State-by-state election results

By The Associated Press

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Here are the latest returns from across the United States.

NORTHEAST

CONNECTICUT:

PRESIDENT (7) — Kerry by nearly 10 percentage points.

SENATE — Democrat incumbent Chris Dodd skated past GOP challenger Jack Orchulli.

HOUSE — Remains 3R, 2D. Two Republican incumbents, Chris Shays and Rob Simmons, beat out challengers Diane Farrell and Jim Sullivan.

EXIT POLL — More than half of voters said they opposed the Iraq war, and nine in 10 of those voted for Kerry.

DELAWARE:
 
PRESIDENT (3) — Kerry won as many voters cast ballots in opposition to Bush rather than supporting the Massachusetts senator.

GOVERNOR — Incumbent Ruth Ann Minner won second term against Republican Bill Lee after last-minute blitz of negative campaign ads.

HOUSE — 1R. Republican Michael Castle coasted to success with support from Democrats and unaffiliated voters.

EXIT POLL — Kerry got boost from voters who said they were casting ballots against Bush.

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA:

PRESIDENT (3) — No surprise here: Kerry won handily in a city as Democratic as Wyoming is Republican.

HOUSE — Remains 1D. Eleanor Holmes Norton, a Democrat, captured eighth term as shadow delegate who can vote in committee but not on the House floor. Norton has been a big proponent of D.C. statehood.

OTHER — Former Mayor Marion Barry resuscitated his political career yet again, winning a seat to city council. Barry was once caught smoking crack on an FBI videotape.

EXIT POLL — Seven of 10 voters said they were worried about another terrorist attack in the U.S. Nine of 10 voters cast ballots for Kerry.

MAINE:

PRESIDENT (4) — Kerry defeated Bush, ending speculation the president could pick off one electoral vote in the north. The state allows votes to be split by congressional district.

HOUSE — Remains 2D. A day for incumbents: In the 1st District, Democratic Rep. Tom Allen beat GOP challenger Charlie Summers. In the 2nd, freshman Democratic Rep. Michael Michaud defeats Brian Hamel.

PROPOSITIONS — Mainers rejected an initiative to cap property taxes at 1 percent of assessed value. Sportsmen led a successful campaign to defeat a ban on using bait, hounds and traps to hunt bears.

EXIT POLL — Voters surveyed listed Iraq as their top issue and expressed a need for change. Mainers were divided on whether the country's safer from terrorism.

MARYLAND:

PRESIDENT (10) — With a double-digit lead in a Democratic safe state, Kerry breezed to victory.

SENATE — Democratic Sen. Barbara Mikulski easily survived challenge from millionaire state Sen. E.J. Pipkin, then celebrated by saying, "We are a blue state. We are neon blue. We are cobalt blue. We are blue in the face."

HOUSE — 6D, 2R. Rep. Steny Hoyer, No. 2 ranking Democrat in the House, and seven other incumbents coasted. None dipped below 60 percent of the vote.

EXIT POLL — About three-quarters of voters who said they were financially better off than they were four years ago cast ballots for Bush. Those worse off tended to vote for Kerry.

MASSACHUSETTS:

PRESIDENT (12) — Kerry easily captured his home state, winning by a wide margin.

HOUSE — 10D. Voters returned all Democratic incumbents to Capitol Hill, including Rep. James McGovern, who defeated a GOP leader of the anti-gay marriage movement in Massachusetts.

LEGISLATURE — Republicans lost three legislative seats in the most fiercely contested elections in a decade.

EXIT POLL — Six of 10 voters disapproved of the president's decision to go to war in Iraq; those voters overwhelmingly supported Kerry.

NEW HAMPSHIRE:

PRESIDENT (4) — Kerry became the first Democrat since Woodrow Wilson in 1912 to beat a sitting Republican president in New Hampshire. Four college towns gave Kerry 10,587 votes, essentially all of his narrow margin statewide.

PRESIDENT (4) — Kerry became the first Democrat since Woodrow Wilson in 1912 to beat a sitting Republican president in New Hampshire. Four college towns accounted for about 80 percent of Kerry's narrow margin statewide.

SENATE — GOP Sen. Judd Gregg won 2 to 1 against 94-year-old Doris "Granny D" Haddock, scrappy but underfunded advocate for campaign-finance reform.

GOVERNOR — Democrats bucked the historical trend again as John Lynch denied an incumbent governor a second term for the first time since 1926. He unseated Republican Craig Benson after attacking him during the campaign as a failed business leader.

HOUSE — Remains 2R. Five-term GOP Rep. Charles Bass breezed past Democrat Paul Hodes, coming close even in Hodes' hometown of Concord.

EXIT POLL — Anger over the war in Iraq turned the vote for Kerry.

