The Syracuse Post-Standard reports that incumbent Rep. Dan Maffei (D) conceded to Ann Marie Buerkle (R) in their still-undecided House race in Upstate New York.

Ann Marie Buerkle will be Syracuse's next representative in Congress, its first woman in the U.S. House.

U.S. Rep. Dan Maffei, the Democrat, called Buerkle today to concede, ending three weeks of ballot inspections, recounting and court wrangling.

From NBC's Mark Murray
At the end of the midterm season, the Obama White House, Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and a large part of the left railed at the unlimited, anonymous donations that groups like the Karl Rove-backed Crossroads GPS was able to collect and spend on races.

Here was President Obama on the campaign trail:

And thanks to a gigantic loophole, these special interests can spend unlimited amounts without even disclosing where the money is coming from. We don't know where it’s coming from. We don't know if it’s from the oil industry. We don't know if it’s from banks. We don't know if it’s insurance companies. Could be coming overseas -- we don't know. They won’t tell you. They don’t want you to know. They won't stand behind what they do.

This isn’t just a threat to Democrats. This is a threat to our democracy.

While that argument didn't help Democrat in the midterms, it did lay the groundwork -- potentially -- for 2012 in portraying the GOP as the party of corporate interests, and attributing its 2010 success to these shadowy interest groups.

But can Democrats rail against anonymous, shadowy interests when they're beginning to build their own?

As today's New York Times reports, David Brock of Media Matters is helping to create a counterweight to Rove's American Crossroads -- called American Bridge -- and that it might also utilize a subsidiary like Crossroads GPS that can collect unlimited and anonymous donations.

Certain to set off debate ... is that Mr. Brock appears to be positioning his new organization so that fund-raising consultants can raise money for Democratic-oriented media efforts not just through American Bridge but also via one of the nonprofit organizations Mr. Brock currently runs, Media Matters Action Network, which does not disclose its donors.

The action network, which tracks conservative politicians and advocacy organizations, is organized as a 501(c)(4) nonprofit group and is set to take on an expanded role in the 2012 elections, including potentially running television ads, according to an internal draft concept paper about American Bridge’s and Media Matter Action Network’s plans obtained by The New York Times.

The Times article continues:

White House officials have signaled in recent weeks that the Obama administration would not object to Democratic-leaning outside groups getting involved in the 2012 elections, a change from the Obama campaign’s attitude toward such groups in 2008. But they have also indicated that they would prefer that the names of donors be disclosed.

*** UPDATE *** Brock sends this statement to First Read:

American Bridge, the organization headed by Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, is a 100% transparent organization and will disclose all donors to the FEC as required by law.

Media Matters Action Network, which I am chairman of, is a completely separate organization operating under a different set of rules.

Many Americans, including me, were deeply troubled by the new rules of the road given to us by a Republican-controlled Supreme Court in Citizens United. Subsequently, the wave of rightwing money created a right-wing wave. There is no right-wing wave. There was a wave of Republican money that was not in any way matched in the cycle by Democrats. Only by making our elections a fair fight will the people really be heard.

We do not make the rules. We must make 2012 a more equal contest than 2010. We cannot surrender everything -- health care, the environment -- because of the Citizens United decision.

ALASKA: “Alaska's bitterly contested Senate election went to state court Monday when Republican Joe Miller sued the state over the way write-in ballots for his GOP rival have been counted,” the AP writes. “Miller is trying to stop the state from using discretion in determining voter intent on write-in ballots cast for Sen. Lisa Murkowski… Miller's lawsuit was originally filed in federal court, but U.S. District Judge Ralph Beistline ruled Friday it was a matter for a state court to decide… The target date for certifying the election is Nov. 29. A re-count can then be requested by Dec. 4.”

MINNESOTA: The Minnesota Supreme Court denied Republican gubernatorial nominee Tom Emmer's petition “to force local election officials to compare voter signatures with vote tallies on Election Day,” Minnesota Public Radio reports. “Now, attorneys for Emmer are expected to ask the five member State Canvassing Board to do what the Supreme Court didn't -- require local elections officials to match up the number of ballots cast with the number of voters who signed in on Election Day.”

