options for a solution and comes as 70% of participants in a new poll says the muslim group has the right to build there. 63% believe it is wrong to do so. senior correspondent eric shawn has the day's developments from new york. >> there could be a change in the so-called ground zero mosque. the project's leader, imam faisal abdul rauf appeared at the prestigious council on foreign relations and says everything is on the table regarding the project's future. >> we're exploring all options as we speak right now. we're working through what will be a solution, god willing, that will resolve this crisis. rauf would not s

kelly ayotte won narrowly over ovide lamontagne. love the name. she has the backing of sarah palin and he was according to the tea party. fr fred, what is significance of that race? >> any of the candidates running on the republican side will probably win. kelly ayotte, the state attorney general is probably the best candidate. there was a third guy in the race, bill benny who spent $5 million and got 12%. this is going to be republican seat. they'll be holding one of their own. it's going to win. ovide, great name, i agree, he probably would have won, too. >> chris: this is a victory relatively speaking for the establishment republicans over the outsider republicans in new hampshire, correct? >> yes, in this case, she was certainly supported by sarah palin, but also by the establishment. unless something crazy happens they expect it to stay in republican hands. certainly, the tea party is certainly a force to be reckoned with. they are playing in the races. i think anyone who underestimated them should rethink it. >> talk about somebody who peopl

want to switch to new hampshire, another woman, kelly ayotte, the establishment candidate, she could get -- face a strong challenge and get defeated by ovide lamontagne, a tea party favori favorite. >> kelly ayotte bridged the gap between outsider, insider, conservative moderate. she has the support of sarah palin, has the support of rick santor santorum, tom coburn. and lamontagne won the nomination in '96, lost the general election then. i think it's going to be close. if she does pull it out, she has the potential to be a star. a sort of conservative woman in new hampshire, a republican, another potential new face for the republican party. she would be favored in november. >> yeah. i've been watching kelly ayotte, former attorney general, a lot of people say she would be a future star of the republican party and would play a key role in the 2012 presidential primary. let's talk about wisconsin. this is a democratic race. russ feingold facing a surprisingly strong challenge what do we expect? what is the latest today? >> today is kind of the storm before the storm. ron johnson, a w

kelly ayotte was the established favorite, and judd la montagne is the challenger. this is another one of those seats that people out there in the middle of america wonder why do i care about new hampshire? well, it is a republican seat, and the big conversation is that if mr. lamontagne wins, is he so far right that the democrat could pick up the seat, and get in the way of the math of the republicans taking over the senate. >> and i would say that in that state we won with obama, and a lot of states with the independent vote is big, there and they liked john mccain before sarah palin got on that ticket, but i don't vote against jim demint on the candidate, so you have a live seat in play there. >> this is the classic -- you are smiling. my enemy of my enemy is my friend, and for the democrats the enemy of republicans, the tea party candidates, and you believe will end up being your friends, because it will give you more of a shot. >> huge mistake. >> why? >> because the tea party movement is a leading indicator and a leading indicator for enthusiasm of the republi

you've got the former attorney general kelly ayotte on one side. she is moving ahead of ovide lamontagne, slightly ahead of him. 1100 votes separating them at last glance. she is the one with the support of the stabment there, the republican party, not to mention former alaska governor sarah palin who endorsed her but that was before this ovide lamontagne really made his surge and he is the tea party favorite. so we will update you on any developments from this race as we get them. and don't forget, folks, fox news is america's election headquarters, on tv, online on the go. you can go to foxnews.com for all the low down on yesterday's primary races, or, you know, you could just keep it right here where i'm giving it to you right now. but if you want it simultaneously to be read and heard foxnews.com. this is fox news alert on a story that is getting a lot of attention today for anybody who has ever been on an airplane. a u.s. pilot busted, u.s. pilot busted for showing up to work drunk. it's not like he just had to fill out paperwork that day eith

