Well...not a huge number of statewide races have been called since my last post. Nikki Haley did survive in South Carolina, and Russ Feingold lost to Ron Johnson in Wisconsin. The GOP seems poised to win the close governor's races in Ohio and Florida and the close Senate races in Pennsylvania and Illinois. The Illinois governor race is much closer than I expected and it's questionable whether Bill Brady can pull it out for the GOP. Barbara Boxer is projected to win in California; this doesn't surprise me, but the fact that it was called so early does. The GOP is trailing right now in the Colorado Senate race, but apparently some of the most Republican areas of the state have not yet been counted. Again, the news in these statewide races is good, but not great.
In contrast, the news in the House races IS pretty great. A LOT of Democratic incumbents are going down in the South and the Midwest. Five seats lost in Pennsylvania and another five lost in Ohio, at least three in Virginia, at least three and maybe four in Illinois -- we're talking 16 or 17 losses just in FOUR states. I think the GOP is on track for a pickup of over 60 seats -- maybe close to the 68 I predicted this morning. Democrats running in districts carried by McCain are doing especially badly.
I'm not particularly encouraged by the news I've heard from Nevada so far -- from what I'm hearing Democratic turnout has been high and that could spell doom for Angle. No matter how many other seats the Republican pick up, it will be a big disappointment if Reid hangs on.
Given the apparent GOP bust in California, I'm also doubtful now that the GOP can pull things out in the Senate race in Washington state. The early vote shows Rossi well ahead, but it is all from the more conservative rural areas. Heavily Democratic King County has not yet reported.
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