NEW JERSEY:

PRESIDENT (15) — What close race? Kerry wins state decisively.

HOUSE — Remains 7D, 6R. Republican Rep. Mike Ferguson gets third term in 7th District, defeating former Marine Steve Brozak, despite Brozak's high profile gained by speaking slot at the Democratic National Convention and prominent boosters such as former New Jersey U.S. Sen. Bill Bradley.

PROPOSITIONS — Residents upset about high property taxes in towns of Verona and Cedar Grove voted to secede from Essex County. Such a move requires approval by the state Legislature, which even township officials say is extremely unlikely.

EXIT POLL — Opposition to the Iraq war, and dismay over its course, key to Kerry win.

NEW YORK:

PRESIDENT (31) — Kerry prevailed in state that has five Democrats for every three Republicans.

SENATE — Democrat Charles Schumer, with $26 million war chest, easily triumphed over Republican Howard Mills and Conservative Marilyn O'Grady in bid for second term.

HOUSE — 19D, 10R. Two Republicans — Jack Quinn and Amo Houghton — retired, and Democrat Brian Higgins and Republican Nancy Naples dueled for Quinn's seat.

EXIT POLL — Roman Catholics, a group that made up two-fifths of the voters in New York, split evenly between Bush and Kerry, and white Catholics supported Bush three to two. Eight in 10 Jewish voters chose Kerry.

PENNSYLVANIA:

PRESIDENT (21) — Kerry took the Keystone State by 3 percentage points; Al Gore took the state by 4.2 points in 2000.

SENATE — Moderate Republican Sen. Arlen Specter defeats Democratic Rep. Joe Hoeffel to secure fifth term; he's likely to chair Senate Judiciary Committee, with authority to help reshape Supreme Court as justices retire.

HOUSE — Remains 12R, 7D. Republican freshman Rep. Jim Gerlach and Democrat Lois Murphy were deadlocked; incumbent parties held onto remaining seats, including the one Hoeffel left to run for Senate.

OTHER — State Auditor General Robert P. Casey Jr., son of the late former governor, elected treasurer while eyeing a second run for governor — possibly in 2010.

EXIT POLL — Fence-sitters who made up their mind in the last month favored Kerry by a sizable margin.

RHODE ISLAND:

PRESIDENT (4) — Kerry, strongly.

HOUSE — Remains 2D. Voters overwhelmingly sent Democratic Reps. Patrick Kennedy and Jim Langevin to subsequent terms in Washington. Kennedy was elected to a sixth term; Langevin a third.

PROPOSITIONS — Ballot measure to authorize a constitutional convention was defeated.

EXIT POLL — About seven in 10 voters said they made up their minds more than a month ago about which candidate to choose for president.

VERMONT:

PRESIDENT: (3) — Kerry an easy victor in a state that has backed Democrats by no fewer than 10 points in past three elections.

SENATE — Democrat Patrick Leahy, 30-year Senate veteran, sailed to victory over challenger Jack McMullen.

GOVERNOR — Republican incumbent James Douglas never lost a steady lead over Democrat Peter Clavelle, mayor of Burlington.

HOUSE — Remains 1 Ind. Rep. Bernie Sanders, House's only independent, won easy re-election.

EXIT POLL — First state with same-sex civil unions is getting to like them. State was split in 2000; now less than a quarter opposed and nearly half support same-sex marriage.

SOUTH

ALABAMA:

PRESIDENT (9) — Bush won by 26 percentage points, despite Democrats' bid to rally voters for Kerry.

SENATE — GOP Sen. Richard Shelby easily claimed a fourth term, marking his 10th straight election to congressional or state office in three decades.

HOUSE — Current: 5R, 2D. All incumbents won, including first-term Republican Rep. Mike Rogers, who sought re-election in a district Democrats had hoped to capture.

PROPOSITIONS — Voters were divided over a measure to repeal segregation-era language from the state constitution. The measure, which remained undecided early Wednesday, drew criticism from opponents who claimed it could trigger a court order to increase public school funding, risking a potential tax increase.

EXIT POLL — Bush won in every age range, including 18-to-24-year-old voters and more than two-thirds of those over 65.

ARKANSAS:

PRESIDENT (6) — Bush benefited from heavy conservative turnout for anti-gay marriage amendment, winning by larger margin than his 2000 victory over Al Gore.

SENATE — Blanche Lincoln won second term, easily surviving bid by state Sen. Jim Holt, who called liberal federal judges a greater threat to the nation than terrorists.

HOUSE — Remains 3D, 1R. Incumbents coasted.

PROPOSITIONS — Anti-gay marriage approved by 3-1 margin. Voters also gave Legislature permission to OK incentives for large businesses wanting to invest in state.

