Election night: Obama wins nationally, Republicans win locally

Election night 2012 unfolded more or less as planned, giving both parties something to celebrate despite the biggest prize of the evening going to President Barack Obama for his reelection to a second term.

On Long Island, Republicans swept all but one State Senate race, with the remaining contest still too close to call. Republicans fared well in State Assembly races as well.

For the national seats however, Democrat Kirsten Gillibrand won for Senate and four out of five House seats went to Democrats as well.

With a long campaign season finally finished, today's winners have but one mandate: work together and fix the economy, local and national.

Below see how the evening unfolded, as it happened.

UPDATED 2:45 A.M. - Thank you for joining us

That wraps it up for tonight's live blog. Thanks for joining us and see how the changing political map affects Long Island and the United States in general on Newsday.

UPDATED 2:38 A.M. - Final breakdown of NY State Senate races

All but one of the races for State Senate have been called. The remaining 7th district race, between Republican Jack M. Martins and Democrat Daniel S. Ross is separated by almost 6,000 votes in Martins's favor, but absentee ballots may still decide the race.

Other final results:

1st Senate District:  Republican Kenneth P. LaValle
2nd Senate District: Republican John J. Flanagan
3rd Senate District: Republican Lee M. Zeldin
4th Senate District: Republican Philip M. Boyle
5th Senate District: Republican Carl L. Marcellino
6th Senate District: Republican Kemp Hannon
8th Senate District: Republican Charles J. Fuschillo
9th Senate District: Republican Dean Skelos

Republicans won eight of eight State Senate races.

UPDATED 2:24 A.M. - Final breakdown of NY State Assembly races

All but one of the races for State Assembly have been called. The remaining 3rd district race, between Republican Dean Murray and Democrat Edward Hennessey is separated by only 38 votes, with 100% of districts reported. Absentee ballots may decide the race.

Other final results:

1st Assembly District: Independent Fred W. Thiele
2nd Assembly District: Republican Daniel P. Losquadro
4th Assembly District: Democrat Steven Englebright
5th Assembly District: Republican Alfred C. Graf
6th Assembly District: Democrat Philip R. Ramos
7th Assembly District: Republican Andrew Garbarino
8th Assembly District: Republican Michael J. Fitzpatrick
9th Assembly District: Republican Joseph S. Saladino
10th Assembly District: Republican Chad A. Lupinacci
11th Assembly District: Democrat Robert K. Sweeney
12th Assembly District: Republican Andrew Raia
13th Assembly District: Democrat Charles D. Lavine
14th Assembly District: Republican David G. McDonough
15th Assembly District: Republican Michael Montesano
16th Assembly District: Democrat Michelle Schimel
17th Assembly District: Republican Thomas McKevitt
18th Assembly District: Democrat Earlene Hooper
19th Assembly District:  Republican Edward P. Ra
20th Assembly District: Democrat Harvey Weisenberg
21st Assembly District: Republican Brian F. Curran
22nd Assembly District: Democrat Michaelle C. Solages

Republican victories: 12

Democratic victories: 8

Independent victories: 1

UPDATED 2:06 A.M. - Latest State Senate, Assembly races

New York State Senate

6th Senate District: Republican Kemp Hannon

With only one district remaining for the New York State Senate, Republicans have taken seven of eight races.

New York State Assembly

14th Assembly District: Republican David G. McDonough

With 21 of 22 districts reporting, 12 Republicans have won, with 8 Democrats and 1 Independent candidate.

UPDATED 2:00 A.M. - Obama: Campaign 'made me a better president'

Obama took the stage to thank his supporters in Chicago shortly after 1:30 Wednesday morning.

"Tonight in this election you, the American people remind us that while our road has been hard, while our journey has been long, we have picked ourselves up, we have fought our way back," he said. "We know in our hearts that for the United States of America the best is yet to come."

In a reference to the bitterness of the campaign Obama said, "we may have battled fiercely, but it's only because we love this country deeply and we care so strongly about its future."

"A decade of war is ending. A long campaign is now over," he said. "And whether I earned your vote or not, i have listened to you, I have learned from you, and you've made me a better president."

