2011 and Beyond...

[Miles]

I can't properly express how happy that House race makes me.

That was for you, my friend!

[Miles]

A few more race updates...

Maryland:

The Senate race in Maryland will feature to candidates with high statewide profiles. Sen. Ben Cardin, while not as popular as his colleague Barb Mikulski, is still very well liked. He will be challenged by former Governor Bob Erhlich. Erhlich, although at this point he has become the Dino Rossi of MD, was the GOP's best possible recruit here. Still, Cardin is still looking to be one of the safer Senators up this cycle.

Cardin-52%
Ehrlich-36%


In terms of redistricting, while Democrats have essentially been locked out of states such as Ohio and Pennsylvania, Democrats have tried to milk as many districts as possible out of the relatively few states that they still control. One example of this is MD-01. In Maryland, Democrats have a trifecta, as they have large majorities in both state chambers and hold the statehouse; they have taken full advantage of this. Traditionally, MD-01 has been a conservative district by state standards, however, when it comes to redistricting in MD, seemingly minor changes in district boundaries can profoundly change the nature of a district. Such is the case with MD-01; it has now extended further inward into some heavily Democratic portions of the state. Its PVI has gone down from R+13 to a amazing R+1.
Former Congressman Frank Kratovil, a casualty of the 2010 wave. is seeking a rematch against Rep. Andy Harris. Democrats are wasting no time in linking Harris, an unapologetic conservative and tea party supporter, to such figures as Sarah Palin and Michelle Bachmann. Kratovil, on the other hand, is a centrist Democrats and some liberals are hesitant to support him.


Georgia:

With a political trifecta here, Republicans have carved up an expectedly GOP-friendly map. GA gained one seat during the census. The legislature's plan has protected all incumbent Republican incumbent and created a new GOP-leaning swing district. The biggest beneficiary of redistricting, besides the GOP,  was Rep. John Barrow; the legislature conceded GA-12 to the Democrats as they tried to sure-up their own incumbents. Barrow now has a D+6 district, up from D+1.

The new district, GA-14, would encompass Athens; it would also take in rural areas of central-GA while extending into some Democratic areas near Atlanta. Democrats are trying to convince former Athens mayor Heidi Davison to run for Congress; Davison left office with a 60% approval rating and is very popular in the Athens area. Republicans have a candidate in State Senator Johnny Grant. If Davison were to run, this would be one of the closest races in the country.

One other district to watch will be GA-02, where Rep. Sanford Bishop will be facing a rematch against State Rep. Mike Keown. Bishop won narrowly won in 2010, but his district has since gotten marginally more conservative. Bishop's fate will likely rely on Obama's ability to turn out Democratic votes here.

[Miles]

24 FEBRUARY 2012

BREAKING: HUCKABEE DROPS OUT

HUCK EXITS RACE, CONCEDES GOP NOMINATION


"...my friends and fellow Republicans, after careful consideration and discussion with my family, I have decided to leave the race for the Republican nomination. I simply have concluded that, although I have no shortage of enthusiastic supporters, that the electoral map will probably not turn out in my favor.
That said, I am still looking forward to a Republican victory in 2012. As of now, I will be endorsing Governor Palin or Governor Romney. Rather, come November, I will be throwing my support behind whomever my party nominates. I will also be campaigning for the Republican nominee this fall; both Mitt and Sarah would be better as President than Obama!
This is by no means the end of my public service. I will be working with my PAC, Huck PAC, to help elect conservative candidates for legislative and statewide offices this year.
The good Lord has blessed my life in such a way that I will never be able to fully express. This opportunity to seek the highest office in the world was just his latest blessing. As I leave the ring, I'd like to thank the people of Arkansas, who were the first to trust me; I am enormously grateful to them. I would like to thank the voters in the states that I won, as well as all those Republicans who supported me, regardless of state lines.
Thank you and God bless America!"

[Miles]

A few more Senate updates...

