AP National Political Editor Liz Sidoti, obviously in the thick of things tonight, offers this assessment of election night so far:

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"The night is unfolding as expected, with Mitt Romney winning in the traditional Republican strongholds — including in the South and the heartland — while President Barack Obama racks up victories in Democratic bastions of the Northeast, including New York. Of course, none of the states called thus far are among the 10 most contested states, where both candidates and their allies flooded TV airwaves with roughly 1 million spots costing about $1 billion."

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EDITOR'S NOTE — Election Watch shows you Election Day 2012 through the eyes of Associated Press journalists. Follow them on Twitter where available with the handles listed after each item.