Time for Sarah...

[VirginiaAaron]

8:00 POLL CLOSINGS

Cooper: Welcome back to Election Night in America. As you all know, Hurricane Sandy has ravaged the east coast. With polls about to close in several states, one of them being the hard-hit New Jersey. President Obama is expected to be the victor in New Jersey, however, we will likely not have a call at poll closing due to the delay of voting with the Hurricane Sandy recovery effort still ongoing.

Blitzer: With that, the polls have now closed in several states across the east coast and the Mississippi River. We've got a slew of projections for both President Obama and Governor Palin. President Obama is the projected winner in the states of Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, Maine, Illinois, and the District of Columbia.

Cooper: We're also able to project wins for Governor Palin in the states of Tennessee, Mississippi, Alabama, and Oklahoma. The states of New Hampshire, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Missouri, and Florida are too early to call.

Blitzer: And here's the all-important electoral college. President Obama is trailing Governor Palin, President Obama has 65 electoral votes to Governor Palin's 82 electoral votes.

Cooper: Let's go to Dana Bash where we have some important projections in the race for 51 in the Senate.

Bash: That's right Anderson. CNN is able to project that Massachusetts Senator Scott Brown has lost his seat to Democratic challenger Elizabeth Warren. Warren, who was the mind behind the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, will now become the junior Senator for Massachusetts. We're also able to project that Rhode Island Senator Sheldon Whitehouse will get a second term. Connecticut Congressman Chris Murphy will win that seat, that's a Democratic gain. That seat used to be held by Independent Senator Joe Lieberman. That marks 2 gains for the Democrats in the Senate. We can project that New Jersey Senator Bob Menendez has been re-elected. We're having trouble projecting that for President Obama, however, we can safely say that Menendez is going back to the Senate for another term. Delaware Senator Tom Carper has been re-elected for another term. Ben Cardin, the incumbent Democratic Senator for Maryland, will be returning the Senate for another term, defeating Fox News personality Dan Bongino. The former Governor of Maine, Angus King, an Independent has been elected to the U.S. Senate, this seat used to be held by Olympia Snowe, a moderate Republican. An Independent gain in the Senate, he has specified that he will caucus as a Democrat, so we're going to count that as a win for the Democrats. One more projection for the Democrats, Bill Nelson, the incumbent Senator for Florida, is the projected winner, defeating Connie Mack.

We also have our first projections for the GOP. Tennessee Senator Bob Corker has been re-elected, defeating Mark Clayton, getting a second term. In Mississippi, we can call Roger Wicker, the winner in his bid for a second term.

It's too close to call in Missouri. Incumbent Senator Claire McCaskill, is up for a second term against Republican Congressman Todd Akin. Akin made some comments that were controversial, which has put what Republicans thought could be an "easy win" into play. It's too close to call there. In Pennsylvania, incumbent Senator Bob Casey is going up against Republican businessman Tom Smith. Too early to call there.

What has this done to the Senate makeup? Let's take a look. Remember, you need 51 for control. 41 for the Democrats at this hour, and 38 for the GOP. Right now, there's a net gain of 3 for the Democrats, however as the night goes on, that number will likely go down. Right now, before the 2012 elections, Democrats had an advantage over Republicans in the Senate, 53 seats to 47 seats. Back to you, Wolf.

[VirginiaAaron]

8:30 POLL CLOSINGS AND OTHER PROJECTIONS

Blitzer: Welcome back to Election Night in America. I'm Wolf Blitzer, here at the CNN Decision Desk. I'm being told we have some projections as Arkansas closes at 8:30, among some other calls.

Cooper: CNN is able to project that Barack Obama is the winner of New Jersey and their 14 electoral votes.

Cooper: We could not call that at poll closing because of recovery efforts after Hurricane Sandy, but we now have a projection in for New Jersey.

Blitzer: We're also able to call Missouri and its 10 electoral votes for Governor Palin.

Blitzer: Not a big surprise in Missouri, it was close in 2008, but John McCain won that state, this time, his running mate expected to win big in Missouri. We're also able to call Arkansas, the home state of President Bill Clinton, for Governor Palin. So, that adds an additional 16 votes to Governor Palin's electoral vote count, and an additional 14 to President Obama's. Let's take a look at the electoral college.

