Election Night 2008

12:21 AM: I am actually tearing up as I watch the first and second families take to the stage. Just look at that crowd-the emotions-what a journey we've travelled. The buildings around Grant Park have "USA" formed by light patterns. All those American flags. All those screams. All those drops of sweat. All those smiles. 21 months-50 states-49 debates-Barack Obama is now the President-Elect of the most powerful nation on Earth.This is simply wonderful...simply wonderful.

11:59 PM: At one minute til midnight-Barack Obama takes the stage at Grant Park to deliver his victory speech.

11:38 PM: McCain is gracious a loser. Some of his supporters are not. Anyway, we are waiting for Obama's victory speech in that electric Grant Park.

11:17 PM: Here we go-Florida has voted for Obama! That's my first miss of the night-40 for 41. Jesse Jackson is crying as so many others are tonight. John McCain has begun his concession speech-he does not look happy at all.

11:14 PM: I can't wait for the speech by Barack Obama. I'm looking for a different tone from his tonight, though I think he will stick to his message of change. Colorado has been called for Obama right now-bringing his total to 306.

11:07 PM: No words for this moment! Barack Obama has been elected President of the United States. He has won Virginia as well. Look at them party in Chicago and Atlanta and Harlem!!!! A historical moment!!

11:00 PM: THERE'S THE CALL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! BARACK OBAMA WILL BE THE NEXT PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! BARACK OBAMA WILL BE THE 44TH PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES!!!!!!!!!!!

10:57 PM: Three minutes to go before California, Oregon, Washington, and Idaho close. This might be it. The moment we have waited for many many years. Just a couple minutes away. Obama has all but got it!

10:39 PM: I am 34 for 34 in state projections so far!! Yay!

10:19 PM: The scene in Grant Park is absolutely unbelievable. It is just filled with people, flags, and a party atmosphere! Gives me goosebumps. This is an election that will be talked about for decades to come!

10:05 PM: Iowa goes for Obama. Arizona is still too close to call. This is an incredible night. Getting closer now to 270. The McCain headquarters looks like a funeral compared to Grant Park. This map is as blue as it's gotten in a long time. Obama's jumped into the lead in Virginia and closed the gap significantly in Indiana. This might be a massive blowout for Obama tonight. And I still haven't missed a state yet in my projection.

9:58 PM: Not that it matters, McCain has won Texas. At the top of the hour, a bunch of states will close their polls and we may get an official call for the Presidency in just over an hour!

9:42 PM: That's it. Break out the champagne and celebrate in Grant Park!! Obama CAN'T lose this now. He's got 200 with California, Washington, Oregon, and Hawaii yet to come, which will easily put him over 270! This is it! History has been made in America!

9:22 PM: BIG NEWS! Barack Obama takes Ohio!!!! This is very significant! Before this thing began, I thought that if he won either Florida or Ohio, he's over the top with the help of the West Coast. Huge development! It's 195-76 Obama.

9:15 PM: Obama has closed the gap to 1% in Virginia, now trailing McCain by 30 000 votes. Ohio, Pennsylvania are so slow in reporting their results. Indian's not changing much, McCain leads by 40 000 votes and Florida is still looking pretty solid for Obama.

9:04 PM: Another slew of results are in. Blue states and red states distributed onto the map. John McCain now with 70 electoral votes. Barack Obama has 175. No big surprises yet. Texas and Louisiana are too early to call. New York goes for Obama (suprise! surprise!). Missouri is real tight. We're in for a fight!

8:49 PM: It's a slower night than I imagined. Florida, North Carolina, Virginia, Ohio, and Indiana are all too close to call. McCain is leading by 10% in Virginia and 4% in Indiana. Otherwise, Obama is pulling ahead in the "battleground" states. In 10 minutes, we'll go out west of the Mississippi with 156 new electoral college votes up for grabs.

8:34 PM: About 14 million votes have been counted. Barack Obama leades by approx 58 000 votes. Alabama has been projected for McCain.

8:31 PM: Look at this! Kay Hagan has been declared the winner in North Carolina. So for the first time since 1952, no Bushes or Doles are elected to public office. This was an extremely nasty campaign in NC with Dole calling Hagan an atheist at one point. I didn't think Democrats would win 60 seats in the Senate, but it looks like they might just pull it off!

8:29 PM: New Hampshire's hotly contested Senate seat has gone Democrat. Senator McConnell has not be projected the winner yet. Grant Park is filling up fast. They're singing the Anthem at McCain's HQs. Democracy is at work in America!

8:17 PM: Wow! Look at these vote totals. Just a quarter of Florida's votes are in, but there has already been 3 500 000 votes counted. This is just incredible. In North Carolina, Obama is up by 150 000 votes with just 4% in precincts reporting.

8:02 PM: A slew of calls for Obama brings him to 103. McCain stands at 34. Pennsylvania is blue-despite McCain's hopes. The Southern states are too early to call. Obama's still leading by 320 000 votes in Florida. To be frank, I expected Florida to be a lot closer.

7:57 PM: At the top of the hour, 171 new electoral college votes will be up for grabs. Polls in 15 states set to close. Get ready, folks! It's crunch time!

7:46 PM: South Carolina has been put into the column of Senator McCain. Make that 16 for McCain and 3 for Obama. Forty-seven states left!

7:33 PM: A string of Too Early to Calls and Too Close to Calls does nothing to change the electoral map. It's still Obama 3, McCain 8. Good news though-Obama is up by 112 000 in Florida.

7:27 PM: Three minutes to go before the very interesting Ohio and West Virginia close their polls.

7:17 PM: Indiana is shifting between Obama and McCain like the Dow Jones going up and down. McCain leads by about 500 votes. Two minutes ago, Obama was up by about 1 800. This is what tonight is all about!!

7:11 PM: I'm on the nail in terms of House projection. NBC predicts 261 for the Dems and 174 for the Republicans, within 2 of my own projection. Supporters are now just being let into Grant Park in Chicago for Obama's victory party.

7:01 PM: Get this!! Indiana is separated by 38 VOTES!! 38 VOTES!! This is incredible. Kentucky is projected for McCain. Vermont is in the Obama column. Mark Warner, the keynote speaker at the DNC, is expected to pick up a Senate seat in Virginia and Lindsey Graham will keep his Senate seat in South Carolina.

6:55 PM: The Kentucky hard numbers just jumped like a rocket. McCain is up by just 5000 votes in Kentucky, or just 3 %. In just 5 minutes, 58 electoral votes will be up for grabs in Virginia, South Carolina, Indiana, Kentucky, Vermont and Georgia.

6:47 PM: Here we go! Just 13 minutes til a block of states shut their polls. Early results in from Indiana-OBAMA is leading by 711 votes. It is a tight race already, as we expected. In Kentucky, McCain is doubling up on Obama. It's early and we are expected to see 140 million votes counted after the dust is settled.

-D