EXIT POLL — Voters who believe nation is safer from terrorism now than in 2000 went for Bush by a 9-1 margin.

FLORIDA:

PRESIDENT (27) — President Bush claimed victory in the nation's top battleground state, four years after it took a 36-day recount and U.S. Supreme Court decision to settle the battle of Florida.

SENATE — Republican Mel Martinez held slight lead over Democrat Betty Castor and claimed victory in a tight race to succeed retiring Democratic Sen. Bob Graham. Castor indicated she may challenge the results. Martinez would be state's first Hispanic senator, Castor its second female senator.

HOUSE — 18R, 7D. Republican Rep. Katherine Harris, vilified by Democrats while she served as secretary of state during 2000 recount, won in rematch with Sarasota attorney Jan Schneider. Republican Connie Mack IV, son of the ex-senator, took seat given up by new CIA director Porter Goss.

PROPOSITIONS — Voters approved a $1-an-hour hike in the state minimum wage and approved an initiative to limit privacy rights of girls under age 18, so that law could be changed to require parental notice if minors seek abortions.

EXIT POLL — Nearly eight in 10 voters picked their candidate more than a month ago. Kerry got a strong majority from people who made up their minds over the last month.

GEORGIA:

PRESIDENT (15) — Bush trumped his 2000 margin of victory, getting 59 percent of the vote this time, compared to 55 percent then.

SENATE — "Cream always rises to the top," said retiring Sen. Zell Miller, a maverick Democrat, about his GOP replacement, Rep. Johnny Isakson. Denise Majette was trounced in her bid to become the state's first black senator.

HOUSE — Democratic newcomer John Barrow and Republican freshman Rep. Max Burns remained locked in a race too close to call. Democrat Jim Marshall easily survived a GOP threat, while Democrat Cynthia McKinney clinched the seat she lost two years ago to Majette.

PROPOSITIONS — Opponents of the state's new constitutional ban on gay marriages vowed to take it to the courts after it passed by more than a 3-to-1 margin.

EXIT POLL — With touch-screen machines in every precinct, nine of 10 voters said they were confident their votes would be accurately counted.

KENTUCKY:

PRESIDENT (8) — Bush trounced Kerry, another big Southern loss for the Massachusetts senator.

SENATE — GOP incumbent Jim Bunning in a squeaker over Daniel Mongiardo, denying the Democrats a potential pickup in the Senate. Bunning's odd behavior in the campaign's final days made it close.

HOUSE — Current, 4R, 2D; new 5R, 1D. Republican businessman Geoff Davis picked up the seat of retiring Democrat Ken Lucas in conservative district. Davis beat Nick Clooney, father of George.

PROPOSITIONS — Voters approved amendment banning gay marriage and civil unions by 3-to-1 margin.

OTHER — Former Gov. Julian Carroll, a Democrat, made a return to politics with a state Senate win over the governor's brother, Republican Harold Fletcher.

EXIT POLL — Nearly three-fourths of voters who described themselves as evangelical or born-again Christians backed Bush, and six in 10 supported Bunning.

LOUISIANA:

PRESIDENT (9) — Bush easily took the state that neighbors his native Texas.

SENATE — Rep. David Vitter won a slim majority and barely avoided a runoff, becoming the first Republican from Louisiana to serve in the Senate since Reconstruction.

HOUSE — Remains 5R, 2D. Republican Bobby Jindal, who lost the governor's race last year, won to become the first Indian American in Congress. Republican Billy Tauzin III advanced to Dec. 4 runoff for the seat vacated by his father. He'll face Democrat Charlie Melancon.

PROPOSITIONS — Amendment established constitutional right to hunt and fish.

EXIT POLL — Although women nationwide were more likely to vote for Kerry, Bush was the choice of 60 percent of Louisiana's women.

MISSISSIPPI:

PRESIDENT (6) — Bush swept in a state that has gone Republican in every presidential election since 1980.

HOUSE — Remains 2R, 2D. All four of Mississippi's incumbent congressmen won re-election, including Democrat Bennie Thompson, who faced a rematch against Republican Clinton LeSueur in a poor, primarily rural District stretching through the Delta.

PROPOSITIONS — A constitutional amendment banning gay marriage passed overwhelmingly; opponents plan a challenge in the courts.

EXIT POLL — Nine of 10 voters supported Bush's handling of the war in Iraq in a state that has 4,000 soldiers who have either served there or are preparing to.

NORTH CAROLINA:

PRESIDENT (15) — Bush handily wins state traditionally in GOP column.

SENATE — Rep. Richard Burr won John Edwards' old seat, defeating former Clinton aide Erskine Bowles, who became a two-time loser after falling in the 2002 Senate race to Elizabeth Dole.

