LIVE UPDATES: Election Day 2012

By ABC News November 6, 2012

More than a year of stump speeches, fundraisers, presidential serenades and policy debates culminate today. All the persuading, nominating, campaign rallies, door knocking and baby kissing end with Americans heading to polls to choose their president, who will represent them on Capitol Hill, and countless other local candidates.

Refresh here for updates throughout the day and results all night.

Tune in to ABCNews.com for livestreaming coverage of Election 2012. Our Election Day show kicks off at noon, and the Election Night event begins at 7 p.m.

But before it all wraps, reflect on some of the most memorable moments of the 2012 election campaign here.

All times are in Eastern Standard Time.

11:32 p.m. – It’s Not Over ’til It’s Over

Former U.S. Comptroller David Walker, a professed Romney supporter, warns that it’s not quite over.

“It may be a split between the popular vote and the electoral vote. The second time in 12 years which will increase the call for electoral reform,” Walker wrote in an email. “After $6 billion plus of spending a status quo result for control of the WH, Senate and House. That does not bode well for real progress.”

“President Obama needs to employ a unity approach to governing, including in connection with his second term cabinet.”

11:24 p.m. – And the Winner is…

Based on the projection that Obama will win Ohio, ABC News projects Obama will win the 2012 presidential election.

See the electoral breakdown here.

That means Obama will head into his second term.

Just prior to this announcement, ABC’s Devin Dwyer reports from the Obama HQ:

Vernita Merton of Wheaton began sobbing when the projections came on screen. She said she’s “very grateful that the American people have recognized that the best man is going to win the White House. “…. I’m speechless. I’m proud. I’m happy. So proud of America that we’d do this and re-elect a man for his character and not look at the color of his skin.”

Vicki Lindstrom of Lake Forrest, an architect who brought her 8 year old son tonight, says she has been “praying” for this day, “trying to trust the universe” that Obama would win.

She hopes Obama will adopt the “Clinton way” in a second term – to be more “social”… “I’d like to see him get a little more passionate about it” she said

Phillip Tarver of Chicago has been an Obama community organizer since October 2011. “I’m so proud of the turnout… a lot of intense campaigning by the grassroots… four months ago it just wasn’t happening… I wanna say the debates turned that around, but it wasn’t until Biden took the stage that things took off…”

See photos of voters from across the country.

11:21 p.m. – Silence in Romney HQ

ABC News’ Emily Friedman reports from Romney headquarters:

“Fox news is playing on the tvs here – and when they air their results on Ohio- you can hear a pin drop in here.”

World News’ David Muir adds -

“Fox anchors just said this was the whole ballgame. Room stunned. Theyre watching images of cheers at obama hq in big screens. Painful to watch the room watch fox.”

11:20 p.m. – Kaine Projected to Beat Allen, Obama Wins in Oregon

ABC News projects Obama will win Oregon and Iowa, and Democrat from Virginia Tim Kaine will beat Republican opponent George Allen for a seat in the U.S. Senate.

Allen was one of several Republican candidates who skipped the RNC this August.

11:10 p.m. – The View from Times Square

.@abc has the coolest multi-screen #Decision2012 setup here twitter.com/burnflare/stat…

— Vishnu Prem (@burnflare) November 7, 2012

11:06 p.m. – Projection in Missouri, North Carolina

ABC News projects Romney will win Missouri and North Carolina.

Click here for ABC’s full electoral map.

10:53 p.m. – Projections in Washington, Arizona

ABC News projects Obama will win Hawaii, Washington, California and all four electoral seats in Maine; Romney will win Arizona and Idaho.

10:49 p.m. – The Final Farewell for Mourdock

Perhaps one of the hardest parts of running for office is giving a gracious concession speech. Tonight Republican Senate candidate from Indiana Richard Mourdock hit his out of the park.

Here’s an excerpt:

“As I told a reporter earlier today, he asked what would be the overwhelming memory of this experience regardless of what’d happen, win or lose, and I told him that without question the thing that has given me the most satisfaction and indeed the most inspiration is having spoken to so many Hoosiers over the last six months that I talked to for only a moment and I hear a different accent in their voice. They are not the people who were born*tearing up* as most of us were, in the United States of America, they were born in other places around the world, and they came to this country, and they expressed their love of country in a way that exceeds what most of us do who are natural born Americans, and what I kept hearing in their voices over the last few weeks and months has been their concern that this country might in fact be slipping back into the kind of government and governing that they worked so hard to leave.”

