BlakeHuggins.com

Check here for realtime updates (in central standard time) as the results come in.

6:33 PM CST: The polls close in about 30 minutes.  Unfortunately I’ll be in a meeting at that time so I won’t be monitoring the news, but I’ll have wifi access. Check back later on.  

7:04 PM CST: Polls just closed.  NBC declares the race too close to call. ABC cannot project a winner.  No word yet from CNN.

7:21 PM CST: Still no word on the hard numbers.  The Huffington Post estimates voter turnout at 52% and the exit polls, Obama: 52, Clinton: 48. Obama: 48, Clinton: 52. 

7:23 PM CST: This is funny. Apparently Chris Matthews got a little trigger-happy and declared the polls closed about 30 minutes too early. 

7:30 PM CST: Full CNN exit polls here.  Looks pretty divided. Obama is doing well with first-time voters and Clinton better with old-timers. No big surprise. Pretty predictable. 

7:37 PM CST: Early numbers: Clinton is ahead by 30% over Obama with 0% reporting.  Still too close to call (NBC). No networks projecting a winner yet.

7:50 PM CST: Clinton: 60, Obama: 40 with 1% reporting.  All networks aside from CNN project Clinton the winner.

7:57 PM CST: New numbers.  With 3% reporting, Clinton: 55, Obama: 45.

8:01 PM CST: 5% reporting. Clinton: 53, Obama: 47.  Cutting the lead. That’s what I’m talking about.

8:09 PM CST: 7% Reporting: Clinton 52, Obama 48

8:33 PM CST: I’m back home from my meeting and can devote more attention to this now.  Nothing much has changed.  Clinton’s lead fluctuates from 5-7% and I suspect it will end up being 5-6% at the end of the night.  All in all I think Obama can definitely claim a victory given the early predictions. Hard numbers now: Clinton 53, Obama, 47 with 21% reporting.  

8:38 PM CST: CNN finally makes their projection.

8:41 PM CST: CNN has a county map up.  Interesting, Clinton has virtually swept middle PA, but many of the populous counties are not in yet and they are Obama favored. Hard numbers: with 32% reporting, Clinton: 54, Obama: 46. 

8:52 PM CST: It’s not looking as good now.  With 42% reporting Clinton has swept the Pittsburgh area and is now up on Obama 55-45.  Hopefully the lead narrows more.

9:00 PM CST: The numbers haven’t really changed.  +1 in favor of Obama with 47% reporting.  I find it especially humorous that Chris Matthews thinks he know everything since he’s from Pennsylvania.

9:14 PM CST: The margin of victory as widened back to 10%.  Clinton is preparing to address her crowd.  The Philadelphia area still waits to be tallied. 

9:17 PM CST: Are they really chanting, “Yes she can!”?  Lame.  

9:50 PM CST: The lead is back at 10% in favor of Clinton with 78% reporting.  Obama is speaking to supporters in Indiana. Chester county outside Philadelphia is still not reporting. 

9:55 PM CST: Obama: “After 14 months it is easy to forget what this campaign is about.”  Word.

10:06 PM CST: Obama never ceases to inspire me in his speeches.  But he just had to end with “God Bless America.”  I hate that.  

10:26 PM CST: Well, I guess I was wrong.  It looks like Clinton is holding on to her 10% margin.  With 88% reporting she least Obama 55-45.   That’s too bad.  But it’s still far from over. North Carolina will be interesting, especially given some of the stuff like this going on.  

10:50 PM CST: I think what troubles me the most about all this is the very divisive exit poll data (see link above).  And of those sets the most troubling is this: 95% of Clinton supporters said the believe Obama would be the Democratic nominee and 98% said they would not vote for Obama in November.  Yikes.