ayotte 43% to 37%. although he is seen as the outsider favorite, you should know it was miss ayotte who received the backing of sarah palin. he is ahead of her 43-37%. another inassistance of an outsider conservative candidate leading the republican establish choice. in the state of new york, embattled democratic congressman charlie rangel trying to hold on to his house seat going for a 21st term in congress. even as he faces an ethics trial in the house of representatives. charlie rangel is facing five democratic challengers for his seat. he leads them all with 19% of precincts reporting. charlie rangel, 48% of the vote. his nearest challenger adam clayton powell iv with 24% of the vote. new york is the scene of another shocker tonight. this one coming in the republican race for governor. the associated press is now reporting that carl pal dino has defeated the fellow republican rick lazio in that race. a stunning result in the new york governor's race. carl paladino has enjoyed tea party support. he h

associated press is reporting that new hampshire has now certified kelly ayotte as the winning of the party of the u.s. senate and faced a challenge from a tea party candidate, it was a very narrow victory. you can see there, less than 1.5%, i believe, if i'm sort of -- no. more than 1.5% there. there was a question earlier today talking to anyone officials whether it goes into a runoff and a ballot challenge but looks like now the associated press is declaring her the victor. we had a big night last night, a lot of these primaries, so let's discuss it now with democratic strategist steve mcmahon and republican strat jik ron bonjean. you were sitting here through my interview with lisa miller. what is your sense about that with christine o'donnell? is she a flawed candidate or really represent what are the angers and fears of so many voters out there? >> i think it is a combination of both. i think she's a flawed candidate and has several character issues. to republican, you know, to republican watchers, pollsters. we don't believe she's electable in delaware. we have just lost a sena

contrary to national prevailing wins, ayotte is the establishment gop choice in the granite state. she will face democratic congressman paul hodes in november. meanwhile, senator lisa murkowski lost in her primary in alaska to a tea party guy with a beard named joe miller. murkowski has refused to endorse him so far. after trying and failing to get the libertarian for senate in alaska to give her his line on the ballot, lisa murkowski says she will announce by friday whether to start a write-in campaign to try to keep her old seat. midterms are supposed to be boring. i keep waiting to be bored. >>> coming right up, vice president joe biden and i talked about repealing don't ask, don't tell today. mr. biden was fairly blunt about it. >> and everybody's looking for the orderly elimination of this law. i would prefer it not be orderly. i prefer it just end. boom, done. but that's why that hasn't happened. harry reid is considering pursuing republican support for just the middle class tax cuts by allowing republicans at least a chance to hold a full vote on whether to extend all tax cu

preliminary results show kelly ayotte is ahead of ovide lamontagne the. >>> sarah shourd is free after spending a year in an iranian prison. but the story is not over. two other american hikers still face espionage charges. >> reporter: it was a happy ending tonight for sarah shourd, released from an iranian prison and flown immediately to oman, who put up the $500,000 that iran was demanding for her bail according to some reports. >> on behalf of myself and my family, if anything, i'm standing here today because of the efforts of many people and many governments. >> reporter: she was reunited there with her mother, nora, who with the other two mowers had been lobbying and begging for the release of their children, saying that they had simply wandered across the border, an unmarked border in iran from iraq and that they were certainly not spies. but the prosecutor has announced that not only are there charges of espionage against the two men, the two male hikers, shane baure and 28-year-old josh pa fattal, that these two men will face charges & of oespinage. >>> a caregiver in new jers

republican senate primary here, kelly ayotte, will beat ovide lamontagne. la montaigne has led much of the night as we look at the results we can show you kelly ayotte has pulled into a narrow lead, 39% to 38%. and narrow margin there. 52% of the vote counted. we will continue to counted into the night. a tea party win for you, carl paladino the being of the establishment rick lazio, the republican candidate. paladino will be the governor candidate for the republican party. charlie rangel, cnn projects he will win comfortably, his primary, the ethics allegations away when he returns to washington that he survived a primary challenge and now is an overwhelming favorite for his 21st term. still counting in the district of columbia, adrian fanti, and the city council chairman, his lead challenger. mr. gray has pulled into a 57% to 42% leaker 28% of the vote counted. mr. gray trying to tap into his unemployment education reform. a huge issue here. we will count the volatile throughout the night and stay with cnn, cnn politics.com. back to larry. didn't burn the