Read about what that loss means from ABC News’ Gregory Krieg here.

10:41 p.m. – Waiting in the West

ABC News’ Z. Byron Wolf reports:

About 70 percent of the people in Nevada voted early, but that didn’t end the problem of lines at polls.

The state’s two largest counties have yet to close all their polls, so the secretary of state is holding the release of all polls.

It could be an hour before we see anything from Nevada.

Read about Paul Ryan’s final push in Nevada here.

10:36 p.m. – Biden’s Bevy

ABC News’ Arlette Saenz reports:

A campaign official said Biden had dinner with his family at the Fairmont Hotel tonight.

Earlier this week Biden predicted Ohio will win the election for President Obama. Read about that rally here.

He is accompanied by his wife, Dr. Jill Biden and a bevy of Bidens. Here are their names:

Beau & wife Hallie, children Natalie and Hunter Hunter & wife Kathleen, children Naomi, Finnegan and Maize Ashley & husband Howard Krein

10:30 p.m. – Karl Analysis on Florida

ABC News’ Jon Karl offers insight on Florida:

When it comes to Florida, I am seeing real signs of problems for Mitt Romney. Even though it’s tied right now statewide, when we look at the all-important county of Hillsborough (Tampa) some interesting things emerge: This is a county that George W. Bush carried by seven points in 2004. Right now Romney is trailing Barack Obama 46 to 53 . Romney is losing in Hillsborough County.

So why is the race still tied in Florida? If you take a look at Miami-Dade county, this is a huge Obama county. This is one that he won by 16 points last time and only 40 percent of precincts have reported. As those votes come in, that is going to add dramatically to Obama’s vote total.

In both FL and VA, Dem. counties are coming in slower than the rest of the state.Obama’s numbers will grow in both states.

— Jonathan Karl (@jonkarl) November 7, 2012

10:23 p.m. – Wisconsin Presidential Projection At this point, ABC News projects Obama will win Wisconsin.

Click here for ABC’s full electoral map.

10:20 p.m. – New Mexico for President and Missouri for Senate

ABC News projects Obama will win New Mexico; Missouri will re-elect Democrat Claire McCaskill to U.S. Senate over Republican Todd Akin.

Read more from Negrin here.

8:29 p.m. – Obama Projected to Win Connecticut and New Jersey; Romney Grabs Tennessee, Alabama and Georgia

ABC News projects Obama will win Connecticut and New Jersey; Romney will win Georgia, Alabama and Tennessee.

Click here for ABC’s full electoral map.

8:25 p.m. – Jon Karl on Votes in the Sunshine State

ABC’s Jon Karl reports:

Florida is one of the key states to watch when it comes to the early vote and here you see an advantage for President Obama by seven points.

That is significantly less than he had last time around, but here’s a very important point as we watch the raw vote come in from a lot of these states with big early vote populations, especially Florida and Ohio: Those votes get counted first, and those votes are going to favor President Obama. He simply does much better among early voters.

We went back to 2008 and looked at the returns in Ohio as they were coming in. Around 8:30 p.m. four years ago, then-Senator Obama had a 33-point lead over John McCain in the state of Ohio in the raw vote. He did not win Ohio by 33 points. He won by 5 points. So be careful as you’re watching those early raw returns, that include primarily early votes.

8:15 p.m. – Honesty Time on ABC’s Live Stream

While talking political ads with Dan Harris, Amy Walter and Olivier Knox on ABC/Yahoo’s Election Night live show, Bill Burton of Democratic Super PAC Priorities USA made a bold assertion:

“Let’s be honest, I would say 100% of our ads were negative,” Burton said

Watch the ABC News/YahooNews streaming #Election2012 show on mobile, iPad and at http://abcn.ws/live.

