As of 7 this morning, CNN projected Bush winning 254 electoral votes to Kerry’s 252 with three states still not called: Ohio, Iowa and New Mexico. Whichever candidate wins Ohio wins the presidency. If Bush holds onto Ohio and wins a second term, the 2004 election will be seen as a major success for the Republican Party. Bush has easily won the popular vote by nearly 4 million — a marked difference from four years ago when Al Gore beat Bush in the popular vote by 500,000. And the Republicans appear set to strengthen its control in both the Senate and the House.