So, the midterm polls have finally closed in some states, slamming shut the 2014 election season and marking the beginning of the fresh cycle of 2016 (you better believe it!).
On Tuesday candidates had one final day of campaigning to make an impression on voters – and they certainly pushed themselves to the limit.
However, it did not always go smoothly. And in this age of smartphones, when there’s a slip-up (or, in Missouri governor Jay Nixon’s case, when cracks appear) in a campaign, there are dozens of cameras around to capture – and share – the regrettable moment.
Here, we round up some of the worst – by which, of course, we mean best. God bless America, and the internet.
Governor Jay Nixon (D-MO)
Nixon set a low bar this morning when his campaign tweeted a photo of him performing his civic duty. It was a glorious (if poorly lit) celebration of democracy. Until you looked a little closer at his neighbor …
Tweeting this screenshot, because I'm not entirely sure this just happened. @GovJayNixon pic.twitter.com/avTNOi91LN
— Valerie Schremp Hahn (@valeriehahn) November 4, 2014
The tweet was quickly deleted, but didn’t stop Twitter from having a lot of fun with this one. You can read the glorious puns over at Politics MO, which has collected the best, er, cracks about the tweet.
Thanks to his crack social media team RT @TrendsDC: Governor Jay Nixon, @govjaynixon is now trending in #DC
— Lachlan Markay (@lachlan) November 4, 2014
Governor Andrew Cuomo (D-NY)
Speaking of butts … New York governor Andrew Cuomo and his girlfriend, the TV chef Sandra Lee, appeared to get a little too affectionate at the guv’s local polling place.
One of the city’s main tabloids is determined to turn Lee’s alleged butt grab into A Thing.
Here's @NYGovCuomo at the polls with girlfriend Sandra Lee. http://t.co/0rH9hFKy3a Got a caption for this photo? pic.twitter.com/hEVpJHlTdw
— NYDN Politics (@NYDNPolitics) November 4, 2014
Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY)
It hasn’t been a great day for the Senate minority (for now) leader. Thanks to the power of social media, this photo of McConnell being photobombed by a scruffy voter might become the defining image of the 2014 election.
Sen. McConnell casts vote as man behind him gives thumbs down at @bellarmineU. @courierjournal @ALTONPHOTO #kysen pic.twitter.com/EFAqxMfbMd
— Michael Clevenger (@MClevenger_CJ) November 4, 2014
But trouble started before he even got to the voting booth.
Sen. McConnell voting in Louisville. His wife forgot ID in car, so she's waiting for someone to get it for her. pic.twitter.com/iXsm9hCqdT
— Jeff Zeleny (@jeffzeleny) November 4, 2014
Senator Mark Udall (D-CO)
Mark got little too literal at a campaign stop today.
Sens. Mark Udall and Michael Bennet literally give a stump speech - a speech from atop a stump - at Colorado State pic.twitter.com/wFc5RTIDIi
— Katie Zezima (@katiezez) November 4, 2014
Clay Aiken (D-NC)
It appears that former American Idol contestant and current congressional candidate Clay Aiken ran into some mechanical difficulties on the trail today.
It hurts. @whoya pic.twitter.com/oRrqdlnElf
— Patricia Murphy (@1PatriciaMurphy) November 4, 2014
Notable exception: Wendy Davis (D-TX)
...And this is the last time we're expecting to see Wendy Davis until the polls close. pic.twitter.com/nhkIJBFUp3
— Emily Baucum (@EmilyBaucum) November 4, 2014
Yes, that is Texas gubernatorial candidate and abortion rights advocate Wendy Davis wearing a Wu-Tang Clan inspired shirt with her name on it.
Your move, Leslie Knope.
See your candidates doing something silly on the stump? Tweet your photos @GuardianUS!
