[Unidentified Female:] It is a timeless and cherished honor to serve in our country's armed services. That honor has been Brent's since he served in the Utah National Guard for the past 15 years. And it has been mine for just as long, as I have proudly stood by his side.
[Jim Sciutto, Cnn Anchor:] Well, Brent Taylor touched a lot of lives. An Afghan officer who served alongside him also testified to his character in an emotional letter written to Taylor's wife. And we have a copy of it here. He wrote in part, Major Abdul Rahman Rahmani, "Your husband taught me to love my wife Hamida as an equal and treat my children as treasured gifts, to be a better father, to be a better husband, to be a better man." That is the legacy that Brent Taylor leaves on this election day. A very good Tuesday morning to you.
[Sciutto:] It is election day. I'm Jim Sciutto. Thanks so much for watching today.
[Poppy Harlow, Cnn Anchor:] We are live for you in Washington. Good morning, everyone. I'm Poppy Harlow. It's 10:00 a.m. out East, 7:00 a.m. in the West. Polls coast to coast are open now from sea to shining sea. Every state except Alaska and Hawaii where it's still super early. In Oregon and Washington, which do their elections by mail. If you are not one of the 33 million voters who cast their ballots early this year, and that's an astounding number, by the way, for a midterm, then today's your chance. Your last chance to help choose 435 House members, 35 senators, and 36 governors.
[Sciutto:] You know, we talked to see many midterm elections about not enough people voting.
[Harlow:] Right.
[Sciutto:] It does not appear to be a problem this time around. Literally thousands of offices, judgeships, ballot questions are on the line today, but no question looms larger than this one. Will voters decide to break the Republican monopoly on power here in the nation's capital or give President Trump another two years of virtual free reign. We have reporters and crews this hour from New York to Texas, Wisconsin to South Florida, across the country. We begin with Gary Tuchman, he's in Powder Springs, Georgia, just outside Atlanta. The man in charge of running elections in that state happens to be running in the state. The secretary of state running for governor. It's quite a tight, quite an acrimonious race.
[Gary Tuchman, Cnn National Correspondent:] Jim, Brian Kemp, the Republican, is a player in the election. And he's also a referee in the election. He's the secretary of state in charge of the elections yet he's running in it. And he's running against Stacey Abrams, she's a Democrat. If she wins, and this race is too close to call, she will become the first African-American female to ever be a governor in the United States. This is Cobb County, Georgia. This precinct in this church gymnasium has been crowded all day. We can tell you, we got here at 6:00 a.m., it opens at 7:00. It was pouring rain outside. We came inside to capture people entering. And it looked like a Black Friday sale when the doors opened at 7:00. There were more than 100 people waiting to vote, and it's been a steady stream since then. We've been talking to people, unsolicited here. We haven't talked to them before. We don't stage anything. We just want to get an idea. Can I ask you a quick question, ma'am? Turn around this way. I hope it's not too nervy for me to ask you this. First of all, what's your name?
[Diana Claire, Georgia Voter:] Diana Claire [Ph]
[Tuchman:] OK, Diana, it sound nervy, but can you tell me who you're voting for for governor? Is it Kemp or Abrams?
[Claire:] I'd rather not say.
[Tuchman:] That's OK. You don't have to say. You're not required to in this country. But I do want to ask you another question which you are required to answer. OK. Because it won't give away who you're voting for. The president of the United States, Donald Trump, is he helping you determine who to vote for, either for him or against him?
[Claire:] Yes and no.
[Tuchman:] Yes and no. And yes in what way?
[Claire:] Yes in certain issues that they are covering that they feel is important for us is what we feel is important.
[Tuchman:] But he is influencing you, Trump, in some way, shape, or form?
[Claire:] Yes. Yes.
[Tuchman:] OK. And that's the question. Thank you for talking with us.
[Claire:] Thank you.
[Tuchman:] I didn't mean to grill you so hard. Everyone is very nice to me when I asked them who they're voting for. No one ever hits me or anything like that, because I set it up like that, that way they don't have to answer the question, but we have been asking everybody if Donald Trump is a reason they're here. Almost everyone we've talked to, Jim, has said that the president of the United States has some influence in why they're here, either pro or con. Jim, back to you.
[Sciutto:] Yes. And you can sense some of the sensitivity there. You know, politics are always sensitive. They're particularly sensitive in this time. Gary Tuchman, thanks very much.
[Harlow:] Only Gary can ask those tough questions with a smile and make it work.
[Sciutto:] Yes.
[Harlow:] All right. Let's get to the battleground state of Virginia. That is where our correspondent Brian Todd is in Sterling, Virginia. So much talk about Virginia, Virginia 10th, what it all means. How the president weighs in there? What are you hearing?
[Brian Todd, Cnn Correspondent:] Well, Poppy, this is the heart of that Virginia 10th voting district. We're four hours into a very energized morning here in northern Virginia. This is one of those a suburban battlegrounds that's going to be so crucial to determine whether they Democrats will take control of the House of Representatives. That's going to play out here where Democrat Jennifer Wexton is challenging the Republican incumbent Barbara Comstock. I heard Gary talking about you know, talking to a voter about what drove them to the polls. I've got a voter here. This is Joe Schuler [PH], he's been a voter here in Loudon County for seven years now. Joe, tell me what brought you out today. It's a very energized turnout. What brings you out?