Bash: We have good news for Pennsylvania Democrats. CNN can now project that incumbent Democratic Senator Bob Casey has been re-elected for a second term as Pennsylvania Senator. He becomes the first Democratic Senator elected to a second term in 50 years.

[OSR stands with Israel]

How is Virginia going so far

[VirginiaAaron]

9:00 POLL CLOSINGS

Blitzer: Polls have closed in a number of different states, including the battleground states of Wisconsin and Colorado. But first, we have a major projection from Dana Bash, covering the battle for control of the U.S. Congress. Dana?

Bash: That's right, Wolf. CNN can project that the Republicans will retain control of the House of Representatives. This is not that big of a surprise, but still an important one for the GOP. John Boehner will remain as Speaker, and we're estimating that the GOP's majority will be shrunk by a few seats.

Blitzer: We're now able to project victors in a whole host of states, here at 9:00. President Obama is the projected winner of Pennsylvania and its 20 electoral votes, an important win for the President. We also project the states of New York, Michigan, Minnesota, and New Mexico, for the President of the United States, Barack Obama.

Cooper: We also have a bunch of projections for Governor Palin. CNN is able to project the following states for Sarah Palin: North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Texas, Louisiana, Arizona, and Wyoming.

Blitzer: The states of Colorado and Wisconsin join Ohio, Virginia, North Carolina, Florida, and New Hampshire as too close to call states. We do not have projections yet in those states. Let's go back to Dana for some projections in the U.S. Senate. Dana?

Bash: Thanks Wolf. We have a projection, it's a pickup for the GOP. Deb Fischer, a state legislator, is the projected winner of the Nebraska Senate race. The incumbent Democratic Senator Ben Nelson is retiring, this is a gain for the GOP. We're also able to project that Texas Solicitor General and Tea Party favorite Ted Cruz has been elected the new Senator for Texas, taking Kay Bailey Hutchison's seat. Rounding out our projections for the GOP is the news that Senator John Barrasso has been re-elected.

New York's junior Senator, Kirsten Gillibrand, has been elected to her first full term. She was up for election in 2010 to fulfill the term of Secretary Hillary Clinton, but she has now been elected to her first 6-year term. Michigan Senator Debbie Stabenow has been re-elected. Her opponent, Congressman Pete Hoekstra, tried to paint her as "Debbie Spend-it-Now" but apparently that message has not resonated with Michigan voters. We can also project that Democratic rising star, Senator Amy Klobuchar has been re-elected in the state of Minnesota.

The state of Arizona had been projected for Sarah Palin, but the race for the Senate is a different story. That race between Republican Congressman Jeff Flake and Democrat former Surgeon General Richard Carmona is too early to call. Former New Mexico Congresswoman Heather Wilson is attempting to turn that seat to a Republican seat, while Congressman Martin Heinrich wants to keep that seat for the Democrats. Right now, it's too early to call. In North Dakota, what was thought to be an easy win for the GOP has been surprisingly more difficult. Incumbent Democratic Senator Kent Conrad is retiring, former North Dakota Attorney General Heidi Heitkamp wants to keep that seat in Democratic hands while Congressman Rick Berg is trying to give the GOP another gain. It's too early to say who will be successful. In Wisconsin, Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin is aiming to keep this seat in Democratic hands and to be the first openly gay U.S. Senator. Her opponent is former 2008 presidential candidate and former Secretary of Health and Human Services Tommy Thompson. Too early to call there too.

[VirginiaAaron]

How is Virginia going so far

Palin is leading in Virginia by around 4 or 5 points but NoVa hasn't come in yet. Once D.C. suburbs start to come in, it'll get closer.

[VirginiaAaron]

KEY STATE CALLS- 9:45 PM

Blitzer: We're coming on air now because we have great news for Sarah Palin and great news for Senate Democrats. CNN is able to project that Sarah Palin is the winner of Florida and its 29 electoral votes. We're also able to say that she will win North Carolina and its 15 electoral votes. These are two states that are traditional swing states that voted for the President 4 years ago. Tonight, they're going to Governor Palin.

Blitzer: And there's the electoral map. Let's go to Dana Bash with 2 important projections for Senate Democrats.