GOVERNOR — Incumbent Mike Easley won a second term, defeating GOP challenger Patrick Ballantine with a campaign that argued that Easley effectively led the state through tough fiscal times.

HOUSE — Remains 7R, 6D. For the third straight election, no seats changed party hands as Republican Charles Taylor won an eighth term, beating challenger Patsy Keever in western 11th District.

EXIT POLL — Republican appeals to moral and faith issues were effective; one quarter of Bush supporters said religious faith was their most important presidential quality.

SOUTH CAROLINA:

PRESIDENT (8) — Bush rolls with about 58 percent, a margin almost identical to his victory in 2000.

SENATE — Rep. Jim DeMint picked up an extra seat for the Republican Party despite a tough challenge from Democratic state Education Superintendent Inez Tenenbaum. Both hoped to succeed retiring Democratic Sen. Ernest "Fritz" Hollings.

HOUSE — Remains 4R, 2D. Republican Bob Inglis easily recaptured the 4th District seat, which he gave up six years ago. It came open when DeMint began his quest for Senate.

PROPOSITIONS — Ballot question lifting the requirement that bars and restaurants pour drinks from miniature bottles of liquor like those used on airliners was approved by a 3-2 margin.

EXIT POLL — Bush grabbed support from about 21 percent of minority men but only from about 12 percent of minority women. The state's population is almost 30 percent black.

TENNESSEE:

PRESIDENT (11) — Blowout for Bush, who recaptured 2000 rival Al Gore's home state in 14-percentage point landslide.

HOUSE — Remains 5D, 4R. All incumbents win another term. Democrat Lincoln Davis had the only serious race — a repeat of his 2002 victory over Tullahoma alderwoman Janice Bowling.

EXIT POLL — A third of Tennessee voters said "moral values" was the most important issue in choosing a president. Of those voters, nine of 10 chose Bush.

TEXAS:

PRESIDENT (34) — What'd you expect? Bush, former governor and favorite son of Crawford, claimed state and nation's second-largest trove of electoral votes.

HOUSE — 16R, 16D. Following GOP-engineered redistricting, Chet Edwards was only one of five incumbent Democrats to win competitive races in Republican-tilted districts. Losers were Martin Frost, Max Sandlin, Nick Lampson and Charlie Stenholm.

PROPOSITIONS — Voters in Arlington, home of the Texas Rangers, passed tax hike to pay half the $650 million price tag for new Dallas Cowboys stadium.

EXIT POLL — Nearly two-thirds of those surveyed said they supported Bush's decision to invade Iraq.

VIRGINIA:

PRESIDENT (13) — It looked close early on, but Bush picked up the rural vote, allowing Republicans to keep alive their presidential win streak going back 40 years.

HOUSE — Remains 8R, 3D. Republican state legislator Thelma Drake stepped in to keep Democrats from picking up a seat after incumbent Ed Schrock retired amid gay sex allegations. Democrat Jim Moran holds onto seat despite comments perceived as anti-Semitic.

PROPOSITIONS — Voters in state hit by Sept. 11 attackers backed constitutional amendment expanding list of successors to governor in event of an emergency.

OTHER — L. Douglas Wilder goes from first black elected governor in country's history to 1992 presidential candidate and now mayor of his hometown, Richmond. He beats the incumbent in a landslide.

EXIT POLL — Veterans in Virginia, home of several major military bases, went strongly for Bush, not the Vietnam-serving Kerry.

WEST VIRGINIA:

PRESIDENT (5) — Bush's 12 percentage-point win doubled his winning margin in 2000.

GOVERNOR — Democratic Secretary of State Joe Manchin received 64 percent of the vote to defeat Republican Monty Warner and Mountain Party candidate Jesse Johnson in three-way race. Gov. Bob Wise did not seek re-election.

HOUSE — Remains 2D, 1R. West Virginia's three House members, including lone GOP member Shelley Moore Capito, were re-elected.

PROPOSITIONS — Veterans who served in Kosovo, Afghanistan or Iraq to receive cash bonus.

EXIT POLL — Seven in 10 voters said someone in their household owns a gun, and more than three in five of them voted for Bush.

MIDWEST

ILLINOIS:

PRESIDENT (21) — Kerry, in a landslide.

SENATE — For the second time in 12 years, Illinois elected a black U.S. senator. Democrat Barack Obama easily bested Republican Alan Keyes in race for seat of retiring GOP Sen. Peter Fitzgerald. Keyes moved from Maryland after a sex scandal forced primary winner Jack Ryan out.

HOUSE — Old: 10R, 9D. New: 10D, 9R. Phil Crane, 35-year veteran congressman and most senior Republican in the House, lost to Democratic businesswoman Melissa Bean, who argued that his long service didn't add up to clout in the House.

EXIT POLL — One-third of conservatives and four of 10 Republicans chose Obama over the staunchly conservative Keyes.

