Election Live Blogging

Michael Montagano is a conservative Democrat in Indiana

The first results should start coming in any minute. Backward places that hate the very concept of democracy close their polls early so that working people can't vote. Most of Indiana and eastern Kentucky close the polls earlier than the rest of America; both are sad Republican bastions. In 2006 Democrats beat 3 reactionary Republican incumbents-- with 3 reactionary Democrats (Hill, Donnelly and Ellsworth, 3 of the very worst Democratic members of Congress). Tonight Democrats are hoping for a fourth. They would like to see anti-choice conservative Michael Montagano beat neo-fascist Mark Souder. And in Kentucky, there's Mitch McConnell's Senate seat at stake as well as the open red seat for KY-02, where Democrats have nominated another anti-choice conservative, David Boswell. If Democrats do well in these areas, it will be an early night tonight.

And by the time we start getting reasonable returns from Kentucky and Indiana, Virginia will start reporting, one of the best opportunities for Obama to take a Bush state that will put him over the top. Virginia will also give the Democrats a second Senate seat and at least one but as many as 4 new House seats. The other states that close polls at 7pm are Vermont, Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, followed half an hour later by North Carolina, Ohio and West Virginia.


UPDATE: EARLY RESULTS COMING IN FROM INDIANA AND KENTUCKY

Boswell looks like he may be the first new Democrat of the night. Better him than Brett Guthrie but, believe me, this is no Darcy Burner or Donna Edwards we're talking about. Anyway, the earliest precincts are reporting that Boswell is doing better than Democratic candidate Mike Weaver did in 2006. The numbers aren't gigantic but they're pointing in a Democratic direction.

As expected, progressive John Yarmuth is sweeping to a big victory against the Bush rubber stamp he defeated in 2006.

I just heard "tsunami" being used on the TV. An analyst was talking about... Obama in North Carolina!

UPDATES: MSNBC CALLS...

They just called Mark Warner as the winner in Virginia's Senate race and Lindsay Graham as the winner in South Carolina, ensuring that at least one gay man will be in the U.S. Senate. They also gave Kentucky to McCain and Vermont to Obama. Also according to MSNBC, 9% of Virginia African-Americans voted for McCain!

Obama is running way ahead of where John Kerry did in red Indiana counties in 2006; augers very well for Ohio.

MSNBC just announced that Obama is leading in Ohio but they're not basing this on enough precincts to be meaningful. Same with McCain being ahead in West Virginia, although it didn't take much for them to confirm that Jay Rockefeller was re-elected to the Senate from West Virginia. And, as expected, McCain took South Carolina. Indiana voters are reporting that they split their votes big time-- voting for Republican Mitch Daniels for Governor as well as for Obama.