Hawaii:


In Hawaii, the main contest looks like it will be in the Democratic primary rather than the general election. Former Congressman Ed Case will once again be attempting to primary Senator Dan Akaka. Case will be running to the right of Akaka, as he did in 2006. Akaka has the support of the state Democratic Party as well as Sen. Dan Inouye and HI native President Obama. Case came within 8 points of ousting Akaka in by 2006 by implying that the sitting Senator was too old and the HI needed a new generation in the Senate. This year Akaka will be 88 years old; still Sen. Inouyem, who is the same age, was reelected with 75% of the vote in 2010, suggesting that Hawaiians might not care much about age. Also, this would be Case'd third attempt at a seat in Congress in 6 years; he may be viewed as 'damaged goods.'

Washington:


Senator Maria Cantwell will be getting a marginally more threating opponent in  Snohomish County Councilman John Koster. Koster is the second major Republican to challenge Cantwell, after tea party-endorsed Clint Didier. (Surprisingly, Dino Rossi has ruled out running!). Neither Republican comes close to Cantwell in the polls, although Republicans see Koster as more electable than the extreme Didier; Koster has managed to hold Cantwell under 50% in cumulative polls. In any case, most of the GOP's efforts here will be in the Gubernatorial race, where AG Rob McKenna is running to deny Gov. Chris Gregoire a third term.

Cantwell-49%
Koster-38%

Cantwell-53%
Didier-33%

Missouri


As usual, the Show-Me state will have no shortage of high-profile races. Lt. Gov. Steve Kinder will be seeking a promotion by attempting to oust Governor Jay Nixon. Nixon still remains on popular ground, but MO has trended strongly towards the GOP since his election in 2008.
Republicans have long considered Sen. Claire McCaskill to be one of their prime targets. In McCaskill was a candidate who, without the overwhelming 2006 Democratic wave at her back, would have likely fallen short. The two Republicans vying to run against her are establishment Blaine Luetkemeyer and tea party Sarah Steelman. Luetkemeyer, a victim of redistricting, opted to run against McCaskill rather than battling Rep. Sam Graves in a GOP primary; he has the endorsement of Sen. Roy Blunt and his predecessor, Kit Bond. Steelman has been backed by Sen. Jim DeMint and the Tea Party Express. While Luetkemeyer has a 98% lifetime rating from the Amerrican Conservative Union, Steelman is maintaining that he is too moderate.

Nixon- 49%
Kinder- 39%

McCaskill- 48%
Luetkemeyer- 44%

McCaskill- 50%
Steelman- 40%

New Jersey


Despite the blue tilt of NJ, we will have 2 closely watched races here. Sen. Bob Menendez, who has never had particularly solid ratings, is being challenged by House freshman John Runyan. Runyan, due to his lack of seniority, had his district axed. Menendez maintains a lead in the polls, Runyan has not developed much name recognition.
The more interesting here will be the Special Election. Appointed Senator Frank LoBiondo will be campaigning to represent NJ for two more years in the Senate. On the Democratic side, former Gov. John Corzine will be seeking a return to the Senate. Corzine is personally unpopular, but, as a Democrat, he will have up-ticket help from Obama. LoBiondo is in the opposite situation. While he is popular on the personal level, he is trying to keep his party affiliation at arm's length; since his appointment, he has been among the most liberal Republicans in the Senate, breaking with his party on fiscal and environmental issues. Some observers expected LoBiondo to get a primary challenger, but the tea party will be investing in other states, such as Utah, Tennessee and Nevada.

Menendez- 43%  
Runyan-36%         

LoBiondo-41%
Corzine-40%


If my tally serves me correctly, states were I haven't specifically announced candidates for Senate are : VT, ME, PA, WY, IN, MS, WY and CA. Most of those state are pretty safe anyway, but I'll try have those out by the end of this week.

[Miles]

What about MO redistricting???

Here's the plan that I came up with, its based off on one of KS21's designs.

Correction from previous post: Luetkemeyer would actually live in Hartzler's district.

Otherwise, I tried to make the map favorable to incumbents.

