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Reader question: Please explain “long night” in the following passages (Trump to reportedly meet evangelical leaders to discuss Stormy Daniels, TheGuardian.com, April 6, 2018): Ralph Reed, chairman of the conservative Faith and Freedom Coalition told NPR he does not expect the affair allegations to substantially reduce evangelical support for Trump in the midterms. “If these folks don’t turn out in record numbers in 2018,” Reed said. My comments: Mr. Reed means this: Donald Trump and the Republican Party need evangelical support even more than they did before. If evangelicals don’t come out to cast their votes in the 2018 midterm elections, Republicans will be in for a long night, i.e. big trouble. Specifically, the Republican Party may lose majority control of both houses of congress, the Senate and the House of Representatives. That’s how dire the situation is facing Republicans led by Trump, who is dogged, among others, by allegations of scandalous affairs with several women. That’s why Mr. Reed calls it “a long night” on election day, meaning it’s probably going to be difficult and painful. Mr. Reed calls it “a long night” because ballot casting closes during the night. If elections closed during the day, Mr. Reed would’ve said that it’s gonna be “a long day” for Republicans instead. Anyways, “a long day” or by extension “a long night” is an expression that indicates difficult experiences instead of happy and pleasant ones. | 
