Daily Download’s Election Night Coverage Live Blog

7:51 am Howard Kurtz: Just woke up–Obama gave a heckuva speech that no one saw at 2 a.m.–and Florida still hasn’t been called. Yet it doesn’t matter.

12:11 Ben Jacobs: Virginia has now been been called for Obama. This just makes the Ohio debate even more obscure, academic and inherently meaningless.

12:01 Ben Jacobs: In a flashback to what might have been, Iowa Straw Poll winner Michele Bachmann is currently losing by 400 votes in her House race.

11:54 Howard Kurtz: This is how it ends: MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow talking about the spectacle of Karl Rove, who runs a pro-Romney PAC, challenging Fox’s Ohio call on Fox News.

11:45 Ben Jacobs It’s beyond an SNL skit. Bret Baier just introduced Charles Krauthammer as a psychiatrist (which he is) and noted he might be needed for that role in particular.

11:40 Howard Kurtz: The Fox News/Karl Rove melodrama starting to look like an SNL skit

11:38 Lauren Ashburn: Megyn Kelly walks to Fox decision desk, which says it’s 99.95 confident Obama has won Ohio. She says “we’ll see whether Karl backs down.”

11:31 Lauren Ashburn: Karl Rove, on Fox, attacking Fox over call of Ohio. Chris Wallace speechless.

11:29: Ben Jacobs Rove seems to neglect that even assuming Romney magically wins Ohio, he still has to win Florida, Virginia and Nevada too. Not going to happen. It’s over.

11:27 Lauren Ashburn: Karl Rove, Bush’s architect, isn’t buying Fox’s projection. Says Ohio could still go either way. “This is premature,” he insists.

11:26 Howard Kurtz: I guess the polls were right after all, unskewed and otherwise

11:20 Lauren Ashburn: Obama wins reelection as Fox, CNN, MSNBC award him Ohio–and four more years

11:15 Lauren Ashburn: Fox calls Ohio for Obama. “Huge setback” for Romney, network says.

11:07 Lauren Ashburn: With Claire McCaskill giving victory speech, CNN projects Dems will keep control of the Senate. And the news keeps getting worse for Republicans

11:02 Howard Kurtz: Steve Schmidt says “the mood is starting to darken” at Romney HQ. He hasn’t won one swing state yet. Paging Nate Silver.

10:57: Ben Jacobs: If Obama wins Iowa, Colorado and Nevada (which all seem relatively likely) Romney winning in Ohio and Florida only matters in almanacs.

10:50 Howard Kurtz: Romney spin on Fox–Chris Wallace says campaign official tells him Ohio is within a point, Florida will be decided by 10,000 votes.

10:43 Lauren Ashburn: Palin’s Fox contract is up. Will be interesting to see if Roger Ailes keeps her at a $1 million-a-year salary

10:37 Ben Jacobs: I called it more than two hours ago! But, at this point, it’s just waiting for the numbers. Although it seems likely Dems will lose seats in the House

10:33 Howard Kurtz: Must be over. Laura Ingraham tweets: “Tonight should mark the death of the GOP consultancy class…Millions upon millions of $ funneled to people who haven’t a blasted clue.”

10:25 Ben Jacobs Virginia called for Tim Kaine. It looks like Dems will gain seats in the Senate.

10:23 Ben Jacobs: Who exactly is this Palin person you’re talking about? Her name sounds familiar but I can’t place her.

10:15 Lauren Ashburn: Live from Wasilla! Palin says she’s got her “fingers crossed” that Mitt can pull it out. Greta Van Susteren keeps saying it’s not over

10:13 Howard Kurtz: Sarah Palin practically pronouncing last rites for Romney, calling this a “catastrophic setback” on Fox. Says Bain Capital ads really hurt him

10:09 Lauren Ashburn: Chuck Todd says Republicans have to figure out how to attract Hispanics, are getting “clobbered” with that group

10:08 Howard Kurtz: Claire McCaskill wins, another GOP candidate who popped off about  ”rape” loses

9:55: Howard Kurtz: We’re at an interesting crossroads. The pundits are starting to hint that Obama’s got this wrapped up–that Mitt would have to win Florida and Ohio–without quite saying so.

9:46: Howard Kurtz: With Wolf Blitzer checking Florida every couple of minutes, I can tell you Obama has opened up a 20,000-vote lead. John King and his map says Romney can’t win without Florida AND Ohio.

9:41 Howard Kurtz: Richard Mourdock loses in Indiana. Maybe Republicans should stop talking about rape–the media will always pounce on that.

9:38 Lauren Ashburn: My Twitter feed is on fire. It’s actually easier to follow what’s happening as information flies by at warp speed.

9:35 Ben Jacobs: CBS called New Hampshire for Obama. Yet another battleground win.

9:30 Lauren Ashburn: So much for Paul Ryan carrying Wisconsin. Now Romney HAS to win Ohio.

9:22 Lauren Ashburn: MSNBC’s Chris Matthews calls Obama deputy campaign manager Stephanie Cutter”giddy.” She looked pretty darn confident.

