The Ohio Secretary of State's Office reports that with 65% of precincts in, President Bush has a five-point, 180,000 vote lead. It's now being reported on television that with 70% in, the lead is 150,000. It's hard to see how Kerry can make this up, even with lawsuits and a reasonable amount of fraud.

UPDATE: I went through the Ohio counties to see where the votes are still out. It appears that about 1/3 of Cleveland's precincts have reported, and out of those precincts Kerry gained around 50,000 votes. That suggests that he could gain another 100,000 as the rest of the city reports--maybe more if fraud is rampant. Through the rest of the state, however, with only few exceptions, the counties that still have votes to report are Republican. So it's hard to see how Kerry can make up a 150,000 vote difference.

DEACON adds: Fox White House correspondent Jim Angle reports that an "authoritative" Bush source has stated that the only question about Ohio is the president's margin of victory. Carl Cameron, who is covering Kerry for Fox, says that the Kerry camp is doubtful about the Senator's chances in Ohio. Kerry Spot provides some of the numbers behind these assessments.

IT'S OVER: Fox has called Ohio for Bush--correctly--so the election is over. Thank God. I mean, really.

Posted by John at 11:03 PM  |    |  

Trackback Pings

TrackBack URL for this entry:
http://www.powerlineblog.com/mt/mt-diespammers.cgi/8530

Listed below are links to weblogs that reference As Ohio Goes...:

» ALL EYES ON OHIO from Michelle Malkin
Fox called it for Bush 15 minutes ago. Secretary of State Ken Blackwell told Peter Jennings that he'll take "2 days, 2 weeks, or 2 months" if he has to, to ensure a fair count. John Hinderaker at Power Line... [Read More]

Tracked on November 3, 2004 12:05 AM

» Bush Wins with Ohio (and the Election) from bLogicus
Foxnews has called Ohio for Bush giving the incumbent 269 electoral votes [hat tip: Powerline]. With Bush leading in NM by 5 percent (80% precincts reporting) this essentially assures him the victory. Thank God!... [Read More]

Tracked on November 3, 2004 12:17 AM

» the big day from Critical Section
[09:37] Ohio seems to be the key, and Powerline reports that with 65% precincts in, Bush has a five-point lead. "It's hard to see how Kerry can make this up, even with lawsuits and a reasonable amount of fraud."... [Read More]

Tracked on November 3, 2004 05:01 AM