And so it ends...

New Hampshire was actually the first state called Tuesday evening and consequently the first state called for Senator Barack Obama, part of a night in which the junior senator from Illinois was literally unstoppable. According to Real Clear Politics the race was close but Senator Obama took the state's four electoral votes 55% to McCain's 45% with 94% of the precincts accounted for.

In other important news, the Democrats in New Hampshire emerged victorious in their quest for a majority in the senate with Democratic ex-governor Jeanne Shaheen coming out on top of incumbent Republican Senator John Sununu. This was a hard-fought rematch of the two's 2002 fight in which the results were reversed. According to US News & World Report the Democrat Shaheen was able to achieve such a victory due to her consistent attacks on Sununu for being "in sync" with George W. Bush.

Since 2002 when Sununu beat Shaheen and earlier year in which the state elected George W. Bush as president, the state has moved from red to purple to what now seems to be a solid blue.

Although John McCain fought hard in this state from the beginning when the state helped him win the nomination in the primaries, I don't think anyone would have said the senator from Arizona ever had that much of a chance in blue New Hampshire.

1-day to go!!!!

With one day to go, the eyes of America, are, to some degree, on New Hampshire. As I mentioned in my previous blog the state's importance cannot be over-stated and candidates and their surrogates will be rushing in for a last ditch two days of campaigning.

Although the Republicans are hopeful and certainly have refused to back down, I think I can make my final prediction for how New Hampshire will vote this election pretty confidently. With the state clearly trending Democratic with their state legislature, national representatives, and senators, and the polls showing Obama with a strong lead, I'm going to call New Hampshire's four electoral votes for Senator Obama.

Sorry John McCain, I think it would take a miracle.

McCain's relationship with New Hampshire

The importance of this tiny state in the national election can hardly be over-stated; the fact is quite clear with the amount of campaigning each of the candidates have been doing in the state. But although McCain has usually had a good relationship with the state; they propelled him to victory in the primaries this year and the campaign thought his brand of Republicanism would go over well with the New Hampshirians.

But according to a recent study conducted by the University of New Hampshire a third of the state's electorate are new since the state went for George Bush over Al Gore in 2000, and the new electorate strongly lean towards the left.

Although the polls and the study would say otherwise, McCain and his campaign clearly believe they still have a chance, and the Democrats aren't backing down either. Both of the Clintons have been or will be in the state this week and everyone knows its not over til its over.