with 85% of precincts reporting, former attorney general kelly ayotte who is backed by establishment republicans holds a rozor thin lead 38.2 to 37.5. in new york, carl paladino upset former congressman rick lazio for the republican nomination for governor. p pal. >> yes, we are as hell. new yorkers are fed up. tonight the ruling class knows they've seen it now, okay? they not only know it, but they've seen it. there's a people's revolution. every day new yorkers are just mad enough to force change at the ballot box. the people have had enough. >> paladino will now face andrew cuomo in november. most experts don't give mr. paladino much of a shot against cuomo, but he will certainly make the race interesting. also in new york, charlie rangel gel brushing it all off, easily surviving a primary challenge by five different rrivals. his most aggressive challenger adam clayton powell finished with 23%. so charlie rangel hangs on there. but if reports are any indication, expect challenges to primary results in the state of new york. yesterday the yesterday. >> today unfortunately we have h

right now khalid ayotte, establishment pick, is ahead and may hold on. -- kelly ayotte. but honestly it is too close to call. host: whoever comes out, who they face in november? guest: congressman paul hodes is the nominee. typically a sitting congressman would be the favorite, especially in new hampshire which has been trending blue. this year, not so much. if kelly ayotte pulled this off, she will probably be the favorite going into november and paul hodes is not very popular in new hampshire, they are fiercely independent and they are not happy with how things are moving in washington right now, the direction of the country. they like to have a balanced delegation in washington representing them and it has not been the case recently. look for paul hodes -- if she wins, and honestly, if she does not, ovide lamontagne can meet this competitive as well. host: john, republican line. caller: i think the problem that we have in the country right now is we have one party in washington, and it does not matter if you are republican or democrat, they do what they want to do and

governor bob ehrlich was chosen, and kelly ayotte followed suit in new hampshire. >> there is a debate going on inside the republican party. >> meanwhile, democrats had their own party, where charlie rangel was easily nominated by a long list of ethics charges. in the end, this could prove to be a boon for democrats. they say the tea party victories indicate a, quote, civil war in the republican party, when they say will give them an edge in november. scott thuman, abc7 news. >> thank you. >>> we are following a developing story in washington. police are searching near the british school of washington. investigators say they received a report of a threat. students were kept inside for about one hour but were later allowed to go home. no word on what was found. >>> two of the hostages held inside the discovery building are talking about the ordeal. the two men spoke to oprah winfrey in an interview you will see here on abc7 tomorrow. one man said he realized the moment he needed to run for his life. >> so who made the decision, "we are going to run for it"? >> it was a mixture of signal

we both were supporting kelly ayotte over the tea party candidate this is a different issue. almost any credible conservative is likely to beaten mike castle. this is not about mike castle and establishment vs. tea party this is whether conservatives can say we criticize president obama for an pinting geithner to his cabinet because he doesn't pay his attentions or we are critical of members of congress who think they are above the law. at the same time blindly defend republican candidates who might have this background. she has headlines popping up in the biggest newspaper in the state, o'donnell faces campaign debt and back tax issues. in the primary it didn't matter in a general election, depends on two thing, does chef a good, strong message about taxes, deficit spending and obamacare? and can she reassure the people of the state that this doesn't matter? she sort of following your advice. she says i think the fact that i've struggled financially makes me so sympathy inc. on the other hand she doesn't -- sympathetic. on the other hand she doesn't take responsibility. it i

kelly ayotte leads 38% over ovide lamontagne right behind with 37%. in new york, embattled democrat congressman charlie rangel will hold on to his house seat there for four decades, he's held that seat despite facing ethics charges and a likely trial, he has with 56% of precincts reporting, he had 52% over the vote over his closest challenger adam clayton powell had 24%. rush to the midterms as we wait to see what happens between now and november. democrats trying to hold on to the power they had in washington and the house and senate. republicans coming up quickly. they have a lot of internal turmoil to handle to figure out what to do with the tea party movement and what this could mean for establishment candidates heading into the general election. back to you. >> nicely put. thank you very much. because mike castle in delaware was the establishment guy and now the establishment is saying we're not going to -- we're not going to help fund the tea party candidate, christine o'donnell who, you know, she's run for things before. she ran against joe bid