Rather than expanding Russ Carnahan's district into more rural areas, I tried to vote-pack it in with some territory from Lacy Clay's. That makes Emerson and Aiken both very safe.

[Miles]

California


The race to replace Dianne Feinstein is not looking like it will be competitive. The GOP, seeking pickups in other more friendly states, has all but conceded this race. The expected Democratic nominee will be San Francisco area District Attorney. She will be probably be running against tea partier Chuck DeVore, to whom the national RSCC has plEdged little funding.

Harris-52%
DeVore-32%

Wyoming and Vermont

Every election cycle, one or two Senators is elected without major party oppostion. This year, the pair of Sanders of Vermont and Barasso of Wyoming will not have opponents. Wyoming Democrats will be focusing on former Gov. Freudenthal's House bid rather than challenging the popular Barrasso. Republicans determined that any funds sent to Vermont would be wasted.

Indiana

Indiana will feature a competitive primary between incumbent Dick Lugar and conservative challenger Richard  Mourdock. On the Democratic side, no formidable candidates have emerged. Lugar's fate will depend upon his ability to string together a coalition of moderate Republicans, Independents and possibly conservative Democrats in an open primary.

[Miles]

6 MARCH 2012

Tonight, we will have Republican voters from 5 more states weigh in on who their party's nominee should be.

We begin in the Northeastern states of Vermont and Rhode Island. In both of these states, regional son Mitt Romney has garnered nearly 70% of the vote.



Romney-67%
Palin-30%



Romney-69%
Palin-28%

Moving southward to the state of Ohio, the candidates are locked in a race that, at the moment is too close to call. Counties in gray have less than 50% of precincts reporting. Palin seems to be clinging onto a .8% lead, but the seven counties that have not reported yet will likely decide the winner.



Palin-48.9%
Romney-48.1%

Moving southward still, Palin scores big wins in Texas and Mississippi. In both those states, Huckabee had a solid support base; it seems that tonight the would-be Huck voters have moved heavily towards Palin.



Palin-57%
Romney-40%



Palin-61%
Romney-36%

_{Palin celebrates with supporter Rick Perry}

[Miles]

ROMNEY WINS OHIO....PALIN SURPASSES ROMNEY IN OVERALL TALLY BY ONE DELEGATE

With regards to Ohio, it looks like Romney will actually be taking the 83 delegates from that stata.

The 7 remaining counties have reported (they are darker than the rest). Of those, Romney has taken 5 to Palin's 2.



Romney-49.0%
Palin-47.9%

Palin-861
ROMNEY-860

[Miles]

For the record, when I was assigning delegate numbers to the individaul states, I had no idea that the numbers would turn out this way...

I was actually expecting Romney to be ahead at  this point. I didn't expect he'd be trailing...by one delegate!!!

This really does make this race a pure tossup, doesn't it!

[Miles]

6 MARCH 2010



Other than the Presidential Primary, the first Senate primary of the 2012 cycle took place today. in The main event was the four-way primary to replace Se. Kay Bailey Hucthison. The winner of this first ballot is the daughter of former President George W. Bush, Laura Bush. While tea partiers had hoped to replace KBH with a more conservative Republican, the Bush family spent an enormous amount to political capital here and the Bush brand is still strong with Texas Republicans. Barbara's parents and grandparents all made many campaign stops and stump speeches on behalf of her; Hutchison also endorsed Bush. Based on tonights results, Bush and state Agriculture Commissioner Todd Staples will be forced into a runoff.

Bush-45%
Staples-29%
Straus-14%
Conaway-11%

[Miles]

Romney supporters can now breath a sigh of relief as results from Guam, Puerto Rico and American Samoa have just come in. Romney will be sweeping all three of these, bringing an extra 32 deleagte sto his column. The total now stands at...