8:09 p.m. – A Reminder of Elections Past

Mary Cheney sends me this picture of her father, VP Dick Cheney, watching returns at home. @nymag @dailyintel twitter.com/joehagansays/s…

— Joe Hagan (@joehagansays) November 7, 2012

8:06 p.m. – Virginia Vote Trickles In When the polls closed at 7 p.m., there were still people in line in Virginia that were looking at a one or two hour wait to vote, according to the state’s Board of Elections. No one went to court asking for a late poll closing, but under Virginia state law, voters in line by the 7 p.m. poll close can still vote with a normal ballot. Board of Election officials point to big voter turnout for the three-hour plus long lines. 8:00 p.m. – Democrats Make Gains in Senate, Presidential Elections ABC News projects Obama will win Massachusetts, Illinois, Maryland, Rhode Island, Delaware, District of Columbia; Romney will win Oklahoma. ABC News projects wins for Senate Democrats in Delaware, Maryland and Rhode Island; a Republican candidate will win in Tennessee, and an Independent will win in Maine. and…Obama’s Lead with Liberals Narrows in NH, Winning with Latinos in Florida. ABC Pollster Gary Langer brings this preliminary read from New Hampshire and Florida exit polls: New Hampshire -Partisans of all stripes are turning out in similar numbers as in ’08, and Obama and Romney are getting 95 percent or more of the vote from their respective parties. It’s the independents who’ve changed: They voted for Obama over McCain by 20 percentage points in 2008; in preliminary exit poll results today, independents split evenly between Romney and Obama, 48 vs. 47 percent. -Obama leads among women by 11 points, 55-44 percent in preliminary results. That’s down from a 23 percent advantage for Obama among NH women in ’08. -Turnout among liberals matches its record level, 26 percent from ’08, but while Obama won them easily by 20 points then, his lead among them is a narrower 10 points, 54-44 percent, in preliminary results today. -Among voters looking chiefly for a candidate who shares their values, Obama holds an 11-point advantage, 53-42 percent. Among those looking for someone with “a vision for the future,” the numbers are essentially reversed – 56-42 percent in Romney’s favor. Florida – Obama seems to be holding his 2008 strength among Hispanics – a key Florida voting group. Preliminary exit polls suggest that about one in six Florida voters are Latino (16 percent), similar to 2008, and they are voting for Obama over Romney by comparable margins to 2008 (60-38 percent). Non-Cuban Latinos in Florida are going for Obama by better than two to one, even as Romney has a narrow lead among Cuban-Americans. – Senior voters are showing up in force at the Florida polls, with those aged 65 and up making up a quarter of the electorate and breaking strongly for Romney (59-49 percent). Obama lost this group in 2008, though by a smaller margin. As recently as the Clinton presidency Florida seniors were with the Democrats. – Florida voters overall divide on who would better handle Medicare; 49 percent say Obama, 47 percent Romney. But Florida seniors are more likely to put their trust in Romney when it comes to their key health program: 56 percent say Romney would do a better job handling Medicare, 38 percent Obama. – Republican turnout looks similar to 2008, a year which marked a low for the GOP in recent elections, and this could be a problem for Romney. But on the flip side, the former Massachusetts governor is pulling even among independents, a group Obama won by single digits last time. – Preliminary exit poll suggests the two candidates are fighting to win the key Tampa Bay area, site of this year’s GOP convention. Preliminary exit poll results shows the area at 52 percent for Romney and 48 percent for Obama. 7:56 p.m. – Historic Early Voting ABC’s Jon Karl reports: The early vote this cycle was huge and historic: One out of every three voters cast their ballots before polling places opened this morning. We estimate 46 million people voted early – that is 36 percent of the electorate. In our very latest ABC News/Washington Post poll, we have an estimate of how those early voters voted with President Obama winning 52 – 45. While a seven point spread may sound like a big deal, keep in mind that four years ago, Obama won the early vote by 18 percent. In other words, Obama would have lost if it the election was decided solely by those who voted on election day. The president has a much smaller lead among the early vote going in, going into this election, which suggests at least a much closer race. 7:42 p.m. – Lots ‘O Tweets ABC’s Greg Croft reports tweets around the phrase #Election2012 just surpassed 11 million for the day. That’s a lot of tweeting. Source: Twitter. 7:38 p.m. – More Southern States for Romney As of this time, ABC News projects Romney will win in West Virginia and South Carolina. See how many states each candidate has won here. 7:30 p.m. – Obama Heads Home ABC News’ Jake Tapper reports: President Obama is heading to his home in Hyde Park to have dinner with his family right now. Quitting time came just after Obama wrapped up his final satellite interviews from the Fairmont Hotel. Stations from Cleveland, Denver, Madison, Cincinnati and Milwaukee got a word from the Democratic candidate today. An Obama campaign aide described the general mood tonight as a ”Hurry up and wait feeling.” ABC’s Devin Dwyer adds that even at this late time, the Obama campaign is using social media, with this video message posted to YouTube:

