From NBC's Kelly O'Donnell
The "Office of GOP Transition" is official.

Here's its new sign, freshly placed outside a Capitol Hill office.

NY-25 moved since First Thoughts to the Republican Ann Marie Buerkle (R), a Tea Party-backed candidate. She now leads Dan Maffei (D) by 659 votes with all the vote in. There are 10 seats not yet called -- all held by Democrats -- and Republicans now lead in four. That means Republicans would net 64 seats if all things hold. But lots of these are going to go to recounts.
Here's the full list of what's left as far as the uncalled races (in order of likely GOP takeover):

-- CA-20: 100% in; Vidak (R) up 51-49 or 1,823 votes of 63K
-- NY-25: 100% in; 50-50, Buerkle (R) up 659 votes of 189K
-- IL-8: 100% in Walsh (R) up 49-48 or 559 votes of 194K
-- TX-27: 100% in; Farenthold (R) up 48-47, or 799 votes of 101K
-- CA-11: 100% in; 47-47 McNerney (D) up by just 121 votes of 164K
-- WA-2: 71% in; 50-50 Larsen (D) up 502 out of 195K
-- KY-6: 100% in; 50-50 Chandler (D) up 600 votes of 140K
-- VA-11: 100% in; 49-49 Connolly (D) up 920 votes out of 222K
-- AZ-8: 100% in; Giffords (D) up 49-48, or 2,349 votes of 239K
-- AZ-7: 100% in; Grijalva (D) up 49-46, or about 4,083 votes of 121K

What's with Illinois politicians and Beer Summits? Alexi Giannoulias (D) and Mark Kirk (R) met for a beer after their bruising election fight for the Senate, which Kirk won narrowly.

Check out this piece from NBC's Chicago affiliate:

Let the games begin. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell yesterday -- and today -- sounded emboldened in his opposition to the Obama administration.

Well, Harry Reid, who will majority leader and who won a tough reelection bid with a larger margin than most would have thought, is firing back.

His Senate office released the following statement:

"It speaks volumes that the first thing on Republicans' 'to do' list is to give power back to big health insurance companies. What Senator McConnell is really saying is, Republicans want to let insurance companies go back to denying coverage to people with pre-existing conditions, let them go back to charging women twice as much for the same coverage as men, and let them push millions of seniors back into the Medicare donut hole.

"Republicans have always been the party of putting big business over the middle class, and they are wasting no time in trying to jam through favors for big corporations at the expense of hard-working families who are struggling to make ends meet. If Republicans think the American people want to go back to giving insurance companies free rein to impose their abusive practices on middle-class families and seniors, then they are truly out of touch with the middle class."

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said Thursday that he expects some Democrats –- wary that continued support for Democratic policies will cost them re-election in 2012 -- will "peel off" from their caucus to work with Republicans for the next two years.

“I think the most interesting thing to watch in the next Congress is how many Democrats start voting with us,” McConnell said.

“Every one of the 23 Democrats up [for re-election] in the next cycle has a clear understanding of what happened Tuesday,” he said. “I think we have major opportunities for bipartisan coalitions to support what we want to do.”

President Barack Obama will presumably be at the top of the ticket in 2012, making the dynamics of the next election difficult to predict. (A lot can change in two years -- just think of the difference between the 2008 Democratic pickups and the 2010 Republican ones.) But a quick look at the list of in-cycle Democrats indicates why McConnell is optimistic.

Several Democrats who will be up for re-election in two years already break with their party frequently. Sen. Ben Nelson of Nebraska has voted with Republicans about 32 percent of the time during this Congress, according to the Washington Post. Sen. Claire McCaskill of Missouri has broken with her party on about 1 in 5 votes.

Other Democrats who hail from relatively conservative states might be eying Tuesday’s results with concern. Sen. John Tester, who’s up for re-election in 2012, represents red state Montana. And Senator-elect Joe Manchin of West Virginia, who has to run again in two years for a full term, has already promised to take aim at Democratic policies -- literally.

And still others watched Democratic candidates from their home state go down in defeat on Tuesday. Sen. Herb Kohl of Wisconsin will say goodbye to Badger State delegation colleague Russ Feingold; Pennsylvania’s Sen. Bob Casey and Florida’s Bill Nelson will be joined on the Hill in January by conservative Republicans instead of by fellow Dems; and Sen. Sherrod Brown witnessed the Democrat in Ohio’s Senate contest beaten by almost 20 points.

NBC's Ken Strickland contibuted to this report.

McConnell to double down on his my-top-priority-is-to-defeat-Obama comment… He'll also call for repeal of health care, though the midterms didn't produce a mandate on the law... From the “thumping” in ’06 to the “shellacking” in ’10… The GOP ideological food fight begins… Unfinished business in WA, AK, MN, and CT… Dudley concedes to Kitzhaber in Oregon… And the 10 undecided House races.

From Chuck Todd, Mark Murray, Domenico Montanaro, Ali Weinberg
*** McConnell doubles down: Twenty-four hours after Speaker-to-be Boehner and President Obama talked about the need to work together, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell is taking a different tack. In a speech to be delivered at 11:00 am ET in DC, NBC’s Ken Strickland reports, McConnell will defend his statement that defeating President Obama in 2012 is his top priority -- a comment that drew criticism from Democrats, especially with unemployment near 10%. "Some have said it was indelicate of me to suggest that our top political priority over the next two years should be to deny President Obama a second term in office," McConnell is expected to say, according to excerpts of today’s speech. "But the fact is, if our primary legislative goals are to repeal and replace the health spending bill; to end the bailouts; cut spending; and shrink the size and scope of government, the only way to do all these things it is to put someone in the White House who won't veto any of these things."