Romney-892
Palin-860

[Miles]

TRAGEDY IN MINNESOTA

SENATOR AL FRANKEN SHOT******SENATOR AL FRANKEN SHOT

While attending a town hall meeting this weekend, Senator Al Franken has been shot and killed by a tea party protestor. The events unfolded as Franken was leaving an annual town hall in St. Cloud at about 6:00 P.M. Franken was subsequently rushed to the hospital, but the shots, landing in the senator’s torso region, proved to be fatal and Franken died within minutes. The suspect was promptly taken down after two shots were fired and he was subsequently detained. Franken was 60.

The suspect was identified as Mr. Jarett Lee Loughnerr. Loughnerr, a local tea party activist and organizer, has had his mental health questioned many times within the last week. In interviews, his friends and fellow tea partiers  have observed that he was acting “peculiar” and that he “was approaching the edge”, as they cited strange behavior such as staying up late at night and not answering phone calls. Both friends and relatives said that Loughner had frequent and random mood swings. At the present time, Loughner is incarcerated and awaits trial.

Al Franken was known as an ardent defender of progressive ideas in the Senate. Elected in the Democratic wave of 2008, he ousted incumbent Norm Coleman and vowed to legislate in the manner of his friend, the late Senator Paul Wellstone. Senator Franken will be best remembered for his legislation defending the rights of women, his work on behalf of students, and his efforts to expand healthcare to all Americans.

During this last round of town hall meetings, Franken was making his pitch to revisit the 2010 Healthcare Bill. Specifically, Franken, along with Senator Jeff Merkley of Oregon, had introduced legislation in February to add a provision to create a government-funded public option. Many liberals were disappointed when a public option was not ultimately included in the final healthcare bill; some progressive shave been campaigning on amending the bill to include one. Of course, with a split Congress, this provision was unlikely to pass anyway, as it was more of a symbolic gesture. 

In the wake of Franken’s death, many are pointing to Fox News host Bill O’Reilly for motivating Loughnerr. O’Reilly and Franken had an ongoing feud. O’Reilly was one of the subjects of Franken’s many books attacking conservatives in the media. During the past month, O’Reilly had referred to Franken as a “pinhead” and a “morally detestable and vile human being.” Media Matters and the Progressive Change Campaign Committee are sponsoring a petition calling for O’Reilly to resign from Fox; they have already garnered over 10,000  signatures.

In the wake of Senator Franken’s death, Governor Mark Dayton will appoint his successor.

“My friends and fellow Minnesotans, yesterday was a day of great darkness for our state. The all too early and tragic death of Senator Franken was unnecessary and justice will be administered in the proper fashion. I have called Al’s wife, Franni, and his family and offered my sincerest condolences and I have pledged to help them in any way possible during these difficult weeks. ...
…today, I will appoint Congresswoman Betty McCollum. Betty has been a workhorse for the people of her district and I believe that she will fill Senator Franken’s large shoes; she has a record of success in the House and I am proud to send her to Senate. Betty was a friend of Al and I trust that she will carry on his legacy in the Senate.
Working with the Secretary of State, I have scheduled a special election that will coincide with the regular 2012 Senate elections. As a result, this year, both Minnesota seats will be up for election.”

[Miles]

I think the fact that your avatar is red might have had an affect on the latest post. Still, good timeline.

Why?

[Miles]

Campaign updates/Candidates announcements


Maine

After years of political speculation, Senator Olympia Snowe has decided to leave the Republican party, at least nominally. Snowe will be seeking a 4th term as an Independent candidate; however, she has maintained that if reelected, she would continue to caucus with the GOP. Snowe citied the GOP's ideological drift to the right as well has her moderate record during her press conference, though many saw her poor numbers with Republican primary voters as a key factor in her choice. Tea Party Governor Paul LePage said that he will stand by his endorsement of Snowe. The likely Democratic nominee will be former ME House Speaker Hannah Pingree. The Republicans will almost certainly nominate either Andrew Ian Dodge, a tea partier.

