Jeffrey Toobin, CNN’s elections-law expert, says it’s pretty much over.
In Virginia, where Allen is entitled to a recount, there’s really nothing to recount, because the state uses mostly no-paper-trail electronic machines; the canvass that’s now going on, which just checks the arithmetic, is about all there is to do. The last recount in a Virginia statewide race moved dozens of votes, not thousands, and right now Webb is up about 7000. Toobin said he’d never heard of a recount anywhere that moved anything like that many votes.
In Montana, the loser isn’t even entitled to a recount unless he’s within half a percentage point, which would be just about 2000 votes; right now, Tester is up by 3000.
Tradesports has Republicans holding the Senate at 5.5% bid, 6% asked.
This matters a ton; Democrats in the House can be much more ruthless with their Republican counterparts, and with the K Street mob, if there’s no fear of retaliation from the Senate side.