UPDATED 1:20 A.M. - State Senate, latest projected winner

8th Senate District: Republican Charles J. Fuschillo Jr.

With only two districts remaining for the New York State Senate, Republicans have taken seven of seven spots.

UPDATED 1:11 A.M. - Latest NY State Assembly projected winners

20th Assembly District: Democrat Harvey Weisenberg

With 20 out of 22 districts reporting, 8 Democrats and 11 Republicans have been projected winners, with 1 Independent.

UPDATED 12:55 A.M. - Romney gives concession speech

A Romney aide reported shortly before 1 a.m. that Romney conceded the election in a phone call to Obama. Romney himself took the stage in Boston, Mass. to address his supporters shortly thereafter.

"I pray that the president will be successful in guiding our country," Romney said. "At a time like this, we can't risk partisan bickering and posturing."

Romney also gave specific thanks to his wife Ann and his running mate Paul Ryan. "Besides my wife Ann," he said, "Paul is the best choice I've ever made."

UPDATED 12:43 A.M. - Obama wins Virginia, Romney takes Montana

President Obama has been declared the projected winner of Virginia, bringing his victories to 26, with Romney carrying 23 states with his projected victory in Montana.

That leaves only 2 states to be called: Florida and Alaska.

Electoral vote total: 303 for Obama, 203 for Romney

UPDATED 12:42 A.M. - NY State Assembly at a glance

New York State Assembly: 19 out of 22 districts have a projected winner; 7 of them are Democrats, 11 are Republicans, 1 is an Independent.

UPDATED 12:41 A.M. - Latest NY State Assembly projected winners

13th Assembly District: Democrat Charles D. Lavine
15th Assembly District: Republican Michael Montesano
17th Assembly District: Republican Thomas McKevitt

UPDATED 12:38 A.M. - NY State Senate, State Assembly at a glance

New York State Senate: 6 out of 9 districts have a projected winner. All of them are Republicans.

New York State Assembly: 16 out of 22 districts have a projected winner. Six of them are Democrats, 9 are Republicans, 1 is an Independent.

UPDATED 12:25 A.M. - Latest NY State Assembly projected winners

16th Assembly District: Democrat Michelle Schimel
18th Assembly District: Democrat Earlene Hooper
19th Assembly District:  Republican Edward P. Ra
21st Assembly District: Republican Brian F. Curran

UPDATED 12:15 A.M. - Obama wins 3 more swing states

President Obama has been declared the projected winner of Colorado, Wisconsin and Nevada, bringing his victories to 25, with Romney carrying 22 states.

That leaves only 3 states to be called: Virginia, Florida and Alaska.

Electoral vote total: 290 for Obama, 200 for Romney

UPDATED 12:10 A.M. - State Assembly, latest projected winners

Winners have been declared in the following NY State Assembly districts:

1st Assembly District: Independent Fred W. Thiele
2nd Assembly District: Republican Daniel P. Losquadro
4th Assembly District: Democrat Steven Englebright
5th Assembly District: Republican Alfred C. Graf
6th Assembly District: Democrat Philip R. Ramos
7th Assembly District: Republican Andrew Garbarino
8th Assembly District: Republican Michael J. Fitzpatrick
9th Assembly District: Republican Joseph S. Saladino
10th Assembly District: Republican Chad A. Lupinacci
11th Assembly District: Democrat Robert K. Sweeney
12th Assembly District: Republican Andrew Raia
22nd Assembly District: Democrat Michaelle C. Solages

UPDATED 12:01 A.M. - State Senate, latest projected winners

Winners have been declared in the following NY State Senate districts:

1st Senate District:  Republican Kenneth P. LaValle
2nd Senate District: Republican John J. Flanagan
3rd Senate District: Republican Lee M. Zeldin
4th Senate District: Republican Philip M. Boyle
5th Senate District: Republican Carl L. Marcellino
9th Senate District: Republican Dean Skelos

UPDATED 11:51 P.M. - Carolyn McCarthy wins House seat

Democratic candidate Carolyn McCarthy beat Republican challenger Francis Becker for the 4th Congressional District, with 54% to 40%.