Bash: That's right, Wolf. CNN can now project that Joe Donnelly has won the Indiana Senate race, defeating Republican Richard Mourdock and turning that seat from Republican hands to Democratic hands.

Bash: We also have an important projection in the Ohio Senate race. As John King said earlier in the night, if Sherrod Brown is winning Ohio, that's good news for the President. Well, CNN is now able to project that Sherrod Brown has been re-elected.

[Left Wing]

Well, glad Palin's coattails didn't allow that scumbag Mourdock to win.

[2016]

Florida & North Carolina being called for Palin before the 11pm ET Hour spells huge trouble for Obama. If she gets Ohio & Wisconsin she is nearly there.

[VirginiaAaron]

10:00 POLL CLOSINGS

Cooper: We have some projections as the polls close in Montana, Utah, and the battleground states of Iowa and Nevada. Wolf, what can we project?

Blitzer: CNN projects that Sarah Palin is the winner of the state of Montana, and its 3 electoral votes. We're also able to project that Sarah Palin will win Utah and its 6 electoral votes. Nevada and Iowa are too close to call at this hour.

Bash: In Utah, CNN projects that Senator Orrin Hatch has been re-elected for a seventh term in the Senate. We're also able to say that Congressman Rick Berg will be the new Senator for North Dakota, this is another GOP gain. We can also project that Congressman Jeff Flake will keep the Arizona seat in Republican hands. This puts the Republicans on 44 seats to the Democrats 47 seats. In Nevada, incumbent Senator Dean Heller is going up against Democratic Congresswoman Shelley Berkley. And in Montana, incumbent Democratic Senator Jon Tester is in a tough race for a second term against Congressman Denny Rehberg.

[VirginiaAaron]

Barack

It wasn't looking good. Even though the networks predicted a close race, Barack always feared that he'd lose big. He was still holding out hope that Brown could help him win Ohio. But it wasn't looking good in Ohio. With Florida and North Carolina being called earlier than expected, the little voice inside his head was telling him he should consider conceding.

Barack: Joe, I don't know what to do.

Joe: Mr. President, it's your decision. However, I don't think you should concede. It's too early, and if you're askin' me, you shouldn't concede unless she's officially over 270.

Barack: I don't know what this country is thinking. We give them jobs, we get Iraq and Afghanistan under control, we keep them safe, we put more money in their pockets, and what else could they want? Some lunatic that's spent most of her life shooting bears in bumf**k Alaska.

Joe: Mr. President, if you lose, which I don't think you will. But if you do, you could always come back in 2016. She's gonna be a weak president with no relationship with Congress. She can't get anything done. Come back in 2016, if you want me on the ticket, I'll return. If not, I'll stay put in Wilmington.

Barack: I'd like to get through THIS election before we talk about 2016. Plus Hillary would kill me if I told her I was thinking about running again. She started planning for 2016 the day she endorsed me in '08.

Joe: Yeah, well Hill's very ambitious. But who could blame her?

Barack: How are the boys?

Joe: They're doin' well. Well, Barack, I don't know how to say this. Beau is uh...he's not doin' well.

Barack: How so?

Joe: He uh...he had another, what we think, is a stroke. Doctors think it might be brain cancer.

Barack: Oh...well, I'm here for you, man. If you ever need to talk, let me know. I might have more time to talk after this election.

Joe: Mr. President, when Beau and I last spoke, he told me that we had to keep the faith. That was in relation to his most recent scare, but it fits here too, Barack. We have to keep the faith and hopefully we'll see a turnaround.

Barack: Hopefully.

An aide popped her head into the door of the Oval to tell the President about an impending projection.

Aide: Mr. President, they're about to call Ohio.

[VirginiaAaron]

11:00 PROJECTIONS

Blitzer: Good evening and welcome back to Election Night in America 2012. We have a major projection to make as the West Coast closes their polls. CNN projects that Sarah Palin will win Ohio. Her running mate, Senator Rob Portman, has delivered his home state and their 18 electoral votes. We're also able to call the state of Idaho and its 4 electoral votes for the former Governor of Alaska.

Cooper: CNN can project that the President has won the state of Washington with its 12 electoral votes, Oregon and its 7 electoral votes, California and its 55 electoral votes, and Hawaii with its 4 electoral votes. California being the largest state in the Union and Hawaii being the President's home states, a lot of electoral votes added to his column. Let's take a look at the electoral college.

