Potomac Primary Live Updates

We're a little under ten minutes away from polls closing in Virginia. An hour later, polls in Maryland and DC will close. We'll be following the results here.

For some perspective, between Saturday and tonight, 353 delegates will be selected -- that's more than Texas and Ohio combined.

8:53 PM: We're going to stop with the live updates, but will posting a new blog entry very soon on the difficult math confronting Clinton's campaign.

8:48 PM: TPM has video of Fineman's comments and Josh offers his thoughts:

8:42 PM: Howard Fineman on MSNBC is reporting that Clinton's team is conceding they will lose the battle pledged -- but that they hope their advantage amongst superdelegates can still still deliver her the nomination. This, of course, would be a total violation of everything the Democratic Party stands for.

8:38 PM: The magic number keeps on getting closer to Obama -- and further from Clinton. She must win 56% of the remaining pledged delegates to hit 1,627. Obama's magic number is down to 46%.

8:34 PM: MSNBC is reporting the delegate distribution at 1,074 to 967.

8:22 PM: Obama now leads by over 600,000 votes and has hit 50% of the overall vote for the first time. I also just heard on MSNBC that he's opened offices in Texas a week before Clinton. According to pundits, Clinton is counting on the Hispanic vote in Texas -- but tonight Obama won more Hispanic voters than Clinton in Virginia and came close to winning more in Maryland, where he got 45%.

7:10 PM: McCain is now attacking Obama. Yawn. But it does validate the truth: Obama is winning.

7:03 PM: So far, CNN estimates 1,044 1,036 delegates (+50) for Obama and 944 (+20) for Clinton. Edwards still has 26. Obama must now win just 47% of the remaining delegates to reach his magic number, while Clinton must win 55% to reach hers.

6:53 PM: I just updated the pledged delegate count -- Obama now leads by 5%.

6:31 PM: MSNBC just called Maryland and DC for Obama -- Maryland by a healthy margin.

6:29 PM: Cool stat from FleetAdmiralJ at Daily Kos:

Obama has nearly 100,000 more votes than McCain and Huckabee combined.

Clinton has about 70,000 more votes than McCain herself.

6:22 PM: Clinton was just speaking in Texas -- no recognition of the enormity of her loss in Virginia. Assuming that she understands Obama is winning, her public denial of that fact is a strange strategy.

5:49 PM: New delegate numbers: Obama 1,014 (+25) and Clinton 934 (+11). Meanwhile, in Virginia the blowout continues: with 65% reporting, Obama has a 62-57 lead -- a margin of about 130,000 votes.

5:29 PM: The talking heads on CNN are chatting about superdelegates without seriously questioning whether or not the superdelegates should subvert the will of the public.

4:54 PM: Virginia: With 20% in, Obama has 62%; Clinton has 37%. DC to report soon, but Maryland's polls are staying open late.

4:43 PM: CNN updates its pledged delegate count: Obama 1,003 (+14), Clinton 930 (+7).

4:35 PM: Lou Dobbs just said that Virginia's superdelegates are at stake tonight. That is untrue -- hopefully he just mispoke. Tonight, pledged delegates are at stake. The superdelegates are free to support whomever they choose -- that's why we need to pay close attention to this process.

4:14 PM: Obama won with an impressive coalition in Virginia. According to the exit polls, Obama won 65% of male voters and 58% of female voters. He won 59% of Democrats and 66% of independents. He won 60% of voters without a college degree and 62% of voters with a college degree. Hillary won 58% of white women, but Obama won 55% of white women.

4:00 PM: CNN: Obama wins Virginia. Make it 21 contests!

3:57 PM (Pacific time): For some perspective, between Saturday and tonight, 353 delegates will be selected -- that's more than Texas and Ohio combined.