Left-leaning blog Talking Points Memo writes: “Minnesota law provides for, if a precinct is found to have an excessive number of votes beyond the number of people who are recorded as having voted there, to randomly remove votes from the tallies. The big questions, then, are how to properly determine what the right number is, and whether any true over-voting occurred. Team Emmer argues that the law can only allow for the people who signed the register to be the proper measurement, while the Secretary of State's rules (which go back to the 1980s) have directed precinct workers to count up the number of separate voter receipts.”

NEVADA: Sharron Angle told the Lahontan Valley News Saturday, per the AP, that “she was shocked by her Nov. 2 loss to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, but in looking forward has "lots of options" to weigh as she decides her next political step. ‘I will always be involved in politics. I have a lot of options next cycle,’ Angle told the Lahontan Valley News. ‘Lots of options.’ Nevada's other U.S. Senate seat is up in 2012 and as many as four congressional seats could be in play by then. Angle, a former state representative, said she also could seek a term in the Nevada Senate… Jarring to Angle were the handful of Nevada Republicans who endorsed Reid. She singled out Reno Mayor Bob Cashell and Sparks Mayor Gino Martini. ‘That was the most surprising blow,’ she said. ‘I always thought in the end there is some kind of loyalty, but they shifted loyalties to the fellow who could deliver the pork."

There are now four uncalled House races, with Republicans leading in one. Rep. Solomon Ortiz (D-TX) conceded last night in TX-27, moving the GOP’s net gain up to +62.

CA-11: Rep. Jim Costa “widened his lead over the Hanford cherry farmer [Andy Vidak] to 3,031 votes. With only 1,000 votes left uncounted in Fresno County it is now impossible for Vidak to catch up,” the Bakersfield Californian writes.

NY-1: “On the eastern tip of Long Island, Democratic incumbent Tim Bishop has a 17-vote lead over Republican challenger Randy Altschuler,” the New York Observer reports. Bishop’s campaign claims a 206-vote lead.

NY-25: “Out in western New York, it appears as if Democratic congressman Dan Maffei is headed for defeat,” the Observer adds. “Republican Ann Marie Buerkle, a Tea Party favorite, has a 567-vote lead as of this afternoon. A court hearing is set for Tuesday, where Maffei's lawyers may ask for a hand-recount, which could continue on until January. The Buerkle campaign seems cautiously optimistic.”

TX-27: “Democratic Texas Congressman Solomon Ortiz has conceded defeat to Republican newcomer Blake Farenthold,” the AP reports. “Ortiz's concession came late Monday, after a South Texas recount confirmed he had lost a House seat he held for nearly three decades.”

ALASKA: “Even as [Sen. Jim] DeMint says he would welcome fellow Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski back to the Senate, the South Carolinian is still urging conservative activists around the country to donate money to replace the incumbent with Tea Party favorite Joe Miller through a legal appeal,” The State reports. DeMint, who raised $5.6 million for ultraconservative GOP candidates this year, attached a personal appeal letter to a “CONTRIBUTE” banner and a photo of Miller at the top of www.senateconservatives.com, the Web site of his Senate Conservatives Fund.”

Rep. Tim Bishop (D-NY-1) has come back to overtake Republican Randy Altschuler with counting of absentee and provisional ballots. That means of the five races still uncalled, Republicans lead in two. They are currently +61 in the House and could get to about +63 if current numbers hold. The uncalled races: CA-11, CA-20, NY-1, NY-25, TX-27.

CA-11: “As of 6:20 p.m. Friday in the most recent report issued by her office, California Secretary of State Debra Bowen reported that [Democratic Rep. Jerry] McNerney continues to lead [Republican challenger David] Harmer by less than 1%, a percentage difference that has remained the same for more than a week,” Tri Valley Views reports.

CA-20: “It now appears likely that Fresno Democrat Jim Costa will win a fourth term in Congress and narrowly escape the Republican tidal wave that nearly ended his three-decade political career,” the Fresno Bee writes. “Yet Costa could have an even harder time holding on to his 20th Congressional District seat in 2012.”

NY-1: “Democratic Rep. Tim Bishop has overtaken Republican Randy Altschuler in the prolonged race for a New York House seat on Long Island that may stretch on for weeks to come,” Politico writes. “With the counting of absentee and provisional ballots complete in six localities, Bishop leads Altschuler by 15 votes. Election officials still must tally 5,004 ballots in Brookhaven – a process that is expected to be completed by Wednesday at the soonest.”

