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Online NewsHour
Vote 2008: Presidential Election Coverage

Presidential Race

Reporter's Notebook: Gwen Ifill on Key States to Watch

By Steve Goldbloom on November 4, 2008

With voters finally casting ballots on Election Day, NewsHour senior correspondent Gwen Ifill reflects on which states to watch as results come in from across the country and what’s in store for the NewsHour’s special election night coverage.

“We are watching Virginia as an indication as much of who’s going to win as of what direction the night is headed in. If Virginia turns out to be an extraordinarily close outcome once those polls close and it’s too close to call I think we have a much longer night. If Virginia closes and one of the candidates is very strong I think it may be a shorter night,” Ifill said.

“What I like on Election Day is that I don’t have to read the polls anymore. I can just stop, take a deep breath and let Americans actually tells us what they think. And then we just have to be braced to cover it however it unfolds.”

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Comments

  • Posted:
    11/ 4/08 at
    07:49 PM
    Mahasen : I am 65yrs and still working hard . I am a naturalised citizen of this country and haved lived here for almost 35yrs.This presidential election had been a different exprience from the prior elctions as it motivated me to be acively involed in the political process at a grass root level. I spent several weekends registering new voters and keeping my self informed about what is going on in politics in the rest of the country while talking to friends , collegues and strangers i met during voter registration. Senator Barak Obama's campain made me hopefull for a better America, where courage, fortitude,character,talent and commitment was getting rewarded as these qualities represent the best we could strive for in leveled playing field. It is an opportunity for all Americans to belive that this is indeed the land of the free and the home of the brave, irrespevive of ones colour creed or faith, where the ideals of liberty ,equality fraternity and democracy could florish and a beacon for the rest of the word.
  • Posted:
    11/ 4/08 at
    07:55 PM
    Robert Kamerer : you guys didn't just call south carolina for mccain-it seems to be going Obama's way!!!
  • Posted:
    11/ 4/08 at
    08:51 PM
    Jeff Wagner : Brooks mentioned how much the experience of voting at your polling station on Election Day means to him. If he had to wade through the morass of constitutional initiatives that we have in CO I think he might change his mind in favor of early voting.
  • Posted:
    11/ 4/08 at
    08:54 PM
    Joshua Brown : Obama knows much more about foreign policy than McCain, I don't care if McCain served longer or is a Vietnam vet. It's time we got smart and elect a president who has more to do than just whether or not he's "patriotic", a "maverick", or wants to keep us in a second Vietnam for another 100 years.
  • Posted:
    11/ 4/08 at
    09:08 PM
    Katy : I have been watching all the news channels and am about to switch back to PBS as its coverage is about to start. While I am an enthusiastic Obama supporter I must confess I am appalled that there has been NO discussion about our soldiers and marines who are undoubtedly watching some of the coverage from Iraq and Afghanistan. What must it be like for them to hear over and over that THE issue is the economy and not a word about them. Gotta be tough on them and their families. Can't we even pretend that we care a little about them and that they had some effect on this election?
  • Posted:
    11/ 4/08 at
    09:36 PM
    Falls Villagers : We love Gwen's suit and necklace. She looks great tonight.
  • Posted:
    11/ 4/08 at
    10:46 PM
    MI : Why are so many of the analysts wearing red? Go OBAMA!
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