Electoral College Map 2012: Obama Leading Romney By 90 Votes
Americans finally hit the polls today after a long and rigorous 2012 presidential campaign, and voters and pundits alike are analyzing every piece of data possible to correctly predict who will be the victor at the end of the evening.
Though Mitt Romney has led in several nationwide polls over the last several days, President Barack Obama holds the advantage on the Electoral College map, which is what matters on Election Day.
A candidate needs to win 270 or more electoral votes to clinch the presidency. According to The Huffington Post's electoral map projection, which is based on analysis of weeks worth of polling data, a total of 281 electoral votes are safely leaning in Obama's direction. If all of those do end up becoming blue states on Tuesday night, Obama would secure himself another four years in the White House.
His challenger, GOP nominee Mitt Romney, lags behind by a whopping 90 electoral voters. The Huffington Post's data show that 191 electoral votes are likely to end up in Romney's corner tonight.
The race is likely to come down to a handful of key swing states where the outcome of the entire election could be decided.
The five states still in the toss up pile as of Tuesday are Colorado, Florida, New Hampshire North Carolina and Virginia. Those states represent a total of 70 electoral votes — a hefty sum considering each candidate needs a total of 270 electoral votes to successfully win the election. That sum would be incredibly valuable to either candidate, based on The Huffington Post's current projection, which has President Obama at 277 electoral votes and Romney at 191 votes.
Tuesday may be a long night for political pundits and commentators, as the race is still very tight and it could be hours before a winner is declared. Exit polls from various states will be available soon, and while they aren't official results, they act as an early indicator of what may be to come.