*** No mandate on health care: On health care, McConnell will say that Republicans should propose and vote on a "straight repeal, repeatedly." He'll also say House Republicans should use their new majority to deny funding implementation of the law. That, of course, would lead to potential gridlock in the Senate. In the national exit poll, 47% said they wanted to keep the health law in place or expand it; 48% of those who voted said they wanted to repeal it. So the midterms weren’t a mandate for anyone's position on health care. The public is divided -- right down the middle.

*** From “thumping” to “shellacking”: Four years ago, after his party lost control of Congress, George W. Bush declared in a press conference that his party had taken a “thumping.” (But he issued this qualifier: “If you look at race by race, it was close. The cumulative effect, however, was not too close.”) Yesterday, at his own press conference after his party’s midterm defeats, Barack Obama stated the Democratic Party suffered a “shellacking.” Obama, though, was more introspective than his predecessor (whose book interview with Matt Lauer will dominate American politics next week). "This is something,” Obama said, “that I think every president needs to go through, because … the responsibilities of this office are so enormous … and in the rush of activity sometimes we lose track of … the ways that we connected with folks that got us here in the first place." Obama, like Bush did in ’06, also took some responsibility for the defeats. "It underscores for me that I've got to do a better job, just like everybody else in Washington does."

*** GOP food fight: Remember when we said that the GOP Senate losses in Colorado, Delaware, and Nevada would only spark a pragmatist-vs.-purist fight within the Republican Party? Well, here we go… Politico says that "a bloc of prominent senators and operatives said party purists like Sarah Palin and Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.) had foolishly pushed nominees too conservative to win in politically competitive states. Movement conservatives pointed the finger right back at the establishment, accusing the National Republican Senatorial Committee of squandering millions on a California race that wasn’t close at the expense of offering additional aid in places like Colorado, Nevada and Washington state." The tension will be highest between DeMint and a newly-re-elected Lisa Murkowski, should she win. Speaking of DeMint, in an interview with National Journal, don't miss these two items: 1) DeMint said the only 2012er he's talked to since Tuesday was Mitt Romney who phoned him to congratulate him; 2) DeMint said he doesn't foresee a need in changing the Senate GOP leadership team but added, "Any leadership changes would be a year or two down the road." That a subtle threat to the current Senate GOP leadership team? You be the judge.

*** Unfinished business: In the unfinished Senate contest in Washington state, Sen. Patty Murray (D) widened her lead yesterday, “riding a Democratic surge in King County that is looking increasingly difficult for Rossi to overcome,” the Seattle Times reports… In Alaska, the counting of the write-in ballots -- which exceed the vote tally Joe Miller (R) received -- will begin next week… In Oregon’s gubernatorial race, former NBA player Chris Dudley (R) conceded, giving the race to former Gov. John Kitzhaber (D)… In Minnesota’s gubernatorial race, it looks like the state is headed for another recount, although Mark Dayton (D) leads Tom Emmer by nearly 9,000 votes (compared to Norm Coleman’s 762-vote lead after Election Day in ’08). And get this: Outgoing Gov. (and likely GOP presidential wannabe) Tim Pawlenty says he will serve until the new governor is sworn in, even if that’s after his term ends on Jan. 3.

*** Confusion in Connecticut: Yet the craziest undecided race is the one for Connecticut governor. Yesterday, state Secretary of State Susan Bysiewicz declared Dan Malloy (D) the unofficial winner by about 3,100 votes. The AP later withdrew its call of Malloy as the winner now with opponent Tom Foley (R) leading Malloy by some 8,000 votes with all but 1.5% of precincts reporting, the Hartford Courant says. (However, per our editorial screen, 11% of the total vote is still out.) And both candidates are declaring victory.

*** The uncalled House races: Republicans are at currently +60 in House races, and that gain could get to in the neighborhood of +63 when all the votes are finally counted (and recounted). There are 10 races still yet to be decided. Republicans lead in three of those -- CA-20, IL-8, and TX-27. All three are pretty big surprises. Most forecasters would have picked CA-11 -- which is almost certainly headed for a recount -- as the top GOP pick-up opportunity in the state. CA-11 is the closest race right now, with incumbent Jerry McNerney (D) up by just 121 votes out of about 164,000 votes (with 100% of precincts reporting). The next closest are: WA-2, where incumbent Rick Larsen (D) is up 502 votes out of 195,000 (71% in); IL-8, with incumbent Melissa Bean (D) down 553 votes out of 194,000 (100% in); KY-6, with incumbent Ben Chandler up just 600 votes out of 239,000 (100% in); TX-27, with incumbent Solomon Ortiz down 799 votes out of 101,000 (100% in); and in VA-11, freshman Rep. Jerry Connolly (D) is up by 920 votes out of 220,000. By the way, Rep. Bob Etheridge (D), who the AP says lost to Renee Ellmers (R), has NOT conceded. The margin is 1,646 votes; that's after Etheridge cut the margin by 500+ votes in late counts added Wednesday.

*** The full list: As far as the UNCALLED races, here's our the full list (in order of likely GOP takeover):
-- CA-20: 100% in; Vidak (R) up 51-49 or 1,823 votes of 63K
-- IL-8: 100% in Walsh (R) up 49-48 or 559 votes of 194K
-- TX-27: 100% in; Farenthold (R) up 48-47, or 799 votes of 101K
-- CA-11: 100% in; 47-47 McNerney (D) up by just 121 votes of 164K
-- WA-2: 71% in; 50-50 Larsen (D) up 502 out of 195K
-- KY-6: 100% in; 50-50 Chandler (D) up 600 votes of 140K
-- VA-11: 100% in; 49-49 Connolly (D) up 920 votes out of 222K
-- AZ-8: 100% in; Giffords (D) up 49-48, or 2,349 votes of 239K
-- AZ-7: 100% in; Grijalva (D) up 49-46, or about 4,083 votes of 121K
-- NY-25: 96% in; Maffei (D) up 51-49, or 2,196 votes of 189K

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The Washington Post on President Obama’s post-midterm press conference: “President Obama, appearing somber and reflective after what he described as a ‘shellacking’ at the polls Tuesday night, conceded Wednesday that his connection with Americans has grown ‘rockier’ over the last two years and expressed sadness over the defeats of congressional Democrats who supported him.”