UPDATED 11:48 P.M. - Peter King wins House seat

Republican Peter King won the 2nd Congressional District with 60% to 40% against Democrat Vivianne Falcone.

UPDATED 11:46 P.M. - Steve Israel, Gregory Meeks win House races

Democrats Steve Israel and Gregory Meeks have won the U.S. House races for the 3rd Congressional District and 5th Congressional District, respectively.

Israel beat challenger Stephen Labate 57%-43%, and Meeks beat challenger Allan Jennings 79% to 20%.

UPDATED 11:43 P.M. - Boyle wins for NY State Senate

In the 4th district race for New York State Senate, Republican Philip M. Boyle won with 53% of the vote to Democratic challener Rick Montano's 47%.

UPDATED 11:40 P.M. - Obama wins re-election

Barack Obama has been declared the winner in the presidential election.

Electoral vote count: 274 for Obama, 200 for Romney

UPDATED 11:35 P.M. - Bishop wins first district

Democrat Tim Bishop beat Randy Altschuler in New York's first congressional district, 52% to 48%.

UPDATED 11:32 P.M. - Obama wins Oregon

Adding 7 more electoral votes to his total, Obama took one more step toward official reelection with projected victory in Oregon. That gives 22 states to Obama, with 22 to Romney.

UPDATED 11:28 P.M. - Obama celebrates victory on Twitter

President Obama sent a message of victory to followers on Twitter after the major networks declared his victory in the presidential election.

UPDATED 11:23 P.M. - Obama wins Iowa

With 6 electoral votes in play, Obama has been declared the projected winner in Iowa as the major networks declare Obama the winner of the presidential election.

Electoral vote count: 252 for Obama, 200 for Romney

UPDATED 11:20 P.M. - Obama wins Ohio

With a projected victory in the swing state of Ohio, Obama's chances to win re-election look to be all but set.

Electoral vote count: 246 for Obama, 200 for Romney

UPDATED 11:18 P.M. - CNN calls Obama

CNN has called the presidential election for Obama

UPDATED 11:16 P.M. - New Mexico to Obama, Missouri for Romney

Obama is the projected winner in New Mexico, with 5 electoral votes at stake, and Romney has been projected to win in Missouri, with 10 electoral votes.

Electoral vote count: 228 for Obama, 200 for Romney

UPDATED 11:12 P.M. - Romaine wins Brookhaven supervisor

Republican Ed Romaine defeated Democrat Brian Beedenbender as Brookhaven supervisor, with 57% of the vote to 43%.

UPDATED 11:07 P.M. - Schaffer wins Babylon supervisor

Democrat Rich Schaffer, with 72% of the vote, is the projected winner for Babylon Supervisor, handily beating Republican Mark M. Gallo, with 28%.

UPDATED 11:04 P.M. - California gives Obama big electoral vote lead

Obama has been declared the projected winner in California, Washington and Hawaii, with Romney the likely victor in Idaho.

Electoral vote count: 223 for Obama, 190 for Romney

UPDATED 11:02 P.M. - West coast polls close

Polls close in California, Hawaii, Idaho, Oregon and Washington, leaving only Alaska to close at 1 a.m.

UPDATED 10:59 P.M. - Romney ahead with 20 states to 14

Romney is the projected winner in North Carolina, bringing his total count of states to 20 vs. Obama's 14 projected wins.

Electoral vote count: 152 for Obama, 186 for Romney

UPDATED 10:56 P.M. - Latest swing state projections

Florida: With 89% of districts reporting, indications are that Obama has a slight lead, 49.9% to 49.3%

Virginia: With 80% reporting, Romney has the edge with 50.6% to Obama's 47.9%

Wisconsin: With 24% reporting, Romney leads with 50.7% to Obama's 48.1%

UPDATED 10:45 P.M. - Romney wins Arizona

Mitt Romney is the projected winner in Arizona, with 11 electoral votes in play.

Electoral vote count: 152 for Obama to 171 for Romney

UPDATED 10:42 P.M. - Senate swings to Dems

With 44 Senate races projected to go to Democrats vs. Republicans' 42, the likelihood of a Republican takeover of the upper house looks slightly less likely.