NY-25: “Republican Ann Marie Buerkle holds a 567-vote lead over U.S. Rep. Dan Maffei in the 25th Congressional District race after Wayne County election officials released their unofficial tally of absentee votes today.”

TX-17: “A ballot recount in South Texas demanded by U.S. Rep. Solomon Ortiz is nearly complete, but he's still trailing Republican challenger Blake Farenthold,” the AP reports. “Only about 15,000 absentee and early ballots have yet to be re-tabulated in Cameron County, which includes Brownsville, in the 27th Congressional District race.”

MAINE: "He has cursed at reporters and threatened to punch one. He once promised to tell the president of the United States to 'go to hell,'" the Boston Globe writes on its front page, profiling Maine's incoming Gov. Paul LePage. More: "LePage, with his narrow victory, is leading a Republican renaissance in Maine, one of just two states that will flip from complete Democratic control of state government to complete GOP control in January. He is a polarizing figure, and more complex than his public image might suggest… Republicans in Maine have not controlled the House, Senate, and the governor’s office at the same time since the 1960s."

NEVADA: Politico’s post-mortem of the Nevada Senate race includes criticism of Sharron Angle’s political team, including longtime adviser Terry Campbell. “‘In the 20 years that I’ve been involved politically, I’ve never had the misfortune of working with such sheer, utter incompetence. Too much is at stake in these political campaigns — people like Campbell don’t need to be anywhere near them,’ said Chris LaCivita, who served as political director for the National Republican Senatorial Committee this fall and worked directly with the Angle campaign. ‘If they were filming a sequel to the movie “Dumb and Dumber,” Terry Campbell would have a feature role.’”

“Sen. John Cornyn said during a closed-door meeting Tuesday that he expects colleagues to bring their concerns to him about candidates he recruits as National Republican Senatorial Committee chairman -- and not to help mount challenges against them, Republicans familiar with the meeting said Thursday,” Roll Call reports. “Although not mentioned by name, the Republicans said the Texas lawmaker’s speech was clearly intended for the ears of Sen. Jim DeMint.”

Who’s Jesus rooting for? “The Family Research Council, an influential group with large followings among conservatives and evangelical Christians, announced a nationwide initiative Wednesday to persuade 1 million people to pray” for Sen. Jim DeMint, The State reports. “Tony Perkins, head of the Washington-based organization, said DeMint has been unfairly blamed for having cost Republicans control of the Senate by backing ultraconservative candidates who lost several key general election races last week.”

ALASKA: Sour grapes? Joe Miller’s campaign “asked a federal judge Thursday for a preliminary injunction stopping officials from certifying the election,” the Alaska Daily News writes.

Yesterday was Ted Stevens Day.

NEW YORK: NY-1: Republican Randy Altschuler “is clinging to a 272-vote lead in his quest to end Democratic Rep. Tim Bishop’s Congressional career at four terms, according to updated figures released Thursday by the Bishop campaign,” Roll Call reports. “The margin represents a dramatic improvement for the incumbent, who picked up 111 votes after the first 20 percent of absentee ballots in the Empire State’s 1st district were counted.”

NY-25: “The 25th Congressional District race is tightening, according to new numbers from Onondaga County released by Rep. Dan Maffei’s campaign,” the Auburn Citizen reports. “Unofficial numbers of Onondaga County absentee and emergency ballot counting from Maffei’s campaign show Maffei with 2,101 votes and Buerkle receiving 1,580, according to a campaign press release issued Thursday.”

TEXAS: TX-27: “Two more South Texas counties have recounted Nov. 2 votes by hand as requested by U.S. Rep. Solomon Ortiz. But the results haven’t cut into the Corpus Christi Democrat’s opponent’s lead of about 800 votes,” the AP reports. “Ortiz spokesman Jose Borjon said Wednesday that Willacy County re-tabulated ballots, with Ortiz picking up four votes and Republican Blake Farenthold gaining one.”

ALASKA: NBC News declared Lisa Murkowski the “apparent winner” in the race for U.S. Senate yesterday. She’s the first person to win a write-in campaign to the U.S. Senate since Strom Thurmond did it in 1954.

