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House races in IN, KY to be early indicators |
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By Aaron Blake
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Posted: 11/04/08 06:59 PM [ET] |
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A pair of races in Indiana and Kentucky should be early bellwethers for House Democrats and Republicans.
Indiana and Kentucky were the first two states to have some polls close at 6 p.m. EST, and two races – the open seat battle for retiring Rep. Ron Lewis’s (R-Ky.) seat and the late-emerging race against Rep. Mark Souder (R-Ind.) – could help determine just how much of a Democratic wave is on the way.
Democrats are expected to win as many as 30 seats, potentially equaling their pull from the 2006 election and grabbing more than 60 percent of seats in the 435-member House.
In 2006, Kentucky Democrat John Yarmuth’s upset of Rep. Anne Northup (R) set the stage for 29 other takeovers and a new Democratic majority.
State Sen. Brett Guthrie (R) and state Sen. David Boswell (D) are battling for Lewis’s seat, while Democrat Mike Montagano is going after Souder.
Just before 7:30 p.m., Boswell led 52-48 with 7 percent of precincts in, and Souder led Montagano 53-41 with about 10 percent in.
The Senate race in Kentucky for Sen. Mitch McConnell’s (R) seat didn’t see all its polls close until 7 p.m. McConnell’s race is pivotal in Senate Democrats’ quest for 60 seats.
He and Democrat Bruce Lunsford were tied 50-50 with 15 percent of precincts in, many of them in Democratic Jefferson County.
As expected, former Virginia Gov. Mark Warner (D) has been declared the winner in the race for retiring Sen. John Warner's (R-Va.) seat, defeating former Gov. Jim Gilmore (R). Mark Warner's victory gives Senate Democrats their first pickup of the night.
Yarmuth appeared to be cruising to reelection, leading in his rematch with Northup, 57-43, with 42 percent of precincts in. Few Democrats are in danger of losing Tuesday.
This story was updated at 7:30 p.m. |