contrary to national prevailing wins, ayotte is the establishment gop choice in the granite state. she will face democratic congressman paul hoads in november. meanwhile, murkowski lost in alaska to a tea party guy with a beard named joe miller. murkowski has refused to endorse him so far. after trying and failing to get the libertarian for senate in alaska to give her his line, murkowski says she will announce by friday whether she will run a write-in campaign to try to keep her old seat. midterms are supposed to be boring. i keep waiting to be bored. ♪ just one bite opens a world of delight... ♪ ♪ savor and explore, the great indoors ♪ ♪ friskies indoor delights. ♪ feed the senses. [ tires screech ] [ engine revving ] [ drums playing ] [ male announcer ] 306 horsepower. race-inspired paddle shifters. and f-sport-tuned suspension. all available on the new 2011 lexus is. it isn't real performance unless it's wielded with precision. of lick racing, starting with you, dsrl. stufy, make the call. ♪ [ dialing ] ♪ lord of the carry-on. sovereign of the security line. you

i was pleased that kelly ayotte's election, very narrow victory. >> greta: next more with senator mccain. he goes on the record about his former running mate and the power of palin. >> plus uh-oh, has it gotten to her? is first lady obama call living in the white house hell? a report coming up. yeah. gear up with great deals at bass pro shops. like... bass pro shops. your adventure starts here. >> greta: continuing with senator mccain. he went on the record with the palin effect on this week's elections. >> last tuesday night she showed she can have an impact on an election particularly in a smaller state. where you can galvanize a real good turn-out. there were not a lot of votes in delaware tuesday night as compared with other states. there's no doubt that sarah palin has a tremendous effect on elections. she doesn't win them all. everybody knows it matters. >> greta: can christine o'donnell win in delaware? i saw an interview with her with carl cameron. even karl rove said that is not going to be a republican seat. she said no one thought i could win this. basically look out, i can wi

kelly ayotte, ok, i got it right. ayotte, right? sorry, you got a tough name but i'm getting it now. kelly ayotte is running for the senate in new hampshire as a republican. thanks for being our guest today. >> thanks so much, gretchen. appreciate it. >> coming up on the show, new trouble for the 1960's radical who haunted president obama's campaign. a kennedy now turning his back on bill ayers and it's the most talked about movie of the season. we have your first look at michael douglas' new wall street movie. courtney friel will join us live and tomorrow is national hunting and fishing day. they're lining up a little practice round. brian is out there. going to get into the deep forest and go hunting. >> yeah, we have a little problem, gretchen, right there. we got some wolves in the woods that need to be taken care of. and we got some dangerous birds as well. it's hunting and fishing time coming your way. vo: what is the good egg project? vo: it's america's egg farmers who feed millions in need... vo: ....it's families who are ac

. -- kelly ayotte, in the senate primary still early there. ehrlich trounced newcomer brian murphy in tonight primary in maryland. we will get a rematch with martin o'malley who ushered ehrlich out of office in 2006. in new york's harlem congressional district tonight congressman rangel facing a likely ethics trial this fall is battling several challengers, including joyce johnson and adam clayton powell iv the percentages not coming in yet. as the votes are tallied. in the race for the republican gubernatorial nomination in new york, real estate developer carl palladino leads former congressman rick lazio. that's where we are at this hour. >> greta: did you hear the examine -- exchange between karl rove and sean hannity about this upset in delaware? that's the candidate that governor sarah palin endorsed is that right? >> yes. there are a lot of republicans who are very concerned about the race in delaware tonight. yes, you are right. sarah palin backed christine o'donnell so did south carolina senator jim demint. she had the backing of the t

ayotte won by less than 2,000 votes. we start tonight with the smell of battle lingers from last night, grand old tea party. chuck todd, nbc news political director and msnbc correspondent and pat buchanan, mnnc analyst. pat, in the inner sack tim where you meet sometimes with the heart of a true administration, are they sure they are lucky the right is winning these battles of the republican party? >> i will say this. they act as if there is a little bit of a bounce in their step today, as if they see a path to survival. i'm not going to say it is a path to victory but a path to survival, suddenly, you hear these guys talk about man, maybe democrats will hold the senate, you know? maybe this -- maybe the republican party is going to be too extreme for the middle of the country and while they may have short-term success in november that when they get to -- when they get to washington, the chaos of it is going to allow the president to look like the reasonable adult in the crowd. so, in essence, first of all, i think they

