( - promoted by Carnacki)
10:55PM Another bittersweet night for me, just like two years ago. The two races I care the most about are lost in a night where the big picture is a huge victory for Dems.
I need a break. No more updates for at least the next 20 minutes. I think I'll head upstairs to the Tennant suite. Meanwhile, savor Obama hitting 270 here in a few moments.
10:52PM MetroNews calls it for Shelley. @#%$^@
We love you Anne. Thank you for giving it such a good try.
10:48PM McGraw (AG), Ketchum / Workman (Supremes) all looking good. Gus Douglass looking good, too.
10:42PM It's looking bleak for Barth. Most of Berkeley reports, increases Capito's margin. At this rate Capito is going to match or increase her 2006 margin.
10:30PM AG race: McGraw pulling away in the vote count even as the percentages are staying close.
It doesn't look good for Barth, her only path to victory is to hold even in Berkeley County and hit the jackpot in the remaining precincts in Kanawha County.
10:14PM AG race tightening. With 51% in, it is 50% / 50%. Walker is sneaking up on Ketchum, too.
9:59PM WV-02 results
Precincts Reporting:
169 of 591 29%
VOTES %
R SHELLEY MOORE CAPITO 49,263 54%
D ANNE BARTH 42,122 46%
Shelley Moore Capito leading by 7,141 votes
9:55PM On the path to pick up a couple of state Senate seats, the state house will likely remain unchanged.
9:47PM With 17% in, the casino vote is heading for an easy victory in Greenbrier county.
9:44PM It's still tight but we're looking good for the Supreme Court and AG races.
9:34PM A bit of a lull here. Natalie Tennant taking the stage to speak. Meanwhile, we're waiting for a significant number of W.Va. precincts to come in and also waiting for Obama to hit the magic 270 in called states.
9:27PM A few minutes ago, I provided a critical assist to make sure Natalie Tennant made it to the MetroNews table in time for a live on air interview... we're all about helping out in the little ways. :-)
9:26PM Big boos as CNN calls West Virginia for McCain.
9:24PM Anne Barth race a mixed bag. She's down with 10% of the vote in, but she's ahead in the critical Kanawha County.
9:12PM We finally got our act together. Carnacki will add national tallies in the comments. I'll keep the W.Va. updates here in the diary itself.
9:03PM 9 percent in
McCain 40,113 50%
Obama 39,913 49%
9% of precincts reporting
9:00PM 5 percent in - Carnacki
Obama 29,212 51%
McCain 27,499 48%
5% of precincts reporting
8:54PM In state house races, Dems are all looking good and there are no Republican surprises.
8:54PM Interesting facts in the exit poll. Voters making under $50,000 went for Obama 54 to 44. So that group did vote their pocketbooks. Those making more than $50,000 went McCain 62 to 37. Race was an important factor for 15 percent of the voters - 67 percent of those voted for McCain and 35 percent of those voted for Obama. Carnacki
8:52PM Joe giving his speech. Repeating his pitch to give healthcare to all workers. Now giving his pitch about using coal "the right way." He skipped the part of his recent stump speeches about "wind, solar, biofuel, and conservation."
8:40PM This is a kick-a$$ introduction video for Joe Manchin. Whoever put this together, great choice of music, great choice of pictures, great job. You know, I don't agree with many a thing the Gov. has done, but he really does have "the touch.'
8:37PM Too bad we can't call the election now
Obama 18,340 56%
McCain 13,812 43%
1% precincts reporting - Updated 4 minutes ago
CNN exit poll shows Obama did best here with 18-29 crowd (O 48, M 51) followed by 65 and older (O 46, M 51). Carnacki
8:25PM I hear this is a record crowd for the Charleson Democratic Party victory dinner. Looks like 400-500 people in attendance.
What are ya'll seeing in other races around the country, any early surprises?
8:22PM J-Rock leaves the stage. He's talking more about global warming than ever before. That's a helpful side-effect of the coal brouh-ha-ha this week. It's going to be a big challenge to get an honest discussion of energy issues in this state this upcoming year.
8:13PM Early voting from Kanawha County shows Anne Barth in the lead over SMC. That's a good sign. AB needs to win Kanawha County to pull off a win.
8:05 p.m. AP survey in West Virginia shows no u 'single unifying issue' for voters here. Carnacki
"I had no clue. I was just jumping back and forth,'' Burkhammer said when pressed to explain why he didn't choose Sen. Barack Obama.
"The other one's good, too,'' he said, meaning Obama. "I just think McCain's a little more qualified.''
snip
First-time voter Zecola Hall, 27, of Clarksburg, was undecided when she entered a VFW post to vote. She left after punching in a straight Democratic ticket.
"I really think we need change,'' she said. "I believe John McCain is Bush's flunky, to be totally honest.''
Anne Bolyard, 35, of Fairmont, said Obama represents her core values -- "that our country needs to heal, that we need to come together, that there are people who are disadvantaged and marginalized. And I don't believe that should occur anymore.''
8:02PM J-Rock takes the stage.
7:57PM It's not worth its own diary, but it's worth noting that our unopposed Treasurer John Perdue and unopposed Auditor Glen Gainer have shaken off all write-in opponents and secured re-election.
7:54PM Nick Casey just took the stage. He's still passing out the Kool-aid, predicting an Obama win in the state (in stark contrast to the CNN exit polls for the state). They're showing a Jay Rockefeller video now.
7:45PM Now that I've finished scooping Metronews, I'm going to returning to using this liveblogging thread for the rest of the evening.
The sales rep for MetroNews sitting next to me excitedly told me they were about to call the race for Manchin... I told him I'd already called it long ago. :-)
6:00PM I'm all set at the Marriott... look for pictures soon. Just before I left, I ran into a team of Obama Campaign for Change workers leaving for one last canvass!
Greer concedes AG race early?? In another fascinating tidbit, ReliableSourceWV reports seeing the Greer campaign pulling out of the Marriott about an hour ago. Maybe they expect to lose this evening, or fear a small crowd, and are looking to consolidate rallies with Capito or another Republican candidate?
4:30PM Larry Messina provides an analysis of early voting in W.V. His format buries the really good news. Looking at 15 of the most populous counties in the state, Republicans are down around 9% in the percentage of early voters in 2008 compared to 2004 and Democrats are up 9%!
That's yet another sign of a huge enthusiasm gap between Democrats and Republicans in the state.
4:15PM Okay, I'm going to go ahead and start a live-blog results thread. Here's my first bit of news for the day.
First off, reports from the field are that all of the Campaign for Change and Democratic County offices are the state are flooded with volunteers. Here at the state HQ, we're packed to the gills with a full house of phone bankers and a steady stream of canvassers coming in and out. There's lots of callers at the Barth HQ, and a sign wave going on in the street in between, too.
Meanwhile, over at the Republican HQ, the silence is deafening. If you dropped a marble on the floor, you'd need earplugs to protect yourself fro the roaring thunder.
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