Election Night Observations
9:20 p.m. There have not been any shockers on Election Night so far, but there have been a few surprises on the presidential race:
1. Ohio being called so quickly for Barack Obama (about 90 minutes after polls closed) and North Dakota being called so quickly for John McCain (the minute polls closed).
2. Virginia remaining so tight of a race, when Obama may be performing above expectations in North Carolina and Indiana.
10:30 p.m. In a bit of a surprise, in South Dakota it appears Initiated Measure 11 is going to fail – an initiative which would have outlawed abortion with exceptions for reported rape, incest, and health / life of the mother.
11:45 p.m. Minnesota voters have not disappointed tonight — in the face of a Democratic landslide at the top of the ticket, the Gopher State may again have a ‘lone man standing’ on the GOP side: in 2006 it was Tim Pawlenty, and in 2008 it may be Norm Coleman. However, Coleman’s lead is very tenuous, given the number (and location) of precincts that have yet to report.
Stop them before they poll again! The Humphrey Institute record on election polls is horrible. The primary was a debacle and now they missed the presidential race by double and appear to be wrong on Bachman and Coleman. Stop Stop the madness.
FYI: this blog, which is a Humphrey Institute blog, correctly projected the Coleman victory, Paulsen’s victory in the 3rd CD, and the DFL failing to reach 90 seats in the State House. Smart Politics correctly projected the Bachmann race in the 6th CD would be the closest U.S. House race in the state, although I was on the wrong end of that one.