Decision Time! Live blog of results for president, Senate, Georgia races
UPDATE at 11:25 p.m.: And that’s it. Ohio has been called for Obama, and it looks likely that Florida will follow suit. A couple of near-billion-dollar campaigns, and it looks like two states (Indiana and North Carolina) will have flipped, maybe three if Romney ekes out a win in Virginia.
We’ll have plenty of time in the weeks to come to talk about what comes next for the GOP nationally. Tonight is for Obama and his supporters.
The silver lining here in Georgia, for me: The charter schools amendment passed, giving students and parents more choices in the near future.
—
UPDATE at 9:56 p.m.: With Michigan and Pennsylvania being called for Obama, Romney is right where most people thought he would be: needing to sweep Florida, North Carolina, Virginia and Ohio, plus one more smaller state, to win. None of those four has been called yet, and all are within reach. But the hour is getting late, and his margin for error is gone.
Incidentally, and just for the record: Some news outlets have called Wisconsin for Obama even though the votes that have been counted there show Romney leading. Admittedly, the exit poll there doesn’t look good for Romney. But it reminds me of Florida in 2000, when I was looking at the AP feed of votes counted and seeing George W. Bush leading even as the state was called for Al Gore. I’m not saying that’s going to happen this year in the Badger State, but I will wait a bit longer before handing that state to Obama.
—
UPDATE at 8:42 p.m.: Most media outlets are projecting that Georgia’s 16 electoral votes will go to Mitt Romney. This is not surprising, of course, and I wish we were getting exit polls to give us an idea of how the state might have changed since the 2008 election, but there it is for the record.
In other Georgia news, the charter-schools amendment is doing better than expected outside metro Atlanta, which wasn’t necessarily expected to be the case since the issue isn’t as well-known in other parts of the state. With about 800,000 votes counted, the “yes” vote is ahead by more than 50,000 votes, or about 6.5 percentage points.
Nationally, it’s becoming clear — again, not surprising at this point — that Democrats will retain control of the U.S. Senate. Florida’s Bill Nelson is projected to retain his seat, which is one Republicans probably had to flip if they were going to take the Senate.
In the presidential race, I’m seeing some disagreement among Virginia-minded pundits about what’s happening in that state. The exit polls didn’t really bode well for Romney, but you can ask President John Kerry about how much that matters. Obama seems to be holding his edge in certain parts of that state, but not all of them. It will probably be a while longer before we see how that state shakes out. If Romney can’t take it, he will be hard-pressed to string together enough other states to get to 270 electoral votes.
—
UPDATE at 7:08 p.m.: The polls in Georgia closed a few minutes ago. I am going ahead and calling a majority in the state House and Senate for the Georgia GOP. Shocker, I know.
After all, Republicans entered today with 29 guaranteed seats in the Senate to the Democrats’ 15, and 90 in the House to the Dems’ 48. That’s 182 of 236 state legislative seats (77 percent) decided before the polls opened, much less closed, because they weren’t contested in the general election. That lack of competitiveness shouldn’t surprise me at this point, but somehow the magnitude of it always does.
The real Gold Dome drama tonight, of course, centers on whether the GOP can achieve super-majorities of two-thirds in each chamber. That, and what happens with the charter schools amendment.
Also, the AP has called Kentucky for Romney and Vermont for Obama. So, Romney leads 8 electoral votes to 3. LET’S JUST END IT NOW AND GO HOME!!
Kidding. Of course. Sort of. No, really.
—
ORIGINAL POST:
The first polls closed at 6 p.m. in Indiana and Kentucky. Georgia’s polls close at 7 p.m., as do a number of other states. The flood of election results will begin in earnest sometime thereafter.
Follow it all here and on Twitter, as I’ll be posting updates on the charter-schools amendment, the race in Georgia’s 12th Congressional District, the balance of power in the statehouse and the U.S. Senate — oh, and that other election between Mitt Whatshisname and Somebody Obama.
And if Twitter, blogging, and the Google+ Hangout from earlier today — along with the next Hangout we’ll do either tonight or tomorrow morning — aren’t enough, tune into WABE, 90.1 FM, around 9:45 p.m. and 10:45 p.m. to hear me discuss the results during the station’s election coverage.
OK, I think that’s it … join us one way or another.
– By Kyle Wingfield
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492 comments Add your comment
Tiberius - pulling the tail of the left AND right when needed
November 6th, 2012
10:12 pm
AmVet, West is up slightly but at 50-50
JDW
November 6th, 2012
10:12 pm
Looks to me like OH and VA are going for Obama as well…lions share of votes out are big Blue.
Progressive Humanist
November 6th, 2012
10:12 pm
Democrats hold Senate seats in Missouri, Pennsylvania, Ohio, among others, and pick up seats in Massachusetts and Indiana. Obama holds Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Michigan, and takes the “toss up” of New Hampshire and everything else he was supposed to.
adam smith's invisible hand
November 6th, 2012
10:12 pm
Lots of military there.
================
Yeah, but a lot more cars up on blocks.
They BOTH suck
November 6th, 2012
10:13 pm
Fox News
Why the long faces?
