Virginia, which hasn’t voted for a Democrat in at least 20 years, has been considered a possible steal for Sen. Barack Obama tonight. MSNBC reports that Obama has a huge advantage among black voters according to exit polls, getting 91 percent of the black vote in the state. Sen. John McCain has a sizeable lead among white voters, and the network has not projected a victor in the contest yet. McCain has a small lead at the moment.

Indiana is currently too close to call as well, and the network reports that McCain leads by only 3 percent. The state has 11 electoral votes up for grabs, and Obama made a last minute stop there today. It has been a red state in recent history.

Kentucky has been called for McCain, while Vermont is projected to go to Obama. Both outcomes were generally expected based on voting history and poll numbers.

There is a chance that the 2008 presidential election could be decided by just after 7 p.m. tonight, based on results in other states.

Although final results will trickle in throughout the night, if Obama wins the states he leads in, he’ll be within 55 electoral votes of the 270 he needs to be elected. That is a significant figure because California’s 55 electoral votes will almost certainly go to Obama, based on poll numbers and past election results. (California has gone blue since 1988 when George H.W. Bush took the White House)

Read the full story

Apparently the presidential hopefuls are not without their superstitions. The New York Daily News published an article detailing the various Election Day good luck charms and traditions of both candidates.

Sen. John McCain has almost as many good luck charms as there are swing states, “ranging from a trusty compass to a feather, pen, blue sweater, shoes and penny.”

Sen. Barack Obama will wear an eagle pin and carry around a small charm of a Hindu monkey god.

Read the full story

One of the most anticipated elections in recent memory is finally here, so we encourage all of our readers to go out and vote, then check our website throughout the day for updates about both local and national races.

We’ll be updating the national election buzz here all day (and into tomorrow if necessary).

The candidates made sure their votes were counted, as Sens. Barack Obama, Joe Biden, John McCain and Gov. Sarah Palin all went to the polling places and voted this morning. Yahoo! News has the story from the AP here.

Read the full story

BY FERNANDO GALLO//

In the final presidential debate between Sens. John McCain and Barack Obama, hot-button issues such as abortion, negative campaign advertising and the vice-presidential choices dominated the discussion. For some viewers who watched the debate at 33 Revolutions Café in El Cerrito, that was a welcome change of pace.

“They really got them kind of butting heads,” viewer Suzanne Klein said of the debate topics. Read the full story

BY MATT DURNING //

EL CERRITO  – The final debate of the 2008 presidential campaign reinforced stark ideological differences between Barack Obama and John McCain, but the unmistakable contrast in the candidates’ physical demeanor left local viewers with their most lasting impression. Read the full story

BY N’JERI EATON//

A small crowd of locals gathered at Raphael’s Café in El Cerrito to watch Sens. John McCain and Barack Obama clash on issues of the economy, tax cuts, and foreign policy during a town hall presidential debate on Tuesday night. For the spectators at the café, the repetitive nature of the debate was disappointing.

Read the full story

BY MATT DURNING //

EL CERRITO – A capacity crowd of more than 500 people gathered at the Cerrito Speakeasy Theater in El Cerrito last night to watch the first debate between presidential candidates John McCain and Barack Obama.

Read the full story