Obama takes commanding electoral vote lead; wins Ohio
— -- Democrat Barack Obama is edging ever closer to winning the 2008 presidential election, winning the vital battleground states of Ohio and Pennsylvania and severely damaging the hopes of Republican John McCain.
By Associated Press projections, as of 10 p.m. ET, Obama has 202 electoral votes; McCain has 80. A total of 270 electoral votes are needed to win the presidency.
No Republican has won the presidency without also taking Ohio. Coupled with a win earlier Tuesday in Pennsylvania, Obama has taken the two most important states decided so far and made a McCain comeback extraordinarily difficult.
McCain had campaigned heavily in Pennsylvania in the waning days of the election, but Obama's victory, coupled with expected wins in several other populous states, gives him a commanding lead in the electoral votes needed to claim the presidency.
Obama has won Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Wisconsin and the District of Columbia. McCain has claimed Alabama, Arkansas, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Utah, West Virginia and Wyoming.
The electoral map was increasingly favorable to Obama. Assuming a win in California, which is widely expected, Obama would have 257 electoral votes. He then would need only 13 additional electoral votes to claim the presidency.
Tonight will be historic, no matter what the outcome. If Obama, 47, wins, he will become the first African-American president. A victory by the 72-year-old McCain will put into office the oldest person ever elected to a first term, as well as the first female vice president in Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin.
The popular vote counted so far is much closer. With 23% of precincts reporting, Obama led McCain nationally, 49.9% to 49.1%.
Turnout appeared to be high in many parts of the nation. Lines of voters formed at polling places as early as 4 a.m. in many states, and the AP reported that turnout in Ohio — one of the key states in this election — might approach 80% of registered voters
Except for snow in the Rockies and Northwest and rain along the Mid-Atlantic coast, weather did not appear to be a factor in voter turnout, which was heavy in some states.
Early surveys of voters, conducted by a consortium of news organizations, indicated 60% listed the economy as their most important issue, with no other issue — including the war on Iraq and terrorism — getting more than 10%.
More than 80% of voters said they were very worried the current economic crisis will harm their family's finances over the next year, but 47% also said they felt the economy will improve in the next year. Two-thirds said they were worried about obtaining health care.
