Economy No. 1 Issue for 62% of Voters

Politico breaks down the exit polls to understand the makeup of Obama's historic victory

(NEWSER) - How did the first African-American president piece together such a decisive winning coalition? In Politico, David Paul Kuhn picks apart the pieces of the Barack Obama vote:

• Obama won a solid 43% of the white vote, matching Bill Clinton’s 1996 performance in that group and nearly Jimmy Carter’s from 1976. The Democrat actually won young white voters outright.

Obama has most leads, but take these with a big chunk of salt

(NEWSER) - Huffington Post got its hands on the exit polling information shared with media outlets at 5pm but not reported by television networks. They show Barack Obama leading in most swing states, though the HuffPo cautions that the numbers are extremely unreliable; believe at your own risk. The list has Obama leading:

• 52-44% in Florida
• 54-45% in Ohio
• 57-42% in Pennsylvania

Fox News story said threatening men stood outside Pa. polling station

(NEWSER) - An Obama campaign volunteer says there’s nothing to Fox News’ story that two Black Panthers were intimidating voters at a polling place in Pennsylvania, Greg Sargent reports on Talking Points Memo. One was an official poll watcher, and though he is a Panther, he was not “blocking the door” as Fox suggested, the volunteer said, adding that neither was affiliated with the campaign. More»

(NEWSER) - At 5 tonight, a wave of exit-polling results will be distributed to media insiders, who'll try manfully to resist sharing anything that might prejudice voters—even though it will kill them. At 6 pm, the results will start rolling in, and Politico gives you a play-by-play guide to what to look for as each state reports. Some highlights:

• Indiana: Polls close at 6 in the East, 7 in the West. An Obama win in the hotly contested state would give the McCain campaign pause.

Latest poll shows record pessimism but also enthusiasm among Americans

(NEWSER) - Americans are more depressed than ever about the state of the nation and unsure whether its fate can be redirected by a new president—but they’re still breaking voting records before Election Day has even arrived. Early voting is up 50% from 2004 according to polls, and two-thirds of the public say they’re more enthusiastic than usual about voting, reports USA Today. More»