Election 2010: What to Watch For at 6 p.m.

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Election Day H-Hour is a little over an hour away. The first poll closings are in Indiana and Kentucky at 6 p.m. Here’s what to watch for:

IN-9: This is the race to watch in the 6 p.m. hour. If Dem Baron Hill holds on against Republican Todd Young, his party could be in for a less painful night than expected.

KY-6: Blue Dog Ben Chandler is in a similar boat to Hill. If this one is close or goes to Republican Andy Barr, look for Republicans to win 60 seats or more.

IN-2: Joe Donnelly, a key member of the Bart Stupak’s bloc of anti-abortion Dems, faces a stiff challenge in this northern Indiana district. If he loses, the Stupak bloc could end up nearly extinct in the next Congress.

IN-8: Senate candidate Brad Ellsworth’s old district should be a very easy pickup for Republicans. If it’s even close, Dems are doing way better than the polls predicted.

KY-3: This district, represented by Dem John Yarmuth, shouldn’t even be on the radar for the GOP. If Republican Todd Lally wins here, Dems could be headed for an unprecedented rout.

Senate: GOPers Dan Coats in Indiana and Rand Paul in Kentucky should win easily. Expect these races to be called early.

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We just wrapped up a shorter-than-normal, urgent-as-ever fundraising drive and we came up about $45,000 short of our $300,000 goal.

That means we're going to have upwards of $350,000, maybe more, to raise in online donations between now and June 30, when our fiscal year ends and we have to get to break-even. And even though there's zero cushion to miss the mark, we won't be all that in your face about our fundraising again until June.

So we urgently need this specific ask, what you're reading right now, to start bringing in more donations than it ever has. The reality, for these next few months and next few years, is that we have to start finding ways to grow our online supporter base in a big way—and we're optimistic we can keep making real headway by being real with you about this.

Because the bottom line: Corporations and powerful people with deep pockets will never sustain the type of journalism Mother Jones exists to do. The only investors who won’t let independent, investigative journalism down are the people who actually care about its future—you.

And we hope you might consider pitching in before moving on to whatever it is you're about to do next. We really need to see if we'll be able to raise more with this real estate on a daily basis than we have been, so we're hoping to see a promising start.

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