Even after 3 a.m. this morning, as in this entire presidential race, polls in the swing states could only indicate one thing: Mitt Romney and Barack Obama were so head-to-head that no one could make a safe bet on the winner. Despite Obama's widely-announced win in the late hours of Tuesday night, the race to the White House, Edition 2012, stretched into the very last minute. Even though some 46 million citizens took advantage of the opportunity to vote early, lines at the voting booths extending from New York to Los Angeles showed that Americans are not willing to give up on shaping their future. In states such as Virginia, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Florida, the results have shown that Romney and Obama were running neck-and-neck. It was hard to predict, from the outset, in which candidate's pocket these states would end up, and each of them proved to be crucial in deciding the election. Leading up to Tuesday, no Republican candidate has ever won the presidency without winning Ohio, and that proved to be the case this time too. Americans could barely remember an election such as this, in which all the scenarios were possible. This is why Joe Biden, after casting his vote with his wife in Greenville, Delaware, rushed to Ohio, while Obama, who already voted in October, visited polls and made last-minute telephone calls to potential voters. It was amazing to see such long lines at polling stations in Ohio as the candidates continued their campaigns. A source at the Republican headquarters said the polls preceding Election Day were inaccurate because many Democrats intended to vote Republican this time, independents leaned towards Romney, and young adults who voted in droves four years ago did not do the same this year. Shortly before polls closed in Virginia, the Republican headquarters in Boston seemed optimistic, even before early numbers showed that Romney fared significantly better than McCain four years ago in Ohio, Virginia and Pennsylvania. Even though Romney served as a former Massachusetts governor, the Republicans did not try to win in a blue state. Most of the work was concentrated on the swing states. And yet, at the Boston convention center on Tuesday there were some who spoke of Romney's ability to win every state, even Massachusetts. Employees at the convention center worked the entire night to prepare for the big party they thought they were going to have for who they believed would become the 45th President of the United States of America. The stage was decked with flags and huge posters displaying the names of Romney and Ryan. In the backdrop of the stage, a big banner read "Believe in America." Lines at voting stations in Massachusetts were already packed in the morning hours. The driver who took me said that he had not seen such interest in elections in 30 years. The 2012 elections pulled everyone out of their indifference. Even if Obama failed in many respects during his first term, and Romney did not attract overwhelming support, the elections were the best recent thriller America had to offer. In Cambridge, near Boston, voters waited for more than an hour at voting booths, despite the cold weather. John, a director of a computer company, told me that he voted for Romney because it was hard for him to employ workers under current conditions. Despite his vote, John said he believed Obama would win. "I voted mostly to send a message to Obama, that, if he wins, he should know that half of America does not agree with his policies." "And if Romney wins-" I asked. "So I contributed to returning America to a path of prosperity," he responded. Meanwhile, after casting his own vote in Belmont, Massachusetts, Romney headed to Ohio and Pennsylvania to continue convincing voters. "Take advantage of your precious right and go vote," he said. The Democratic camp said the fact that Romney was working on election day was due to his despair, but in Boston, people at the Romney headquarters told me it was due to a "momentum of enthusiasm." "All signs indicate that we are going to win, there is tremendous support and enthusiasm," explained Ryan Williams, a spokesman for Romney's headquarters. Thousands of people and some 1200 journalists were invited to the anticipated celebration for Romney. In the large, festive venue, participants felt as if they were in the home of someone who could be the next president. "Once the various networks began to analyze how we could win the election, I realized we were going to win," Sean, a local volunteer who was moving chairs around, told me optimistically. I asked, again, "And if Obama wins-" "America will lose."