Snowe- Republican Primary Approval- 35/59

ME General Election
Snowe*- 52%
Pingree- 27%
Dodge- 15%

North Carolina


After being dealt a bad hand during the 2011 redistricting session, Rep. Larry Kissell has opted to run statewide rather than seek a third House term. Kissell's 8th district, along with Brad Miller in the 13th, were the main targets of the Republican Legislature. While the old NC-08 gave Obama a 5-point win, its new configuration would have gone for McCain by 12 points. Kissell will be running to succeed Secretary of State Elaine Marshall; Marshall will be stepping down after 18 years in office.


Indiana
Blue Dog Joe Donnelly will be following Kissell's lead and run for statewide office rather than running a much redder district. Donnelly's current R+2 district would have a projected PVI of at least R+6 in its new form. He will be running to become the 1st Democratic Treasurer since 1978; that office is being vacated by Richard Mourdock as he seeks to unseat Sen. Dick Lugar.

Ohio

Much to the dismay of liberals, Sen. Sherrod Brown gets a more formidable challenger in Lt. Governor Mary Taylor. Brown leads Rep. Jean Schmidt, but Taylor would make this one of the closest races in the county. Taylor, a rising star in the party, is considered to be running ahead of the establishment Schmidt in the primary.
More troublesome for Brown is that he has garnered a primary challenge from the right. Former Rep. Steve Driehaus, who lost a close race in 2010, maintains that Brown is too liberal for Ohio. Dreihaus claims that he is more electable than Brown.


Utah

After a decade of trying to take out political survivor Jim Matheson, Utah Republicans  have conceded a Democratic district during redistricting. Matheson's new district, consisting mainly of Salt Lake City and Summit County, would actually be fairly left-leaning. Therein lies an intrinsic problem for Matheson; he is now extremely vulnerable to being tossed out in the primary. Matheson has a scare at the 2010 Convention;, he only got 55% against Brigham Young's  liberal great-great granddaughter, Claudia Wright. Wright is seeking a rematch.
Some have speculated that Matheson will enter the Senate race rather than run for the House; he would benefit from a Republican electorate split between Independent Orrin Hatch and the GOP nominee.

[Miles]

Sorry for the slow pace here. Its midterms week, so I'm having a busy time.

I'll try to have an update by the weekend.

Thanks,

Miles

[Miles]

Hey guys,

I still have one more exam hovering over my head (economics). The good news is that it will out of the way soon (Monday morning at 7:30 ); so I'll have an update soon after that.

Thanks

[Miles]

APRIL 5 2012

PALIN AND ROMNEY STILL TRADING PUNCHES WITH VICTORIES

It looks like the virtual stalemate between Sarah Palin and Mitt Romney, the two Republican presidential contenders left standing, will be extending until the next round of primaries. Tonight, we will bring you results from the Keystone state as well as the Bluegrass state. Both of these primaries have been moved up a few weeks from their 2008 dates for the 2012 cycle.

We begin in Pennsylvania. Here, Romney has carried the day. This state was obviously critical in the primary because is it often one of the most contested states in the general election. Republicans have strived for the last two years to really bring back their brand here. Despite the wide unpopularity of other Republican governors in the industrial Midwest, Governor Corbett has tried not to politically 'overreach' and has kept a relatively moderate profile.  As such, Corbett's endorsement went to Romney. Also, Senator Pat Toomey's has moved more towards the political center; he only won narrowly in 2010 despite his tea party backing. The latest evidence of Toomey's moderation is his endorsement of Romney.



Romney-55.4%
Palin-44.0%

In Kentucky, the Palin campaign cruises to an easy win. Romney was never particularly popular in the south and Kentucky seems to be no exception. Senator Rand Paul was a strong supporter of Palin as well.