9:20 Howard Kurtz: No one in the press will care if Obama gets to 270. Pennsylvania should be no surprise, but Romney folks spun the press into thinking he could steal the state.

9:18 Ben Jacobs: CNN is getting giddy about the possibility of another Florida recount. But will anyone care if Obama wins Ohio and thus the election?

9:15 Lauren Ashburn: And Obama wins PA. So much for Mitt’s last-minute swing through Pittsburgh today.

9:14 Lauren Ashburn: Candidates still taking to social media.  @BarackObama: Last chance to help win this election: Pick up your phone and call voters in key states. http://OFA.BO/kwZ2iC #StayInLine

9:12 Howard Kurtz: I could have called the House for Republicans a month ago! But look at this: With three-quarters of vote in, Romney ahead in Florida by 1,000 votes. Hanging chad alert!

9:07 Ben Jacobs: In a split decision for partisans of both parties, CNN is projecting that the GOP will keep control of the House but NBC has called the Massachusetts Senate race for Elizabeth Warren.

9:05 Lauren Ashburn: An aside: My 4 year-old voted at school today. I asked who she voted for. “Mitt Romney,” she answered. And why did you do that, I asked. “‘Cause he looks handsomer.” I hope real voters don’t vote like that. But, you never know.

9:03 Howard Kurtz: Exit polls show 48-48 tie in Colorado. Every swing state deadlocked so far. Where’s that candy?

9:01 Lauren Ashburn: Obama wins Michigan, home of US auto industry.  O headquarters in Chicago goes nuts.

8:54: Ben Jacobs: McMahon spent another $50 million trying to be elected in 2010 and lost then. She did succeed at totally gutting CT’s bench of moderate Republicans though.

8:52 Lauren Ashburn: Money can’t buy everything. WWE’s Linda McMahon spent $50M on her race and still lost. Smackdown.

8:45 Howard Kurtz: Fox’s Carl Cameron quoting Romney sources as being optimistic about Virginia. Can we can the spin from both sides about now?

8:42 Lauren Ashburn: A top USA TODAY editor agrees with you, Howie: @davidcolton Nowhere near a winner declared yet, but Mike Huckabee discussing Romney campaign very much in a regretful past tense.

8:35 Howard Kurtz: Mike Huckabee says on Fox it’s tough to knock off an incumbent. Says Romney can still win Florida, Virginia, etc., but Huck doesn’t sound confident.

8:30 Howard Kurtz: For what it’s worth, conservatives sounding more downbeat on Twitter.

8:28 Ben Jacobs: The networks have not mentioned any House races or ballot initiatives once tonight. Both are a big deal, with states voting on gay marriage, marijuana legalization and a variety of other important issues.

8:24 Howard Kurtz: CNN keeps cutting to Empire State Building, where its blue light is slightly higher than the red. Pretty tall billboard for election!

8:19 Lauren Ashburn: I am plowing through Halloween candy. This election coverage is not good for my figure.

8:16 Lauren Ashburn: Do you think Republicans have had George W. under lock and key?

8:12  Ben Jacobs :I admire your persistance. In other, much sadder news, over 3,000 people in Florida have cast their vote for President for Roseanne Barr in what is a very very very close race. You’d think they could find a respectable Socialist Workers candidate to waste their vote on instead.

8:10 Howard Kurtz:  Ben Jacobs says it’s over, but I’m going to keep typing!

8:08 Ben Jacobs White percentage of the electorate fell dramatically in Florida too going from 71% in 2008 to 66% this year. This demographic trend will probably ensure that President Obama is re-elected and signals huge long term changes in the political culture of our country.

8:01 Howard Kurtz: Obama racking up small-state victories: MSNBC gives him Rhode Island, Maine, Delaware. Mitt gets Georgia.

7:58 Howard Kurtz: I like this from @rkylesmith: Exit polls are meaningless except when they show data I hope is true, in which case they’re intriguing.

 

7:54: Ben Jacobs: Knowledgable D source is now confident of an Obama win now. The only question at this point is the margin which could be anywhere from roughly 290-330 electoral votes.

7:52  Lauren Ashburn: Romney sends out SMS asking people to stay in line. Obama sends out Twitter Direct Messages asking people to vote. They’ll find you no matter what devices you use!

7:51 Howard Kurtz: @katiecouric is reading tweets on ABC. How the world has changed. Better than more network blather.

7:45 Lauren Ashburn: Rachel Maddow on MSNBC just said, “This is the exciting part!” as polls are about to close in more states including Florida.

7:45 Howard Kurtz: All the stars are out. Barbara Walters on ABC talking about candidates’ wives.

7:43 Howard Kurtz: South Carolina to Mitt. If you were just tuning in, you’d say, hey! Romney leads 33 to 3 in Electoral College.

7:33 Lauren Ashburn: With pollsters in the weeds on numbers, here’s one of my fav tweets: @bengreenman: I’m 100 percent sure that 90 percent of the exit polling is 80 percent less relevant than 70 percent of news anchors think.

7:30 Ben Jacobs: Exit polls in North Carolina show a tie race at 49%-49% and, in Ohio, Obama is up 51%-48%.