“Federal Reserve Chairman Ben S. Bernanke embarked on a historic test of unconventional monetary policy by using tools devised during the financial crisis to add fuel to an economy that’s been expanding for 15 months,” Bloomberg News writes. Here’s Bernanke’s op-ed in the Washington Post explaining what the Fed did and why.

“Officials in the Indian city of Mumbai have taken extraordinary measures to protect US President Barack Obama ahead of his visit,” BBC writes.

The next Speaker of the House John Boehner “will assume control of the House with his own elaborate plan for running the GOP on his terms. The plan includes fiercely loyal allies placed strategically throughout the House and his potential enemies placed right where he can better control them, according to Republicans close to Boehner,” Politico writes.

Boehner’s predecessor Nancy Pelosi spent yesterday morning “working the phones, consulting Democratic colleagues about whether she should stay on as minority leader,” the New York Times recounts. “She surrounded herself with family members; her daughter Alexandra and grandson, soon to turn 4, came from New York. When she rose to power, Ms. Pelosi liked to command attention by telling reporters that she was using her ‘mother-of-five voice.’ On Wednesday, that voice was silent, save for one interview, with Diane Sawyer of ABC News.”

“If Sarah Palin, the former Alaska governor, decides to run for president in 2012, she will now have plenty of help,” the New York Times writes, adding, “Ms. Palin was not on any ballot. But the self-described “Mama Grizzly” had plenty at stake on Tuesday night as she sought to bolster her credentials as the Republican Party’s most powerful kingmaker and the voice of the newly empowered Tea Party movement. Ms. Palin had endorsed dozens of candidates, including ones in some of the highest-profile races. The result was a mixed record that included some spectacular losses — the Delaware and Nevada Senate races — but plenty of victories that Ms. Palin and her allies have already begun to point to as evidence of her political prowess and her ability to shape and direct the unwieldy frustration that is fueling American politics.”

Check out First Read’s breakdown of how candidates endorsed by Palin fared. About half of the candidates she endorsed in the House and Senate won with a higher percentage in governors’ races.

From NBC's Athena Jones
In a roughly hour-long press conference during which he grew more and more reflective and conciliatory, President Obama acknowledged that his party had taken a "shellacking" in Tuesday's election, and he signaled he understood that voters had not seen enough of the change and progress he promised.

The president's tone was markedly differently from the partisan one he struck while criss-crossing the country in the final weeks of campaign 2010. He told reporters gathered in the East Room that the "overwhelming message" he heard from voters was that they want both parties to "work harder to arrive at consensus" and to focus completely on jobs and the economy.

"There's no doubt that as I reflect on the results of the election, it underscores for me that I've got to do a better job, just like everybody else in Washington does," he said.

He said he took "direct responsibility" for the fact that the country had not made enough progress to create jobs and to allow the middle class to feel secure.

"It feels bad," Obama said of the loss of so many Democratic seats. "There is a -- not only sadness about seeing them go, but there's also a lot of questioning on my part in terms of, "Could I have done something differently, or done something more so that those folks would still be here?" It's hard and -- and I take responsibility for it in a lot of ways."

The change in tone was a reflection of big losses in the election last night, the most expensive midterm in history. In the largest midterm gain by one party since World War II, Republicans netted some 60 House seats. Many of the GOP candidates who won ran on proposals to cut spending and reduce the deficit.

Obama said he hoped to find common ground with Republicans in areas like energy and education, and he called on Congress to extend the middle-class tax cuts set to expire at year end, continue research and development tax breaks for businesses, and extend unemployment insurance to help sustain the country's economic recovery.

He also indicated a greater willingness to work the Republicans on some key issues than he has in recent weeks. Despite months of arguing against extending the so-called Bush tax cuts for individuals making more than $200,000 and families making more than $250,000 on the grounds that the $700 billion price tag for doing so was too high, Obama seemed to leave the door open to compromising on the matter.

"My goal is to sit down with Speaker-elect Boehner and Mitch McConnell, Harry and Nancy some time in the next few weeks and see where we can move forward," he began. "How that negotiation works itself out, I think it's too early to say. But, you know, this is going to be one of my top priorities. And my hope is that given we all have an interest in growing the economy and encouraging job growth, that we're not going to play brinkmanship but instead we're going to act responsibly."

When it comes to the Republican threat to try to repeal the health-care overhaul, which the president spent more than a year and a large amount of political capital to get passed, Obama said it would be misreading the election to think that Americans want Congress to spend next two years "re-litigating" these issues. But he added that he was willing to work with Republicans to change specific parts of the bill, like a provision that requires businesses to report payments to vendors over $600.

And in a nod to history, Obama pointed out that he is not the first president to face steep midterm losses. "I think it's important to point out ... a couple of great communicators, Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton, were standing at this podium two years into their presidency getting very similar questions," he said, adding that the two leaders had both faced "a whole range of factors that made people concerned that maybe the party in power wasn't listening to them."

Perhaps the most remarkable portion of the news conference came when the president spent several minutes reflecting on how 'removed' he felt from the American people working in the White House and the challenge he faced in connecting with voters.

"This is something that I think every president needs to go through, because ... the responsibilities of this office are so enormous and so many people are depending on what we do, and in the rush of activity sometimes we lose track of -- you know, the -- the ways that we connected with folks that got us here in the first place."

