Mitt Romney is now very close to ...

[Statesman]

The main reason Obama got even the margin he did was because of the left coast loonies in lala land.

I have a suggestion. Please never leave Rhode Island, and never move to Ohio or Florida. I really, really like the fact that your vote doesn't matter.

By the way, where were those left coast so-called loonies when Bush beat Kerry in 2004? They already voted for Kerry, and they did not decide the election. And why this prejudice toward the west coast? Your state is more liberal than mine!

I'm sorry, but Nate Silver and his arithmetic were right. Sorry, those polls weren't skewed. Sorry, not everybody who disagrees with you is automatically an ultra leftist.

The GOP lost because it utterly alienated women, and minorities, who are only a slightly more substantial portion of the U.S. electorate this time around. It sounds to me like with his 47% talk, Romney alienated plenty of moderates, some of whom may have voted for Bush in 2004. Looks like your party has some work to do demographically Losefield, I mean, Winfield. Publicly penning an op-ed titled "Let Detroit go bankrupt" does not help a Republican candidate in Ohio and the upper midwest. This is common sense.

Seriously man. Your party lost Florida, twice in a row, a state that has historically been at least lean GOP. And they did it conditions where they probably should have won the state. I predicted a 303-235 Obama win with Romney winning Florida, but Obama won Florida. What does that tell you? Does it tell you keep doing the same thing? Because if it does at a party-wide level, the Republicans can expect to lose in 2016 and 2020 as well if economic conditions continue to improve, even gradually. If (and it is a big if) we're looking at 6 to 6.5% unemployment in 2016, do the Republicans even have a chance anyway?

[AndyAJS]

I'm updating both Wikipedia and a Google spreadsheet with the national totals and also spreadsheets with the latest results from PA and IL by looking at the most up-to-date county data.

The link to the national totals spreadsheet is in my signature below and you can access the PA and IL spreadsheets from that one.

I'm disappointed that the networks have stopped updating their websites with the latest totals. They seemed to update for about a week after the election but then lost interest.

I know that a few other people are maintaining spreadsheets with the national totals but I've found all of them to be a bit more complicated than they needed to be. Mine is deliberately as simple as possible.

[Edu]

But as you like to remind us, Obama's campaign was expecting a narrow victory and not the blow-out they had hoped; well that's exactly what they got!

I take comfort in the fact, that he basically prevented Obama even coming close to those 2008 levels that Obama wished he had repeated, but didn't...way below Obama's expectations...

I don't get it, Obama was expecting a narrow election or not?

And he came pretty close to those 2008 levels. He got 52,87% in 2008 and according to the Atlas he's at 50.73% now and likely to rise, doesn't seem like such a huge difference. In the EV he only lost 2 states that he had won (and that Nebraska electoral vote) and got 61,7% this year against 67,8% in 2008.

If you want to believe that's a HUGE difference then be my guest, but I'm thinking you are trolling by now.

And at least I have an excuse in that English is not my first language , but, god, those huge single paragraphs you write look like badly written stream of consciousness.

[MASHED POTATOES. VOTE!]

The main reason Obama got even the margin he did was because of the left coast loonies in lala land.

Reality is hard, isn't it Winfield?

[pbrower2a]

Yeah well 47.47% or 47.54% at least it says, that % of folks didn't want the anointed one & the casual observer can be excused for noticing, that Obama didn't win the popular vote blow-out he had wished for, the first president since Woodrow Wilson to see his support decrease; also Romney did better than Dukakis in 1988, GHWB in 1992, Dole in 1996 (only Kerry in 2004, did marginally better) and McCain in '08; both percentage wise as well as the EV; the anointed one might have been re-elected, but nothing on the blow-out scale he was expecting; that must catch in a few craw's; in terms of EV scoring, Obama only did better than Wilson, Truman, Carter and Dubya...not Mt. Rushmore territory is it? What would be sweet Irony, is if Obama and Dubya are both at 50.73% each...yep those stats are a bitch!

President Obama still won. The difference between 2008 and 2012 was that in 2008 people were concerned about keeping an income stream going; in 2012 they were concerned about taxes on the income streams. So he did not win as big this time because of economic progress that he allowed? I can't fault the President for that. 

In 2012 the Hard Right waged a deep-pocket smear campaign against the President, that campaign not stopping even at Orwellian rhetoric. No incumbent President has ever faced such a campaign of raw invective. The President had to narrow the states in his re-election effort just to protect a couple states that he had to win. As it turns out that worked well enough.

Much of the vote against President Obama is on an irrational basis -- race. I can't estimate how many people -- consciously or subconsciously -- voted against Barack Obama because of race in 2008 or 2012. A white man achieving what Barack Obama did gets perhaps 5% more of the popular vote and ends up with a landslide similar to that of Eisenhower in 1956. If I am to compare Barack Obama to any previous President for his achievements and for avoiding scandals it is Ike in his first term.   
 

