CLOSING TIMES - AT 5:08 P.M. ET:  Swing State Project, which is here, publishes a list of poll closing times.  Here is when you'll get the first election news tonight:

7:00 p.m.:  Virginia.  The governorship should be decided quickly, for Bob McDonnell, the GOP candidate.  Also closing is Georgia.  The mayoralty of Atlanta is being decided, and there are racial overtones.  It's possible that Atlanta will elect its first white mayor in many years.  That is noted objectively.  We're neither for nor against.

8:00 p.m.:  New Jersey.  Possibly the hottest race of the night.  Expect the count to go on a long time, and look for charges of fraud. 

9:00 p.m.:  New York.  The now-famous 23rd Congressional District will begin counting.  Watch the TV pundits go wild trying to interpret this one.  Also, the mayoralty of New York City will be decided.  As we've noted before, if Mayor Mike Bloomberg is reelected to a third term, it will mark 20 years since heavily Democratic New York City will have elected a Democratic mayor.

COMMENT:  There's almost no way the Democratic Party can come out of this looking good.  Losing the Virginia governorship alone is a major blow.  Even if New York is close, close in a heavily blue state is rare.  In New York's 23rd district, the Democratic nominee can only win with Republican support.

Stand by.  Things are getting interesting.

November 3, 2009