DADT and the 'change' mandate
The president said he must work harder to set the proper tone with the business community. On "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" -- which he said should not be a partisan issue -- Obama said the upcoming release of a review on the policy would "give us time to act in -- potentially during the lame-duck session to change this policy."

The president also addressed an issue that came up last week in his "Daily Show" interview with Jon Stewart, who challenged him about not having done enough to change the way business was done in Washington, one of his main campaign themes.

"We were in such a hurry to get things done that we didn't change how things got done, and I think that frustrated people," the president said.

NBC News now reports Peter Shumlin (D) as the winner for governor of Vermont. He defeated Lt. Gov. Brian Dubie (R), 49%-48%.

The seat was held by a Republican, Jim Douglas, who is retiring.

From NBC's Alexandra Moe
For all the talk of the Tea Party's strength - and there will certainly be a significant number of their candidates in Congress - just 32% of all Tea Party candidates who ran for Congress won and 61.4% lost this election. A few races remain too close to call.

In the Senate, 10 candidates backed by the Tea Party ran and at least five were successful. (Race in Alaska has not yet been called.)

In the House, 130 Tea Party-backed candidates ran, and just 40 so far have won.

Identifying Tea Party candidates is undoubtedly inexact. Our criteria, generally, was to include anyone who has either been backed by a Tea Party group or has identified themselves as a member of the Tea Party movement. Toward the end of this cycle, however, seemingly every Republican was trying to associate themselves this way. One left off the list was Dino Rossi, despite Jim DeMint endorsing him, since Tea Party groups backed Clint Didier in the primary.

A note to correct the record: After about 20 hours of crunching numbers, one of us on your First Read authors looked up at 4 am and heard MSNBC use a much higher number. We went back and checked, and the numbers are much lower. Here's a full list:

SENATE - 10 TOTAL

5 WON - 50% of Tea Party candidates won
PA- Pat Toomey
KY- Rand Paul
FL- Marco Rubio
WI- Ron Johnson
UT- Mike Lee

4 LOST - 40% of Tea Party candidates lost
DE- Christine O’Donnell
NV- Sharron Angle
WV- John Raese
CO- Ken Buck

1 UNDECIDED
AK- Joe Miller

_____________________

HOUSE - 130 TOTAL

40 WON - 31% of Tea Party candidates won
AR-1 Rick Crawford
AR-2 Tim Griffin
AZ-1 Paul Gosar
AZ-5 David Schweikert
FL-2 Steve Southerland
FL-22 Allen West
FL-24 Sandra Adams
GA-9 Tom Graves
ID-1 Raul Labrador
IL-10 Robert Dold
IL-11 Adam Kinzinger
IL-14 Randy Hultgren
IL-17 Bobby Schilling
IN-3 Marlin Stutzman
IN-9 Todd Young
LA-3 Jeff Landry
MI-1 Dan Benishek
MI-3 Justin Amash
MI-7 Tim Walberg
MN-6 Michelle Bachmann
MO-4 Vicky Hartzler
NC-2 Renee Ellmers
NH-1 Frank Guinta
NV-3 Joe Heck
NY-13 Michael Grimm
NY-20 Christopher Gibson
OH-1 Steve Chabot
OH-6 Bill Johnson
OH-15 Steven Stivers
OH-16 Jim Renacci
SC-1 Tim Scott
SC-3 Jeff Duncan
SC-4 Trey Gowdy
SC-5 Mick Mulvaney
TN-4 Scott DesJarlais
TX-17 Bill Flores
VA-9 H. Morgan Griffith
WI-7 Sean Duffy
WI-8 Reid Ribble
WV-1 David McKinley

82 LOST - 63% of Tea Party candidates lost
AR-4 Beth Anne Rankin
AZ-4 Janet Contreras
CA-5 Paul A. Smith
CA-6 Jim Judd
CA-7 Rick Tubbs
CA-8 John Dennis
CA-9 Gerald Hashimoto
CA-10 Gary Clift
CA-16 Daniel Sahagun
CA-18 Michael Berryhill
CA-23 Tom Watson
CA-27 Mark Reed
CA-29 John Colbert
CA-30 Charles Wilkerson
CA-37 Star Parker
CA-43 Scott Folkens
CA-47 Van Tran
CA-51 Nick Popaditch
CT-3 Jerry Labriola
DE-1 Glen Urquhart
FL-3 Michael Yost
GA-4 Lisbeth "Liz" Carter
GA-5 Fenn Little
HI-1Charles Djou
HI-2 John Willoughby
IL-5 David Ratowitz
IL-9 Joel Pollak
IL-12 Teri Newman
IN-1 Mark Leyva
IN-2 Jackie Walorski
KY-3 Todd Lally
MA-1 Bill Gunn
MA-2 Tom Wesley
MA-3 Marty Lamb
MA-4 Sean Bielat
MA-7 Gerry Dembrowski
MA-10 Jeff Perry
MD-4 Robert Broadus
MD-5 Charles Lollar
ME-2 Jason Levesque
MI-9 Rocky Raczkowski
MI-12 Don Volaric
MI-13 John Hauler
MI-15 Rob Steele
MO-3 Ed Martin
MO-5 Jacob Turk
MS-2 Bill Marcy
NC-4 William Lawson
NC-8 Harold Johnson
NC-11 Jeff Miller
NC-13 William Randall
NJ-1 Dale Glading
NJ-6 Anna Little
NJ-8 Roland Straten
NM-1 Jonathan Barela
NM-3 Tom Mullins
NY-2 John Gomez
NY-5 James Milano
NY-17 Anthony Mele
NY-21 Theodore Danz
NY-22 George Phillips
NY-27 Leonard Roberto
NY-28 Jill Rowland
OH-9 Rich Iott
OH-10 Peter Corrigan
OH-13 Tom Ganley
OH-17 Jim Graham
OR-3 Delia Lopez
OR-4 Art Robinson
PA-4 Keith Rothfus
PA-12 Tim Burns
PA-14 Melissa Haluszczak
SC-6 Jim Pratt
TN-9 Charlotte Bergmann
TX-20 Clayton Trotter
TX-25 Donna Campbell
TX-28 Bryan Underwood
TX-30 Stephen Broden
UT-2 Morgan Philpot
VA-3 Chuck Smith
VT-1 Paul Beaudry
WA-1 James Watkins