AP: “History, the GOP, the tea party, Sarah Palin and her own mouthful of a name worked against her. Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski conquered them all Wednesday, becoming the first Senate candidate in more than 50 years to win a write-in campaign.”

CALIFORNIA: CA-11: “Both 11th District Congressional candidates in the Nov. 2 General Election [Jerry McNerny and David Harmer] are still in Washington, D.C. even as the voter registrars in the four counties the district covers continue counting ballots,” the Pleasanton Weekly writes.

CA-20: “Congressman Jim Costa, D-Fresno, added 992 votes to his lead over challenger Andy Vidak of Hanford as votes from Fresno County were announced Wednesday,” the Bakersfield Californian writes. “Costa's new lead stood at 2,422, outstripping the 1,823-vote lead Vidak held on election night more than two weeks ago.”

MINNESOTA: At yesterday’s press conference at the Republican Governors Association meeting, outgoing Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty listed the gubernatorial contests in blue states that “stayed blue” in 2010 -- California, Connecticut, Illinois, Vermont and … Pawlenty’s home state of Minnesota. When asked if that meant he was personally conceding Minnesota’s race to Mark Dayton (D), even though there will be a recount, T-Paw clarified his remarks, saying that Dayton held a “putative” 9,000-vote lead over Tom Emmer (R). “It would be premature,” he added, to say that the Minnesota race is over.

NEW YORK: NY-1: “Randy Altschuler's lead in the 1st Congressional District race narrowed to 275 votes after the second day of counting absentee ballots at the Suffolk County Board of Elections,” Riverhead Local reports. “Rep. Tim Bishop has had a net gain of 108 votes in the absentee ballot tally so far, which has been completed for 93 of the 460 election districts of the 1st Congressional District,”

NY-25: Yesterday, “a judge counted ballots from Monroe County that were previously challenged by representatives for incumbent Democrat Dan Maffei and Republican challenger Ann Marie Buerkle,” the Auburn Citizen writes. “Once those ballots were counted, Buerkle netted 154 votes, while Maffei gained 59. The additional votes increased Buerkle's lead by 95 votes.”

TEXAS: TX-27: “Cameron County will be the last of the district’s six counties to initiate the congressional election recount, beginning at 9 a.m. Friday,” the Corpus Christi Caller writes. “Friday is the last day the counties are allowed to begin recounting votes, said Randall Dillard, Texas Secretary of State’s Office spokesman.”

This morning, the centrist Democratic Leadership Council is hosting a panel discussion on the midterms (entitled “Governing a Divided Washington: Lessons Learned from the Midterm Elections”), and it’s headlined by Gov.-elect Dan Malloy (CT) and DLC Chairman Harold Ford Jr.

ALASKA: The Alaska Daily News' headline: "Murkowski passes Miller in vote count." The story: "The Division of Elections has now counted 92,164 votes for Murkowski and 90,458 for Miller. Murkowski's number will grow as the state continues to go through write-in ballots today, looking to see what name voters wrote on them. More than 8,000 write-in ballots remain to be looked at. he trend since counting began last week has been for the Division of Elections to count more than 97 percent of them for Murkowski." But: "Miller spokesman Randy DeSoto said he still thinks the court challenge could get enough votes thrown out for Miller to win. 'The race is far from over,' DeSoto said."

"Election workers are scheduled to continue counting ballots in Alaska's still-undecided Senate race," AP writes. "About 8,800 ballots were to be tallied on Tuesday, a day after election officials said Sen. Lisa Murkowski had emerged from several days of counting with a 1,706 vote lead over GOP nominee Joe Miller."

CALIFORNIA: CA-20: “Fresno Democrat Jim Costa extended his lead over Republican challenger Andy Vidak of Hanford in the latest vote-count update in the 20th Congressional District,” the Fresno Bee writes. “Costa's lead is now 1,428 on Vidak, in what ended up being a hard-fought re-election battle for Costa.”

ILLINOIS: IL-8: “Clerks counting the final ballots said that, barring any legal challenges, they expect to know this afternoon who will represent the 8th Congressional District,” the Northwest Herald writes. “Since election night, the race between Republican Joe Walsh and incumbent Democrat Melissa Bean has remained too close to call. At last count, Walsh was ahead by 347 votes.”

