While we await the tallying of the ballots from coast to coast (and beyond, if you count the Aluetian Islands in Alaska), here are a few nuggets of election day news in the four states holding primaries today:
- In the Grand Canyon State of Arizona, J.D. Hayworth is predicting victory, while tempering that by suggesting that he will support incumbent Senator John McCain should Tuesday go as every poll seems to hint that it will. Some of his supporters, meanwhile, are less charitable towards the senior senator from Arizona:
"The tea party movement saw what [McCain] did to J.D. They're mad at him because he didn't beat [President] Obama and turns around and attacks J.D. with more intensity than he did Obama, so that makes people mad," said Shane Wikfors, a blogger who was hired by Hayworth to help with field operations. "They're going to turn around and get behind a libertarian or probably this independent candidate. They're going to make McCain feel some pain."
McCain's victory is anticipated, so much so that no new polling has emerged from this race in weeks.
- Additional evidence refuting the strategy of Hayworth will be resurrected by a crush of angry teabaggers: Arizona Secretary of State Ken Bennett noted that early turnout was soft, describing it as normal for a primary, or even a bit below normal.
- In Florida, Democrat (or so he insists) Jeff Greene apparently has not conceded defeat in his Senate primary against Kendrick Meek. He has made a trio of late adds to his election day schedule, adding stops in Broward County. Greene may well have been responding to criticism that his Election Day schedule was...shall we say...a bit light.
- In other Senate news, a new poll out today from PPP indicates that a slight resurgence for Kendrick Meek might be pushing Marco Rubio to the lead, as Democrats who had flirted with Indie candidate Charlie Crist come home to Meek. The new survey puts the Republican at 40%, with Crist at 32% and Meek at 17%. If Jeff Greene were to defy expectations and clinch the Democratic primary, the race would be a one-point coin flip.
- Meanwhile, on the other side of the ballot in Florida, Republican state Attorney General Bill McCollum voted earlier in the day, and sounded a note of confidence as he chatted with reporters.
McCollum wouldn't predict victory, but he said Rick Scott's unprecedented TV advertising barrage failed. "He's thrown up $50 million. We've sustained that, and we've overcome that," he said.
In a side note, the St. Petersburg Times is predicting a possibly early night, as they estimate that 40% of the ballots are already in the hands of Florida election officials via mail-in ballot.
- In Alaska, as noted on last night's edition of the Polling and Political Wrap, Sarah Palin cut a late robocall trying to pull her preferred candidate, attorney Joe Miller, across the finish line in his battle with GOP incumbent Lisa Murkowski.
- Finally, to Vermont, where I was remiss during yesterday's preview of today's contests. There is, in addition to the very competitive Dem primary for Governor and a less-competitive GOP primary to challenge Congressman Peter Welch, a Democratic primary for the U.S. Senate. Physician Daniel Freilich is challenging incumbent Senator Pat Leahy, who is, it is safe to say, more than a betting favorite tonight.