[heatmaster]

Most of Obama's national vote margin, came from his margin on the left-coast...la-la land, San Francisco (hippie-land) etc, not much of a mandate when you think of it you Democratic troglodyte's ...still trying to spin on the re-election stats, eh? nice try baby....still first president in nearly 100 years to do worse in his second term victory....still he's at 50.73% & you are whistling Dixie, if he manages to get within even a point of his 2008 victory....don't think so pal!

[SUSAN CRUSHBONE]

Most of Obama's national vote margin, came from his margin on the left-coast...la-la land, San Francisco (hippie-land) etc, not much of a mandate when you think of it you Democratic troglodyte's ...still trying to spin on the re-election stats, eh? nice try baby....still first president in nearly 100 years to do worse in his second term victory....still he's at 50.73% & you are whistling Dixie, if he manages to get within even a point of his 2008 victory....don't think so pal!

Most of Romney's national vote share came from the Deep South and the Mormon triangle. What's your point?

[k-onmmunist]

Don't know or care what Mitt Romney's expectations were, I take comfort in the fact, that he basically prevented Obama even coming close to those 2008 levels that Obama wished he had repeated, but didn't...way below Obama's expectations...despite all the bull%$*@ spin he and his lackey's were trying to sell...he got his second term, but not in the way he had hoped or wanted and that's what count's....so it's a questionable what kinda mandate he can claim, the Republicans in the house, led by Boehner and Cantor, couldn't give a rat's %$@ what those folks who supported Obama demand or want...Obama ain't gonna get squat, Boehner knows how to talk the game when the camera's are on, but when they are off, our boys in the GOP leadership will do the old Potomac two-step...passive aggressive routine, and all Obama will end up doing is holding his p$%*@er and that's it...before long he will, be a lame-duck, no immigration reform....a do-nothing president and when 2016 comes around we Republicans can sadly shake our heads in disappointment...and talk about squandered opportunities; but the anointed one, if history is anybody's guide...won't be a bit player in this calamity....it's perfect and it will happen; just have to run out the clock on the Benghazi fiasco, all Obama's fault for not cooperating with the congressional investigation....that get's us to the end of 2013, lame-duck issues have slowed down Obama....a "Do nothing presidency".....work's for me. You Democrats know the playbook....but there's nothing you can do, you know it and the GOP know it....bet Barack wished Nancy Pelosi was speaker  

¿por qué no te callas?

[○∙◄☻¥tπ[╪AV┼cVê└]

47.504%

Just a little lower, and it will round to 47%

[heatmaster]

If I have a point, it is this, the facts are, whatever the spin, the U.S. is essentially divided between blue state's & red states, just as it was in 2004, only difference, Obama did slightly better with the EV & and only so much better in the popular vote than Dubya and whatever way you slice the outcome, Obama's margin of victory is confined to those "blue states" Kerry won, he only took Colorado, Iowa, Nevada and New Mexico that Dubya won in 2004; if he had held Indiana, North Carolina and say picked up Arizona and Missouri, then you would I think have a 381-157 split in Obama's favor, now that would have proven that Obama was expanding the map; the Democrats can't expect to depend on the EV map to stay the same or expand in 2016, it won't and if you have a Republican who has a message which is receptive to Hispanic, Women's ears and attracts Independent's and maintains the Red States that McCain won in 2008, and Romney expanded on this cycle, well you could have a repeat of what occurred in 2008, only this time the Republican benefit's, my guess is that Jon Huntsman has the best opportunity to change the electoral map in decisive manner and if so, then we will all know the GOP has learned it's lesson and becomes a more Reaganite inclusive party. Obama knew this fact in 2009, when he tapped Huntsman to be Ambassador to China, Huntsman represented the biggest threat to Obama's undoing and still has that appeal and therefore come 2016 he could very well be the elephant in the room, unfortunately for Biden, Clinton, Cuomo, O'Malley, Warner and Gillibrand don't occupy the presidency, so there's no way that Huntsman can be neutralized as he was in 2009; but of course, not to be accused of trolling, if Huntsman is offered a cabinet post then you know the Democrats have commissioned some internal polls....well, I don't have to draw you a picture what's going to be going through the minds of leading Dems.

[○∙◄☻¥tπ[╪AV┼cVê└]

