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Midterm Elections 2010: Americans Voting Across The Country

Neon Tommy |
November 2, 2010 | 3:00 a.m. PDT

Who will take Capitol Hill?
Who will take Capitol Hill?

UPDATED: 9:02 a.m. PDT: Polls now open in most states across America. Turnout varying by state, with Midwestern states like Illinois reporting strong voter turnout and Indiana reporting mixed results.

Happy Election Day everyone. Polling on the East Coast began at 3 a.m. PDT.

The New Republic says Democrats should beware of cloudy days: "Watch the weather. Early indications are that Election Day rain will be centered in the South, and some parts of the Northwest—but if the weather gets bad in other key swing areas, it can generally be assumed to benefit Republicans."

So here's what to expect when you're expecting Republican control:

Senate:

Republicans have to take 10 Senate seats from Democrats to gain control of the Senate, according to Slate. Indiana, North Dakota, and Arkansas are basically the GOP's already, and Wisconsin looks good for them too.

In Alaska, Democrat Scott McAdams has a slight chance to take a Senate seat from Republican Joe Miller, since a third candidate, Sen. Lisa Murkowski is also running as a Republican write-in. Murkowski has a chance of stealing away some of Miller's votes, but it's not likely since GOP heavyweight Sarah Palin is a Miller backer.

House:

According to 538's Nate Silver, "Republicans are well-positioned to win control of the House of Representatives in tomorrow’s elections, and quite possibly to achieve the largest gain made by either party in a Congressional election since World War II."

John Boehner tried to contain his excitement at potentially becoming the next Speaker of the House at a pre-election rally with Senate candidate Rob Portman and gubernatorial candidate John Kasich.

Governor races that look interesting:

Ohio: Republicans need challenger John Kasich to defeat incumbent Democrat Ted Strickland.

Florida:  "Democrats hope Alex Sink's business résumé – former bank executive and the state's chief financial officer – wins them the governorship after a 16-year absence. But she faces a tough challenge in Rick Scott (R), a wealthy former health-care executive. The race may turn on Florida's large number of independents." (CS Monitor)

Pennsylvania: Republican candidate Tom Corbett leads Democrat Dan Onorato by 10 percentage points. "But Onorato called the race "winable" if supporters go to the polls and make sure their family and friends go, too."

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Buzz

Craig Gillespie directed this true story about "the most daring rescue mission in the history of the U.S. Coast Guard.”

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