The total number of votes cast for all candidates in the New Hampshire Democratic primary was 287,304.  So far in Texas a total of 1,003,557 votes have been counted in the Democratic primary–four times as many as in the entire Granite State . . . with just 3% of Texas precincts reporting.

UPDATE:

In just 30 minutes and now with 10% of precincts reporting, Hillary Clinton has halved Obama’s lead from to just 30,000 votes.  The reason for the lopsided Texas early vote totals as well as Obama’s slipping lead:  Early voting.

The Texas exit polls show Obama leading Clinton 52-48 among voters who decided a while back, but Clinton leading Obama by a whopping 61-38 among those deciding in the last three days. Insert your favorite Obama-bruising news story from the past 72 hours here.

There are plenty to choose from.  And I stand by my earlier prediction:  Obama will now be the object of a media pile-on just as they piled on Hillary the moment they sensed weakness where before there was inevitability.  The story line coming out of tonight will be “Hillary the Comeback Queen.” 

And where will Obama’s followers go if he is not the nominee?

MEANWHILE:

In the Buckeye State, Hillary is up by 16 points with one-third of the vote recorded.  Ohio is not homogeneous at all, so where those votes are coming from matters a lot.  That said, 16 points with one-third counted is a lot of votes to make up.

Both Cincinnati and Cleveland were reporting lots of Republican crossover votes today.  Talk about irony.  Wouldn’t it be funny if Rush Limbaugh didn’t have enough pull with his own party to keep McCain from being the nominee, but he had enough pull to get Republicans to make Hillary the Democratic nominee?  What would that say about the strength of the Democratic Party?

ALSO:

Another half hour later and the margin in Texas is now just 8,000 votes with 18% decided.  Hillary apparently has won both big states and Obama’ losing streak now stands at three.  Who should he blame?

Canada, of course.

FINALLY:

Glenn is keeping tabs on more livebloggers here (and more frequently updated).  I’m going to bed.  The only question now is how big is Hillary’s margin of victory in both states.  (She’s now taken the lead by 10k in Texas.)

Oh, John McCain clinched the whole thing on the GOP side tonight.  If you had asked me ten weeks ago where we’d be tonight I would have told you that Hillary would have locked up the Democratic nomination long ago and two or three Republicans would still be engaged in a death match that would go to the convention for a decision.  Instead it looks like it’s the Denver Police Department that should get in their riot training before August.

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