INDIANA:

PRESIDENT (11) — Bush rolled to easy victory in state that hasn't backed a Democrat for White House since Lyndon Johnson.

SENATE — Democratic incumbent Evan Bayh bested sociology professor Marvin Scott.

GOVERNOR — Former Bush budget director Mitch Daniels notched comfortable win over Democratic Gov. Joe Kernan, who took office last year upon death of Gov. Frank O'Bannon.

HOUSE — 6R, 3D before election. Race between GOP challenger Mike Sodrel and incumbent Democrat Baron Hill in 9th District too close to call early Wednesday. Hill win would maintain the pre-election party breakdown.

PROPOSITIONS — Ballot question passed that ensures homes, equipment can be exempted from property taxes.

EXIT POLL — Voters maintained their reputation as ticket splitters; nearly a fifth of Bush backers crossed over to vote for Kernan while a smaller number of Kerry supporters voted for Daniels.

IOWA:

PRESIDENT (7) — With a batch of absentee ballots still not returned and less than a percentage point separating the candidates, the presidential race in Iowa remained too close to call.

SENATE — Sen. Charles Grassley, head of the powerful Senate Finance Committee, easily won re-election.

HOUSE — Remains 4R, 1D. All five incumbents were re-elected, including Rep. Leonard Boswell, who survived a second challenge from Des Moines attorney Stan Thompson.

EXIT POLL — Voters who thought the war in Iraq was most important chose Kerry. Those who thought the war on terrorism as the top issue picked Bush.

KANSAS:

PRESIDENT (6) — Bush victory in GOP stronghold never contested.

SENATE — Republican incumbent Sam Brownback built a 70 percent majority with help from liberals and Democrats who preferred him over Democratic railroad engineer Lee Jones.

HOUSE — Remains 3R, 1D. Rep. Dennis Moore defeated conservative Republican Kris Kobach to win a fourth term with his widest margin yet.

PROPOSITIONS — A proposed bistate sales tax to benefit the arts as well as renovations of two professional sports stadiums in Kansas City, Mo., was soundly defeated in two counties on the Kansas side of the metropolitan area.

EXIT POLL — Bush supplemented his solid support from majority Republicans with about one of every six votes cast by Democrats, who make up less than one-third of Kansas voters.

MICHIGAN:

PRESIDENT (17) — Kerry grabbed this state where disappearing manufacturing jobs have been a top concern.

HOUSE — Current: 9R, 6D. Former state Sen. John "Joe" Schwarz won Michigan's only open seat.

PROPOSITIONS — Michigan voters approved an amendment to the state constitution to define marriage as a union between a man and a woman. Another new amendment requires new gambling venues to get voter approval.

EXIT POLL — Voters who considered the economy and jobs the top issue supported Kerry by about 4-1.

MINNESOTA:

PRESIDENT (10) — John Kerry dashed Republican hopes to claim the hotly contested state for the first time since 1972.

HOUSE — Remains 4R, 4D. Republican Mark Kennedy fended off unexpectedly strong challenge from Patty Wetterling, an advocate for missing children since her 11-year-old son was abducted in 1989.

EXIT POLL — Nearly one in 10 Election Day voters said they made up their minds in the final three days of the campaign, and a majority of that bunch sided with Kerry.

MISSOURI:

PRESIDENT (11) — Bush won a state that has picked the winner in all but one election (1956) in the last century.

SENATE — Republican Sen. Kit Bond, also a former two-term governor, handily defeated Democratic State Treasurer Nancy Farmer.

GOVERNOR — Republican Secretary of State Matt Blunt narrowly beat State Auditor Claire McCaskill, who had ousted incumbent Bob Holden in Democratic primary.

HOUSE — Remains 5R, 4D. Democrat Russ Carnahan, son of former Sen. Jean Carnahan and the late Gov. Mel Carnahan, won the seat of retiring Rep. Dick Gephardt.

OTHER — Another Carnahan, Russ's sister Robin, won a bid for secretary of state.

EXIT POLL — Asked which one issue mattered most, a quarter of Missourians cited "moral values." And nearly nine in 10 of those voters favored Bush.

NEBRASKA:

PRESIDENT (5) — Bush, unsurprisingly. Since 1964, Nebraska has backed Republicans every time.

HOUSE — 2R, 1 vacant. Republican Jeff Fortenberry will replace Republican Rep. Doug Bereuter, who left in 13th term to become head of the Asia Foundation.

PROPOSITIONS — Voters rejected legislative proposal allowing two casinos anywhere in the state; also considering another proposal to allow two casinos in Omaha, and 4,900 video poker and slot machines around state. The latter proposal was too close to call early Wednesday.

