Live updates from Democratic Party of Oregon election party

Oregon Convention Center8:45 p.m., Tuesday, Nov. 4

The crowd is settling in for the long haul now. Merkley is ahead by three points, but this early in the game, that doesn’t mean much.

There could be as many as 10,000 people in this building right now. I’ll guess 8,000, conservatively. At any rate, they await news that Oregon has a new junior senator, on their feet. Practically no one is sitting, and why would they? It’s the Democrats’ night, and the OCC is ground zero.

Most of the people in the room volunteered or were involved with Obama or Merkley’s campaign in some way, and their passion is palpable. This is THEIR win, too, and they’re taking every chance to let it be known. And it breaks out again: Yes we can. Yes we can.

Finally the crowd is thinning out a little, or at least heading to the bar before Merkley shows up. The biggest question on most people’s mind? When is Obama going to speak? Soon enough. He’s the president-elect. It’s his world now, and we’re all just living in it.

Oregon Convention Center8:25 p.m., Tuesday, Nov. 4

Obama just claimed Virginia and the OCC crowd loves it. It pushes Obama to 220 electoral votes, and they haven’t counted California yet. A litttle math: 220 + 55 = 275. Obama’s got it, and Oregon Democrats know it.

And it’s been called. “Yes we can.” The chant resonates around the convention center, and it’s been nonstop cheering for minutes. Tears are flowing. It’s roughly 50 percent shock mixed with all the overflowing joy in this room. Has it set in yet?

Leo Frishberg: “Oh yeah. As soon as they called it. I just hope they didn’t call it wrong.”

Sue Zeidler: “No, no. I’m still waiting to wake up in the morning and find out its wrong. It’s renewing my faith in democracy. We all worked really hard to do this.”

Shocked or not, there isn’t a sad soul here.

CNN flashed a graphic showing Merkley with an early lead, and the OCC blew up. There’s hope in the air right now that Merkley can ride the long coattails of Obama and sneak into the Senate.

A 52-48 lead this early in the evening isn’t a guarantee by any means, but, right now, a Merkley win would simply be icing on the cake in a night that has already seen history made, barriers destroyed and faith restored.

McCain’s speech is met with derisive jeers. Obama asked his supporters to vote, not boo. The winners get to have their cake and eat it too. And they’re booing away.

Oregon Convention Center7:35 p.m., Tuesday, Nov. 4

The mood is celebratory here at the Oregon Convention Center as Sen. Barack Obama seems poised for a landslide victory over his Republican rival. There are already hoots of “blowout” and “it’s over,” though most of the hundreds of people that are filing into the cavernous convention center seem as if they are still awaiting the result of what’s sure to be a close U.S. Senate race between Jeff Merkley and incumbent Gordon Smith before truly letting loose.

Setting the scene: Two enormous hi-def projector screens are locked onto CNN, where the pundits seem poised to call the night for the Democrats. Red and blue lights and six American flags provide the backdrop for the stage, which features a simple wooden podium and the one of Merkley’s “Change. It’s Coming.” signs. Tonight, it is. CNN just announced that McCain’s advisors cannot see a path to victory, and the OCC is electric.