The American Spectator

While Republicans have announced that they want to be cautious not to repeat the celebratory images of Democrats partying in 2006 given the economic environment, it’s clear by their choice of venue for their election evening gathering that they’re gearing up for a much bigger night than Democrats. 

You can tell a lot about a political party’s expectations based on how they plan to spend election night. I remember noticing this back in 2006, after spending the earlier part of that election evening at the National Republican Senatorial Committee headquarters in DC, where a handful of reporters gathered and Elizabeth Dole would pop down every few hours to chat. Then, later in the evening, I wandered over to the Hyatt Regency where Democrats had rented out a massive ballroom, and Nancy Pelosi, Chuck Schumer, Rahm Emanuel and Harry Reid took the stage with a rock star reception from the audience.

However, ABC reports that this time Nancy Pelosi is expected to attent a “Speaker’s Cabinet Election Watch Reception” at the Liaison Hotel, a boutique hotel on Capitol Hill with a total of 10,000 square feet of event and meeting space, according to its website. By contrast, John Boehner will be at a Republican gathering at the downtown Grand Hyatt, which boasts 42,000 square feet of event space plus an additional 7,609 square feet of prefunction space.

So, whether you choose to look at the generic ballot, polling in individual races, or the political parties’ election night plans, the story remains the same. Next Tuesday is likely to be a big day for Republicans.