Wayne Allyn Root is making his final midterm forecast with the confidence of a Las Vegas oddsmaker and the restraint of a man who has never met a dramatic political prediction he disliked. Root admits he is human and not always right, then says his record is 99.999% accurate. He says he has made thousands of political predictions during the past 12 years, all on the record through writing, television, radio, and podcasts. Before politics, he says, he spent 42 years making his living as an oddsmaker and was dubbed “America’s Oddsmaker” and “The King of Vegas Sports Gambling.”For this election, Root says he made only two actual bets. The first was a large wager on Ken Paxton winning the U.S. Senate seat in Texas. The second was a bet that Republicans would win the Senate. Root rejects Texas polls showing Paxton’s opponent ahead and argues that voters will not choose a candidate he portrays as hostile to Christianity and supportive of communism. His tone is not exactly the cautious language of a Sunday morning panel show, but caution has never been Root’s favorite political accessory.Root’s House prediction is much less favorable for Republicans. He says, “There is no blue…

The O’Keefe Media Group released its “Talarico Tapes” on Monday, one day before the midterm elections, putting Texas U.S. Senate candidate James Talarico’s public image under an uncomfortable spotlight. The undercover videos, as described in the report, feature conversations with Texas Democrats and members of Talarico’s girlfriend’s family who question whether his recent moderate messaging reflects a real change in his views.The dispute is straightforward. The report says Talarico has presented himself as more centrist on several politically sensitive issues, while people recorded by O’Keefe describe him as firmly progressive. Apparently, moderation can be rolled out for the cameras and packed away after the votes are counted. That is the central allegation raised by the footage, and it puts Talarico’s public comments under a microscope before Texas voters head to the polls.Matt Menard, identified in the report as Talarico’s girlfriend’s father, said: “James is not going… he’s not going middle. He’s a progressive,” Menard also warned viewers not to place too much weight on Talarico’s border security comments, saying, “Don’t put too much stock into border security comments…” He added, “He’s [Talarico] offended by ICE. He and I have spoken about these issues,” according to O’Keefe’s account.Menard also attributed a…