[Joe Schuler, Virginia Voter:] The conservatives and especially the Trump administration leading this country in a disastrous direction and completely unethical direction as well.
[Todd:] And so Donald Trump is was he may be the sole reason that brought you out or there are other things that you care?
[Schuler:] Not the only reason. I generally vote, but he was definitely an energizer.
[Todd:] And what about the people you talk to, your friends, family? Does Donald Trump play a big role in their decision-making against whether to come out and vote or to stay home?
[Schuler:] Many of the people I know, yes. He's playing a big decision in them coming out.
[Todd:] And what about issues? You know, we hear that immigration, health care are the big issues. What's the thing that you care about most that brings you here?
[Schuler:] I'm not generally a single-issue voter, but the complete gutting of the ACA and
[Todd:] Affordable Care Act.
[Schuler:] Yes. It's just it's horrible and it's exactly the opposite direction the government should be moving in.
[Todd:] All right, Joe. Well, thank you very much for talking to us. Pleasure to meet you, and that kind of gives you an idea, guys, of what brings people out here. For better or for worse, for positive or negative, President Trump is driving a lot of people to the polls. People now have roughly nine hours to vote at this polling station. We're told that if people are still in line when they come in here, they're going to get a chance to vote. And let me swing something around here and show you really quickly, this is a handicap space. They have been helping people who have come here to vote by actually coming to their cars if they can't walk in, giving them ballots, and taking them back in. So they're making it very conducive for people with challenges to come here and vote. Poppy, back to you.
[Harlow:] That's great to see. They're going the extra mile for all those folks so everyone can cast their ballot. Brian Todd, important reporting. Thank you very much.
[Sciutto:] Well, imagine this. Florida, a key race, couldn't have an election without Florida being at the center of a high stakes race. Hialeah, Florida, is where our Rosa Flores finds herself today. What are you hearing from voters there today about what's bringing them to the polls?
[Rosa Flores, Cnn Correspondent:] You know, Jim, I talked to one voter who said that this is the best country in the world. We enjoy democracy. We enjoy freedoms, and how do you maintain that democracy and those freedoms? By exercising your right to vote. That's why one voter said that she was here very early this morning. Take a look over my shoulder. Polls here opens at 7:00 a.m. and we do have an update from the secretary of state here in Florida. Updated early voting numbers. Hear this. 39 percent of registered voters in Florida have already voted. That's more than five million people. Now Florida is known for its nail-biting races because races usually are here won by razor thin margins. You've got to look at these numbers with me. Republicans, the breakdown this is the breakdown by party. Republicans make up 40.1 percent of those votes. Democrats, 40.5 percent of those votes, with no party affiliation and other making 19.4 percent. Again, nail-biting races here in the state of Florida. And there are
[Sciutto:] Rosa, sorry to interrupt. We're just seeing a live picture now of Andrew Gillum, who's Democratic candidate for governor in Florida casting his ballot in Tallahassee, Florida, where he happens to be the mayor as well. Just one of the most hotly contested governors races, bellwether for which party is going to have the upper hand. A little bit of a difficult signal from inside there.
[Harlow:] Yes.
[Sciutto:] But that was Andrew Gillum casting his ballot. Rosa Flores, thank you very much from outside a polling station there as well.
[Harlow:] OK. Rosa, thank you. On a day when millions will go to the polls, where is the president? Our White House correspondent Sarah Westwood joins us live outside the White House. You know, Sarah, ahead of today, the president has talked a lot about that Florida race and a lot about that candidate who just voted, Andrew Gillum.
[Sarah Westwood, Cnn White House Correspondent:] That's right, and President Trump had endorsed Gillum's Republican opponent, Congressman Ron DeSantis, in the primary. There was a lot of controversy around that decision, given that this is one time considered a very winnable race for Republicans, and there was some thinking in the party that perhaps DeSantis' primary opponent could have been a better match against Gillum. And this is just one of the many races that the president will be watching closely today. We're told by Press Secretary Sarah Sanders that the president will be making calls today, keeping tabs on those House, Senate, and gubernatorial contests. We're also told that the president is likely to stop by the war room that his political team has set up in the East Wing of the White House to keep tabs on voting throughout the day, and then later the president will be inviting friends and family into the White House residence to watch the election results. There's no clear answer yet on whether the president will make some kind of statement or appearance tonight once the verdict to voters becomes clear. And the president has already started to set expectations when it comes to the House. He's acknowledged that there's so many districts across the country that he wasn't able to visit them all or at least that's the excuse that he gave for focusing primarily on the Senate in the final weeks of campaigning when he visited those eight states, held those 11 rallies just in the past week. The president seems to be staking more of Republican hopes on the Senate, and of course, he'll be watching those returns tonight from the White House residence with his family Poppy.
[Harlow:] OK. Sarah Westwood, thank you. Appreciate it.
[Sciutto:] Coming up next, we are focusing on your vote today. We have reporters across the country following all the key races. We're going to bring you updates from each of those races as we go forward.
[Harlow:] It's not just the names on the ballots today. Amendments in several states could have very significant implications on voting rights across the country. Stay with us.