7:46 PM: Ok, here we go. Polls sorta closed in North Carolina. Florida is tight, tight, tight!
7:55 PM: Clinton up in Florida and North Carolina. A lot of votes to count. I’m looking at the county breakdowns.
8:02 PM: Interesting. Northern Virginia precincts coming in early. They usually trickle in late.
8:06 PM: Florida tightening again. I’m looking at the counties still to come in. Hillary Clinton is looking good but there are still enough votes out there to change that.
8:13 PM: Wow! Florida is very very close.
8:15 PM: The real question in Florida is whether the early vote cannibalized Democrat’s total vote or added to it. The answer to that question will determine the winner.
8:21 PM: Interesting. Hillary Clinton is so far underperforming in Fairfax and Arlington counties. More votes to come in in both counties.
8:37 PM: There are enough votes in the Democratic counties in the south east for Clinton. But there are also votes left in the panhandle and midsection. Anybody’s state at this point.
8:45 PM: Ok, my county-by-county look at what is left to come in in Florida estimates that there are enough votes out there outside of Democratic strongholds for Donald Trump to edge Hillary out and carry the state. If that happens, this will be a very long night.
8:51 PM: What the hell is going on in Northern Virginia!
9:05 PM: Trump has taken the lead in North Carolina. Long way to go.
9:27 PM: Panic is setting in amongst Democrats. Florida will go Trump. Ohio is looking good for Trump. Now Virginia is actually looking like a nail biter. I am trying to figure out if there are enough votes in Northern Virginia to save Clinton.
9:34 PM: I think the networks are starting to realize that Donald Trump may – may – become president of the United States. If Florida falls, and Ohio falls, and North Carolina falls, and New Hampshire falls, it will be up to Nevada to save Clinton. Unless Virginia or Michigan fall – then it is all over. This is shaping up to be a stunning night.
9:38 PM: Michigan and New Hampshire are starting to get interesting.
9:42 PM: I haven’t done a county-by-county look at North Carolina yet but if Virginia is a yardstick, and it is, Trump will win North Carolina.
9:45 PM: There are just enough votes left in Fairfax County for Hillary Clinton to eke out a win in Virginia. The problem is there are enough votes left in the red counties for Trump to compensate for what’s left in Fairfax. Virginia is on the cusp of a shocker.
9:51 PM: I’ve seen enough of the outstanding votes in North Carolina to comfortably predict that Trump will win it.
9:57 PM: Wisconsin is now in play?? Can’t be!
10:00 PM: Nevada just closed. Let’s see if my analysis of early votes from yesterday was right.
10:14 PM: CNN calls Missouri for Donald Trump. I remember the days when Missouri was a bellweather.
10:22 PM: Clinton MAY pull off Virginia but there are still red counties yet to report with an equivalent number of votes outstanding.
10:26 PM: CNN projects Donald Trump will win Ohio. Not unexpected.
10:33 PM: Clinton pulling away in Virginia. She should be able to win in a nail biter. This does not bode well at all for her night.
10:39 PM: CNN projects Hillary Clinton will win Virginia in a squeaker. If she lost Virginia, it would have been lights out early. As it is, she may lose this election in Michigan.
10:43 PM: Looking at county-by-county outstanding votes in Michigan, I think Donald Trump will win the state.
11:08 PM: CNN projects that Donald Trump will win North Carolina. With Florida all but assured (I called it at 8:45pm), the race now moves to New Hampshire, Nevada, Michigan, Wisconsin and Iowa.
11:15 PM: I have ignored Pennsylvania all night. CNN thinks Trump has a shot there. That’s downright crazy.
11:34: CNN finally projects that Donald Trump will win Florida. Donald Trump now has a very plausible path through New Hampshire, Nevada, Michigan and Wisconsin.
12:08 PM: CNN projects Donald Trump will win Iowa. I was sitting for a while in stunned silence after I saw the lead flip to Trump in Pennsylvania. We are very very close to having a reality start with a lot of baggage be the president-elect of the United States. It is a very surreal time.
12:24 PM: It looks pretty clear that Wisconsin will go to Trump. And Pennsylvania may be going Trump too. I am looking at the county-by-county numbers in Pennsylvania and it does not look good for Clinton. This is a remarkable turn of events.
12:34 PM: CNN projects Hillary Clinton will win Nevada. This was her firewall in a conventional map and would have sunk Trump even if he won Florida, Ohio and North Carolina. However, now Trump has opened up a number of additional paths to 270 by leading in Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin.
12:59 PM: CNN’s John King does not think there are enough Democratic votes left in Pennsylvania, Michigan or Wisconsin for Clinton to catch up to Trump. If that is the case, that is a remarkable rust belt sweep by Donald Trump that turns on its head decades of Democratic dominance in these states. Simply remarkable.
1:32 PM: I am waiting for the Nets to call Wisconsin and Pennsylvania. Both now look like a lock for Trump. Michigan will probably also go Trump but everyone is waiting for the remaining votes from Detroit to come in.
1:43 PM: Some networks have called Pennsylvania for Trump. CNN has not yet called it but its now a foregone conclusion. Donald Trump is on the cusp of the presidency. I never thought I would ever write that sentence.
2:06 PM: Interesting. John Podesta just announced that Hillary Clinton will not speak tonight and told her supporters to go home.
2:29 PM: CNN projects that Donald Trump will win Wisconsin. When Pennsylvania is called, he will be the president-elect of the United States.
2:39 PM: The Associated Press has called both Pennsylvania and Wisconsin for Trump. Clinton has called Trump to concede the election. It’s over. The United States has a new president-elect. What a strange world we are now in.