Alex Hammer is one such candidate.  Beyond a simple request for mention, however, Mr. Hammer has corresponded with me at length about his vision for Maine and his prospects of following in the footsteps of former successful independent gubernatorial candidates from Maine such as Angus King and Jim Longley.  I have taken a look at his positions on fiscal and social issues and find him to be an intriguing match for an independently-minded state such as Maine.  Fiscally, he is a conservative who believes in smaller and more efficient government.  Socially, he is more conservative than I would have thought for a non-GOPer from a northeastern state.

While I can't go so far as to endorse his candidacy over the Republican in this race, I do see him as a much better alternative than the current Democratic governor.  And his willingness to honestly and openly answer my questions bodes well for him.  He is the first actual candidate to pursue The Blogging Caesar, and I am happy to oblige with this post.  If nothing more, maybe it will help him raise awareness of his candidacy and give him a chance to impact the debate up there in Maine.

You can visit his website at www.Hammer2006.com.

With two terms as governor and a close loss in a run for the Senate under his belt, Knowles is the most formidible opponent Alaskan Democrats can muster.  Add to that incumbent Frank Murkowski's troubles and you have the ingredients for a takeover - even in a GOP-leaning state.  Regrettably, The Blogging Caesar must follow through with my earlier pledge and move this race from weak GOP hold to Weak DEM Gain.  This change gives the Democrats a 7-statehouse gain among governors.  Election Projection now projects the Dems to hold a 29-21 advantage over the GOP after the elections.

Update:  I failed to mention that Jarod was the first to correctly pick this change in the contest thread.  High honorable mention goes to Blaine, noted above, who stated that Alaska would go DEM as soon as the news of Knowles decision broke.

I initially felt former President Carter's son Jack would be a pretty strong contender for John Ensign's senate seat in Nevada.  Polls are not bearing that out.  Ensign is ahead by 20 points in the latest poll.  Without any history of closer polls in this race (unlike Pennsylvania's governor's race), The Blogging Caesar does not see the point in calling this race a weak GOP hold.  Instead, I moving it to Strong GOP Hold.

I previewed these alerts by holding a contest to see who could guess the changes.  Many commenters got one of the two correct.  Several got both right.  The winning comment - the first to get it right - goes to Logan.  Good job.

A complete revised listing of my Senate and gubernatorial race ratings is up.  Check them out here.

Update:  Follow the returns from today's primaries in Arkansas here and Idaho here.

Update:  Follow the returns from today's primaries in Kentucky here, Oregon here, and Pennsylvania here.

Update2:  For a better place to track Pennsylvania's results check out the election returns page on the PA Dept. of State website.

Update3:  And for a better place to track Oregon's results check out this link.

The mood was decidedly different than after the election in 2000.  Demonized then by the Democrats for her completely appropriate role in Bush's victory, Ms. Harris, perhaps in a move to placate their angry mobs, chose to bestow on them a pre-election gift.  Said the sitting U.S. Representative, "You Democrats can now use all those campaign funds it would have taken to compete against a real GOP candidate in Florida to fight against legitimate GOP candidates in other states."  Then, as the partisan crowd whooped it up, she added "With my appointment of Senator Nelson, you won't have to worry about the GOP gaining another Florida Senate seat."

The above ceremony did not actually occur, of course, but with the stubborn refusal of Ms. Harris to get out of this race, it might as well have.  Thanks a lot, Katherine.

Hat tip:  Commenter Brian.

Update:  As soon as I posted this entry, I got this bad news:  Bense isn't going to run.  Florida forecast, continuing clouds and rain showers, increasing gloominess and despair.

For Nebraska results check here.

Update:  You can watch the returns come in for Nebraska here
and West Virginia here.

Update2:  A better site for Nebraska primary results is here.

Update:  Commenting has been turned back on.  Let's keep it civil ladies and gentlemen.

Second, did you see the latest poll from Wyoming?  Remarkably, Gary Trauner, the Democratic challenger to Rep. Barbara Cubin, is within 4 points in that race.  I'm not ready just yet to declared this race competitive, but in my mind this poll certainly moves this race into the possibly competitive category.

The main hypothesis of the formula will be that an average of the latest poll from several polling firms is a good indication of the eventual vote.  Therefore, that metric will get the vast majority of the weight in my formula.  Other factors, such as the voting history, incumbent approval and extenuating circumstances will be used to tweak the result gathered from polls.  A more complete explanation of the formula will be posted when I iron out all the details.

Here are the initial "official" projections for Texas:

Here are the initial "official" projections for Ohio:

Update:  Sorry, I forgot post a link to the list - it's here.  (Link fixed)

Update:  You can check the following links for tonight's primary returns
       Indiana
       North Carolina
       Ohio