So, I don't want to make anybody panic/celebrate/react prematurely, but I've finished my picks for tomorrow's election.  And here's how I think it could shake out:

McCain 270
Obama 268

What's that you say?  I KNOW.  Not at all the way that the media says it's going to turn out.  I'm just a simple small-town momma and not a political analyst by trade, so obviously I may be wrong.  But in case you're wondering, here's  how I arrived at the numbers:
- I ignored the potential impact of the money and effort spent on this campaign and looked solely at the way in which a state voted over the past four Presidential elections.  I'm interested to see if States really do vote in generally the same way that they always do, or if the estimated $1 Billion spent on this election really does have an impact.
- Out of the 51 areas that have votes in the Electoral College (Side note for anyone who is wondering if they missed another State being added to the Union while they were busy changing diapers and making ANOTHER run to Target: Yes, there are still only 50 States.  The District of Columbia also has representation in the Electoral College, making the total areas represented 51), 36 States/+District have voted the same way in each of the last four elections.  For example, if they have been Blue for the last four elections, I left them Blue for this one.
- That leaves 15 States where in some of the past four elections the state has been Red, and in some it has been Blue.  For example, if there was a majority (mostly Red), I marked them down as Red for this election.  Or if they were most recently Red, then I figured that if they have consistently voted for President Bush, perhaps they'd feel settled in their Red ways.
- Of those 15, there were only two States that varied from this approach - Colorado and New Mexico.  After reading about recent polls in those States, I used the method called "gut reaction" to place my picks.

Want the details?  Want to follow along with my picks as you watch the results rolling in?  Download the official Nelson Picks.

Want to argue with me?  Tell me how wrong I am?  Yell at me for posting such projections?  Or, maybe you're thrilled to see the numbers aligned in this way?  Is there anyone who reads this site that feels that way (other than you, Dad and Marty)?  Feel free to leave your thoughts here, or come back later and hand me an "I told you so".

Trust me, I don't mind being wrong.  Just ask my husband.