From the International Herald Tribune:
Early returns in Tuesday's elections should offer hints of what is to come, the first whiff of whether Democrats can seize the House of Representatives and possibly the Senate.
Most of the heavily contested, down-to-the-wire races are east of the Mississippi River, in states with relatively early poll closing times. If a Democratic rout is going to happen, it will be clear from the first votes.
Showdown contests in Virginia, Rhode Island and New Jersey should be harbingers of trends in the Senate. House races in Indiana, Kentucky and Florida will provide election-watchers initial clues as to which party will control that chamber.
