Posted at 4:45 PM ET by Will Sullivan
In perhaps a reflection of general turnout, both of the candidates in the Missouri Senate race--Republican incumbent Jim Talent and Democrat Claire McCaskill--waited in long lines in suburban St. Louis today to vote in one of the most closely watched Senate races in the country.
"I've never been so happy to wait in line," McCaskill said. "To have this kind of turnout for a nonpresidential race is amazing."
Both parties scrambled in the last few days to get supporters to the polls for an election where the GOP is in danger of losing its control of Congress. Evidence is mostly anecdotal, but some of the states with the most competitive races are reporting higher turnout than in an ordinary midterm election year.
- In Tennessee, where Democrat Harold Ford and Republican Bob Corker compete to replace Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, more than 867,000 people voted early, a 49 percent increase from the last midterm elections. State elections coordinator Brook Thompson said he expected more voters at the polls than four years ago, despite showers today in eastern Tennessee.
- High turnout was also expected in Connecticut, where there are several competitive House races and Sen. Joe Lieberman faces a challenge from Democratic nominee Ned Lamont. A spokesman for the secretary of state's office said voting in several towns was even outpacing levels from the 2004 presidential election.
- Based on early turnout reports, officials in Virginia suggest that up to 65 percent of registered voters could cast ballots today, doubling the total in 2002. GOP Sen. George Allen has been running neck-and-neck with Democrat Jim Webb, and the state is also home to a number of tight House races.
- In Pennsylvania, which has a governor's race, several close House races, and a fierce election battle between Republican Sen. Rick Santorum and Democrat Bob Casey, Leslie Amoros, a spokesman for the secretary of state's office, said she had heard anecdotally that there was "pretty strong turnout," though she could not say how it would compare with 2002, when Gov. Ed Rendell was first elected.
- Indiana was a "mixed bag" early in the day, said AJ Feeney-Ruiz, a spokesman for the secretary of state's office, with some precincts reporting heavy turnout and some light. The state's competitive House seats are widely seen as a bellwether for the Democrats' chances of unseating Republicans nationwide.
Voters weren't motivated everywhere. In North Carolina, the state elections director said turnout appeared light and was expected to reach lows not seen since the 1920s. One exception is Durham County, where District Attorney Mike Nifong is struggling to keep his job amid his controversial prosecution of three Duke lacrosse players on rape charges.