UPDATED 10:40 P.M. - Obama takes Maine

Obama has been declared the projected winner of Maine, adding 4 electoral votes to his total and bringing the state tally to 14 states for Obama, 18 for Romney.

UPDATED 10:35 P.M. - Nate Silver reasserts likely Obama victory

While many swing states remain too close to call, pollster and blogger Nate Silver maintains that Obama still has a 90% chance of winning the presidential election. In a message posted to Twitter, Silver, who correctly projected 49 of 50 states in the 2008 election, maintains that while the election is likely to be close, he is confident of an Obama victory.

UPDATED 10:28 P.M. - Long Island House races leaning to Democrats

Three out of five House races on Long Island have begun returning results. We will call the winners as soon as projections are solid, but here is the picture as it stands now:

1st District: Democrat Tim Bishop leads with 52% of the vote against Randy Altschuler's 48%, with 35% reporting.

2nd District: Republican Peter King leads in the race against Vivianne C. Falcone, 60% to 40%, with 20% reporting.

3rd District: Democrat Steve Israel leads all others with 57% of the vote. Republican Stephen Labate is currently in second place, with 42% of the vote, with 30% of voting locations reporting.

UPDATED 10:19 P.M. - Warren wins in Mass., CNN calls McCaskill over Akin

In two of the most-watched Senate races, Democrats Elizabeth Warren and Claire McCaskill are projected to win their respective Senate seats in Massachussetts and Missouri.

Warren, one of Obama's closest advisors who helped set up the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to counter abusive practices by financial insitutions. She faced Tea Party candidate Scott Brown in a contentious campaign.

In Missouri, incumbent Democrat Claire McCaskill won reelection against Todd Akin, a conservative Republican whose comments about "legitimate rape" made headlines that has party leaders calling for his removal from the race.

Republican party leaders reacted on Twitter to Akin's loss.

UPDATED 10:06 P.M. - Obama takes New Hampshire

With a projected win in New Hampshire, Obama is set to take yet another swing state, and yet another east coast state, with its 4 electoral votes.

Electoral vote count: 148 for Obama, 160 for Romney.

UPDATED 10:03 P.M. - Romney wins Utah

With a strong showing in the Mormon enclave of Utah, Mitt Romney increases his projected state total to 18, while Obama is projected to win 12 states.

Electoral vote count: 144 for Obama to 160 for Romney

Republican Senator Orrin Hatch is also projected to win his Senate contest in Utah.

UPDATED 9:59 P.M. - CNN shows both Ohio and Iowa leaning Obama

Based on its exit polls, CNN has its preliminary projections indicating wins for Obama in Ohio and Iowa, two swing states who between them account for 24 electoral votes between them.

UPDATED 9:52 P.M. - Pennsylvania goes to Obama

Obama is now the projected winner of Pennsylvania, which would bring his electoral vote total to 144 vs. Romney's 154.

UPDATED 9:46 P.M. - 2 notable Senate results

In Ohio, Democrat Sherrod Brown won the Senate seat in Ohio.

Kirsten Gillibrand won the NY Senate seat with a projected 61% of votes vs. Wendy Long's 37%, and posted a celebratory picture on Twitter to thank New York voters.

UPDATED 9:44 P.M. - CNN calls Pennsylvania

With CNN's projection of Pennsylvania for Obama, 20 electoral votes appear set to go the president's way. CNN has been consistently calling states before many of the other networks.

UPDATED 9:37 P.M. - Senate control up for grabs

Current projections have 42 seats going to Democrats and 41 for Republicans, meaning Republicans still have a chance to take the lead in the Senate.

UPDATED 9:33 P.M. - House races looking good for Republicans

Projections show 95 seats in the House of Representatives secured for Republicans, with just 52 for Democrats. Democrats lost a seat in Kentucky, and Republicans look set to keep their majority in the House.

UPDATED 9:26 P.M. - Romney leading, but no surprises

While Romney has taken an early lead in projected races, most results have gone largely according to plan, with the republican candidate taking states in the south and middle of the country, while Obama has taken primarily east coast states, with the exception of Illinois, the state he represented as a senator, and Michigan, where the recovery of the auto industry has helped Obama stay out front.