8 UNDECIDED
AZ-7 Ruth McClung
AZ-8 Jesse Kelly
CA- 11 David Harmer
IL-8 Joe Walsh
NY-25 Ann Marie Buerkle
TX-27 Blake Farenthold
VA-11 Keith Fimian
WA-2 John Koster

NBC News has declared incumbent Michael Bennet (D) the "apparent winner" in the Colorado Senate race.

Democrats held the senate and governor's seats in the state, but lost two House races in CO-4 and CO-3.

The balance of power is now 52 Democrats, 46 Republicans with two seats (Alaska and Washington State) yet to be decided.

From NBC's John Yang
LAS VEGAS -- Newly re-elected Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said the message of the election is that "the American people want us to work together ... I'm hopeful and certainly expect that when the dust settles, the Republicans will no longer want to stop everything."

Reid said he hoped this new spirit could start in the post-election session.

"The lame-duck should be no different than when we get back in the new Congress," he said. "This is a good time to start."

He said he already had a good working relationship with Rep. John Boehner, the expected new House speaker.

He ignored a shouted question about the likelihood--or unlikelihood--of a challenge to his leadership role in the new Congress.

Reid, who said he had not been to sleep yet, said he had spoken with President Obama "a couple of times in the last few hours," had held a telephone conference with Senate Democrats and traded phone calls with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell without connecting this morning.

He expressed his regrets at the defeats of colleagues Sens. Blanche Lincoln and Russ Feingold and cheered Democratic victories in Connecticut, Delaware, California, Colorado and Washington.

From NBC's Kristin Welker
Per Gail Fenumiai, head of the Division of Elections,
she and the lieutenant governor are meeting today to map out a schedule to
recount the write-in ballots.

They would like to get the count started "earlier rather than later" and
could possibly begin counting as soon as next week -- instead of the
initially reported date of Nov. 18.

The count will take place in Juneau. They have 81,876 write-in ballots
that must be counted by hand so far and still have a few precincts that
have yet to report.

Cameras will be allowed to capture the counting process.

Once the results are certified (this date is also pending) a candidate
has 5 days to request a recount. From that initial certification date, a
candidate also has a total of 10 days to contest the results.

One of the president's core messages in his afternoon press conference today was one of "taking responsibility" for the frustration of voters, as manifested in last night's elections.

He used the phrase six times during the course of the hour-long news conference.

He said:

• On economic progress: "Clearly too many Americans haven't felt that progress yet, and they told us that yesterday. And, as president, I take responsibility for that."
• On jobs: "I think I've got to take direct responsibility for the fact that we have not made as much progress as we need to make."
• On fulfilling his promise of "change:" "One of the things that I've got to take responsibility for is not having moved enough on those fronts."
• On transparency: "I think the American people want to see more transparency, more openness. As I said, in the midst of economic crises, I think one of the things I take responsibility for is not having pushed harder on some of those issues."
• On Democratic losses last night: "There's also a lot of questioning on my part in terms of, "Could I have done something differently or done something more so that those folks would still be here?' It's hard. And I take responsibility for it in a lot of ways."
• On the business community: "I've to take responsibility in terms of making sure that I make clear to the business community as well as to the country that the most important thing we can do is to boost and encourage our business sector and make sure that they're hiring."

Who didn't see this coming?

As we predicted would happen in this space, some Republicans are blaming the Tea Party for not picking up more seats in the Senate. Tea Party candidates perhaps cost the party seats in Nevada, Delaware, and maybe even Colorado (and that race is too close to call.)

Republicans are currently +6 in the Senate, with calls still to be made in Colorado and Washington state. If Sue Lowden was the nominee in Nevada, Jane Norton in Colorado and Mike Castle in Delaware, Republicans would have likely been at +9. That would give you a 50-50 Senate.

Then -- here's something to chew on -- what would the possibility have been maybe of a Ben Nelson (D-NE) pulling a Jim Jeffords and switching parties -- giving Republicans control of both the House and Senate?

CQ Politics:

It was a great night for Republicans, but it could have been even better. The GOP is counting off victories and celebrating gains in even the most unlikely of House races, but a top Republican strategist admits tea party candidates’ “deficiencies” that became “glaringly clear” may have cost the party multiple Senate seats.

