5:50 p.m. (9% reporting)
Clinton = 50%
Obama = 46%
Over 80 percent of the vote that has reported in is from Jefferson County - home to Louisville - one of the few locales in Kentucky where Obama is expected to do well.
5:55 p.m. (11% reporting)
Clinton = 51%
Obama = 46%
6:00 p.m. MSNBC, CNN, and Fox News all project Hillary Clinton has won the Kentucky primary. This is the 18th state Clinton has won, plus Florida, Michigan, and American Samoa. Obama has won 27 states, plus D.C., the Texas caucuses, Guam, and the Virgin Islands.
6:02 p.m. Clinton has now won states with 291 Electoral College votes. Obama has won states with just 217 Electoral College votes.
6:08 p.m. Clinton's post-primary strategy of convincing superdelegates that she is the more electable Democratic candidate just got a boost from a new poll out today from SurveyUSA. Although Obama won the Democratic primary by 14 points, 56 to 42 percent, Hillary Clinton has a 14-point advantage over Obama in respective general election matchups against John McCain. The survey of 713 likely North Carolina voters found McCain defeating Obama 51 to 43 percent, but Clinton beating McCain 49 to 43 percent. Once upon a time, it was Obama who was carrying independent and moderate voters, but, in North Carolina, Clinton outperforms Obama (and McCain) among both groups.
6:11 p.m. (20% reporting)
Clinton = 52%
Obama = 45%
6:15 p.m. (22% reporting)
Clinton = 54%
Obama = 43%
6:19 p.m. (24% reporting)
Clinton = 55%
Obama = 41%
6:33 p.m. (32% reporting)
Clinton = 54%
Obama = 43%
6:40 p.m. (37% reporting)
Clinton = 55%
Obama = 41%
6:46 p.m. (41% reporting)
Clinton = 57%
Obama = 40%
6:50 p.m. (43% reporting)
Clinton = 58%
Obama = 39%
6:59 p.m. (52% reporting)
Clinton = 59%
Obama = 37%
Clinton's net vote advantage in Kentucky is now up to 97,000. She will need that margin to exceed 200,000 or 225,000 to make a large dent in Obama's 411,000 overall popular vote lead.
7:06 p.m. (55% reporting)
Clinton = 62%
Obama = 34%
7:11 p.m. (60% reporting)
Clinton = 64%
Obama = 32%
7:18 p.m. In the opening of Hillary Clinton's victory speech in Kentucky she wisely takes the first few minutes to talk about Ted Kennedy. Clinton says that she is "winning the popular vote." That statement is technically accurate, but only if one includes Michigan in the vote tally. Clinton's argument that she won the most popular votes will likely fall on deaf ears unless she wins the vote without counting Michigan, where Obama's name was not on the ballot.
7:23 p.m. (70% reporting)
Clinton = 65%
Obama = 31%
Clinton's net vote advantage in Kentucky has now risen to 160,000 votes.
7:33 p.m. (77% reporting)
Clinton = 65%
Obama = 31%
Clinton now leads by 177,000 votes.
7:36 p.m. (83% reporting)
Clinton = 65%
Obama = 31%
Clinton now leads Obama by 191,000 votes and is poised to eclipse the 200,000 net vote advantage as projected earlier in the week by Smart Politics.
7:42 p.m. (88% reporting)
Clinton = 65%
Obama = 30%
Clinton now leads by 205,000 votes in Kentucky and has a 35-point advantage over Obama with 12 percent of precincts yet to report.
8:31 p.m. (97% reporting)
Clinton = 65%
Obama = 30%
Clinton's current 240,500 vote advantage is just shy of the 243,000 vote victory margin Smart Politics projected on May 14th. It appears Clinton will slightly exceed that margin.
8:54 p.m. (99% reporting)
Clinton = 65%
Obama = 30%
Clinton has now gained 247,000 votes on Obama.
9:10 p.m. (100% reporting)
Clinton = 65%
Obama = 30%
With 100 percent of precincts reporting, Clinton gained a net 249,192 votes on Obama -- just 6,192 more votes than projected by Smart Politics a week ago.