Palin-57.8%
Romney-41.7%

ROMNEY-963
PALIN-908

[Miles]

2012 Gubernatorial Polls

[Miles]

16 APRIL 2012

IT ALL COMES DOWN TO INDIANA

TOP PALIN ADVISOR: "IF PALIN LOSES INDIANA....SHE WILL DROP OUT"

"With the April 24th Indiana primary dominating Republican politics, the Palin camp is rumored to be taking an all-or-nothing approach. Top Republican leaders have insisted that the longer Romney and Palin are fighting, the better off Obama will be in the fall. Increasingly, Republicans voters want to see a clear end to this primary season.
Enter Indiana. While traditionally a red state, Obama was able to prevail here in 2008. As such, this state will be pivotal not only in the general election, but also in the primary. Both Republicans have been pouring money into the local media markets.
The Palin campaign, trailing by a meager 55 delegates, is banking on the growing tea party base in the state. However, national Republicans are pressuring her to drop out if she does not win this primary. In essence, they are giving her 'one last shot.' Still, Palin, never one to abide the rank-and-file party organization, insists that she will make the ultimate decision of whether or not to stay in the race, not the "party bosses." However, two aides very close with the Palin campaign have said that if she does not win IN, she will in fact, concede.
Predictably, the national tea party is campaigning around the clock for Palin. Palin has made several campaign  stops with Indiana Senate hopeful Richard Mourdock, who hopes to topple the 'RINO' Richard Lugar in the Senate primary. Thankfully for Lugar, the Senate and Presidential primaries will not be held on the same day. Governor Daniels will make an endorsement on the 20th.

Talk radio personalities have also weighed in on the impact of this primary:

Mark Levin:

"I know we have a large audience in the Hooiser state. To all our brothers in that state, I urge you to choose liberty over soft tyranny. This Romney is a damn fool, an idiot! This fool ain't even close to a conservative! Heck, I'd almost even rather McCain. The healthcare law that Romney passed in Massachusetts was unforgivable; he's just another lib. Massachusetts is one of the great shining beacon's of statism. He's unprincipled! If we Republicans keep electing these sellouts with no principles, we'll never get America back on track! We have a great, brilliant, smart, constitutional conservative in Sarah Palin. By far, the superior candidate and the true Reaganite. After Palin wins, we're gonna dump that sellout Lugar too! Indiana will be the model for a conservative comeback in 2012!" The cost of defeat is too high

Rush Limbaugh:

"I don't see what the appeal of Romney is. In terms of fundraising, passion and ground game, Palin seems to be the better choice. I'm sick of this mentality that some Republicans have: "Well, if I act more like a Democrat, maybe I'll have a better chance of winning!" Mitt Romney has that mentality! Why bother voting for Romney; Obama would be just as good! This isn't the standard we should hold ourself to! Sure, Palin has some weaknesses, but none of them undermine core conservative causes. Romney would just go along with Obamacare: "We don't have to repeal it, we just need to make it better! Lets make America more like Massachusetts!" No! Hell no!

Polling shows a pure tossup.

PPP
Romney: 47%
Palin:46%

Rasmussen (R)
Palin: 45%
Romney: 43%

SurveyUSA
Romney: 48%
Palin: 47%

Quinnipiac
Palin:48%
Romney:46%

[Miles]

Robert Byrd Revisionist-like the name. As a Libertarian, I hate him. Being from a West Virginia family, we loved him.

I love Robert Byrd; I have family from WV also.

My dad always says that West Virginia is a good place to be from!

[Miles]

17 APRIL 2012



We have news from the Lone Star state! In the GOP primary to replace Kay Bailey Hutchison, Barbara Bush has defeated TX Agriculture Commissioner Todd Staples.
Bush, despite her socially moderate stances on issues such as abortion and same-sex marriage, was able to defy the tea party by defeating Staples due to her family's political clout and her ability to attract independent voters.
Hutchison, who was a strong supporter of Bush, said that she was "overjoyed with this victory" and said that Bush represents a "new generation of Republican leadership."
In the fall, Bush will face off against 2006 Gubernatorial candidate Kinky Freidman; she is heavily favored to retain the seat for Republicans.
 

[Miles]

Robert Byrd Revisionist-like the name. As a Libertarian, I hate him. Being from a West Virginia family, we loved him.

I love Robert Byrd; I have family from WV also.

My dad always says that West Virginia is a good place to be from!

