What happened in Indiana...

For the first time since 1964, Barack Obama has become the first Democratic candidate to carry the normally red state.  His efforts paid off for him in several counties to include the following: Vigo, Lake, La Porte, and Saint Joseph.  He also carried Marion county, home of Indianapolis, and several northwestern counties that were partial to the Democratic party because of their cousin of Illinois.  A great deal of the southern counties leant McCain's way but not by much, and some of the southern counties did vote for Obama.  

Obama won Indiana by a 50-49% margin.  The results of Obama's victory in Indiana came well after it was clear that the nation would pick Obama for our next president.  While Indiana was not instrumental in the early tabulation of votes, it did play a significant role historically.  Indiana has been a solid red state, as stated previously, and no-one, not even Bill Clinton, could persuade Indianans to change their colors.  

Gov. Mitch Daniels also won in the election.  This will be his second term as governor in Indiana and the race wasn't close.  Gov. Daniels won by a 58-40% margin against Long-Thompson.

A last stop for Obama.

Obama made his last stop on the campaign trail in Indiana before heading back to Chicago to watch the results come trickling in.  He made 13 phone calls to voters this morning as he visited the United Auto Workers Local 550.  Afterwards, he left for Indianapolis International Airport and boarded his plane at 11:55 a.m.  Reports say that Obama felt confident that he could win in the Hoosier state.  How this will affect voters decisions today is anyone's guess as both candidates are still deadlocked in the polls.

Indiana Polls are Open!

Indiana polls have opened and the race for President has begun.  The interest in Indiana voters hasn't been this high for a long time.  Voters have formed long lines at the polls ready to cast their votes as soon as the polls opened this morning.

One Final Day, One Final Push!

The battle for the Hoosier vote has been amplified to a degree not seen in many years.  Both candidates are planning on making key stops in the state.  Sen. McCain makes a stop in Indiana today at the Indianapolis international Airport and Sen. Obama will beet with Indianapolis voters on Tuesday in an effort to sway voters to their side.  This is the first visit to the state by Sen. McCain in four months while Sen. Obama has visited several times during the presidential race.

The statistics in this race show a dead heat.  While Indiana hasn't carried a Democratic candidate since 1964, most Indianans feel the historic importance of this race and also feel the economic pressure of the current times.  Voter turnout has been exceedingly high, especially in the contentious northwestern Lake County that tends to side with its Democratic cousin of Chicago.  It's estimated that as many as 90% of registered voters there will have voted in early voting.  The possibilities for either candidate to win Indiana is dead even, however, as instructed, I will make a prediction of whom I think has the best chance of winning the state.  I'm going with Sen. Obama to win the state because of several factors, some of which are listed above.  He has campaigned hard in the state and has paid more attention to Indiana than McCain has.  Obama's message resonates with the voters in the Hoosier state who've been hit hard by the economy.  And once again I will state, this is a historic election, one in which historic developments occur, and Indianans feel the breadth and scope of the importance of this election and will vote accordingly.

In other news, Vigo County, home of Terre Haute, has correctly forecasted the winner of the presidential election in all elections since 1892 except for two.  With Vigo County, so goes the rest of the nation.

A latest poll released by Howey/Gauge had Republican Mark Souder trailing his Democratic rival Michael Montagano by a 44-41 percent margin.  Other Republican U.S. Reps are feeling the heat, U.S. Reps Mike Pence and Steve Buyer are in heated races with Dems Jill Thompson and Ackerson.  The results for these races are highly unpredictable, and just as it is in the presidential election, it's anyone's football.

Endorsements from newspapers

The IndyStar, Indiana's largest newspaper, "has opted not to endorse a candidate for president" and is staying neutral because Indiana's battleground status.  

"The paper called Obama 'eloquent and charismatic' but also said it had great concerns about his tax proposals, his liberal stand on social issues and what it called his lack of experience.

The Star said McCain has a 'long and distinguished record of service to the nation' but said he's unlikely to provide a sharp enough break from the Bush administration's policies."

Other newspapers in Indiana, the Journal Gazette in Fort Wayne and the Palladium-Item in Richmond, are endorsing Barack Obama.  There are no major endorsements in the state for Sen. McCain.

Ten days until election day!

With only ten days left until November 4th, Indianans find themselves in the political hot seat.  Obama visited the contentious Hoosier state this Thursday in an attempt to seal the deal.  A crowd of 35,000 jammed the American Legion Mall to deliver a harsh criticism of John McCain's tax policies.  

Northwest Indiana seems particularly favorable to the message of change, but disagree on who is best delivering it.  Between hardline Joe the Plumber advocates of McCain and those who see the economic plunder as the plight brought on by Republicans, the decision is iffy.  

So what do the polls say about all of this?  The winner is . . . not clear.  It's a dead heat with McCain only holding on to a mere 1% lead and with the margin of error that is nothing at all.  Obama has outspent McCain in Indiana by millions in advertising and that's what this could come down to.  Obama could be the first Democrat since the 1960s to be carried by Indiana and that would be a feat in of it self.

In the gubernatorial race, the clear winner, at least at this point in time, is Republican Daniels who enjoys a sizable lead over his opponent.

Obama as a terrorist!

Indiana becomes the next state to fall victim to negative phone calls. Hoosier voters have been recieving calls paid for by the Republican National Committee accusing Sen. Barack Obama of having "close ties" with a terrorist. The "smear campaign" as some are referring to it, has angered some voters. But the Republican Party is standing by its guns.

Spokeswoman for the McCain campaign, Sarah Lenti gave the following response to this tactic.

"The Obama campaign," she said, "has had at least nine different stories about Barack Obama's relationship with Bill Ayers. Obama's own unwillingness to speak directly to this relationship, and what he knew and when he knew about Ayers' past, is pure issue-avoidance."

Indianans are not the only ones who've recieved the phone calls. People in Maine, Nevada and Wisconsin have also recieved the phone calls portraying Obama as a friend and ally of terrorists. However, a non-partisan fact checking group Factcheck.org discredited the McCain camp claim.

"'Obama never 'lied' about this, just as he never bragged about it. The foundation they both worked with was hardly 'radical,' and Ayers is more than a former 'terrorist,' he's also a well-known figure in the field of education,' the group said."