Election Night 2012 Timeline

[JRP1994]

Good Evening, America. It's Election Night, 2012, and the polls are about to close in 6 states. Hopefully, by the end of the night, we will know the winner of this Presidential election. Will Governor Romney maintain the lead that he has amassed in the past few weeks, or will President Obama hang on to another term?

The Obama/Biden ticket held a consistent lead in the polls, until Gov. Romney stunned the nation by choosing New Jersey governor Chris Christie as his running mate. Since that point, the two campaigns were in a virtual tie in the polls, until he economy took a turn for the worse, entering a double-dip recession. A recent gallup poll now shows that American voters believe that Mitt Romney would handle the economy better than President Obama, by a near 2-1 margin.

According to the most recent RealClearPolitics average, the Romney/Christie ticket leads the Obama/Biden ticket by an average of 7.6% nationally. However, President Obama, Vice President Biden, and former President Bill Clinton have been campaigning feverishly in the battleground states during the past 3 weeks. Will it be enough to pull out a win? We'll find out tonight.

It's 6:58, and we're coming up on poll closings in the states of Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, South Carolina, Vermont, and Virginia.

The only "must win" state for President Obama out of these 6 is Vermont, and there's little doubt that he will. But the Obama campaign would very much like to carry Virginia again. Political pundits believe that this is unlikely - a Rasmussen poll released today in Virginia shows Governor Romney with a 13-point lead in the Old Dominion State. The Obama Campaign remains hopeful that Virginia's 13 electoral votes will remain in the Democratic column tonight, though.

The polls are closing in those 6 states in 3.....2......1...........

[JRP1994]

At 7:00 EST, we can make the following projections:

In Georgia: Mitt Romney is the projected winner
In Indiana: Mitt Romney is the projected winner
In Kentucky: Mitt Romney is the projected winner
In South Carolina: Mitt Romney is the projected winner
In Vermont: Barack Obama is the projected winner
In Virginia: Too early to call, but Romney leads

Here is the electoral map at this hour. Mr. Romney has 44 electoral votes, Mr. Obama has 3.

[Oldiesfreak1854]

I only wish Election Night 2012 was like this in real life.

[JRP1994]

We're coming up on 7:30, and the polls are about to close in 3 more states - North Carolina, Ohio, and West Virginia. While the President would like to carry North Carolina again, his campaign pulled out of the state early this fall, and moved those resources to Ohio - a state that the President would desperately like to have in his column tonight. Without Ohio, the President's path to re-election becomes very difficult.

It's 7:30 EST, and we can make the following projections:

In North Carolina, Mitt Romney is the projected winner
In Ohio, Too early to call, but Romney leads
In West Virginia, Mitt Romney is the projected winner

Here is the electoral map. Mr. Romney has 64 electoral votes, Mr. Obama has 3.

[JRP1994]

It's 7:33, and we can project that Mitt Romney has won the state of Virginia, netting him an additional 13 electoral votes. This is a sore blow to the Obama campaign - the fact that Virginia has been called for the Romney campaign so early in the evening suggests that the President may have a long night ahead of him...

Here is the electoral map. Mr. Romney has 77 electoral votes, Mr. Obama still at 3.

[JRP1994]

It's 8:00 EST, and the polls have just closed in a slew of states. We can now make the following projections:

In Alabama: Mitt Romney is the projected winner
In Connecticut: Too early to call, but Obama leads
In Delaware: Too early to call, but Obama leads
In the District of Columbia: Barack Obama is the projected winner
In Florida: Too early to call, but Romney leads
In Illinois: Too early to call, but Obama leads
In Maine:
     Statewide: Too close to call
     1st Congressional District: Barack Obama is the projected winner
     2nd Congressional District: Too early to call, but Romney leads
In Maryland: Barack Obama is the projected winner
In Massachusetts: Barack Obama is the projected winner
In Mississippi: Mitt Romney is the projected winner
In Missouri: Mitt Romney is the projected winner
In New Hampshire: Too early to call, but Romney leads
In New Jersey: Too early to call, but Obama leads
In Pennsylvania: Too early to call, but Romney leads
In Rhode Island: Barack Obama is the projected winner
In Tennessee: Mitt Romney is the projected winner

Here is the electoral map as it stands at 8pm. Mr. Romney has 123 electoral votes, Mr. Obama has 29.

[JRP1994]

Pardon me, we have a slight correction to make to our electoral map. At 8pm, we told you that Barack Obama was the projected winner in the District of Columbia, however, we incorrectly colored the District blue on our electoral map, and awarded it's 3 electoral votes to Mitt Romney.

In actuality, HERE is the electoral map. Mr. Romney has 120 electoral votes, Mr. Obama has 32.