Progressive Humanist
November 6th, 2012
10:13 pm
What did Kyle say about his gut the other day?
Finn McCool (The System isn't Broken; It's Fixed)
November 6th, 2012
10:13 pm
Rachel Maddow can’t keep herself from laughing…..
Lord Help Us
November 6th, 2012
10:13 pm
Man, Sarah Palin looks like she got eaten by a coyote and crapped over a cliff…
Is Glenn Rice back in town?
Matz
November 6th, 2012
10:14 pm
It would seem Tiberious claims to know me. I assure you, this is not true. Old-school conservatives were worthy of respect, even when I did not agree with them on everything. (Who agrees with their preferred candidate on everything anyway? That would be silly.)
Real conservatives don’t think the government should stick its nose in a family’s personal and medical decisions. They value individualism and privacy, not the rabid, religiously-inspired dogma that’s oh-so convenient for getting the church crowd to care enough to vote while not caring enough to actually question or research for themselves. See, sell something to get something else, and you can’t have the first thing back.
Real conservatives care about the planet with which Father God entrusted them. They conserve resources, using them wisely, not wastefully or gluttonously, so that their grandchildren may enjoy those things which only Father God can create upon Mother Earth. Ah, but sell that for quick money on the short, and mega-profits on the long, and you don’t get to keep both. Tsk, tsk….
Real conservatives value hard work, and believe that a man who toils in a daily grind without glamor or fortune deserves respect for those efforts, as it takes all kinds to keep the economy and our society thriving. They do not ridicule those who cannot or choose not to seek the path of greed or exploitation, but believe that even the meek and lesser gifted can, and should, have dignity and basic necessities. The gamesmanship that dismantles American companies and ships jobs to slave laborers overseas for obscene, “know you can’t see how much I grossed” hoarding of wealth is disgusting to a true, thrifty, God-loving conservative. But you sell one for the thrill of power and replace morality with proverbs like, “there’s no such thing as being too rich” then you don’t get to keep the original value, and we see you for what you are.
Real conservatives are delightful people to know! Rare, and disappearing like the polar ice caps, but delightful nonetheless!
Finn McCool (The System isn't Broken; It's Fixed)
November 6th, 2012
10:15 pm
Kyles’s gut has been fed BS for way tooo long. It is clueless.
JDW
November 6th, 2012
10:16 pm
Senate has been called by CNN
Tiberius - pulling the tail of the left AND right when needed
November 6th, 2012
10:18 pm
That was never in doubt for the last 2 months, JDW. No surprise there.
Progressive Humanist
November 6th, 2012
10:18 pm
Republicans pick up a Senate seat in Nebraska! You know it’s going to be a long night for cons when they struggle to pick up a seat in Nebraska.
They BOTH suck
November 6th, 2012
10:18 pm
Couldn’t stay at the funeral home too long, so I changed it away from Fox.
JDW
November 6th, 2012
10:19 pm
CNN just let the talking heads call FL by vouching it that they are contributors
ODD OWL
November 6th, 2012
10:19 pm
President Obama might win all 9 of the battleground states… Congress will remain about the same…
JDW
November 6th, 2012
10:20 pm
Oppps couching
They BOTH suck
November 6th, 2012
10:20 pm
Bruno
http://www.lupus.org/webmodules/webarticlesnet/templates/georgia_about.aspx?articleid=987&zoneid=129
Thanks. The Lupus Foundation and those afflicted with lupus will appreciate your donation.
I hope PB and yourself are doing well.
JDW
November 6th, 2012
10:23 pm
@Tiberius…I have not seen a surprise all night…it’s pretty clear which polls were right
Lil' Barry Bailout - Vote American
November 6th, 2012
10:24 pm
Doesn’t look good for America.
Looking like the parasites will carry the day.
SisterSarah
November 6th, 2012
10:26 pm
… and looks like the sourpusses will continue to be sourpusses.
Tiberius - pulling the tail of the left AND right when needed
November 6th, 2012
10:27 pm
Here’s how far afield of normalcy the Commonwealth f Massachusetts has gone:
They reject the most moderate U.S. Senator in the nation for a college professor who claims to represent the 1%, all the while earning over $250k per year teaching two classes a year at Harvard, who owns a home valued at $1.4 million, who lied about her native American heritage to get ahead in academia, and who has never served a day in any legislature in her life. And toss him out by about 6 percentage points.
They appear to be re-electing a sitting Congressman whose wife and her family were CONVICTED of money laundering (he used the Sgt. Schultz defense when asked if he knew anything about it) over a moderate GAY Republican state senator.
Oh, and they elected another Kennedy who has done nothing but cash in on his family name to earn the seat.
THAT is the state of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts as of November, 2012.
native
November 6th, 2012
10:27 pm
Looks pretty good for my America.
Maybe the parasites (rentiers) are at bay.
Progressive Humanist
November 6th, 2012
10:27 pm
Where’s cc? He said that I wouldn’t show my “face” here tonight. For some reason he seems to be hiding. Wonder why?
Black Label
November 6th, 2012
10:29 pm
Let the excuses roll from the tip of your tongues and the tears flow like rain……
Deep inside, you already knew the answer, but pride kept you holding on.