SENATE

11 endorsements - 50% of her candidates were successful

6 won - Boozman (AR), McCain (AZ), Rubio (FL), Paul (KY), Ayotte (NH), Toomey (PA)

4 lost - Fiorina (CA), O'Donnell (DE), Angle (NV), Raese (WV)

1 undecided – Miller (AL)

GUBERNATORIAL

8 endorsements - 88% of her candidates were successful

7 won - Scott (FL), Branstad (IA), Otter (ID), Martinez (NM), Fallin (OK), Haley (SC), Perry (TX)

1 undecided – Emmer (MN)

*If Emmer wins, Palin would be 100% correct with her support of candidates for governor*

HOUSE

40 endorsements – 48% of her candidates were successful

19 won – Roby (AL-2), Gosar (AZ-1), West (FL-22), Southerland (FL-2), Adams (FL-24), Hultgren (IL-14), Benishek (MI-1), Bachmann (MN-6), Hartzler (MO-4), Nunnelee (MS-1), Ellmers (NC-2), Pearce (NM-2), Grimm (NY-13), Scott (SC-1), Fincher (TN-8), Flores (TX-17), Canseco (TX-23),

McMorris Rodgers (WA-5), Duffy (WI-7)

15 lost – Contreras (AZ-4), Wilkerson (CA-30), Parker (CA-37), McKinney (GA-12), Willoughby (HI-2), Walorski (IN-2), Bielat (MA-4), Steele (MI-15), Marcy (MS-2), Pantano (NC-7), Gomez (NY-2), Burns (PA-12), Campbell (TX-25), Broden (TX-30), Philpot (UT-2)

6 undecided – McClung (AZ-7), Buerkle (NY-25), Farenthold (TX-27), Fimian (VA-11), Koster (WA-2), Muri (WA-9)

From NBC's Alison Bruno
CALIFORNIA:
- Prop. 19 (Marijuana Legalization): NO 54-46 (Legalize personal use and possession of marijuana)
- Prop. 20 (Redistricting): YES 61-39 (Removes elected reps. from the process of establishing congressional districts)
- Prop. 23 (Climate Change): NO 61-39 (Suspends state law requiring reducing carbon emissions until the unemployment rate falls below 5.5% for four straight quarters)

COLORADO:
- Amend. 62 (Abortion): NO 3-to-1 margin (Defines a ‘person’ as beginning at conception)

ARIZONA:
- Prop. 106 (Health Care): YES (Prohibits mandatory participation in health care system)

MASSACHUSETTS:
- Question 3 (Taxes): NO (Cuts the state’s sales tax from 6.25% to 3% effective 1/1/11)

WASHINGTON:
- Init. No. 1098 (Taxes): NO (Increases state income tax on high-earners - above $200,000 - and married couples - $400,000)

FLORIDA:
- Amend. Art. Vi, Sec 7 (Campaign Finance): NO 52-48 (Repeals requiring public financing of campaigns for statewide offices)

ILLINOIS:
- Amend. Sec. 7 to Art III (Elected Officials): YES (Allows for recalling a governor by petition)

MICHIGAN:
- Prop. 10-2 (Elected Officials): YES (Prohibits those convicted of a felony while in office from serving in another elected position or being appointed to a position for 20 years)

Carrie Dann writes

1:57 ET: That's the conclusion of the press conference. Thanks for following along here on NBC's First Read.

1:56 ET: When he talks to regular Americans, Obama says, "I always come away from those interactions feeling so much more optimistic about this country."

1:53 ET: Self-reflective Obama says he need to make sure that he gets out of the White House to reach the American public.

But he alludes to Reagan and Clinton, who stood at the podium two years into their own presidencies "getting similar questions."

"This is something that every president needs to go through," he says.

Although "I am not recommending that every president takes a shellacking like they did last night," he adds with a bit of a wry smile.

1:51 ET: Asked if he thinks voters might have seen him as "out of touch," Obama responds that there's a danger to being "in the bubble" of the White House.

"Folks didn't have any complaints about my leadership style when I was running around Iowa for a year."

"How do I meet my responsibilities here in the White House .. but still have that opportunity to engage with the American people .. and give them confidence that I am listening to them."

1:50 ET: "The most important thing we can do is to boost and encourage our business sector and make sure that they're hiring."

1:48 ET: "The only way America succeeds is if businesses succeed."

1:45 ET: A moment of levity: Obama toys with idea of "Slurpee summit" with Boehner.

"They are delicious drinks."

1:44 ET: "When I came into office, this economy was in a freefall. The economy has stabilized. The economy is growing. ... It would hard to argue that we're going backwards." But, he adds, we might be "stuck in neutral."

1:41 ET: "The American people understand that we're still digging our way out of a pretty big ditch."

1:40 ET: On 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' -- Obama notes that the "overwhelming majority" of Americans thinks that the policy should be confirmed. "We need to provide certainty" to the military on the issue. "This should not be a partisan issue"

1:38 ET: "Cap and trade was just one way of skinning the cat" on energy. The EPA wants help from the legislature on greenhouse gasses, he says.

1:37 ET: On health care negotiation, Obama regrets that "we couldn't have made the process ... healthier"

1:36 ET: Asked if he's willing to compromise on the question of allowing tax cuts for the very wealthy to expire -- which Republicans generally oppose and Obama has vehemently opposed -- Obama says "my goal is to make sure we don't have a huge spike in taxes for the middle class."

That answer doesn't address the highest tier of the tax cuts, perhaps showing some openness to extending those cuts.

He says his goal is to sit down with Boehner, McConnell, Reid, and Pelosi to "see where we can move forward in a way that first of all does no harm."

"How that negotiation works itself out, I think it's too early to say."

1:34 ET: "It feels bad," Obama says of watching "terrific public servants not have the opportunity to serve anymore."

He lauds Democrats who took tough votes and showed "courage" and "conviction" in their choices. He says there is some "questioning on my part as to whether I could have done something different or something more" to have helped the defeated lawmakers keep their seats.

1:31 ET: Obama says Americans want greater transparency, takes responsibility for "not having pushed harder on some of those issues"

1:30 ET: "Let's make some progress on those areas we do agree on," Obama says. Names energy policy.

1:29 ET: Obama acknowledges that the cap-and-trade bill that passed the House earlier this year will not have the votes to pass again in the new session.

1:27 ET: "I've been willing to compromise in the past, and I am willing to compromise going forward."

1:26 ET: He urges "intelligent, smart" budget cuts.

