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.

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.

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.

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

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.

"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."

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.

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.

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."

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

Electoral vote total: 303 for Obama, 203 for Romney

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.

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

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.

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

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

Electoral vote total: 290 for Obama, 200 for Romney

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

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

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

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

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%.

Electoral vote count: 274 for Obama, 200 for Romney

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.

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

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

CNN has called the presidential election for Obama

Electoral vote count: 228 for Obama, 200 for Romney

Electoral vote count: 223 for Obama, 190 for Romney

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

Electoral vote count: 152 for Obama, 186 for Romney

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

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

Electoral vote count: 152 for Obama to 171 for Romney

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 electoral vote count: Obama 124, Romney 154

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

With 9 electoral votes at stake, Romney takes Alabama.

Updated count: Obama 63, Romney 76

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.

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.

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.

New score: Obama 64, Romney 67

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

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.

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.

Current score: Obama 64, Romney 40.

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