If I have a point, it is this, the facts are, whatever the spin, the U.S. is essentially divided between blue state's & red states, just as it was in 2004, only difference, Obama did slightly better with the EV & and only so much better in the popular vote than Dubya and whatever way you slice the outcome, Obama's margin of victory is confined to those "blue states" Kerry won, he only took Colorado, Iowa, Nevada and New Mexico that Dubya won in 2004; if he had held Indiana, North Carolina and say picked up Arizona and Missouri, then you would I think have a 381-157 split in Obama's favor, now that would have proven that Obama was expanding the map; the Democrats can't expect to depend on the EV map to stay the same or expand in 2016, it won't and if you have a Republican who has a message which is receptive to Hispanic, Women's ears and attracts Independent's and maintains the Red States that McCain won in 2008, and Romney expanded on this cycle, well you could have a repeat of what occurred in 2008, only this time the Republican benefit's, my guess is that Jon Huntsman has the best opportunity to change the electoral map in decisive manner and if so, then we will all know the GOP has learned it's lesson and becomes a more Reaganite inclusive party. Obama knew this fact in 2009, when he tapped Huntsman to be Ambassador to China, Huntsman represented the biggest threat to Obama's undoing and still has that appeal and therefore come 2016 he could very well be the elephant in the room, unfortunately for Biden, Clinton, Cuomo, O'Malley, Warner and Gillibrand don't occupy the presidency, so there's no way that Huntsman can be neutralized as he was in 2009; but of course, not to be accused of trolling, if Huntsman is offered a cabinet post then you know the Democrats have commissioned some internal polls....well, I don't have to draw you a picture what's going to be going through the minds of leading Dems.

LOL, Huntsman will never be President.

[○∙◄☻¥tπ[╪AV┼cVê└]

We can now officially call Mitt Romney Mr 47%.

[Tender Branson]

47.48% now ...

Just 0.01 to go !

[memphis]

If I have a point, it is this, the facts are, whatever the spin, the U.S. is essentially divided between blue state's & red states, just as it was in 2004, only difference, Obama did slightly better with the EV & and only so much better in the popular vote than Dubya and whatever way you slice the outcome, Obama's margin of victory is confined to those "blue states" Kerry won, he only took Colorado, Iowa, Nevada and New Mexico that Dubya won in 2004

VA? OH? FL?

[Antonio the Sixth]

47.48% now ...

Just 0.01 to go !

What are you looking at? Wasserman still has it at 47.5036%.

[Tender Branson]

47.48% now ...

Just 0.01 to go !

What are you looking at? Wasserman still has it at 47.5036%.

The English Wikipedia article.

[Sasquatch]

This is amazing.

[Frodo]

If it gets down to 47.44%, I'll be happy. 

[Tender Branson]

If it gets down to 47.44%, I'll be happy. 

It will probably go even lower than that, because OH's 300.000 votes are still missing and probably a lot of votes in NY as well.

[Antonio the Sixth]

47.48% now ...

Just 0.01 to go !

What are you looking at? Wasserman still has it at 47.5036%.

The English Wikipedia article.

Meh, Wasserman still has more votes tallied.

That said, it's pretty clear Mitt has fallen below 47.5%, so let's celebrate this!

[AndyAJS]

47.48% now ...

Just 0.01 to go !

What are you looking at? Wasserman still has it at 47.5036%.

The English Wikipedia article.

Meh, Wasserman still has more votes tallied.

That said, it's pretty clear Mitt has fallen below 47.5%, so let's celebrate this!

Wasserman hasn't updated his California figures to reflect the latest returns from Los Angeles County.

His LA figures have Obama on 1,998,471 with Romney on 829,532.

The LA elections page now has Obama on 2,043,797 with Romney on 842,001.

[ag]

Don't know or care what Mitt Romney's expectations were, I take comfort in the fact, that he basically prevented Obama even coming close to those 2008 levels that Obama wished he had repeated, but didn't...way below Obama's expectations...despite all the bull%$*@ spin he and his lackey's were trying to sell...he got his second term, but not in the way he had hoped or wanted and that's what count's....so it's a questionable what kinda mandate he can claim, the Republicans in the house, led by Boehner and Cantor, couldn't give a rat's %$@ what those folks who supported Obama demand or want...Obama ain't gonna get squat, Boehner knows how to talk the game when the camera's are on, but when they are off, our boys in the GOP leadership will do the old Potomac two-step...passive aggressive routine, and all Obama will end up doing is holding his p$%*@er and that's it...before long he will, be a lame-duck, no immigration reform....a do-nothing president and when 2016 comes around we Republicans can sadly shake our heads in disappointment...and talk about squandered opportunities; but the anointed one, if history is anybody's guide...won't be a bit player in this calamity....it's perfect and it will happen; just have to run out the clock on the Benghazi fiasco, all Obama's fault for not cooperating with the congressional investigation....that get's us to the end of 2013, lame-duck issues have slowed down Obama....a "Do nothing presidency".....work's for me. You Democrats know the playbook....but there's nothing you can do, you know it and the GOP know it....bet Barack wished Nancy Pelosi was speaker  

¿por qué no te callas?

¡Su Majestad!

[Antonio the Sixth]

Thank you very much for the clarification!

I added the latest CA returns to Wasserman's data, so here are the most complete numbers: Obama 50.8098% Romney 47.4916% Others 1.6986%.

[Badger]

At this rate, what is the chance Obama hits 51%? I wonder if Romney will fall as far as a full 4% point deficit? Unlikely I think. What do people believe the final results will be to the nearest tenth of a percent?

[politicus]

51.0-47.3