kelly ayotte, the attorney general, is marginally favored to win. her tea party opponent is considered a relative underdog so it's the same kind of situation. the problem is that intensity matters a whole lot in primaries. in intensity is all on the side of the tea partiers and what the what the regulars fear is if the tea party candidates win, republican control of the senate is less likely. >> couric: jeff greenfield, thanks for your perspective tonight. we'll be right back. as governor, he cut waste got rid of the mansion and the limo budgets were balanced. $4 billion in tax cuts. world class schools and universities. clean energy promoted. 1.9 million new jobs created. california was working. i'm jerry brown. california needs major changes. we have to live within our means; we have to return power and decision making to the local level-closer to the people and no new taxes without voter approval. jerry brown the knowledge and know-how to get california working again. >> couric: igor is turning into a monster for the atlantic. it's now a category

kelly ayotte is endorsed by sarah palin. for all of our political news, go to our website, cnnpolitics.com. >>> there might be more bad news for the gulf of mexico. one scientist says she's discovered oil on the sea floor miles away from the deepwater horizon site. we'll take a closer look at what that means. >>> plus, coming um, hurricane season if it ended today, we'd have a pretty normal season. unfortunately we are only about halfway done. the latest on the storms in atlantic coming up in your forecast. on drirstched!" gecko water bottle... notebook... chamois... gecko: sir, i feel a little bit uncoorblwith all... you know.. ahis. mean, 's not about me. ould be about how geico's the e gecko: sir, i feel a little bit uncoorblwith all... bossoh, of cours we're notngsikh gonna get carried away. : geico. fifteen minutes cou save you fifteen percent or more on car insurance. ondon'ov : geico. fifteen minutes cou save you fifteen percent or more on car insurance. at pso, we set out tot your dog to discover the science inle. so

interesting, though, ayotte was backed by sarah palin. >> thank you very much, greatly appreciate it. >>> the senate is preparing to vote next. we have a huge defense spending bill that is expected to include two controversial pieces of legislation. first, the bill could contain a provision to repeal the military's don't ask, don't tell policy prohibiting gays and lesbians from openly serving. it could also include a proposal known as the dream act that would give green cards to young illegal immigrants after they go to college or serve in the military. nbc news senate producer ken strickland is on capitol hill. so, harry reid, obviously, trying to keep promises to the base there. what has been the reaction, ken? >> this is as much about politics as it is about policy. they made the case that the bail these provisions are in, the dream act are what are called and this bill generally sets the policy, the long-term policies and programs for the defense department. even when there is no controversial measures in it, it takes two to three weeks to get it done. republicans say the majority

. >> new hampshire, they are now calling it for the attorney general kelly ayotte as the winner there. she had been backed by sarah palin. interestingly, she was not the tea party favorite. the tea paefrt favorite was a candidate by the name of ovide lamontagne. he was barely blocked, a narrow spread there. the tea party, spring strong. kelly ayotte, i think is going to be a future star in the republican party, someone that many have talked about can be a future leader in the republican party. >> nora, thanks so much. i appreciate it. >> good to see you. >>> the tea party may have found on voice in the general elections. consider how the tea party movement is dividing the republican party. senator lisa mackowski was defeated by joe miller. as disappointed as i am in the outcome of the primary and my belief that the alaska republican party was hijacked by the tea party express, an out extremist group, i am not going to quit my party she was quoted as saying. michael, i can't help but think to myself, we continually talk about how we're ramping up for the elections in november, but ther

