MANCHESTER – 12:05 a.m.: UnionLeader.com's election newsblog is closing down for the night. Turn to this site and to the New Hampshire Union Leader in the morning for much more detail, color and analysis of one of the watershed elections in state history. Thanks to all the reporters who contributed to this blog, and our thanks to you for reading us tonight.

-- Executive Editor Charlie Perkins, on behalf of the entire election night news team.

12:02 a.m.: AP's Holly Ramer has put the Democratic triumph into perspective. Here's a few excerpts from her story. "New Hampshire Democrats emerged from Tuesday's elections more powerful than they've been in 94 years . . . Victories by (Lynch, Shea-Porter and Hodes) marked the first time since 1912 that Democrats were elected to three of the state's top five seats. . . . Though Democrats have won five of the last six gubernatorial elections, Republicans have long dominated the congressional delegation and Legislature. . . . The last time Democrats controlled the state Senate was 1998, but their 13-11 advantage ended the next year with the death of Democratic Senate President Clesson Blaisdell. In the House, Democrats haven't been in charge since 1922.

11:58 p.m.: Veteran Executive Councilor Peter Spaulding continues to trail little-known Democrat John Shea. AP's latest tally, with 78 of 87 precincts reporting, has Shea with 37,267 votes, Spaulding with 36,030.

11:52 p.m.: Manchester's Ted Gatsas has retained his state Senate seat. The Senate president, who is unlikely to retain that title next session, squeaked by Bob Backus, 9,116 to 8,802.

11:32 p.m.: The Associated Press reports that the Democrats have clinched control of the New Hampshire House for the first time since 1911. Their current count in the 400-member chamber: 213-153 Democratic. Staggering GOP losses in Manchester and Strafford County were part of the landslide.

11:19 p.m.: In her victory speech, Carol Shea-Porter has promised to go to Washington and speak up "for the rest of us."

11:14 p.m.: Democrats have picked up at least six state Senate seats. A 16-8 domination by Republicans has swung at least to 14-10 in favor of the Democrats. If GOP Senate President Ted Gatsas loses to Bob Backus, the Democrats will gain a 15th seat. In Manchester, Republican Sen. Andre Martel was unseated by Betsi DeVries; in the Lakes Region, Democrat Kathi Sgambati beat Laconia's longtime football coach, James Fitzgerald; and in Keene, Molly Kelly ousted Republican Tom Eaton.

11:12 p.m.: BULLETIN: U.S. Rep. Jeb Bradley, blaming a "perfect storm," is conceding.

11:05 p.m.: The GOP may lose an Executive Council seat that had not been considered vulnerable. Veteran Councilor Peter Spaulding, according to AP numbers, is trailing John Shea by 700 votes with 76 percent of the vote counted. Democrat Bev Hollingworth is defeating Chuck Morse for the Seacoast/Salem seat, which had been held by the GOP for many years. An upset of Spaulding would give the Democrats a 3-2 majority on the powerful panel.

11:02 p.m.: Key Jeb Bradley aide Deb VanderBeek has just told UnionLeader.com, "It doesn't look good."

10:56 p.m.: UnionLeader.com's current unofficial totals in the major races: Lynch leads Coburn, 195,651 to 76,732; Bradley leads Shea-Porter, 75,755 to 73,851; Hodes leads Bass, 61,723 to 56,185; District 3 Executive Council hopeful Bev Hollingworth leads Chuck Morse, 28,494 to 26,180.

10:53 p.m.: Staff reporter Ben Kepple reported the following from Bass' concession speech: Bass thanked his supporters and the people he had served for six terms in Congress. His family behind him, Bass pledged to offer Paul Hodes a good, smooth transition and spoke about the ideas for which he fought in Congress. “All of these have been great, great goals to strive for. Not one minute of the 12 years I’ve served in Washington has been wasted,” Bass said. As Bass entered the room, he was met with applause and cheers of “Charlie! Charlie!” Bass made it clear he wanted to stay involved in politics. He told supporters he would now spend time with his family, be active in his community and his state and would return to politics if the opportunity ever presented itself. “I don’t intend to make this the end of my political service to New Hampshire,” Bass said.

10:50 p.m.:One of the state GOP's key players has just told staff reporter John DiStaso that Shea-Porter will beat Bradley.

10:42 p.m.: The Bradley v. Shea-Porter race is extremely tight. UnionLeader.com's latest totals have the Republican incumbent up by about 1,800 votes, 75,105 to 73,357. However, many big Republican towns are included in that total; several key Democratic cities including Portsmouth are not. Bradley took Derry, usually a big GOP town, by just 3,617 to 3,261. One veteran GOP observer has told UnionLeader.com that Bradley will fall short.

10:40 p.m.: Paul Hodes is giving his victory speech before an enthusiastic crowd.