“Hey guys, Election Day is almost over. This is it. We won’t get another chance tomorrow. It all comes down to you now, plus a dozen of your friends. … You know that one friend who said they’d go but didn’t sound too convinced? That’s who you need to call and convince and take to the polls right now. So stop watching this video and go vote. Or call someone and tell them to vote. … Guys, I’m serious. It’s game time. Get out there! Go vote now!”

7:06 p.m. – More from Virginia Exit Polls ABC Pollster Gary Langer has more preliminary results from the Virginia exit polls: -Preliminary exit polls suggest Obama is running strong in Virginia’s inner suburbs, those closest to Washington, D.C. But in the key outer suburbs, Romney seems to have a small edge (52 percent to Obama’s 46 percent). Obama depended on the exurbs in 2008. -Democrats seem to be outnumbering Republicans at the polls in Virginia, according to early exit polls, as was true in 2008. Turnout among liberal voters also seems strong, at 23 percent. At the same time, Romney is winning independents in preliminary exit poll results (59-38 percent). In 2008, Obama held McCain to a draw among independents. -A gender gap is apparent in the Virginia presidential race; preliminary exit poll results suggest Romney may reclaim the traditional GOP advantage among men in the state, a group Obama won narrowly in 2008. Still, Romney’s lead among men is in the single digits (53-45 percent), not the double digits of the Bush years. -Preliminary exit polls suggest about seven in 10 of today’s Virginia voters are white, and two in 10 are black – a turnout similar to 2008, belying predictions that the state’s electorate might have a higher share of white voters this year. -Virginia has a large military presence, and today about one in six voters (16 percent) report they are in the military or have served at some time in the armed forces. Preliminary exit polls suggest military voters are breaking for Romney, 55-44 percent. -Abortion politics have loomed large in Virginia this year. Early exit polls suggest the state’s voters favor keeping abortion legal by a two to one margin (63 percent vs, 33 percent). Those in favor of legal abortion are going strongly for Obama (71 percent, vs. 29 percent for Romney) 7 p.m. – Predictions in Kentucky, Indiana and Vermont As of this time, ABC News projects Romney will win in Indiana and Kentucky; Obama will win Vermont. See where each candidate stands in terms of total votes here. 6:51 p.m. – Preliminary Senate Exit Polls in Indiana and Virginia ABC Pollster Gary Langer brings preliminary information from the Senate election exit polls in Indiana and Virginia: Indiana -Indianans say that If Senator Lugar were in the race today they’d be voting for him over the Democratic challenger Joe Donnelly by 45-39 percent (preliminary results). However he isn’t the Republican candidate – it’s Tea Party darling Richard Mourdock. -Many fewer Indianans say they support the Tea Party now than said the same in 2010 (27 percent in 2012 vs. 46 percent in 2010). It’s 22 percent nationally. (Preliminary.) -To watch for: Women voters, particularly those who are unmarried, and Senator Lugar voters who defect to Joe Donnelly. Virginia -Regardless of their vote choice, more Virginia voters say they have a favorable view of Democrat Senate candidate Tim Kaine than Republican candidate George Allen (55% fav for Kaine, 47% fav for Allen). The gap grows among women voters. 6:33 p.m. – Ryan’s Last-Minute Stump Just an hour or two before polls began closing, Republican vice presidential candidate Paul Ryan made a quick stop at a campaign office in Richmond, Va. “I don’t want to take too much of your time because we got a lot of work to do, right?” Ryan said, before thanking the crowd. “We got to run for the tape, we got to leave it all on the field. And what we are doing today is, we are actually getting real change.” Read more from ABC’s Shushannah Walshe here. 6:30 p.m. – Big Bird and a Gorilla Walk into a Polling Station