i was pleased that kelly ayotte's election, very narrow victory. >> greta: next more with senator mccain. he goes on the record about his former running mate and the power of palin. >> plus uh-oh, has it gotten to her? is first lady obama call living in the white house hell? a report coming up. ♪ [ female announcer ] start your morning... hey. what are you doing up? i thought i'd take a drive before work. want to come? [ female announcer ] or make his day. yeah. [ female announcer ] maxwell house gives you a rich, full-flavored cup of coffee, so you can be good to the last drop. [ male announcer ] ever have morning pain slow you down? introducing bayer am, an extra strength pain reliever with alertness aid to fight fatigue. so get up and get goin'! with new bayer am. the morning pain reliever. >> greta: continuing with senator mccain. he went on the record with the palin effect on this week's elections. >> last tuesday night she showed she can have an impact on an election particularly in a smaller state. where you can galvanize a real good turn-out. there were not a lot of votes in de

. >> kelly ayotte, is in a neck and neck fight with ovide lamontagne. >> for details on these and other races, emily schmidt has been tracking the overnight numbers. >> reporter: good morning to you. usually, the day after the primary, we are talking about the matchups set between republicans and democrats. but this morning, it's a different story. it's a difference between the tea party surge and the republican establishment. last night, the tea party pulled off some huge surprises. one of the nation's smallest states is now home to one of the year's largest political upsets. >> no more politics as usual. >> reporter: christine o'donnell, a candidate who had run and lost twice for senate before, won this time. she beat long-term congressman and political moderate, mike castle, with the backing of the tea party and sarah palin. >> thank you, governor palin, for your endorsement. >> the voters of the republican primary have spoken. and i respect that decision. >> reporter: republican leaders thought castle could help pick up vice president biden's old seat. and o'donnell could not. >> if

and in new hampshire, kelly ayotte just barely beat tea party favorite ovide lamontagne for the republican senate nomination. it's 48 days and counting until the election and congressional correspondent nancy cordes begins tonight's coverage. >> reporter: within minutes of christine o'donnell's stunning victory, a debate was raging in the republican party over whether to fund her... >> i also want to thank the tea party express. >> reporter: ...or disavow her. >> i'm really not concerned about that because we didn't have their support when we won. >> reporter: o'donnell, a political novice who g.o.p. leaders have described as everything from a liar to delusional has provided by beleaguered democrats with a new national rallying cry. >> look, last night showed that there's a very vociferous debate going on inside the republican party for the hearts and mind of republican voters. >> reporter: o'donnell becomes the seventh tea party-affiliated candidate to defeat a more mainstream republican in a senate primary this season. six tea partyers have won primaries for governor. carl paladino of ne

soon we're going to be saying hello to a governor john stevens, to senator kelly ayotte, to congressman charlie bass, and a congressman frank guinta. by theay, from will borrow -- wolfboro we saw a great campaign waged by one candidate. it brought a lot of energy and new ideas to the campaign and showed the kind of character and commitment to republican principles by getting behind kelly ayotte and being united and make sure that we bring republican values back to washington. thank you so much. lking about uncommon leadership and character and commitment, how about gov. john sununu coming back and being without parallel an extraordinary chairman of the republican party? john, thank y. look at them getting up for you, john. what a guy. four more years, john, exactly right. i will tell you. the pundits are predicting a big victory for us in november, as it should be. it is amazing to see how much has changed in just two years. two years ago they were singing a different team. we were frankly listening to their tune and a lot of us were on our hee. a commentator at ms in b.c. were talking

a fascinating race, the republican primary for judd gregg's soon to be empty seat, and, ayotte is very very, popular, a dynamic, charismatic, fairly new person on the republican stage, and, an articulate woman, considered early on to be the establishment favorite, and at just about every republican in the g.o.p. thought he was unbeatable and, then the candidate who supported the tea party the most aggressively is lamontagne and should not be considered an outsider or some sort of an anti-establishment republican, he's very active in new hampshire politics for some time but overtly went after the tea party movement in new jersey, and -- so to speak, new hampshire republicans and independents and libertarians have a flimsy fiscal conservatism that predates the tea party's popularity the last couple of years and lamontagne tapped into that and it looks like it is unclear, 85% of the vote, and essentially ayotte is up 46,000 to 45,000 votes, and less than a thousand votes, really, separating them, and, so, in new hampshire, where they are careful about counting, that was up for grabs, and,