MINNESOTA: Minnesota will begin its recount Nov. 29th with all counties starting their counts at the same time. Most counties hope to be done with the recounts by Dec. 7th. There will be canvassing board meetings to deal with recount issues from Dec. 8-10 and the board will certify a winner Dec. 14.

NEW YORK: NY-25: “Election inspectors and representatives for Ann Marie Buerkle and Rep. Dan Maffei will return today to begin counting,” the Auburn Citizen writes. “Two counties — Cayuga and Monroe — completed their absentee counting on Friday. Buerkle received 59 votes in Cayuga, while Maffei received 35. In Monroe County, Buerkle garnered 630 votes to Maffei’s 612. Between the two counties, about 270 ballots were challenged, mostly by Maffei’s representatives. Buerkle’s lead now stands at 729 votes.”

From NBC's Pete Williams
If Lisa Murkowski wins the drawn-out vote count in Alaska, as now appears likely, she'll become the third person elected to the U.S. Senate by write-in vote, but the first to be elected through that process to a full term.

The first write-in senator was William Knowland of California, elected in a special election in 1946 to fill the unexpired term of Hiram Johnson, who died the year before. Everyone who ran was a write-in candidate, because voters were presented with a blank ballot.

Eight years later, Strom Thurmond was elected in a write-in campaign after Sen. Burnet Rhett Maybank died of a heart attack three days before the political parties were due to certify their candidates for the general election. Democratic party leaders chose a popular state senator, Edgar Brown, nominating him to serve an entire six-year term. Thurmond, also a Democrat, decided to run as a write-in candidate, appealing to voters who were outraged at being denied the chance to vote in a special election. Thurmond summarized the choice this way: "Whether 31 men shall choose the United States senator or whether the people shall choose him."

He carried 37 of the state's 46 counties and won 63% of the vote. Two years later, in 1956, he kept his word by resigning from the Senate to create a vacancy. He then ran to succeed himself and won handily, firmly establishing a political career that made him one of the most influential public servants in South Carolina history.

There are now six uncalled House races – Republicans lead in four. Ben Chandler’s opponent conceded in KY-6. Republicans scored a net gain of 60 seats on Election Night and that could rise to around 64.

All of these seats are held by Democrats. Republican wins would add to the number of freshmen – anywhere from 93 to 97 (including nine Democrats), depending on the outcomes of these races.

CA-11: “San Joaquin County election workers labored through the weekend to verify provisional ballots in the photo finish between Democratic Rep. Jerry McNerney and GOP challenger David Harmer,” the Stockton Record writes. “Though McNerney has declared victory, Harmer has not conceded. In San Joaquin County, 8,800 provisional ballots remain to be counted. By Sunday, workers had inspected half.”

CA-20: “Challenger Andy Vidak mounted a little bit of a comeback in the 20th Congressional District race Friday after Fresno County officials counted an additional 3,403 ballots in his contest against incumbent Jim Costa,” the Bakersfield Californian writes. “Vidak claimed 93 more of those ballots than Costa, snipping Costa's 1,200-vote lead from earlier this week down to 1,107. Costa was leading Vidak overall 41,621 to 40,514.”

Here’s an AP headline on the counting: “Alaska may finish counting before this California district.”

IL-8: Both Melissa Bean (D) and Joe Walsh (R) will be in DC this week -- Bean to work in the lame-duck session; Walsh for freshman orientation. Bean trails Walsh by 347 votes. Her campaign says there are 1,500 uncounted absentees and provisional ballots. Her team also denied rumors that she could be tapped for an Obama administration job, like heading up the Consumer Financial Protection Agency: “There are rumors; I don’t know where they’re coming from,” Ms. Bean said. “In the meantime, I have a job to do.”

KY-6: This one’s over, as the Republican -- Andy Barr -- conceded to Ben Chandler, who won by just 648 votes.

NY-1: Incumbent Rep. Tim Bishop (D) trails Randy Altschuler (R) by slightly fewer than 400 votes. There remain about 10,000 absentee ballots to be counted and Bishop wants a hand recount.

