Running Election Day news and commentary from ThinkProgress:
— 1:34 AM ET: “MO SEN: Bill Kristol, on McCaskill’s new lead in MO: ‘It’s hard to believe that that lead’s not going to increase. I believe now that Missouri is going to go Democratic. … If you had to bet right now, you’d have to bet on a Democratic Senate’ (FNC).”
— 1:33 AM ET: California’s clean energy initiative was defeated.
— 12:38 AM ET: Races to watch — TN-Sen CNN projects Corker (R) over Ford Jr. (D).
— 12:06 AM ET: Races to watch — MT-Sen Jon Tester (D) leading Sen. Conrad Burns 56%-44% in early returns.
— 11:52 PM ET: Race to watch — VA-Sen CNN: Webb (D) takes lead over Allen (R).
— 11:50 PM ET: The end of Speaker Hastert — coming soon. National Review:
Hastert Seems to Be Conceding [Ramesh Ponnuru]Scratch that — just preparing to concede later.
— 11:45 PM ET: Race to watch — AZ-5 “Rep. J.D. Hayworth (R-AZ) appears headed for defeat. He’s trailing ex-Tempe Mayor Harry Mitchell (D) 52–45% with 79% of precincts reporting.”
— 11:44 PM ET: “CNN projects that a proposed law in South Dakota to ban nearly all abortions will be defeated.”
— 11:36 PM ET: NYT reports: “Eliot Spitzer, the reform-minded state attorney general who crusaded against Wall Street corruption, was elected governor of New York tonight in a historic Democratic sweep of statewide offices.”
— 11:34 PM ET: Race to watch — NY-20 Rep. John Sweeney (R) has lost re-election.
— 11:31 PM ET: “MSNBC changes House prediction to 234 Dems and 201 GOPers (adding yet another seat for the Dems).”
— 11:28 PM ET: “This is shaping up as the Year of the Woman. Nancy Pelosi is poised to become the first female Speaker of the House and a record number of women will be in the U.S. Senate.”
— 11:26 PM ET: South Dakota’s extreme abortion ban headed for defeat.
— 11:22 PM ET: “Almost overlooked in the focus on Congress was the election of Deval Patrick (D) as governor of Massachusetts — only the second African-American to be elected as a governor in the nation’s history.”
— 11:19 PM ET: Race to watch — TN-Sen Bob Corker (R) maintains a slight lead over Harold Ford (D). Hotline notes:
While East TN GOP strongholds Hamilton (Chattanooga) and Knox Co have largely reported, Dem bulwarks Davidson (Nashville) and Shelby (Memphis) have still reported less than 50% of their precincts. Hamilton is Corker’s base (he was Mayor of Chattanooga) and Shelby is home to Ford, as well as the the biggest trove of black votes in the state.
— 11:16 PM ET: Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) has been reelected in California.
— 11:13 PM ET: Race to watch — AZ-Sen NBC News projects that Arizona Republican Jon Kyl will be re-elected to his U.S. Senate seat.
— 11:09 PM ET: “Ken Mehlman, speaking in third person about the war in Iraq: ‘The chairman is not out there saying I understand the nuance of policy’ (MSNBC).”
— 11:07 PM ET: Michael Steele (R) goes down fighting in the Maryland Senate race. “Steele spokesman Doug Heye tells NRO: ‘The Steele campaign is not conceding. Every vote must be counted.’”
— 11:01 PM ET: “CNN and MSNBC call NC 11 for Heath Shuler (D) over Rep. Charles Taylor (R).”
— 10:58 PM ET: The Missouri stem cell ballot initiative is trailing 47% to 53%.
— 10:55 PM ET: Tim Mahoney (D-FL) has won Mark Foley’s former district.
— 10:45 PM ET: Race to watch — TX-22 Nick Lampson (D) is leading Sheila Sekula-Gibbs (R) in the ex-Rep. Tom DeLay’s former district.
— 10:42 PM ET: Minnesota voters elected Keith Ellison, a black Democrat, as the first Muslim in Congress on Tuesday.
— 10:39 PM ET: “With about 10 percent of the vote in, Tom Reynolds, the chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee, holds an eight-point edge over Democrat Jack Davis in the 26th District, where the results figure to say something about the locals’ response to Reynolds’ role in the Mark Foley affair.”
— 10:38 PM ET: Another minimum wage ballot initiative passes in Nevada.
— 10:35 PM ET: Race to watch — MO-Sen Sen. Jim Talent (R) currently has a 12% lead over Claire McCaskill (D). Results here.
— 10:30 PM ET: Fox News has called that Zack Space (D) has won in OH 18, the district formally occupied by ex-Rep. Bob Ney (R). Also, Reps. Don Sherwood (R-PA) and Curt Weldon (R-PA) have lost re-election.
— 10:27 PM ET: Current balance of power: Democrats 3 seats away from controlling Senate, need 7 to take House.
— 10:22 PM ET: “Rep. Curt Weldon (R-PA), who saw the homes of friends and family raided in October, and Rep. Don Sherwood (R-PA), whose affair became public when his ex-mistress filed a lawsuit alleging abuse,” are both trailing their Democratic opponents in early returns.
— 10:18 PM ET: Race to watch — FL-16 Tim Mahoney (D) has pulled ahead of Joe Negron (R) in Mark Foley’s former district.
— 10:13 PM ET: CBS’s Bob Schieffer: “We knew this was going to be a bad night for the Republicans, but it may turn out to be their worst nightmare.”
— 10:11 PM ET: South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia have all approved gay marriage bans.