7:28 Lauren Ashburn: Speaking of filling time, the word of the day from dictionary.com is: franchise \FRAN-chahyz\, noun: 1. The right to vote. 2. A privilege of a public nature conferred on an individual,group, or company by a government.

7:24 Howard Kurtz: Networks aren’t being stampeded. CNN waited 20 minutes to call Indiana after MSNBC did.

7:23: Ben Jacobs: Mitt Romney wins Indiana according to CNN. “Yawn.” The real suspense there is in the Senate race.

7:21 Howard Kurtz: CNN running exit poll numbers in lower thirds during commercials. In case you get antsy.

7:18 Lauren Ashburn: Great tweet from media critic Jeff Jarvis (who is also on our Board of Advisors). “Tonight is the greatest demonstration of we-know-nothing-but-keep-talking-anyway unjournalism there is.” Amen. It’s a skill.

7:11 Ben Jacobs: Networks are missing the chance use votes already in non-swing states to draw conclusions about swing states. In Magoffin County, KY, (Appalachian coal country in Eastern Kentucky), all the votes are counted and Obama lost by 40 points. In 2008, he only lost the county by 7 points. It’s a really bad sign for him in SE Ohio and SW Virginia.

7:09 Howard Kurtz: MSNBC calls Indiana for Romney. No surprises so far.

7:05: Lauren Ashburn: Candy Crowley of CNN sporting head cold. Tough month for reporters. She’s also getting some blowback on Twitter for her debate performance. Here’s one from James Poniewozik: “Wonder what kind of warm reception Candy “FactCheck” Crowley is getting at Romney HQ tonight?”

7:02: Lauren Ashburn: How many people are two-screening it tonight? Computer, tv, and Blackberry here. Can’t get enough.

7:01 Lauren Ashburn: Exit polls show a tie in Virginia. Here we go!

7:00 Ben Jacobs: CNN projects Vermont for Obama and Kentucky for Romney as polls close in both states.

6:54 Howard Kurtz: So much for our breathless coverage of game-changing debates. Eight in 10 in exit polls say they made up their minds before October, NYT sez.

6:52 Lauren Ashburn: Well, apparently not. Wolf Blitzer just said on CNN, “We’re closing in…” on the polls closing.

6:50 Lauren Ashburn: Hi Everyone. I see we’re already underway. Do we know who won yet?

6:45 Ben Jacobs: By contrast, Joe Donnelly, the Democratic Senate nominee running against Mourdock is winning 56-37 in Vigo County.

6:44 Ben Jacobs: In Vigo County, Indiana, a crucial bellwether county that includes Terre Haute, it’s Romney 50%-Obama 48% with almost 70% of the precincts reporting. Obama won 57% of the vote there in 2008.

6:42 Ben Jacobs: Richard Mourdock, the GOP Senate nominee who made controversial remarks about rape, is running 10 points behind Romney in Indiana.

6:35 Howard Kurtz: CNN’s Alex Castellanos says Republicans may be underrepresented in polls because Dems are seen as the cool kids’ party.

6:22 Howard Kurtz: Fox is pairing Karl Rove and Democrat Joe Trippi. MSNBC has Chris Matthews, Rachel Maddow, Lawrence O’Donnell, Ed Schultz, Al Sharpton…and Republican Steve Schmidt.

6:19 Ben Jacobs: Virginia will be the first true swing state for returns to come in from but not the first indicator. Indiana, which Obama won in 2008, already has most of its polls closed (the state is split into two time zones, so it’s spread out). The results will be in relatively early and how Obama does there will be a good hint to his performance in other Midwestern states—especially in light of the controversial remarks on rape by Richard Mourdock, the GOP Senate candidate there.

6:15 Howard Kurtz: Chris Matthews says Christie was pissed at being passed over for running mate, so screwed Romney during hurricane

6:09 Howard Kurtz: Bret Baier, Chuck Todd talking up Virginia, where polls close at 7. Fox and MSNBC agreeing? Can’t overstate the commonwealth’s importance.

6:05: Ben Jacobs Also, in case you were wondering, the exit polls have the national electorate being 37% Democrats and 34% Republican.

6:00 Ben Jacobs: Exit poll has young voters (18-29) at 18% of the electorate. This is the same share as 2008 which is a very good sign for Obama.

5:52 Ben Jacobs: The Drudge screamer claims that the exit polls have Romney ahead in North Carolina and Florida, Obama up in Ohio, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Nevada and no clear winner in Virginia, Colorado and Iowa. Wisconsin goes mysteriously unmentioned.

5:50 Ben Jacobs: Obama didn’t just carry Guam. He significantly improved on his performance there in 2008. Romney has clearly going for the Jewish vote this year but has Obama run a stealth campaign for the Chamorro vote?

5:49 Howard Kurtz: CNN Headline–”Obama Teary-Eyed in Iowa.”

5:47 Howard Kurtz: Everyone quoting Nate Silver saying Obama has 90.0 percent chance of winning. Specificity sounds so authoritative!

5:42 Howard Kurtz: TV pundits killing time. Apparently they don’t realize the significance of Obama carrying Guam (0 electoral votes).