Image credit: @sophers_/Instagram

No, this isn’t a joke. ABC’s Joanna Stern reports: It turns out Big Bird can vote. Making the rounds on Twitter and Facebook are two very happy costumed characters. Yes, the first is Big Bird or, well, a journalist from the Austin American Statesman dressed up in a Big Bird suit. John Kelso, a columnist at the paper, decided to show up at his local polling center in a full-on Big Bird suit, and like a good citizen he even checked to make sure it was legal. For those unsure why Big Bird is significant during this election — Mitt Romney, during the Oct. 3 presidential debate, declared that while he liked Big Bird, he might end federal funding for PBS. The social media reaction ensured. Read more here. 6:23 p.m. – The ‘R’ Word Recount. ABC News’ Michael Falcone reports the Romney team is readying for one. “How seriously is the Romney campaign taking the possibility of a post-Election Day recount? Romney campaign officials have instructed members of their staff from the political and advance teams as well as other departments to ‘pack a bag’ and bring it with them to tonight’s election night event at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center. Each notified staffer would be part of a “go-team” to be dispatched to one of several states where a close result might lead to a recount. (Inside the campaign, Ohio is the state that has loomed largest in discussions.) Campaign planes are said to be on stand-by to ferry staff to their as yet unknown destination if needed.” Read more on the dreaded “R” word here. 6:08 p.m. – Fun & Games Ahead of the Excitement Want some fun before the results start pouring in? Test your election trivia knowledge with ABC’s Election Night game! BONUS: watch fun videos from elections past. See it all here. 5 p.m. – Enthusiasm on the Trail

Matt Rourke/AP Photo

Earlier today, VP Joe Biden ran into one very enthusiastic voter in Cleveland. Twana Matthews ran up to Biden with her fiancé, Andre, and gave the vice president a giant bear hug. Approaching Andre, Biden said, “Hey man I’ve got one thing to say to you, you got your hands full!” That line drew laughter from the crowd. “You’re a lucky man,” Biden said. “We both got something in common, we both married up.” This reporting comes via ABC’s Arlette Saenz, and if you look closely in the photo above, you can see Arlette in the right corner, perched atop a table to get her shot of the vice president. 4:31 p.m. – Lady Gaga Encourages Fans to Vote, Via Twitter

If you’re old enough to vote for the first time, exercise your right today! It matters & can change the world. Go vote: ofa.bo/Lookup — Lady Gaga (@ladygaga) November 6, 2012

4:17 p.m. – Election Insights From Diane Sawyer

3:31 p.m. – Biden Arrives in Chicago

Per Arlette Saenz, Biden has arrived at the Fairmont Hotel in downtown Chicago. He started the day in Delaware, and now he’s in the president’s hometown for the rest of Election Night. He’ll do a few radio interviews before the day is out.

Monday he told reporters that he’s “feeling good” about the election.

See photos, videos and stories on Joe Biden here.

3:13 p.m. – A Large Crowd Turns Out for Mitt

Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Mitt Romney is hoping for a large turnout at the polls, and if the crowd greeting his flight today is any indication, he might just get it.

This afternoon his bodyman, Garrett Jackson, tweeted two photos of people lining up around a parking garage to see the Republican candidate arrive for a last minute campaign stop in the Keystone State.

Emotional moment..thousands of people pack a parking garage just to see the Gov as we land at airport in Pittsburgh, PA twitter.com/dgjackson/stat…

— Mitt’s Body Man (@dgjackson) November 6, 2012

1:45 p.m. – Chris Christie’s Neutral Voting Tweet

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie has gotten national attention for his praise of President Obama in the past week. He and Obama showcased a budding bromance last Wednesday, touring damage from Superstorm Sandy together. Putting partisan politics aside, Christie went so far as to say the people of New Jersey would not want him thinking about how the nation is going to vote.

“I don’t give a damn about Election Day. It doesn’t matter a lick to me at the moment. I have much bigger fish to fry than that,” Christie said, before boarding a helicopter to assess Sandy’s damage along the Jersey Shore .