— 10:08 PM ET: Race to watch — CT-5 Chris Murphy (D) has defeated Rep. Nancy Johnson (R).
— 10:05 PM ET: Race to watch — NH-2 “UnionLeader.com has learned that Republican U.S. Rep. Charles Bass is preparing to call Paul Hodes and congratulate the Democrat on his victory.”
— 10:01 PM ET: FNC’s Baier reports the senior White House staff “just ordered chicken tenders,” anticipating a long night.
— 9:57 PM ET: NBC News projects that Republican (and President Bush-dodger) Charlie Crist will be elected Florida governor, taking the place of fellow Republican Jeb Bush.
— 9:50 PM ET: CNN has predicted that ballot measures to raise the minimum wage have passed in Missouri and Ohio.
— 9:45 PM ET: RNC Chair Ken Mehlman says “the mood is good” inside the White House.
— 9:42 PM ET: National Review’s K-Lo gives her Santorum eulogy: “Shame on Pennsylvania. … What a depressingly bad choice.”
— 9:41 PM ET: NBC News projects that Baltimore Mayor Martin O’Malley, a Democrat, will win the Maryland governorship — unseating Republican incumbent Robert Ehrlich.
— 9:39 PM ET: Race to watch — RI-Sen CNN projects Democratic win in Rhode Island, beating incumbent Lincoln Chafee, giving the Democrats three of the six pickups they need to take control of the Senate.
— 9:23 PM ET: Race to watch — IN-2 CNN projects Joseph Donnelly (D) defeats the incumbent Chris Chocola (R).
— 9:19 PM ET: Race to watch — MD-Sen CNN has called Maryland’s Senate race for Cardin (D) over Steele (R).
— 9:12 PM ET: CBS News and CNN have called Connecticut’s Senate race for Joe Lieberman (I).
— 9:01 PM ET: NBC projects Democrat Senate wins: Stabenow, Mich.; Klobuchar, Minn.
— 8:56 PM ET: With 66% precincts reporting, Sen. Allen (R) moves ahead of Webb (D) 50.35% to 48.44% in Virginia.
— — 8:53 PM ET: Race to watch — CT-SEN Results here. Lieberman and Lamont dead even.
— 8:27 PM ET: CBS News has called New Jersey’s Senate race for Sen. Bob Menendez (D) over Tom Kean Jr. (R).
— 8:24 PM ET: CBS News has called Ohio’s Senate race for Rep. Sherrod Brown (D) over Sen. Mike DeWine (R).
— 8:21 PM ET: ABC News has called Pennsylvania’s Senate race for Bob Casey Jr. (D) over Rick Santorum (R).
— 8:17 PM ET: AP: “It could be a sign of a long night for the GOP if Democrats knock off Reps. John Hostettler, Chris Chocola and Mike Sodrel in Indiana and Ron Lewis, Anne Northup and Geoff Davis in Kentucky.”
— 8:11 PM ET: Race to watch — FL-16 Negron (R) currently leading Mahoney (D) 49.2% v. 48.2% in Mark Foley’s former district. Results here.
— 8:07 PM ET: Katherine Harris (R) has lost her intrepid bid for Florida’s Senate seat. Sen. Nelson (D) retains.
— 8:05 PM ET: Kennedy (D-Mass.), Lott (R-Miss.), Snow (R-Maine) re-elected to Senate, Fox News reports.
— 8:03 PM ET: Race to watch — VA-Sen Results are here. With 27% precincts reporting, Webb (D) at 49.54% and Sen. Allen (R) at 49.23%.
— 7:59 PM ET: Fox News calls Ellsworth (D) over Rep. Hostettler (R) in IN-2.
— 7:56 PM ET: Race to watch — IN-8 Ellsworth (D) currently leading incumbent Rep. Hostettler (R) 64%-36% with 26% precincts reporting.
— 7:52 PM ET: Race to watch — IN-2 Donnely (D) currently leading incumbent Rep. Chocola (R) 59%-41% with 26% precincts reporting.
— 7:40 PM ET: “CNN projects Democratic wins for incumbent West Virginia Senator Robert Byrd and Ted Strickland in the Ohio gubernatorial race.” Also, a ballot measure banning gay marriage has passed in Virginia.
— 7:36 PM ET: Criminally indicted ex-Rep. Tom DeLay to 110th Congress: “Make my day.”
— 7:29 PM ET: “Voters got an extra hour to vote in four precincts in South Carolina’s 5th Congressional District on Tuesday because of glitches with the electronic voting machines, a judge ruled.”
— 7:22 PM ET: Jim Webb (D-VA) picked up 56 percent of women, according to CNN exit polls. Apparently George Allen’s sexist charge fell flat among the target audience.
— 7:18 PM ET: US News reports, “Fifty-seven percent of late deciders, the Fox exit polls show, are breaking for the Democrats, and 39 percent for Republicans. This is a very important harbinger.”
— 7:09 PM ET: Roll Call reports, “In automated and live calls, Democrats allege, Latinos have been told that their ethnicity makes them ineligible to vote in today’s elections. The calls also threatened that Latinos would be arrested at polling places if they did attempt to vote, party sources said.”
— 7:06 PM ET: CNN predicts Senate victories for Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Richard Lugar (R-IN).
— 7:04 PM ET: Associated Press exit polls find that “most white evangelicals said corruption was very important to their vote,” and that 1/3 of white evangelicals voted for Democrats.
— 6:59 PM ET: A federal judge has ordered 16 Ohio precincts to remain open late because of long lines and other voting delays, according to CNN’s Lou Dobbs.