LACK OF POSTS

I do apologize for a lack of posts last night. Although I intended to post regularly through the evening, I was a part of election night, as I had the great experience of spending it at the victory party of our new congressman-elect, Diane Black. She is the first Republican to represent Tennessee's Sixth District in known history!

I now intend to get some posts coming out today and in the following days as the dust settles on the history made last night. One important post to come here is a recap of the state legislative races. I have been looking at the numbers from the states, and I am stunned the national media isn't giving the fallout on these races more attention. In many states, a once closely partisan body has now broken strongly to the GOP. The fallout of the great gains in the state legislative races and in the governor's mansions holds great implications for the Presidential campaign of 2012 and in redistricting which affects the next decade or more. I will be working on this in the next day or so.

INDIANA - U.S. HOUSE

With between 10 to 25 percent of precincts in for the three U.S. House seats in the state of Indiana that have been considered competitive, the GOP is on track to sweep them all. In Kentucky, the GOP is competitive in the two closely watch House races there.

DELAWARE - Coons Camp Suggests Concerns.

Here is a story from the Wall Street Journal's Washington Wire indicating maybe a closer-than-expected race for the U.S. Senate in Delaware. The camp of Chris Coons, the Democratic nominee, is expressing concern about the turnout there, which would likely bode well for his Republican challenger, Christine O'Donnell. I still expect Coons to win, maybe close to double digits, but this is an interesting development. Maybe there is something after all to the President's and Vice President Biden's recent visits to the usual solid Democratic state.

WELCOME TO OUR NEW FORMAT

Readers of this blog will see a new change to the format and the name. The decision was made to focus this blog on the 2010 midterm elections, their impact on the 2012 campaigns, and the importance these elections hold for the direction our nation goes from here. No one who is following these developments doubts the importance these elections hold for our culture, our pocketbooks, our security, our way of life.

Because of this, I am pledging to attempt in my busy life to make an attempt here to report and document on the events in the coming days. I will not be able to post on all the big races, for I am active in this election myself in several ways, but I will make a good effort to post as much as possible.

I encourage you to come back often throughout the next few days as I share what I learn from this day and I share with you the facts I find and my own take on the events as they happen. Have a great Decision Eve and Decision Day!

Conway Wins Dem Nod In Kentucky, Lincoln in a Runoff, Boozman Avoids One

12 AM ET Wednesday, May 19

In our last update of the night, we will wrap up the races of substance that we didn't yet cover.

Jack Conway was finally projected the winner in tonight's Democratic primary for the U.S. Senate seat from the Commonwealth of Kentucky. With nearly all precincts in, Conway has 44 percent of the vote to Mongiardo's 43 percent. This is another crushing loss for the Commonwealth's Lt. Governor, as he attempted to go for this seat in 2004 when he challenged outgoing U.S. Senator Jim Bunning.

Of course the two big stories of the night, Rand Paul won in a cakewalk tonight in the GOP primary for this seat, while 30-year veteran U.S. Senator Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania saw his career likely come to an end tonight as he ended in defeat to two-term congressman challenger Joe Sestak.

In Arkansas, another incumbent senator worked to fend off a surging challenge from her state's Lt. Governor. Blanche Lincoln will find herself in a runoff, as she will claim about 45 percent of the vote tonight to Bill Halter's 43 percent. The Republican that either one of them will face in November, Congressman John Boozman, waltzed to a big victory with nearly 53 percent of the vote, thus avoiding the runoff. He can focus on the general election, whil Lincoln and Halter have each other to worry about for three more weeks.

In Oregon, Ron Wyden won the Democrats nomination for another term, while Huffman won the GOP nomination easily. Wyden will be favored to hold that seat in the fall. In the race for governor, John Kitzhaber, the former governor, won the Democrats' nomination in a landslide. Former NBA player Clint Dudley, a wealth strategist, won the GOP nomination by a closer margin, but still comfortable.

Critz Wins Pennsylvania 12

10:00 PM CT

Republican businessman Tim Burns has reportedly called Democrat Mark Critz to concede in the special election for the seat John Murtha long held in the 12th Congressional District of Pennsylvania. This means that Democrats will hold on to a seat they have long held. Democrats are taking this as a bit of a breather and trying to spin it so that it appears that Republicans won't get the wave that appears to be building. However, Critz pitched himself as a conservative Dem. It will be interesting to see how this district responds in November.

BREAKING NEWS FROM THE KEYSTONE STATE

AP CALLS IT FOR SESTAK!
Pennsylvania's Democratic voters throw out 30-year veteran Specter.

9:15 PM CT

The Associated Press is calling the Democratic race for the U.S. Senate for Congressman Joe Sestak. Currently, with 71 percent of precincts in, Sestak leads incumbent Arlen Specter 53 percent to 47 percent.

This means that five-term veteran Specter will not be returning to the U.S. Senate next year.

Specter switched from the GOP to the Democratic Party because he believed it would give him a better chance at being re-elected. That turns out not to be the case.