I wish I was from there My whole family is from Braxton County.
Oh well-I will have to make do with Florida.

Nice; some of my dad's family still lives in a small town in Kanawha county, near Charleston. Its a beautiful state.

I love the politics of West Virginia too!

[Miles]

Since I started in 2011, I didn't get to cover the 2010 Senate midterms. Here were the results:



Just a few differences from the actual results:

AR- Blanche Lincoln survives a close race against State Legislator Gilbert Baker. John Boozman decides to stay in the House and is named the House Republican Conference Chair. Both the Democratic and GOP primaries are bloody. Lincoln manages to fend off Lt. Gov. Bill Halter by a 53-47 margin; Baker defeats legislator Jim Holt in a bitter 51-49 runoff. Baker is an extremely gaffe-prone candidate; a recording was released of him calling Lincoln a "bitch" and questions arose about his allegedly corrupt ties to a lobbyist during his time in the AR legislature. Still, Lincoln won by a thin 47-45. Third party candidates got nearly 8% of the vote in this race.

CT - Despite the financial scandals surrounding him, Senator Chris Dodd decides to seek reelection. Dodd narrowly escapes a primary challenge from 2006 candidate Ned Lamont. In the general election, Dodd faced Governor Jodi Rell. Rell won 53-44.

FL: This became more of a two-way tossuup between Crist and Rubio. Rubio wins with 39% to Crist's 37% and Meek's 22%.

And the Gubernatorial races...



Pretty much the same except for:

OH- Ted Strickland's superior ground game pays off. He is able to hold onto his job by 618 votes out of roughly 3.9 million votes cast.

MN- Due to extremely low levels of DFL turnout, Mark Dayton losses to Tom Emmer by about 5,000 votes.

[Miles]

24 APRIL 2012

THE DECIDING NIGHT



After a long and expansive Republican primary, the unofficial consensus among party officials is that the winner of Indiana will go on win the party nomination. Both candidates acknowledged that anymore prolonged infighting will likely hurt the party's chances of taking the White House. Both candidates have done extensive campaigning here and have increased their clout with Indiana voters, a critical swing electorate in the general election. The tea party has funneled millions for Palin while most of the state Republican party has lined up behind Romney. The results from this round of voting will also serve as somewhat a preview for the competitive Senate primary between Sen. Lugar and challenger Richard Mourdock.

With 80% of precincts reporting, Romney has maintained a consistent lead of about 5 points, which seems to be holding up. The AP has called the election for him.

ROMNEY- 51.8%
PALIN- 46.6%
 

My friends, the results are in, and we have been declared the winner! I really could not have done this without your support! Thank you Indiana Republicans!! Because of your votes, and the countless hours my dedicate volunteers have worked, not only here in Indiana, but all across America, our campaign has the necessary momentum that will propel us to victory in November.
I want to extend my sincerest admiration and gratitude to Governor Palin. I just got off the phone with her. She was gracious her concession and I look forward to working with her in the fall for a Republican victory. More importantly, Governor Palin's presence in this race offered Republicans a choice and gave them the opportunity to test us on the issues that matter most to Americans. I enjoyed her spirited competition, and also that Speaker Gingrich and Governor Huckabee during the earlier stages of the primary. Again, Governor Palin is a great asset to the Republican movement and she has my deepest respect and esteem.
Moving forward, our focus will be the focus of the American people; the need for jobs, economic prosperity and the need to control a Washington DC that sees almost no limit to its reaches. My approach will be crafted to emphasize both short and long-term sustainability and prosperity. Put simply, a return to time-tested Republican polices will result in a stronger America. I know that my experience both in private and public sectors will be a welcome change in the White House. My friends, President Obama and I have substantial differences, differences that will only become more apparent in these coming months. I look forward to the aggressive campaigning, ardent travelling and energetic debating that these next months will entail.
Thank you Indiana!! Lets enjoy tonight! The second part of our road to the White House will begin tomorrow!

[Miles]

I think you're just throwing me a bone by giving Romney 60% in my county.