Will Obama take OH and FL?
Be good, be safe
DAWG POUND
November 6th, 2012
10:30 pm
““what is conservatism”
Whatever CONSERVATIVES think it is.
Liberals don’t get to define it, Dawg Pound.”
Well, you just made my case! You have no idea of what you speak. I am a classic liberalist and you are obviously a social liberalist. One is focused on the greater good for the whole of society(classical/Ted Roosevelt) the other is focused on benefiting the individual above the whole (social/LBJ-Clintonian).
Read up on it and learn your facts. The what about me generation has hyjacked an ideology that once made this nation great and the leader of the free world.
The pendulum will swing back my though as their aren’t enough dollars to satisfy pure individuality!
ODD OWL
November 6th, 2012
10:30 pm
Conservative-Republicans wish to get in bed with a married couple and tell the Wife what she can do with her body… Conservatives say drill baby drill, pollute the land, rivers, lakes, and the air… Conservatives-Republicans are oblivious to the fact that in five years, half the cars on the road will be powered by electricity, batteries or other alternative fuels… Conservative-Republicans are trapped in a Reagan/Bush-1/Bush/Cheney nightmare… Forward ===>
JamVet
November 6th, 2012
10:31 pm
PH,
The combat veteran Bob Kerrey makes for a MUCH better representative (in my uppity opinion) for Nebraska than Deb Fischer, who milks Uncle Sam by grazing her cattle on federal land at reduced rates and then says shes for less government… (Sound familiar, Ms. Bachmann?)
There was also a big stink about her suing her neighbors and costing them a small fortune. (Neighbors suing each other In western Nebraska???)
He just had the wrong letter after his name, that’s all…
Tiberius - pulling the tail of the left AND right when needed
November 6th, 2012
10:32 pm
“Well, you just made my case! ”
You keep thinking that, Dawg . . .
Black Label
November 6th, 2012
10:34 pm
Romney won AZ
JamVet
November 6th, 2012
10:36 pm
I’m thinking that cc shows up tomorrow as dd!
LOTSA new names in the next couple of days, mysteriously matched by lots of old names gone…………………………. gone.
Tiberius - pulling the tail of the left AND right when needed
November 6th, 2012
10:37 pm
Off to bed. Got an early wake-up in the AM.
JDW
November 6th, 2012
10:37 pm
WOW there seems to be a 50 50 shot NC goes Obama
Black Label
November 6th, 2012
10:37 pm
Kaine will win in VA…………
We will see if that is a foreshadowing……
Progressive Humanist
November 6th, 2012
10:38 pm
JamVet, Yeah, Kerrey would have been a good one, but unfortunately and somewhat surprisingly, his opponent chose not to make any statements that combined the words “rape” “god’s purpose” and “pregnancy”.
Black Label
November 6th, 2012
10:38 pm
cc will probably be pp
But, but , but Republicans won in 2010.
Where was the Tea Party?
Lil' Barry Bailout - Vote American
November 6th, 2012
10:40 pm
Florida tightening rather quickly. 86% in.
Progressive Humanist
November 6th, 2012
10:40 pm
Tiberius off to bed before he can watch President Obama become his president for another four years? Weak, but that’s what I’d expect.
Lord Help Us
November 6th, 2012
10:41 pm
Anybody here think the GOP will finally realize that supply-side economics, neocon foreign policy and xenophobic immigration rhetoric is stupid?
JamVet
November 6th, 2012
10:43 pm
So Macaca is gonna lose Virginny?
Wow!
This just keeps getting better…
Progressive Humanist
November 6th, 2012
10:43 pm
In Florida 89% is actually in and most of the outstanding votes are from Miami-Dade (read: deep blue). Not good for Romney.
Lil' Barry Bailout - Vote American
November 6th, 2012
10:43 pm
Anybody here think Obozo’s trillion-dollar deficits are sustainable?
Mr. Holmes
November 6th, 2012
10:44 pm
Looks like some folks are gonna owe Nate Silver a big sloppy kiss & apology.
Black Label
November 6th, 2012
10:45 pm
Barry
hang in there little buddy
Once they call Idaho and both of the Dakotas for Romney, it will be anyone’s game
Progressive Humanist
November 6th, 2012
10:45 pm
Obama takes Minnesota as expected. The window of possibility is closing for Romney.
Lil' Barry Bailout - Vote American
November 6th, 2012
10:46 pm
North Carolina should be called for Romney very soon.
Lil' Barry Bailout - Vote American
November 6th, 2012
10:48 pm
MN was always a blue state. No surprise.
Black Label
November 6th, 2012
10:48 pm
But Romney did when the 1st debate and despite the polling in the last two debates, the right wing pundits on the radio and fox as well as breitbart said he won all of them
What happened?
Lil' Barry Bailout - Vote American
November 6th, 2012
10:50 pm
What happened is that people who want Obozo to give them stuff, paid for by the productive, turned out to vote.
JDW
November 6th, 2012
10:51 pm
@LBB…bit quick on that NC…it’s close and lots of Blue left to count…