Posted on 11/07/2006 4:41:39 AM PST by RobFromGa
This year the networks say they are guarding their exit poll results as if they were crown jewels. The results will be delivered to a "quarantine room," access to which will be granted to only two staffers from each network...
Given that the longer election night might not suit everyone's bedtime, I've prepared an hour-by-hour guide to tonight's results...
All times are Eastern. In a bow to tradition, we've listed states that went for George W. Bush two years ago in red and those that went for John Kerry in blue. The letters after state names indicate governor and senate races, with the incumbent party in the appropriate color (independents in black).
6 p.m.
Polls close in these two states at 6 p.m. local time, which means the eastern portions will end voting at 6 EST. The key races in both states will be a bevy of close House races featuring GOP incumbents.
In Indiana, three GOP House incumbents have been trailing their Democratic challengers in October polls, albeit with survey samples so small the margin of error is large. Watch Rep. Mike Sodrel in the Ninth District. If he wins, it will mean it's unlikely Republicans will face a huge Democratic wave and lose 30 seats or more. If Rep. Chris Chocola in the Second District should survive, the GOP may wind up losing 20 seats or fewer. If Rep. John Hostettler also comes home to victory in the Eighth District, there is a good chance the GOP will retain its House majority. Indiana's Senate race isn't competitive; Republican Dick Lugar will easily win a sixth term.
Kentucky has two barn burners. Republican Rep. Anne Northup has held Louisville's Third District for five terms...
(Excerpt) Read more at opinionjournal.com ...
LOL! Queen of the Space Unicorns, that is good.
I hope that someday your children and grandchildren will tell of the time that a certain president came to town at the end of a long journey and asked their parents and grandparents to join him in setting America on the course to the new millenniumand that a century of peace, prosperity, opportunity, and hope followed.
So, if I could ask you just one last time: Tomorrow, when mountains greet the dawn, would you go out there and win one for the Gipper? -- Ronald Reagan, November 7, 1988
Ditto to all you said about Hillary.
Remember when she decided to run 6 years ago and everyone (in the media) said that she wouldn't get a free ride with the press? That she would be asked tough questions......yeah, right. She went on a six month listening tour without any questions from the press and they had hissy fit when Lazio dare to approach her at the podium.
I still can't believe she's my Senator. And she's getting stronger. Even the cops and firemen, I think, I giving her support.
I was at MSG, right after 9/11. It was a tribute to all the rescue worker's lost that day. My nephew was one of them. Hillary was booed right off the stage, but now I see her in pictures with rescue workers supporting her.
And that 8 day black out in Queens???? What the heck was going on with Bloomy, backing the Con Ed guy. Shameful
That is his formal title.
>>I am from Wichita and I have been praying NON-STOP all day!!!
I've been praying as well. We can't have an AG who is beholden to George Tiller.
Dan Rather (like John Kerry) is the gift that keeps on giving...and giving...and....
I can only speak for my family, however, I turned in all the info the state of Florida required for my husband and I to vote this year. Months ago mind you. And I have yet to see an absentee ballot.
We're military, by the way.
A Michigan man -- Rick Visel -- says he didn't know which candidate to vote for in the governor's race. When he woke up this morning, he found that someone had littered his lawn with five campaign signs for Governor Jennifer Granholm. So, he voted for her opponent.
6:00PM: Indiana and Kentucky
Indiana and Kentucky are the Republicans canary in the coalmine. In 1994, the GOP knew even before cocktail hour that they were in for a good night when a number of seats switched hands in both states (it happened so early in the evening that many election night observers had not even tuned in yet). Democrats are hopeful the same thing happens this year in their favor. The Republican Governor of Indiana is as smart as Einstein and as popular as typhoid, so there is a local anti-Republican current that is dragging down the rest of the ticket. Kentucky Republicans are suffering the same fate. There are five possible switches in this time zone one more than in 1994. If three or more go early, you know the Democrats are taking control of the House.
John Hostettler (R-INC) v. Brad Ellsworth (Indiana 08): Hostettler, a class of 1994 Republican, is in deep, deep, deep trouble in a district that gave Bush more than 60% of the vote in 2004. The question here is not whether he loses but by how much and he wont be able to blame his campaign manager without upsetting the family Thanksgiving dinner. His sister runs the homespun campaign.
Mike Sodrel (R-INC) v. Baron Hill (D) (Indiana 09): Sodrel upset Democrat incumbent Baron Hill in 2004 by less than 1%, and Hill is back for a rematch. Polls had consistently showed Sodrel losing by as much as 11%, but tracking in the past week narrowed the gap. If he wins, the GOP really did close the gap in the last 96 hours. If he loses, the Dems are on the way to a majority. Clearly an important bellwether district.
Chocola (R-INC) v. Donnelly (D) (Indiana 02): Chris Chocola is what I call a Majority Maker. Its a Democrat seat but Chocola is a very strong campaigner. He would probably keep the seat in any other year but 2006. Should he survive, its a clear indication that good Republican candidates can withstand a bad Republican year. If he loses early and badly, its going to be a lonely night for other House Republicans.
