You can play with this interactive map yourself on the CNN website.

Could this be what the electoral college map will look like in 2008? I have given Obama 300 electoral votes to McCain's 238. This is just one scenario I come up with in which Obama could win the electoral vote without winning the popular vote. In the conservative states in the desert southwest, the great plains, and the deep south- aka the "Red States" that Bush won in 2004- I predict that Obama is going to not only lose, but lose by large numbers. In the "Blue States " shown, most of which are the states Kerry won in 2004 except for Florida and Ohio, I predict that Obama will win with less than 1 percent of the vote plurality. CNN currently lists New Mexico and Pennsylvania leaning toward Obama, with Ohio, Florida, and Virginia still up for grabs. I am putting Virginia (where I live) and New Hampshire where I vacation ("Live Free or Die") in McCain's column.

Electoral votes and congressional districts are roughly proportional to population based on the last census. A difference of 300 to 238 sounds like a decisive victory, but it is just 30 electoral votes more than a tie, so once again, two states whose combined electoral votes add up to >30 could decide it, like Ohio(20) and Florida(27). If Obama gets 51 percent of the vote in those two states, and the rest of the country follows the "Red State/Blue State" polarity of the last two elections, he can WIN!