1:24 ET: Obama: The key is to be able to distinguish between stuff that isn't adding to our growth ... and things that are absolutely necessary to create jobs.

He also mentions keeping taxes low for middle-income families -- an allusion to the Bush tax cuts debate that looms during the upcoming lame duck session.

1:23 ET: CBS's Chip Reid asks what can be done to create jobs, especially if Republicans take stimulus spending off the table. "What are our priorities? What do we care about? That's going to be a tough debate."

1:21 ET: On health care revisions: "This is different than campaigning. This is now governing."

1:19 ET: But Obama still stands by the premise of the health care bill. "This was the right thing to do." He adds that he's open to Republican modifications that would bring down costs. "I'm happy to consider some of their ideas."

Obama acknowledges that the unpopular 1099 provision attached to the health care bill, which would require small businesses to file additional paperwork, could be "probably counterproductive"

"That's something we should take a look at."

1:19 ET: FOX reporter asks if the health care bill is in danger at this point? Obama's response: We'd be misreading the election if we said the American people wanted to see us relitigate things we've argued over the last two years.

1:19 ET: "Ultimately I'm going to be judged as president because of the bottom line: Results."

1:17 ET: "If right now we had five percent unemployment instead of 9.6 percent unemployment, people would have more confidence in [my] policy choices."

1:16 ET: The president says he signed bills with earmarks "in the rush to get things done" early in his presidency.

1:15 ET: Obama has not yet specifically mentioned the health care bill, focusing on unpopular "emergency" measures that were meant to help the economy.

1:12 ET: NBC's Savannah Guthrie asks whether Obama is reflecting on his policy decisions and whether voters may perceive him as just "not getting it."

"It felt as if government was getting much more intrusive in people's lives than they were accustomed to," Obama responds, but argues that the policies that prompted that feeling of overrreach were responses to crisis situations.

1:09 ET: "There are going to be areas where we disagree," says Obama. Voters' message was: "We want everybody to act responsily in Washington. We want you to work harder at arriving at consensus."

"I gotta do a better job, just like everyone in Washington does," he says.

1:08 ET: Asked if the election was a referendum on his policies, Obama says that voters were expressing frustration with the economy. Despite forward motion, "people across America are not feeling that progress. They're not seeing it."

1:07 ET: "I do believe there is hope for civility. I do believe there is hope for progress."

1:06 ET: Obama notes that there will be another election in 2012. "I'm not so naive as to think that everybody will put politics aside until then." We must work harder to build consenses, he says. "Including me."

1:06 ET: No party has "a monopoly on wisdom," Obama says. He adds that he wants a "civil" debate, "serious conversations about where we're going as a nation."

1:05 ET: To win economic competition against other countries, "we're going to have to be strong, and we're going to have to be united."

1:04 ET: Obama says that the country has made progress over the past two years. But, "Clearly, too many Americans have not felt that progress. Yesterday, they told us that."

"As president, I take responsibility for that."

1:03 ET: Voters expect Washington to work for them, not against them, Obama says. They want to know that their voices are not being drowned out.

1:02 ET: "Yesterday's vote confirmed what I've heard" in my travels across America. "People are frustrated."

1:02 ET: "Some election nights are more fun than others .. some are exhilarating, some are humbling"

1:01 ET: Obama: I told Boehner and McConnell that I look forward to working with them.

1:01 ET: The president has arrived.

12:55 p.m. ET: We'll be live-blogging the president's remarks scheduled for 1 p.m. ET in this space. Stay tuned.

From NBC's Alexandra Moe
Female candidates across the country saw mixed results in the midterm.

There were ten females running for governor this year. This number ties the records set in 2002 and 2006 for women gubernatorial candidates. Females net three governorships across the country – bringing the total to nine – with the victories of Susana Martinez (R-NM), Mary Fallin (R-OK), and Nikki Haley (R-SC). All are Republican “mama grizzlies” backed by Sarah Palin. Gov. Jan Brewer (R) also won her re-election campaign in Arizona. All female democratic gubernatorial candidates lost their campaign bids this cycle.

A record number of women were also on the ballot for Senate. 15 ran and at least four were successful. The fates of Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) and Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA) are still unknown as they are deadlocked with their opponents. So far, three incumbent senators out of the six up for re-election won: Barbara Boxer (D-CA), Barbara Mikulski (D-MD), and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY). One new face, Kelly Ayotte (R-NH), will be making her way to Washington as she won her campaign bid in New Hampshire. It’s still unknown if women will retain 17 seats in the Senate depending on the outcomes of the races in Alaska and Washington.

Whether females will gain seats in the House will become known only after the final four race results are decided. Currently there are 73 Congresswomen. 138 females were on the general election ballot, including 69 incumbents. What’s clear thus far for the House is the national trend against Democrats holds – Republican women are gaining seats while their Democratic counterparts are losing seats.

KEY GAINS FOR WOMEN
The success of Martinez, Fallin, and Haley also mark major milestones for New Mexico, Oklahoma, and South Carolina respectively. These women became the first female governors of their state. Martinez is now the first Latina governor in the nation and she and Haley also are the first two women of color to hold gubernatorial positions. Meg Whitman (R-CA), though she lost her bid for governor of California to Jerry Brown (D-CA), self funded more her campaign than any candidate in history – donating $160 million of personal funds – an impressive feat for females.

A BIG LOSS
There is one big loss for women that is very apparent: there will no longer be a female speaker of the house when Congress begins in 2011.

NBC News has called the races for governor in Florida and Maine.

Rick Scott (R), who led the charge against health care and whose company settled a 1.7-billion Medicare fraud lawsuit, will be the next governor of Florida.