Bash: We also have a very important projection in the race for control of Congress. CNN projects that the Democrats will retain control of the U.S. Senate.

Bash: We're able to say that Democratic Senators Maria Cantwell, Dianne Feinstein, and Congresswoman Mazie Hirono have been re-elected in Washington, California, and Hawaii. We're also able to project that Congressman Martin Heinrich has defeated former Congresswoman Heather Wilson in New Mexico. We're also able to say that Missouri Senator Claire McCaskill will defeat Congressman Todd Akin in a race marked by controversy.

Bash: This brings Senate Democrats total to 52 seats to the GOP's 44 seats.

[VirginiaAaron]

KEY RACE PROJECTIONS-12:30 AM

Blitzer: It's officially November 7 on the east coast, but election night continues. We have some good news for the President. CNN projects that Barack Obama is the winner of Virginia and its 13 electoral votes, as well as New Hampshire and its 4 electoral votes.

Bash: As good news for the President comes in, we have some very surprising news coming in. An upset in Wisconsin. Tommy Thompson is the projected winner of the Wisconsin Senate race, defeating Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin.

Bash: Again, Democrats will retain control of the Senate. They're on 52 seats to the GOP's 45.

[2016]

The Wisconsin Senate Tommy Thompson Win is very, very bad News for Obama. This is suggesting that Wisconsin is very, very close and Obama is likely going to lose Iowa.

This might end up in a 269-269 TIE if Palin wins Iowa, Wisconsin and Alaska. Colorado is still out...that's bad News for Obama.

[VirginiaAaron]

1:00 POLL CLOSINGS

Blitzer: We've got a big projection out of Colorado now, as Alaska polls close. CNN projects that Barack Obama, the 44th President of the United States, will win Colorado and its 9 electoral votes. This is devastating news for the Palin campaign. However, we're also able to project that Governor Palin will win Alaska, her home state, and its 3 electoral votes.

Cooper: So, here's where we are. If the President takes Wisconsin, he's got 4 more years in the White House. If Governor Palin wins all 3, she's the President. If she takes Wisconsin and either Nevada or Iowa, but not both. We have a tie. 269 for each candidate. That's however, hopefully, unlikely. But that's just how close this election is. Let's go to Dana Bash, where I'm hearing we have a projection in Montana.

Bash: That's right, CNN can now project that Senator Jon Tester has lost his seat. Congressman Denny Rehberg has been elected, this is another Republican gain. 52 seats for the Democrats and 46 seats for the Republicans.

[Left Wing]

No.... Tester

[2016]

Most likely Scenario now:

Obama takes Nevada because of the Early Vote Advantage/Harry Reid Machine and Palin takes Wisconsin and Iowa.

269-269 here we come

[Left Wing]

Most likely Scenario now:

Obama takes Nevada because of the Early Vote Advantage/Harry Reid Machine and Palin takes Wisconsin and Iowa.

269-269 here we come

Then Palin gets elected by the house and Biden remains VP. That would be awkward!

[2016]

Most likely Scenario now:

Obama takes Nevada because of the Early Vote Advantage/Harry Reid Machine and Palin takes Wisconsin and Iowa.

269-269 here we come

Then Palin gets elected by the house and Biden remains VP. That would be awkward!

It would be but I can't envision how Palin gets Nevada. Wisconsin I can see going to her because of Tommy Thompson's Race already being called and Iowa usually doesn't vote to the left of WI.
Big Irony for Obama: Iowa sort of made him President and now he could lose the State making Palin President.

[VirginiaAaron]

MORE PROJECTIONS- 2:45 AM

Blitzer: Nevada and Virginia remain uncalled in the U.S. Senate. Nevada, Iowa, and Wisconsin remain for the White House. However, both Nevada races and Iowa are about to be off the table.

Cooper: CNN can now project that the President has won Nevada, and its 6 electoral votes. We're also able to project that Governor Palin will win Iowa, and its 6 electoral votes.

Blitzer: It all comes down to Wisconsin. The New York Times's prediction range says there's a 54% chance of a tied electoral college, a 46% chance of President Obama being re-elected. What we can say though is that the path for Sarah Palin to win outright is closing, and closing quickly. Let's go to Dana Bash with a projection in Nevada.

