ELECTION 2008

RUNNING LOW ON VOTES

Since Barry Goldwater managed just 52 electoral votes in 1964, the lowest number a Republican candidate has garnered was 159 by Bob Dole in 1996.

THE COLOR OF BLUE

Barack Obama’s adopted home state, Illinois, has leaned left in the presidential race since 1992, when it threw its support behind Democrat Bill Clinton.

THAT’S THEIR PREROGATIVE

New Hampshire likes change. It’s obvious from its voting record. A solid red state through the 1970s and 1980s, it crossed the line with Bill Clinton in 1992. Then went back red in 2000. And then back to blue in 2004 and 2008.

NEW FACES IN NEW ENGLAND

In Congress, House Republicans lost at least 19 seats, just two years after losing 30 seats and House control. Democrats now have locked up every seat in the Northeast.

SMOKE ‘EM IF YOU GOT ‘EM

Massachusetts voters decriminalized the possession of small amounts of marijuana. The new penalty? Those caught with an ounce or less will forfeit the pot and pay a $100 civil fine.

LOOKING TO THE FUTURE

Democrats took chambers in two large states that will figure prominently in redistricting after 2010 —- the Ohio House, where control is now split, and the Wisconsin Assembly, where Democrats now control the entire legislature and the governor’s office.

IT’S LADIES NIGHT FOR OBAMA

Women’s votes were a significant factor in Barack Obama’s victory, according to an analysis of exit poll data by the Center for American Women and Politics at Rutgers University. Women strongly preferred Obama to John McCain (56 percent to 43) unlike men, who split their votes about evenly for the candidates (49 percent for Obama, 48 percent for McCain).

DID YOU HEAR HIM THE FIRST TIME?

Barack Obama preached change throughout his campaign. In fact, he used the word 19 times when he clinched the Democratic nomination in June in Minneapolis, 15 times when he accepted the party’s nod two months later in Denver and 19 times when he spoke last week in Canton, Ohio.

ENERGIZED AT THE POLLS

About 133.3 million people voted for president, based on preliminary results and projections for absentee ballots, said Michael McDonald of George Mason University. That’s a 62.5 percent turnout rate. That turnout is about equal to 1964, but not higher than 1960 when John F. Kennedy beat Richard Nixon. The turnout rate then was 63.8 percent.

WAY TO GO, CHARLIE

More than 65 million people watched Election Night returns Tuesday on the main broadcast and cable news networks. Preliminary Nielsen Media Research estimates show that ABC News, with Charles Gibson leading a team that broadcast from New York’s Times Square, won bragging rights with 13.1 million prime-time viewers

THEY’RE COMFORTABLE IN RED

One of just six states to favor Jimmy Carter in 1980 when he was routed by Ronald Reagan, Georgia has leaned Democratic only once since 1992.

A RETURN TO THE 1990s

Four in 10 voters Tuesday were Democrats, while a third were from the Republican Party. That’s the biggest partisan gap in exit polls since 1992.