Paul LePage, who said he would become known on the front pages of Maine's newspapers as having told President Obama to "go to hell," will be the next governor of Maine. LePage held off a third-party independent in Eliot Cutler, winning just 38%-37%. Democrat Libby Mitchell, who was the first woman in the country to serve as both state House Speaker and Senate President, faded in the final days of the campaign and finished with just 19%.

Carrie Dann writes:

11:59 ET: That's all folks. Thanks for tuning in.

11:54 ET: My colleague Domenico Montanaro notes that McConnell, who seemed very emboldened by last night's gains, may be looking ahead to 2012, when numerous moderate Democrats will face tough re-election contests. There are 22 Democrat-held Senate seats that will be in cycle in 2012 -- including Sens. Ben Nelson of Nebraska, Jon Tester of Montana, Claire McCaskill of Missouri, Bob Casey of Pennsylvania, Bill Nelson of Florida, Sherrod Brown of Ohio, and Jim Webb of Virginia. Newly-elected Joe Manchin of West Virginia will also have to run for a full term. Those are seats where Republicans may think they have good pickup chances in two years.

11:53 ET: Boehner says he wants solid oversight of Congress, not "gotcha" investigations.

11:52 ET: Boehner says the Obama-backed health care reform bill would "ruin the best health care system in the world" -- he calls again for repeal of the legislation.

11:51 ET: Asked about an upcoming vote on increasing the debt limit, which would likely be opposed by Tea Party-backed candidates, Boehner just says: "We'll be working that out over the next couple of months."

11:50 ET: Boehner calls his conversation with Obama last night "very pleasant."

11:49 ET: "We're going to have some kind of bipartisan agreement" in the Senate, says McConnell. Believes that he can move Democrats "in our direction" to work together on spending.

11:49 ET: "The election yesterday did not transfer full control to the opposition," McConnell points out. "This was the first step."

11:47 ET: Voters "sent a very loud message last night," Boehner says, noting GOP gains in governors contests and state legislatures as well as in Congress.

The American people want a "smaller, less costly, and more accountable government in Washington D.C.," he says.

11:46 ET: Boehner says "members of the Tea Party and our party" will work together to help create jobs and cut spending.

11:45 ET: Boehner says Speaker Pelosi "left me a very nice voicemail" this morning. Boehner predicts "smooth transition" with Pelosi's leadership team.

11:44 ET: Barbour: Governors, including Democratic governors, believe that we can work with the Congress to try to set things in a better direction.

11:43 ET: Voters "appreciated us saying no to the things they didn't agree with," McConnell says. Says he hopes Democrats will "pivot in a different direction."

11:42 ET: McConnell: Last night proved that "choosing the president over your constituents" is a mistake.

11:41 ET: McConnell to the podium. While Republicans gained control of the House last night after making historic gains, GOP candidates in the Senate fell short of the 10 seats they would have had to gain for control of the upper chamber. Republicans netted six seats.

11:40 ET: Boehner said he spoke to President Obama last night and discussed working on policies to cretae jobs and cut spending.

11:39 ET: And here we go. Boehner at the podium: "This is a time for us to roll up our sleeves and go to work on the peoples' priorities"

11:38 ET: Here's what Boehner said earlier this morning about the Republican gains last night:"We're humbled by the trust that the American people have placed in us, as I said last night, our job is to listen to the American people and follow the will of the American people."

11:30 a.m. ET: We will be live-blogging this morning's press conference by Republican leaders in this space. Stay tuned -- we're getting started any minute.

Speaking at the event will be Rep. John Boehner of Ohio, the presumed next Speaker of the House; Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, and Republican Governors' Association chair Haley Barbour.

From Msnbc.com's Tom Curry
House Republicans had great success last night in winning “McCain Democrat” districts: those won by Republican presidential candidate John McCain in 2008, but represented by a Democratic House member.

Of the 49 “McCain Democrat” districts, at least 36 were won by Republicans on Tuesday.

Sixteen of them were in the South, three were in Ohio, two were in Pennsylvania and two in New York.

Casualties from such districts included House Armed Services Committee chairman Ike Skelton of Missouri, who was first elected in 1976.

Among the survivors from McCain Democrat districts were veterans such as House Agriculture Committee chairman Rep. Collin Peterson in Minnesota and Rep. Mike McIntyre in North Carolina, who weathered a $400,000 ad barrage from the National Republican Congressional Committee. Peterson’s race was not targeted by NRCC or outside groups such as American Crossroads.

Two of the McCain Democrat districts were still undecided as of 11 a.m. Eastern time Wednesday, Arizona’s Eighth Congressional District, represented by Gabrielle Giffords and Kentucky’s Sixth, represented by Ben Chandler.

In contrast with their victories in most of the McCain Democrat districts, Republican were less successful in extending their reach into solidly Democratic turf: districts that had voted for John Kerry in the 2004 presidential election and Barack Obama in 2008.

Of the roughly 20 Kerry 2004/Obama 2008 Democratic-held districts that appeared to be in play during the campaign, Republicans had won eight, as of as of 11 a.m. Eastern time Wednesday.

Among the big winners were Chip Cravaack, who defeated 36-year Democratic veteran James Oberstar in northern Minnesota, a district that went for Kerry in 2004 and Obama in 2008 with 53 percent. Oberstar, chairman of the house transportation committee, was a House lifer, having begun his D.C. career in 1963 as an aide to Rep. John Blatnik.

Another GOP challenger who ousted a Democrat in a Kerry/Obama district was Lou Barletta, who defeated Rep. Paul Kanjorski. His Pennsylvania district backed Kerry with 57 percent in 2004 and Obama with 53 percent in 2008. Kanjorski was first elected in 1984.

Republicans still have a chance to win three more Kerry/Obama districts in Arizona’s Seventh, California’s Twentieth, and Washington Second congressional districts. The Associated Press has not declared a winner in those races.