10:24 p.m.: U.S. Rep. Charles Bass is giving his concession speech now. In his remarks, the outgoing congressman said, "I want to congratulate Paul Hodes on a hard-fought campaign. I wish him well."

10:15 p.m.: UnionLeader.com has been told that in a key state Senate race, Democrat Kathleen Sgambati has taken Laconia, the hometown of GOP nominee "Coach" Fitzgerald, and will win the District 4 seat. Fitzgerald had ousted a GOP incumbent in the September primary.

10:13 p.m.: Bass spokesman Scott Tranchemontagne says, "The call has been made to Paul Hodes and he (Bass) has conceded."

10:10 p.m.: Staff reporter Ben Kepple reportes that while U.S. Rep. Charles Bass has not yet appeared before supporters in Concord, his supporters looked quite grim. It was something of a change from a couple of hours before. Earlier in the evening, as a couple of dozen guests munched on appetizers in Salon C of the Grappone Conference Center in Concord, the mood seemed cautiously optimistic in the room. “I think that Charlie’s going to pull it out. He’s had formidable challenges before, but always pulled them out,” said state Sen. Robert Boyce, R-Alton Bay. “The early numbers look good.” As the night went on, the numbers were the focus. As folks watched television and checked computers for the latest election results. But as GOP gubernatorial candidate Jim Coburn gave his concession speech, the room fell silent. When coverage switched to the 1st District race, the room was again silent as people watched those at the Bradley campaign event cheer what looked like a spot of good news. However, as Gov. John Lynch delivered his victory speech, and the strength of the Democrats’ gains became clear, those in attendance started to look rather glum.

10:08 p.m.: Staff reporter Carol Robidoux has been told Bass will concede in the next 20 minutes.

10:00 p.m.: Paul Hodes has told staff reporter John DiStaso that although his count shows a 13,000 vote lead, "until I hear from the congressman, we're not going to jump to a final conclusion." Hodes noted that he had won in Concord and the North Country and "battled him to a draw" in the Monadnock and Hillsborough area.

9:49 p.m.: BULLETIN: UnionLeader.com has learned that Republican U.S. Rep. Charles Bass is preparing to call Paul Hodes and congratulate the Democrat on his victory.

9:41 p.m.: Despite the analysis below from political insiders and reporters, the real totals do matter. According to the Union Leader's latest count, Shea-Porter trails Bradley, 40,117 to 37,293, and Hodes has a narrow lead over Bass, 25,424 to 24,050. AP, with 57 percent of the vote in, also has Bradley ahead, 51 to 49 percent.

9:38 p.m.: More bad news for the GOP in the U.S. House races. As more towns report, Democrats continue to win swing towns and limit the Republicans to narrower-than-usual wins in usually safe towns. Unofficial numbers show Hodes easily outpolling Bass in the congressman's hometown of Peterborough, winning the college town of Hanover by 2,300 votes, falling just a few votes short of winning Milford and losing Salem by only about 600 votes. Shea-Porter won Exeter by about 1,000 votes, wiping out Bradley's combined margin in Hooksett and Londonderry.

9:25 p.m.: The GOP is in grave danger of losing both the state's congressional seats. While UnionLeader.com is not calling either race at this time, Paul Hodes is in a very strong position against U.S. Rep. Charles Bass in the 2nd District. Insurgent Carol Shea-Porter has taken Exeter by a thousand votes, lost GOP stronghold Londonderry by fewer than 700 and won Epping, putting her in position for a historic upset over U.S. Rep. Jeb Bradley. (Note: Thanks to e-mailer Crystal of Bedford for pointing out a mistake in an earlier version this item.)

9:20 p.m.: In state Senate District 22, Republican Mike Downing claimed victory over Democrat Elizabeth Roth. Both are from Salem. Downing previously served six years in the Legislature as a Democrat. “People know what I stand for and appreciate what I did,” Downing said.

9:16 p.m.: Both constitutional amendments seem to be passing easily. AP shows Question 1, which would restrict eminent domain, getting 85 percent approval and Question 2, which would permit more single-town House districts, winning 71 percent of the vote. The Union Leader's count in Manchester is comparable. In Ward 12, Question 1 passed 1,609-231 and Question 2 by 1,258-458.

9:13 p.m.: In the District 5 Executive Council race, Republican Chuck Morse has a narrow lead over Seacoast Democrat Bev Hollingworth thanks to strong showings in Chester and Hampstead. Results are not available yet from the key communities of Portsmouth, Dover and the candidates' home towns of Salem and Hampton.

9:09 p.m.: With all four Manchester wards reporting, Sen. Lou D'Allesandro seems assured of re-election. The Democrat leads GOP nominee Bob Wheeler, 4,473 to 2,465. The only precinct yet to report is Wheeler's home town of Goffstown, but it is all but impossible for him to catch the Democrat -- especially against this year's Democratic tide.

