On CNN, archconservative and guardian of our moral purity Bill Bennett said "You will see a movement to draft Rick Santorum for president in 2008."

Sorry Bill, but this election seems to cast doubt on whether Americans are prepared to elect a complete idiot for a third straight election.

With early voting totals released, and 1.48% of precincts:

Senate
Hutchison (R) 62%
Radnofsky (D) 36%

Austin congressional seats:
Dist. 10:
McCaul (R) 44%
Ankrum (D) 51%
(Don't get too excited - we suspect those numbers are predominantly Travis early voting)

Dist. 31:
Carter (R) 59%
Harrell (D) 40%

Dist. 21:
Lamar Smith (R) 61%
John Courage (D) 25%

Dist. 25
Doggett (D) 73%
Rostig (R) 22%

Other congressional seats:
Dist. 22 (Tom DeLay's former seat)
Lampson (D) 50%
Sekula Gibbs (R) 44%

I'm not sure why, because the numbers they're showing don't support it, but CNN is calling the New Jersey Senate race for Democrat Menendez over Republican Kean. That's huge – one of the crucial seats the Dems were hoping for. The only numbers I see show Menendez behind, so I'm guessing that those returns are from rural districts.

News 8 Austin has all seven bond propositions passing, but Prop. 4 in trouble with 56% for, 44% against.

I was in the ladies room chatting with a woman sporting a Texas Conference for Women tote bag, who began thanking me profusely when she realized I was the one who dished on Martha Stewart in our coverage of that event, but we were interrupted by shrieks from the main room of the Molotov Lounge when former Austin Chronicle city editor and current bonds backer Mike Clark-Madison called the Libraries for Austin party with the early vote totals: With almost 63,000 votes counted, Prop. 6 (which would pump $90 million into building a new central library) was passing with 60% of the vote.

Said Cynthia Charles, manager of the Carver Branch, "We always knew we were going to get it. Just glad that we got our new daddy. Make that our sugar daddy. It's awesome." The "daddy" is our big new main library, she later explained. "Brenda [Branch, director of the Austin Public Library] is going to be so happy we're going to have to resuscitate her."

CBS is calling Pennsylvania for Dem Bob Casey over Little Ricky.

Headlines:

ALL CITY OF AUSTIN BONDS BONDS PASSING EASILY

LEGE: BOLTON NARROW LEAD OVER WELCH

LEGE: WATSON, DUKES, HOWARD, NAISHTAT, RODRIGUEZ, STRAMA WINNING EASILY

DISTRICT COURTS: BAIRD AND NARANJO WELL UP ON REPUBLICANS

COUNTY: DEMS ALL WINNING EASILY EXCEPT PCT. 2 JUSTICE OF PEACE

At this point, the Texas House Dist. 47 race is the only nail-biter. The early voting totals: 12,185 votes for teacher favorite Valinda Bolton, 11,449 for Bill Welch, the favorite of voucher sugar daddy James Leinenger, who pumped $500,000 into his campaign last month.

It's all over but the counting. Very early numbers are trickling out, only 14 precincts out of 8,510, and obviously from conservative areas. Which, um, is most of Texas.

Remember former Ohio Secretary of State Ken Blackwell, he of the 80-pound cardstock?

Well, he summarily got the crap kicked out of him in his bid for Governor by Democrat Ted Strickland. Blackwell trailed so bad, CNN just called it for Strickland with zero-districts reporting. Trailed so bad, he was pulling this shit in the gubernatorial debate:



Nice knowing ya, shitbird!