UPDATED 9:22 P.M. - Obama continues the ground game

Barack Obama's official Twitter account continues to actively push grassroots campaign efforts even as polls close around the country. In an official Tweet the campaign suggested that followers make phone calls to voters in states with open polls.

UPDATED 9:16 P.M. - Christie delivers New Jersey for Obama

Obama's projected win in New Jersey brings the total states projected for Obama to 11, while Romney's projected victories in Arkansas and Mississippi bring his to 17.

Updated electoral vote count: Obama 124, Romney 154

UPDATED 9:08 P.M. - Romney wins 7 more

While Obama picked up 44 electoral votes with his projected wins in New York, projections show Romney as the projected winner in Nebraska, Wyoming, Kansas, Louisiana, South Dakota, Texas and North Dakota.

Updated electoral vote count: Obama 110, Romney 142

UPDATED 8:58 P.M. - Romney wins Alabama

With 9 electoral votes at stake, Romney takes Alabama.

Updated count: Obama 63, Romney 76

UPDATED 8:55 P.M. - More battleground states to close

Looking forward to 9 p.m., Colorado, Wisconsin and Arizona are the states to watch, with Nebraska, North Dakota and New York closing at the same time.

UPDATED 8:45 P.M. - Popular vote leaning Romney

While the electoral college is what matters in this presidential race - whoever gets 270 electoral college votes will be declared the winner - the popular vote can tell an interesting story.

Currently Mitt Romney retains a slight edge in the popular vote with 52% of votes to Obama's 47%.

Can you name the four elections in U.S. history in which the man who won the popular vote did NOT win the presidency?

The last time it happened, 2000, is likely to remain at the top of many Democrats' minds, as Al Gore won the popular vote only to lose the electoral vote after a contentious recount of votes in Florida.

To find the previous incidences, you have to go back to the 19th century: In 1824, John Quincy Adams won when the House of Representatives had to decide the election, then in 1876 Democrat Samuel J. Tilden lost in the electoral college to Rutherford B. Hayes after winning the popular vote, and in 1888 Benjamin Harrison won the electoral vote despite rival Grover Cleveland winning the popular vote.

UPDATED 8:35 P.M. - Romney pushes campaign slogans

With a campaign that has been less active on social media than the president's, Mitt Romney used much of the day to repeat his campaign slogan of change to his followers on Twitter.

UPDATED 8:28 P.M. - Romney takes Georgia

Romney is being projected the winner of Georgia as well, with 16 electoral votes in play.

New score: Obama 64, Romney 67

UPDATED 8:28 P.M. - Romney wins Tennessee

With Tennessee's 11 electoral votes at play, Romney comes a bit closer to Obama's preliminary total.

UPDATED 8:15 P.M. - Efforts continue to get out the vote

Obama's campaign knows the election may hinge simply on turnout, so his team is still pushing its efforts to get supporters out to vote.

The president's latest official Twitter update reminds voters that if they are in line when the polls actually close, they will be allowed to vote.

UPDATED 8:10 P.M. - Obama takes the lead in electoral votes

With the next wave of results coming in, Obama has been declared the winner in 8 more states, putting his electoral vote total above Romney's.

Adding to Obama's early projected wins are Illinois, Connecticut, Maine, the District of Columbia, Delaware, Rhode Island, Maryland and Massachussetts.

Romney is projected to win Oklahoma, though it's not enough to swing the projected electoral vote total back to his side.

Current score: Obama 64, Romney 40.

UPDATED 7:45 P.M. - Polls closing in Florida, New Hampshire and Pennsylvania

The next wave of poll closures is upon us, meaning a new spate of early results to focus on. All eyes will be on counts from the three swing states of Florida, New Hampshire and Pennsylvania, which hold a total of 53 electoral votes among them.

Early projections have Obama up slightly in Florida (51%-48%) and New Hampshire (74%-24%), with Virginia leaning heavily to Romney (59%-40%) according to the earliest results.

So far we have four states called: Obama is the projected winner in Vermont, while Romney has won Kentucky, West Virginia, South Carolina and Indiana.

The early electoral vote total has Obama at 3 against Romney's 13.