[JRP1994]

It's 8:30 EST, and the polls have just closed in Arkansas, and we can project that Mitt Romney has won the state's 6 electoral votes.

Here's the electoral map at 8:30pm. Mr. Romney has 126 electoral votes, Mr. Obama has 32.

[Emperor Charles V]

Go Romney!!!!!!!!!!!!

Nothing against Paul Ryan but Christie or Rubio wouldd've been great VP picks for Romney.

[NHI]

Go Romney!!!!!!!!!!!!

Nothing against Paul Ryan but Christie or Rubio wouldd've been great VP picks for Romney.

I agree.

[JRP1994]

At 8:49, we have a major projection to make: Ohio has gone to Mitt Romney. Governor Romney moving quickly and delivering a crippling blow to the Obama campaign, by capturing the Buckeye States' 18 electoral votes very early in the evening.

With Ohio in the Republican column, all eyes now turn to Pennsylvania, where Mr. Romney is maintaining a fairly solid lead. Mr. Romney appears to be out-performing George W. Bush in most areas of the Keystone State. If Pennsylvania goes to Romney, the map becomes VERY hard for President Obama to win.

Here is the electoral map as it stands right now. Mr. Romney has 144 electoral votes, Mr. Obama still at 32.

[H.E. VOLODYMYR ZELENKSYY]

OH going R before CT goes D? Really? Why does Romney have such a lead?

[JRP1994]

OH going R before CT goes D? Really? Why does Romney have such a lead?

Polls have been closed in OH longer than in CT. Romney has such a lead due to running a more competent/centrist campaign than in RL, choosing Christie as VP, and due to the economy entering a double-dip recession.

[JRP1994]

At 8:53, we can project that Barack Obama has won the state of Delaware, netting the state's 3 electoral votes. Not a huge prize, but a state the Obama campaign absolutely had to win.

Mr. Romney is at 144, Mr. Obama at 35.

[JRP1994]

At 8:58, we can project that Barack Obama is the winner in the state of Connecticut. This was a state that the Romney campaign hoped they might be competitive in, but it stays in the Democratic column tonight.

We're coming up shortly on the 9:00 poll closings, at which time we expect to be able to make several projections.

Mr. Romney still at 144, Mr. Obama is at 42.

[JRP1994]

It's 9:00 EST, and we can now make a number of projections in states where the polls have just closed. At this hour, we can make the following projections:

In Arizona: Mitt Romney is the projected winner
In Colorado: Too early to call, but Romney leads
In Kansas: Mitt Romney is the projected winner
In Louisiana: Mitt Romney is the projected winner
In Michigan: Too close to call
In Minnesota: Too close to call
In Nebraska: Mitt Romney is the projected winner of all 5 of the state's electoral votes
In New Mexico: Too close to call
In New York: Barack Obama is the projected winner
In North Dakota: Mitt Romney is the projected winner
In South Dakota: Mitt Romney is the projected winner
In Texas: Mitt Romney is the projected winner
In Wisconsin: Too close to call
In Wyoming: Mitt Romney is the projected winner

Here is the electoral map at 9pm: Mr. Romney has 221 electoral votes, Mr. Obama has 71.

[Emperor Charles V]

Come on Romney!! You're almost president! Florida and it's all over!

[Supersonic]

This should have been the actual election night.

[NHI]

If only this was how election night really went! 

[JRP1994]

9:06pm, and we have another major projection to make. Mitt Romney is the projected winner of Florida's 29 electoral votes.

With Florida off the table, Mr. Obama cannot afford to lose another tossup state. Mr. Romney needs only to hold Idaho, Montana, Utah, Alaska, and take one more tossup state.

Mr. Romney is now at 250 electoral votes, Mr. Obama still at 71.

[JRP1994]

9:08 - we have another projection to make, this time in the President's favor. We can project that he is the winner in the state of New Jersey - Governor Christie's home state. New Jersey's 14 electoral votes are absolutely essential to an Obama victory, and with those 14 electoral votes, the President's hopes are kept alive.

Mr Romney still at 250, Mr. Obama now at 85.

[old timey villain]

I wonder what would have had to happen for Mitt to actually win this big.

Maybe Obama is the one with a hidden camera scandal telling supporters at a dinner that 60% of white voters will never vote for him because they are against diversity and progress so he doesn't have to worry about them.

[Pessimistic Antineutrino]

*Sigh* Sometimes it's hard to think about what could have been...

How are Berg and Rehberg doing? And our buddy Akin?

[badgate]

*Sigh* Sometimes it's hard to think about what could have been...

I know. Can you imagine Romney taking false credit for the stock market gains or the unemployment decreases? Thank god we were spared

[Snowstalker Mk. II]

Thankfully this is alternate history.