9:04 p.m.: In New Hampshire's congressional races, 2nd District results arrive more slowly than 1st District numbers. Some meaningful results are now available in the nationally-watched Charles Bass-Paul Hodes race. The Union Leader's count shows Bass leading by a few hundred votes. AP, with more precincts reporting, shows the Democrat ahead, 24,398 to 17,965.

8:59 p.m.: The vote tabulations of both AP and the Union Leader show Carol Shea-Porter roughly a thousand votes ahead of U.S. Rep. Jeb Bradley. More than half the vote remains to be counted.

8:46 p.m.: AP's latest significant state Senate results: District 1 (5 of 38 precincts, 13 percent),Sen. John Gallus, GOP, 459, Norman Jackman, D, 368; District 2 (4 of 31 precincts, 13 percent), Deborah Reynolds, D, 1,106, Sen. Carl Johnson, GOP, 937; District 3 (3 of 17 precincts, 18 percent), Sen. Joseph Kenney, GOP, 1,409, George Cleveland, D, 1,278; District 6 (11 of 14 precincts, 79 percent), Jacalyn Cilley, D, 6,067, Jim McLin, GOP, 4,402; District 10 (6 of 15 precincts, 40 percent), Molly Kelly, D, 5,589, Sen. Tom Eaton, GOP, 2,993; District 15 (7 of 12 precincts, 58 percent), Sen. Sylvia Larsen, D, 6,582, Kris MacNeil, GOP, 2,608; District 16 (5 of 7 precincts), Bob Backus, D, 7,696, Sen. Ted Gatsas, GOP 7,655; District 17 (5 of 12 precincts), Sen. Jack Barnes, GOP, 4,139, Corey Corbin, D, 3,005; District 18 (5 of 6 precincts), Betsi DeVries, D, 6,274, Sen. Andy Martel, GOP, 4,663; District 20 (4 of 5 precincts), Sen. Lou D’Allesandro, D, 4,473, Robert Wheeler, GOP, 2,465.

8:46 p.m.: Seacoast state Sen. Martha Fuller Clark said she believes Carol Shea-Porter will upset Republican U.S. Rep. Jeb Bradley due to strong results on the Seacoast and in Manchester. Fuller Clark's GOP opponent, Dan Hughes, said early returns show that "angry Republican and angry Democrats" have pushed results against his party. "It's probably a massive statewide wipeout," Hughes told staff reporter Riley Yates.

8:42 p.m.: Manchester's state House seats were divided evenly between the two parties before today's election, split 17-17 with one vacancy. Staff reporter Mark Hayward has been told that the Democrats will take 29 seats, leaving the GOP with just six.

8:37 p.m.: In Senate District 18, Republican incumbent Andy Martel conceded to DemocratBetsi DeVries shortly before 8:30 p.m. "The people are saying taxes were the Number 1 thing on their mind. I can tell you that taxes evidently were not on their mind, even though they said they were. They would have voted differently if they were," Martel said. He pointed out that he got nearly double the votes in Manchester's Ward 9that Republican gubernatorial nominee Jim Coburn received.

8:33 p.m.: With 11 Manchester wards reporting, the Union Leader's unofficial count shows Carol Shea-Porter leading U.S. Rep. Jeb Bradley, 12,697 to 11,824. Ward 9 is still out. John Lynch leads in the city, 18,663 to 6,290. In the Council race, Wieczorek leads Paul Martineau, 12,565 to 11,650.

8:28 p.m.: AP says Shea-Porter leads Bradley by about a thousand votes with 28 percent of the vote counted.

8:24 p.m.: AP says John Lynch leads Jim Coburn 49,192 to 14,889 (77 percent to 23 percent) with 14 percent of the vote counted.

8:14 p.m.: In Senate District 18, Democrat Betsi DeVries topped Sen. Andre Martel, 1,424-1,157 in Ward 6. That's important because in his narrow 2004 victory, Martel took that ward by almost 200 votes. Very bad news for the incumbent. He's behind, 2,283-1,649, with three wards and Litchfield yet to report.

8:07 p.m.: Out of state, but of local interest. FOX News just called the Massachusetts governor's race for Deval Patrick over Kerry Healey.

8:00 p.m.: With the same seven wards available, Paul Martineau leads GOP Executive Councilor Ray Wieczorek, 7,363-6,910.

7:56 p.m.: In Manchester, with seven wards in, Gov. John Lynch leads Jim Coburn, 11,037 to 3,751. No results are yet in from elsewhere in the state -- but it seems impossible for the GOP challenger to overcome that massive Lynch victory.

