Today is midterm elections in the United States. All 435 US House seats and 1/3 of the US Senate plus 36 state governorships are up for grabs. The Democrats need a net gain of 15 seats to regain control of the House (currently controlled by the GOP 232-202-1) over the Republicans and at least 6 in the Senate (also GOP-controlled 55-44-1). While the House victory seems assured, they face a tough battle in the Senate with the GOP in 5 key seats, with 3 being considered very close to call (Montana, Missouri, and Virginia).

The 2004 maps of presidential electoral votes and popular votes by county (Blue= Kerry, Red= Bush):

NY Times 2006 Election Guide

Let's just hope for a miracle of change in the political horizon.