LESTER HOLT, anchor:
Nine days to go until
Election Day
. And the vote counting has started, at least in the minds of Republican and Democratic leaders, who were out today doing the math and predicting what the next
Congress
will look like.
The name of the game
is controlling the agenda on
Capitol Hill
, and on this next-to-last weekend before the vote, the strategies of how they both hope to get there were on full display.
NBC
's
Mike Viqueira
reports.
MIKE VIQUEIRA reporting:
Today on "
Meet the Press
"
the GOP
chairman predicts a sweeping victory for his party.
Mr. MICHAEL STEELE (Republican National Committee Chairman):
Oh, I absolutely believe in the
House
the balance of power will shift, as I like to say, with 38 seats. And we need to get to 39 to get control. But I think we're more than there.
VIQUEIRA:
And while conceding that his party faces big losses, the Democratic leader is holding out hope that
all is not lost
.
Mr. TIM KAINE (Democratic National Committee Chairman):
The more people turn out, the better we do. And we're seeing strong trends at the presidential rallies and early voting.
President BARACK OBAMA:
Hello, Huskies!
VIQUEIRA:
Fresh off a five-state campaign swing,
President Obama
has worked to fire up core
Democrats
as
Election Day
draws near.
Pres. OBAMA:
And so in
2008
you said yes, we can. In
2010
, you've got to say yes, we can.
VIQUEIRA:
The president has staged big rallies on college campuses...
Pres. OBAMA:
We still have a significant gender gap when it comes to wages.
VIQUEIRA:
...and drawn a renewed focus on issues affecting women.
Mr. PETER HART (Democratic Pollster):
Democrats
need to get out the core vote; that is the minorities, it's the women and it's the young people. That's where the president's going, and he's doing the job that needs to be done for
Democrats
.
VIQUEIRA:
Mr.
Obama
plans more campaign travel between now and
Election Day
, trying to shore up
Senate Democrats
at risk with stops in
Pennsylvania
,
Connecticut
,
Illinois
and
Ohio
, along with a trip to raise campaign cash tomorrow in
Rhode Island
.
Unidentified Man:
Thank you! Thank you!
VIQUEIRA:
And while Republican gains are expected in the
Senate
, they are not likely to take majority control. But with only the most optimistic
Democrats
believing that the
House
can be saved, experts say a new face, Republican
John Boehner
, is likely to be seen in the speaker's office next year.
Mr. STUART ROTHENBERG (Political Analyst):
Chances are good that all the gains the
Democrats
made in the
House
in the last two elections, 50 seats plus, are going to be erased in this one election.
VIQUEIRA:
And,
Lester
, to give you some idea the length to which Mr.
Obama
is going to reach younger voters this Wednesday appears
for the first time
as president on "
The Daily Show
." That's a comedy program that makes fun of the news, pundits and politicians.
Lester
:
HOLT:
Mike Viqueira
, thanks.
“ ”