NY-25: Tea Party-backed Republican Ann Marie Buerkle widened her lead slightly over Dan Maffei (R) to 739 votes. But: “Even though the absentee ballots added to Buerkle’s slim lead, Maffei’s campaign saw reason to be optimistic that it would make up the difference when absentee ballots are opened next week in Onondaga County,” the Syracuse Post-Standard writes. Despite the uncertain result, Buerkle is in Washington for orientation.

TX-27: A recount will happen this week. Incumbent Rep. Solomon Ortiz (D) trails by 797 votes to Blake Farenthold (R).

ALASKA: The AP: "Sen. Lisa Murkowski retained 89 percent of the undisputed write-in votes in Alaska's still-undecided Senate race, as the fifth day of the ballot hand count ended. Her campaign hoped she'd be able to overtake rival Joe Miller as early as Sunday, but counters got through fewer than 5,000 ballots -- far fewer than they'd been generally averaging since the count began Wednesday. Murkowski mounted a write-in campaign after losing the GOP primary to Miller. On Sunday, she trailed Miller by 8,820 votes, according to her undisputed tally.

MINNESOTA: Democrat Mark Dayton's lawyers say they don't agree that Gov. Tim Pawlenty is constitutionally required to stay in office if the race to replace him isn't resolved by early January," AP writes, adding, "The [state] constitution says a governor's term runs four years but remains in office 'until a successor is chosen and qualified.'" Dayton's lawyer "says Dayton appears to have been 'chosen' by voters and is 'qualified' to serve."

“The initial vote canvass in the Minnesota governor's race between Democrat Mark Dayton and Republican Tom Emmer may be completed by next Saturday. About 8,700 votes separate the two, in Dayton's favor. While there is a nearly 9,000 vote difference between the two men, the difference is just enough that by law, a recount can be triggered," local affiliate KSFY writes. "Dayton's camp is urging Tom Emmer to decline the mandatory recount." Dayton's campaign manager: "It will be mathematically impossible for Tom Emmer to overturn these results, barring some unforeseen problem which we haven't seen in this canvassing process."

From NBC's Pete Williams
What's more important: following the letter of state law on how to count write-in votes, or trying to determine a voter's intent in order to count as many votes as possible?

For Joe Miller, it's the letter of the law. For Lisa Murkowski, it's voter intent. A federal judge has ordered lawyers for both of them to submit legal briefs next week in a lawsuit filed by Miller. He claims the state improperly changed the recount rules at the last minute. Despite the legal battle, the vote counting goes on.

Here's the issue. Alaska election law says a write-in vote will count if the candidate's name is written on the ballot "as it appears on the write-in declaration of candidacy." Writing only the candidate's last name also counts. Those rules, the Alaska election code says, are mandatory "and there are no exceptions to them."

Miller, the Republican candidate, argues that in order to count, a vote for Murkowski must be spelled correctly. "The statute does not permit a write-in vote to be counted if a voter includes only a 'reasonable approximation' or a 'close variation' of a candidate's name," his lawsuit says.

But many legal experts believe the issue isn't so clear cut. Prof. Rick Hasen of Loyola Law School says Alaska courts have been especially strong in insisting that voter intent be taken into account when interpreting election laws. Alaska's elections director, Gail Fenumiai, cites two Alaska court decisions allowing votes to count when the intent was clear, even if ballots were not filled out according to the letter of the law. Neither of those cases, however, involved write-in candidates.

For now, the state is keeping the ballots that clearly spell Murkowski's name correctly separate from those that don't. If enough Alaskans passed the spelling test, she could be the apparent winner even before the legal fight is over.

From NBC's Sarah Blackwill
Alexi Giannoulias (D-IL) will not be running for mayor of Chicago, potentially setting up a fight between Giannoulias and former White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel.

"To put all rumors to rest, before they get out of hand, Alexi is not running for Mayor," said Kathleen Strand, Giannoulias' campaign spokeswoman. "He didn't get into public service to just run for office. He believes in public service, and his plans are to faithfully serve out the remainder of his term as Treasurer and then pursue other opportunities. Alexi loves this City and will provide whatever assistance he can now or in the future to Mayor Daley, the City Council and the next Mayor."

Giannoulias lost a bid for Barack Obama's former Senate seat narrowly to Republican Rep. Mark Kirk.