Alright, this is it. My final projections for the 2004 presidential election. This is after months of painstaking analysis, poll tracking, and my whims and fancies. My final electoral count is 286-252 for the winner, and STILL the president of the United States, "The Master of Disaster," "The King of Sting," "The Count of Monte Fisto," George W. Bush!

As for a breakdown of states, it goes something like this (Bush states are in bold and Kerry states are in italics):

Alabama
Alaska
Arizona
Arkansas
California
Colorado
Connecticut
Deleware
District of Columbia
Florida
Georgia
Hawaii
Idaho
Illinois
Indiana
Iowa
Kansas
Kentucky
Louisiana
Maine
Maryland
Massachusetts
Michigan
Minnesota
Mississippi
Missouri
Montana
Nebraska
Nevada
New Hampshire
New Jersey
New Mexico
New York
North Carolina
North Dakota
Ohio
Oklahoma
Oregon
Pennsylvania
Rhode Island
South Carolina
South Dakota
Tennessee
Texas
Utah
Vermont
Virginia
Washington
West Virginia
Wisconsin
Wyoming

There you have it. I also think Bush will win the popular vote this time something along the lines of 49-47. Interestingly enough, this election has the possibility of the opposite effect of 2000, with Bush winning the popular vote but losing in the electoral college. For fans of irony, that would be quite a feat. If Kerry manages to get within half a percent nationwide, he should win in the electoral college. As for turnout, I think it will be around 115 million, up from 104 million in 2000, but not quite the 120 million that some analysts have predicted.

The key states are once again Florida, Pennsylvania, and Ohio. If Kerry can carry two of those three he'll probably win. The toughest states for me to decide were Ohio, Wisconsin, and Iowa.

Regardless of what happens, this election has the propensity to be an all night affair, so break out the caffeine, find a comfortable chair, and let the best man win.