7:53 p.m.: With seven Manchester wards reporting, the Union Leader's unofficial count shows Carol Shea-Porter leading U.S. Rep. Jeb Bradley, 7,605-6,839. Here are the results by ward, Shea-Porter's results listed first: Ward 1: 1,846-1,800; Ward 3, 808-578; Ward 4, 1,011-854; Ward 5, 808-562; Ward 6; 1,284-1,339 (Bradley takes the ward); Ward 11, 727-674; Ward 12: 1,121-1,032.

7:41 p.m.: More Manchester results. Betsi DeVries whipped Sen. Andre Martel in Ward 4, 808-562. That's bad news for the GOP incumbent. A Democratic source says Carol Shea-Porter has won 11 of the 12 city wards and Bob Backus has topped Ted Gatsas in Ward 1.

7:38 p.m.: If exit polls leaked to National Review Online's "The Corner" (a conservative blog) are accurate, Republicans are in deep trouble in the U.S. Senate.

7:33 p.m.: Results from Ward 12 in Manchester -- a West Side ward that leans Republican -- are not good news for the GOP. It's a Democratic sweep. Gov. Lynch routs Jim Coburn, 1,463-415. Carol Shea-Porter tops Jeb Bradley 1,011-834. State Senate President Ted Gatsas trails Bob Backus, 1,101-1,007. In the Executive Council race, Paul Martineau edged incumbent Ray Wieczorek, 1,119-1,012.

7:27 p.m.: There's a problem in Manchester's Ward 8. The "ender card" needed to operate the voting machines was never delivered. The vote totals will be delayed. They are awaiting a new card from the city clerk's office.

7:20 p.m.: An e-mail from an angry Chester voter: "What a joke the town of Chester is. It was announced at the public school today and in the news that the polls close at 8:00 PM when they actually closed at 7:00 PM. Thanks to whoever made the announcement so we could not vote!" (Note: The Union Leader had the correct hours.)

7:10 p.m.: The late turnout in Manchester's Ward 8 has kept the polls open past the planned closing time. The voters still in line will be able to cast ballots.

5:45 p.m.: Poll workers across Manchester report the strongest voter turnout of any non-Presidential election in recent memory.

Digital ballot counts frequently exceeded moderators’ expectations, as voters continued streaming into the polling sites well after the morning rush.

"We’ve had far more ballots counted than we’ve had before," said Louise Gosselin, moderator at the St. Pius CCD Center in Ward 6. "And it just keeps going."

Crowds were especially thick in the morning. Volunteers at the Jewett Street School in Ward 8 said a line of voters spanned one hallway and rounded the corner by the time doors opened at 6 a.m. (Earlier, this item incorrectly referred to a different ward.)

NARAL Pro-Choice New Hampshire volunteers Alysia Satterfield (left), 17, and Betsy Schneider, 27, handed out voting material today at Oyster River High School in Durham. (CLYNTON NAMUO)

"The only time I’ve seen that is in a Presidential race," said Albertine Morrissette, Ward 8's moderator.Moderators speculated the First District congressional race was fueling much of the enthusiasm.

Several voters said their goal was to help send more Democrats to Washington.

"Frankly, I’m not happy with the way the government is, and my vote can hopefully make a difference," said Megan Monahan, a St. Anselm College student who voted a straight Democratic ticket.

The war in Iraq was foremost in some voters’ minds. That was the case with Vickie Voisine, who said she usually reserves her vote for Presidential elections.

"My son’s almost 18. I want them home," she said of the U.S. servicemen now abroad.

5:00 p.m.: New Hampshire voters are headed to the polls in healthy numbers today, according to Secretary of State William Gardner.

Gardner said he thinks the final turnout will be somewhere between the non-presidential elections of 2002, when 453,000 voters showed up, and 1998, when 327,500 cast votes.

ADVICE FROM ABOVE: A Seacoast GOP state Senate hopeful added an aerial banner to his multimedia effort to unseat Martha Fuller Clark. (RICK DUMONT)

“I don’t think there’s any question about that,” he said.

Last week, Gardner predicted that nearly 48 percent of eligible voters would go to the polls today. He based that estimate, higher than usual for a mid-term election, on the demand for absentee ballots. Local election officials told him they’d seen an unusually high number of requests.

Turnout this morning was heavier than expected in places like Piermont and Haverhill in Grafton County, Meredith and Wolfeboro in the Lakes Region and in Londonderry, Auburn and Nashua in the southern tier.

Smaller towns around the state told Gardner’s office this afternoon they are on a pace to match or exceed 1998 levels.

OUTSIDE THE GOFFSTOWN POLLS, U.S. Rep. Jeb Bradley (right) and, from left, supporter Tony Fallon and state representative candidate Russ Day wave to voters. (DICK MORIN)

5:00 p.m.: This newsblog will be updated throughout the evening with reports and observations on today's elections. Items will come from our editors, reporters and photographers.

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