Presidential Update: Red America

Anyone watching at home tonight will immediately notice something odd: although, as of 9 p.m. ET, polls in 40 of the 50 states will have closed, very few states have been called for either Barack Obama or John McCain. (For a full list of states that have been called for the two candidates, scroll to the bottom of this post.)

Why? Because there are so many races -- all of which are in states that President George W. Bush carried in 2004 -- that are simply too close too call.

Compare the number of competitive red states that remain uncalled -- Indiana, Virginia, Ohio, Florida, North Carolina and Missouri to name a few of the most critical -- to the state of play in the competitive blue states -- New Hampshire and Pennsylvania -- and you see that Obama clearly has an edge.

New Hampshire, which was carried narrowly by Sen. John Kerry (Mass.) in 2004, has been called for Obama, and everything we are hearing out of Pennsylvania seems to suggest the Illinois Senator is meeting his vote totals in this crucial state. (CNN has called Pennsylvania for Obama.)

Will Obama win all of the red states that have yet to be called? Probably not. But the tightness of races in Indiana and North Carolina -- among others -- provides evidence that Obama is outperforming past Democratic candidates in these Republican redoubts.

Source: voices.washingtonpost.com