EXIT POLL — Bush did well among voters who live in small cities and rural areas, where half of those polled in Nebraska live. Kerry fared nearly as well as Bush with voters from urban areas.

NORTH DAKOTA:

PRESIDENT (3) — Bush rolls up bigger margin than against Al Gore in 2000. Only three Democratic presidential candidates — Woodrow Wilson, Franklin D. Roosevelt and Lyndon B. Johnson — have ever carried the state.

SENATE — On the flip side, the state hasn't sent a Republican to Congress since 1986. Sen. Byron Dorgan is the state's toughest Democrat, easily winning third term.

GOVERNOR — Republican incumbent John Hoeven increased his victory margin in winning a second term.

HOUSE — Remains 1D. Democratic Rep. Earl Pomeroy, who has a history of tight races, handily defeated a former Navy submarine officer for his seventh term.

PROPOSITIONS — Voters overwhelmingly approved constitutional amendment against same-sex marriages and civil unions.

EXIT POLL — Nearly eight of 10 voters said their finances were same or better than four years ago; most of those supported Bush.

OHIO:

PRESIDENT (20) — The new Florida. The race for the presidency hinged on Ohio's 20 electoral votes as officials began counting thousands of absentee and provisional ballots. Bush enjoyed a slight lead over Kerry.

SENATE — In a race that wasn't close at all, Republican Sen. George Voinovich won a second term by defeating Democratic state Sen. Eric Fingerhut.

HOUSE — Remains 6D, 12R. All 18 incumbents, including first-termers Mike Turner, a Republican, and Tim Ryan, a Democrat, easily won re-election.

PROPOSITIONS — Voters approved an amendment banning same-sex marriage or any status that "intends to approximate marriage." In Cincinnati, voters threw out a ban on gay rights laws, the only one in the nation.

EXIT POLL: Bush did better than expected among women, splitting the vote with Kerry — a surprise given that Democrats had faired well among women in the past. Married women supported the president at an even higher rate.

OKLAHOMA:

PRESIDENT (7) — Bush cruised to victory by a nearly 2-to-1 margin in a state that has not supported a Democratic candidate since Lyndon Johnson in 1964.

SENATE — Obstetrician Tom Coburn won the race to replace retiring Republican Don Nickles, defeating Democratic Rep. Brad Carson. Coburn spent part of the campaign defending himself against allegations he sterilized a woman without her permission, which he denied.

HOUSE — 4R, 1D. Democratic state Rep. Dan Boren trounced a little-known opponent in the race for Carson's seat.

PROPOSITIONS — Voters approved a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage, as well as creating a statewide lottery and increasing the cigarette tax. They also passed a measure giving the state some authority over Indian casinos — and a share of profits.

EXIT POLL — Bush's coattails helped Coburn in his Senate race; eight out of 10 Bush supporters also backed Coburn.

SOUTH DAKOTA:

PRESIDENT (3) — Bush an easy winner.

SENATE — Republican John Thune elected to Senate over Democrat Tom Daschle in South Dakota, the first time in 52 years a party leader is defeated.

HOUSE — Remains 1D. Stephanie Herseth re-elected after taking a June 1 special election to fill seat vacated by former Gov. Bill Janklow after he was convicted of manslaughter in car crash.

PROPOSITIONS — Voters rejected an effort to repeal sales tax on food.

EXIT POLL — Thune had a strong showing with voters concerned with moral values and terrorism.

WISCONSIN:

PRESIDENT (10) — Kerry pocketed a pivotal state that the president lost by just 5,708 votes in 2000.

SENATE — Incumbent Democrat Russ Feingold soundly defeated GOP challenger Tim Michels, capturing his third term.

HOUSE — Remains 4R, 4D. Democratic U.S. Rep. Tammy Baldwin, the only lesbian in Congress, won re-election. State Sen. Gwen Moore became the first black House member elected from Wisconsin.

EXIT POLL — Half of all Wisconsin voters called the state's economy good; about 40 percent said it was "not so good."

WEST

ALASKA:

PRESIDENT (3) — Bush easily took a state that has gone Republican for the last 40 years.

SENATE — Republican Lisa Murkowski led former Gov. Tony Knowles, despite resentment from many voters that her father, Frank Murkowski, appointed her to his old job when he became governor in 2002.

HOUSE — Remains: 1R. Incumbent Don Young, who calls himself the "congressman for all Alaskans," won a 17th term.

PROPOSITIONS — Alaskans rejected a measure to legalize and tax the sales of marijuana. Another measure fueled by the Murkowski controversy to eliminate appointments to fill Senate vacancies was trailing in the polls.

EXIT POLL — A quarter of voters said they had served in the military. They voted for Bush by nearly 3 to 1.

ARIZONA:

PRESIDENT (10) — Bush racked up double-digit win.