Bash: Dean Heller, the incumbent Republican, has been elected to his first full term. He has defeated Democratic Congresswoman Shelley Berkley. This brings the Republicans total to 47 seats to the Democrat's 52 seats. Virginia remains outstanding. However, George Allen is leading by 0.08% with 98% of the vote in. Tim Kaine's campaign manager has expressed interest in a recount, and they're expected to formally ask for one within the next hour or so.

[VirginiaAaron]

Sarah

The packed election night hotel had dwindled. All that remained was Beth Myers, Sarah Palin, Rob Portman, Ed Gillespie, and Kellyanne Conway

Conway: Ma'am, it looks like we're headed for a tied election.

Palin: Oh, ya think?

Portman: Well, we've got a decent sized majority in the House. The only problem is the Senate. Maybe we can strike some sort of deal up with Biden.

Myers: I'm sorry, ma'am. I wish we could've done more.

Palin: Can't we... can't we just try to flip one of Obama's states? If we get Wisconsin, maybe we can try to get a recount in uh...Nevada or Virginia?

Gillespie: We can try but it probably won't get us enough votes to change the result. Maybe we could contest Virginia but even then, we might just be squandering resources just to delay the inevitable.

Palin: Alright, well. I'm gonna go to sleep. Beth, call me if they project Wisconsin for us. If they call it for Obama, maybe don't wake me up. Rob, if we win Wisconsin, you should try to get a meeting with Biden. See if we can maybe get a deal where he can step aside or something. If not, then we need to start lobbying Joe Manchin and the other moderate dems. Good night everybody

The nominee went to bed as the counters in Wisconsin felt pressure mounting. The nation was relying on them to get their result out quick. Meanwhile, at the White House, President Obama felt a renewed sense of urgency. The gloomy, depressed, pessimistic commander-in-chief was gone. He felt he had a fighting chance, if they could just pull enough votes in Wisconsin to put them over 270.

Barack: Alright, thanks to everybody that stayed up. Go ahead and tell the election night crowd that I'm not gonna speak tonight. Michelle and I are going to bed. Goodnight everyone, thank you so much for the work we've done. Wake me up if we get Wisconsin. If we tie, get me a xanax.

[Left Wing]

Hmm, Palin would need three or four Democrats to vote for Portman in the senate depending on the VA recount. Her paths to that is probably through three or four of Joe Manchin, Max Baucus, Mark Pryor and Mary Landrieu. It is a reach to be sure, but not impossible.

[VirginiaAaron]

FINAL PROJECTION- 9:30 AM

It was 9:30 in the morning. His second cup of coffee had just been poured, and Chris Cuomo was new on the scene. His brother, the Governor, had been a fervent supporter of Barack Obama, and he knew that the President's fate was about to go into his ear. He was currently talking to one of his first guests, Allan Lichtman, the author of the 13 Keys. He correctly predicted the winner of every election since 1984, but this year he predicted Barack Obama would win.

Cuomo: I'm sorry, Professor. We're about to get a projection in Wisconsin. CNN projects that Sarah Palin is the winner of Wisconsin and its 10 electoral votes. Which means, this election is a tie. For the first time since since 1836, for the first time in 176 years, we have an electoral college tie. However, we have been able to project that the President has won the popular vote. We're also able to say that the Virginia Senate race is going to a recount. A full hand recount has been ordered in Virginia. We're not sure if the Palin campaign will ask for a recount in Virginia. But there is a press conference for Governor Palin scheduled later today. Historic election, and it ends in a tie.

[2016]

CHUCK TODD over at NBC NEWS HQ to Brian Williams: (LOL)

"Look Brian, I used to be a big Defender of the Electoral College but to create a Constituational Crisis we have now that's not how this EC was envisioned"

[OSR stands with Israel]

Maybe a deal could be made to make a more moderate Republican like Olympia Snowe VP or a blue dog democrat like Sam Nunn before the electoral college meets

[Left Wing]

Maybe a deal could be made to make a more moderate Republican like Olympia Snowe VP or a blue dog democrat like Sam Nunn before the electoral college meets

But doesn’t it have to be the top two vice presidential candidates for the senate to vote on or can they write someone in?