Northrup (R-INC) v. Yarmuth (D) (KY 03): Anne Northrup has held one of the GOPs most marginal seats (both Gore and Kerry carried the district) for a decade. Considered one of the hardest working incumbents, she has survived strong Democrat efforts in every election cycle since 1996. You can tell its a bad year for Republicans when there are a dozen more vulnerable incumbents. If Northrup loses this time, expect Republicans to drop 25+ House seats.
Davis (R-INC) v. Lucas (D) (KY 04): In 2004, the then-70-year-old Democrat Lucas retired from Congress after serving in this district for three terms and was succeeded by Davis, a staunch conservative. This is a very Republican district, but Lucas has been tarred by his associations with Tom DeLay and Duke Cunningham. DCCC chairman, Rahm Emanuel talked Lucas into un-retiring and giving it another go.. This ones a real tossup.
Lewis (R-INC) v. Weaver (D) (KY-02): This one has snuck up on people but the DCCC is touting the candidacy of Col. Mike Weaver, a conservative opposed to abortion, gun control and gay marriage. He is running against Ron Lewis, the man who first won in 1993 in a district that hadnt elected a Republican since Reconstruction. Should Weaver pull the upset it will be a disastrous omen for the GOP.
LOL
From: CNN Breaking News Subject: CNN Breaking News To: TEXTBREAKINGNEWS@CNNIMAIL12.CNN.COM -- Britney Spears files for divorce from her husband Kevin Federline, citing irreconcilable differences.
7:00PM: Florida, Georgia, New Hampshire, South Carolina, Vermont, Virginia
KATHERINE HARRIS WILL BE THE NEXT SENATOR FROM FLORIDA!!! OK, I jest. She may not even get 40% of the vote, and her poor performance will make it more difficult for her Republican House colleagues to maintain their seats. God may have told her to run for the Senate, but he clearly didnt give her the tools to win.
All eyes will be on George Allen in the Virginia Senate race. If the GOP holds his seat, odds of Democrats taking the Senate are reduced significantly. If Allen loses, assume the Democrats will capture BOTH houses of Congress. Although the polls close at 7:00 pm, assume the results of this race wont be called until midnight or later. I believe Allen will win but dont bet the farm on it.
Shaw (R-INC) v. Klien (D) (FL 22): Shaw has had several political scares in recent years. Hes taking this race seriously, and his district is a bit more Republican than in the past. But Bush is unpopular in the district and Harris is polling in the mid-30s. Shaw has had to defend a Medicare prescription drug benefit that has mixed popularity and Social Security reform to a district jam-packed with seniors. This district defines the word tossup.
Buchanan (R) v. Jennings (D) (FL 13): This was a safe Republican seat in Sarasota that Katherine Harris abandoned in her futile quest for a promotion. Now it is one of the most hotly contested open seats. If Republicans lose this seat and they could it is a clear indication that open seats will be breaking Democrat. Watch this one closely.
Bass (R-INC) v. Hodes (D) (NH 02): Bass, a leading GOP moderate, was swept into Congress on the 1994 Republican tidal wave. Only a Democrat tidal wave could sweep him out. Hes included in this guide because a loss early in the evening would suggest bad news in nearby Connecticut and a loss of 30 GOP seats. Its not likely, but its worthy of mention.
Drake (R-INC) v. Kellum (D) (VA 02): MoveOn.org targeted this district in early June and it has remained on the political map ever since. The two female candidates are at opposite ends of the Iraq War, and with thousands of military families in the district, those votes could decide the election. If Republicans drop this seat, its going to be tough sledding in other military-oriented congressional districts.
Complete list of closing times:
2300 UTC (6:00 ET, 5:00 CT, 4:00 MT, 3:00 PT)
Indiana
Kentucky
0000 UTC (7:00 ET, 6:00 CT, 5:00 MT, 4:00 PT)
Georgia
New Hampshire
South Carolina
Virginia
Vermont
0030 UTC (7:30 ET, 6:30 CT, 5:30 MT, 4:30 PT)
North Carolina
Ohio
West Virginia
0100 UTC (8:00 ET, 7:00 CT, 6:00 MT, 5:00 PT)
Alabama
Connecticut
Delaware
Florida
Illinois
Kansas
Maine
Maryland
Massachusetts
Michigan
Mississippi
Missouri
New Jersey
North Dakota
Pennsylvania
South Dakota
Oklahoma
Tennessee
Texas
0130 UTC (8:30 ET, 7:30 CT, 6:30 MT, 5:30 PT)
Arkansas
0200 UTC (9:00 ET, 8:00 CT, 7:00 MT, 6:00 PT)
Arizona
Colorado
Louisiana
Minnesota
Nebraska
New Mexico
New York
Rhode Island
Wisconsin
Wyoming
0300 UTC (10:00 ET, 9:00 CT, 8:00 MT, 7:00 PT)
Idaho
Iowa
Montana
Nevada
Utah
0400 UTC (11:00 ET, 10:00 CT, 9:00 MT, 8:00 PT, 6:00 HAT)
California
Hawaii
Oregon
Washington
0500 UTC (12:00 ET, 11:00 CT, 10:00 MT, 9:00 PT, 8:00 AT, 7:00 HAT)
Alaska
75 MINUTES to the closing in Indiana and Kentucky. Those really only have an impact in the House, as KY has no Senate race and IN has only a token Senate race (no Democrat running), and neither state has a Governor race.
Don't count PA out. Full court press is on!
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