SENATE — Popular Republican Sen. John McCain, seeking a fourth term, drew broad support across political and demographic lines; he edged out Stuart Starky among Democrats and grabbed a majority of support from independents.

HOUSE — 6R, 2D. Incumbent Republican Congressman Rick Renzi soundly defeated Democrat Paul Babbitt, brother of former Interior Secretary and ex-Gov. Bruce Babbitt, for a seat targeted by both parties in expensive, nasty campaign. Party breakdown remains the same.

PROPOSITIONS — Ignoring opposition from state officials, voters passed measure requiring proof of citizenship for voter registration, and proof of legal immigration to obtain certain government services.

EXIT POLL — Two in five Kerry supporters characterized their votes as anti-Bush; four in five ignored McCain's support for Bush in making their choice.

CALIFORNIA:

PRESIDENT (55) — John Kerry claimed the nation's largest haul of electoral votes.

SENATE — Democrat Barbara Boxer sailed to a third term, easily outpolling Republican challenger Bill Jones.

HOUSE — 33D, 20R. California's heavily Democratic congressional delegation was set to return to Washington with two new faces among its 53 members. Republican Dan Lungren won a Sacramento-area seat, and Democrat Jim Costa will fill the seat now held by retiring Democratic Rep. Cal Dooley.

PROPOSITIONS — Voters rejected two expensive casino gambling initiatives, but approved sale of $3 billion in bonds to pay for embryonic stem cell research. Measure to roll back "three strikes" sentencing law was too close to call.

EXIT POLL — Four in 10 voters earning more than $150,000 chose Kerry, despite his promises to roll back a tax cut.

COLORADO:

PRESIDENT (9) — Bush enjoyed a comfortable margin of victory despite late visits by John Kerry to the state where he was born.

SENATE — State Attorney General Ken Salazar gave Democrats a pickup in a solidly Republican state, sliding by Republican beer executive Peter Coors in a tight race. Salazar becomes the first Hispanic senator in more than a quarter-century.

HOUSE — 4R, 2D with a final race outstanding. Salazar's brother, Democrat John Salazar, was neck-in-neck with Republican Greg Walcher in the one race for an open seat. All six incumbents — four Republicans and two Democrats — won easily.

PROPOSITIONS — The closely watched referendum over whether to split Colorado's electoral votes based on the popular vote was soundly rejected. Voters approved a 64-cent state cigarette tax to fund health and education programs.

EXIT POLL — Women in Colorado were split evenly between Kerry and Bush; nationally, women overwhelmingly supported Kerry.

HAWAII:

PRESIDENT (4) — Tight race at the end, but Kerry pulled off victory in a state that's gone Democratic in every election but two since gaining statehood. Islands briefly became battleground at campaign's end after polls showed tight race.

SENATE — Veteran Sen. Daniel Inouye, 80, won a lopsided race against Republican Cam Cavasso, a former state legislator.

HOUSE — 2D. Reps. Neil Abercrombie and Ed Case breezed to re-election.

PROPOSITIONS — Four constitutional amendments on ballot, all relating to crime and criminal prosecution, won approval. State attorney general and the Honolulu prosecutor backed them; opponents had said they would infringe on civil rights.

EXIT POLL — One in four voters strongly approved the U.S. decision to go to war with Iraq and nearly all of them voted for the incumbent. Of the 35 percent of voters who strongly disapproved of the decision, nearly all went to Kerry.

IDAHO:

PRESIDENT (4) — Bush won nearly 70 percent of the vote, one of the highest totals in the heavily Republican state's history.

SENATE — GOP incumbent Michael Crapo raised $2 million — and spent over a third of it — to fend off an anemic write-in challenge. Crapo got more than 99 percent of the vote.

HOUSE — Remains 2R. Underfunded Democrats offered little resistance to Michael Simpson and Butch Otter, who plans a bid for governor in two years.

EXIT POLL — Eight in 10 Idaho voters made up their minds about the presidential race a month or more before the polls opened, and seven of 10 had settled on Bush.

MONTANA:

PRESIDENT (3) — Bush an easy winner.

GOVERNOR — Democrat Brian Schweitzer, who campaigned as an outsider promising bipartisan rule, scored a firm victory over Republican Secretary of State Bob Brown for office GOP has held for 16 years. Schweitzer made history by running with a Republican lieutenant governor.

HOUSE — 1R. Rep. Denny Rehberg by a mile over Democratic challenger Tracy Velazquez.

PROPOSITIONS — Voters turned down mining industry-backed initiative to overturn a ban on using cyanide in mining operations. Voters approved a constitutional ban on gay marriage and legalized medical marijuana.

EXIT POLL — Schweitzer, who supports importing less-expensive prescription drugs from Canada, received nearly two-thirds of the vote among those ages 60 and over.