Christie, a Romney surrogate, had at one point thought about becoming Mitt Romney’s running mate. Christie said Monday he’d vote for Romney, according to the Associated Press, but President Obama had earned his praise.

With all that baggage, Christie’s Election Day tweet is markedly neutral. See for yourself:

Today is a national election. Everyone should find some time today and go vote. New Jersey voices should be heard. njelections.org

— Governor Christie (@GovChristie) November 6, 2012

— Governor Christie (@GovChristie) November 6, 2012

1:36 p.m. – Obama Makes a Call

Meanwhile, President Obama joined campaign volunteers in his hometown to make calls this afternoon.

POTUS makes stop at Chicago field office to make calls on election day twitter.com/jrpsaki/status…

— Jen Psaki (@jrpsaki) November 6, 2012

1:15 p.m. – Romney, Ryan Thank Volunteers in Ohio

Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan have arrived at the Richmond Heights Victory Center, according to ABC’s Emily Friedman.

Romney Press Secretary Rick Gorka says the team will be thanking volunteers in the Hilltop Plaza shopping center this afternoon.

.paulryanvp and @mittromney thanking our great volunteers in OH. #voteromney instagr.am/p/RspteVscpK/

— Rick Gorka (@Rick_Gorka) November 6, 2012

1:11 p.m. – Donald Trump Clears Up Controversy

Donald Trump/Facebook

Me voting— it really is my hair! fb.me/20J4X5Iva

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 6, 2012

1:02 p.m. – David Walker Predicts Close Win for Romney

Former Comptroller General David Walker shared his thoughts on the election with ABC News this afternoon. Read on to see what the Romney supporter and author of “Comeback America” had to say:

“Only God knows who will win tonight but, based on my recent almost 10,000 national bus tour, I think the polls have not adequately considered the change in the voting population, especially in swing states, and the difference in enthusiasm between the base of both major parties. Based on these factors, I expect that Romney will win in a close race,” Walker wrote. “We should know the Senate and House control results tonight nut [sic] may not know the result of the electoral college vote tonight. It could be that close.”

“That would be truly unfortunate. The people and the markets want closure and certainty,” Walker wrote in an email.

He predicted Hurricane Sandy would lead to lower turnout in the New York City area.

“Since those are blue states and that will affect the popular vote total but not the electoral outcome,” Walker wrote.

He did not expect the control of the House and Senate to change.

“The Presidential winner will need to demonstrate extraordinary leadership in order to get things done in the face of a split Congress and nation,” Walker wrote. “The winner should pursue a ‘unity cabinet’ approach with D’s, R’s and I’s. The winner should also call for Congress to come back to D.C. and not take a break beyond those average Americans get (e.g., weekends and major holidays) until they have dealt with the fiscal cliff. The winner should also call for the new Congress to do the same in 2013 until a fiscal ‘Grand Bargain’ has been achieved. ”

12:56 p.m. – White House Dream Meals by Celebrity Chefs

Tim Sloan/AFP/Getty Images

ABC’s Sheila Marikar reports:

Since celebrity cooks are now regulars at the White House — President Obama’s state dinners have been helmed by the likes of Rick Bayless and Marcus Samuelsson – ABCNews.com reached out to some of New York’s famous chefs to find out what they’d make at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, given the opportunity and no restrictions. Highlights include ricotta gnocchi, salted-caramel ice cream and a custom-made Bourbon.

Read on for more deliciousness.

12:52 p.m. – As Divided Country Picks a President, Obama Plays Basketball While Romney Rallies

ABC News’ Russell Goldman reports:

The president, who voted early last month, will remain in his home state of Illinois today, doing some satellite television interviews and playing a game of basketball — an Election Day tradition that stems from superstition.

The fate of the election will rest on the outcomes in a few hard-fought swing states — Florida, Virginia, New Hampshire, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and, most crucially, Ohio.

Victory or defeat may very well come down to Ohio, a battleground whose 18 electoral votes may be as critical this year as Florida was in 2000. Both candidates know it and have spent more time there than anywhere else.

Ohio, or possibly Wisconsin, where Romney has trailed for months, create “a very narrow path to Electoral College victory,” said Matthew Dowd, a Republican strategist and ABC News consultant.