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.