NEVADA:

PRESIDENT (5) — Defying early exit polls showing slight Kerry lead, Bush won by a 50-48 margin. Bush won the state by 3.5 percent in 2000.

SENATE — Democratic Sen. Harry Reid, the Senate minority whip, was an easy winner over Republican challenger Richard Ziser.

HOUSE — Remains 2R, 1D. First-term Republican Rep. Jon Porter withstood a challenge from former casino executive Tom Gallagher.

PROPOSITIONS — Nevadans voted to raise the minimum wage and to give more protections to doctors from medical malpractice lawsuits. They also made education a top state budget priority.

EXIT POLLS — Exit polls showed Kerry leading by a narrow margin. Kerry got a large share of first-time voters and led in Las Vegas, but trailed in Republican-heavy Reno and more conservative rural areas.

NEW MEXICO:

PRESIDENT (5) — Bush and Kerry were locked in an extremely tight race with Bush about 3,600 votes ahead. Nearly 30,000 absentee and provisional ballots remained uncounted.

HOUSE — Remains 2R, 1D. Closest race was a repeat of 2002, with Republican Rep. Heather Wilson retaining her seat by withstanding a challenge from Democrat Richard Romero.

PROPOSITIONS — Voters agreed to allow runoffs in city elections where no candidate wins a majority or some other threshold percentage of the balloting.

EXIT POLL — Bush gained more Hispanic votes than he did in 2000, with about two in five Hispanics supported him. Other minorities, including American Indians, backed Kerry 2 to 1.

OREGON:

PRESIDENT (7) — Kerry prevailed in state's all-mail balloting system.

SENATE — Heavily favored Democratic Sen. Ron Wyden easily won re-election, defeating little-known Republican newcomer Al King.

HOUSE — 4D, 1R. Rep. David Wu trounced Republican Goli Ameri, who attacked Wu in television ads, citing an October newspaper report that Wu tried to force a girlfriend to have sex in the 1970s.

PROPOSITIONS — Voters overwhelmingly adopted a constitutional amendment that bans gay marriage.

EXIT POLL — Nearly two of every three women surveyed cast their ballots for Kerry. Hispanics supported the Democratic candidate by a 4-to-1 margin.

UTAH:

PRESIDENT (5) — Bush's win was a foregone conclusion.

SENATE — Another safe win for the GOP: two-term incumbent Bob Bennett coasted to a huge victory over Democrat Paul Van Dam, a former attorney general.

GOVERNOR — In a battle of household names, Republican Jon Huntsman Jr., trade official under President Bush and heir to a chemical fortune, defeated Scott Matheson, son of Utah's last Democratic governor.

HOUSE — Remains 2R, 1D. Matheson's brother, Rep. Jim Matheson, held onto his seat despite a barrage of negative 11th hour campaigning by his opponent, John Swallow. The race was a rematch of 2002.

PROPOSITIONS — Voters overwhelmingly approved a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage.

OTHER — Democrat Peter Corroon barely won the Salt Lake City mayor race, beating a replacement candidate for who only got on the Republican ballot when incumbent Nancy Workman quit amid felony charges of misusing public money.

EXIT POLL — Eight out of 10 Mormons went for Bush.

WASHINGTON:

PRESIDENT (11) — Kerry claimed a comfortable triumph in a state that no Republican has won in 20 years.

SENATE — Democratic Sen. Patty Murray thrashed GOP challenger George Nethercutt after divisive, expensive campaign.

GOVERNOR — Attorney General Christine Gregoire led Dino Rossi, Republican businessman and former state senator, by just 32 votes at one point early Wednesay with hundreds of thousands of absentee votes outstanding in race to succeed Democratic Gov. Gary Locke.

HOUSE — 6D, 3R. In a tight race for the open 8th, Republican Dave Reichert, the sheriff who hunted down the Green River Killer, led talk radio host Dave Ross.

PROPOSITIONS — Voters adopted a Lousiana-style primary system that would send the top two vote-getters to the general election regardless of party.

EXIT POLL — Washington's wealthiest residents backed Kerry by wide margins, while nationally most people earning more than $100,000 a year voted for Bush.

WYOMING:

PRESIDENT (3) — Dick Cheney's home state gives Bush a landslide.

HOUSE — 1R. Republican Barbara Cubin beat political newcomer Ted Ladd for sixth term as Wyoming's lone representative.

PROPOSITIONS — Voters rejected constitutional amendment to allow Legislature to put caps on medical malpractice damage awards.

EXIT POLL — Bush performed strongly among those who said they had a favorable opinion of Cheney, while Kerry had strong support among those who have an unfavorable opinion of Cheney. About two-thirds of Wyoming voters said they had a favorable opinion of Cheney.