KENTUCKY SENATE ELECTION 2014 – Mitch McConnell (R) – Alison Lundergan Grimes (D) (Update: FOX News Calls Race for McConnell)(Mitch McConnell Wins)

Early vote count has Republican Minority Senate Leader Mitch McConnell ahead of Democrat Alison Lundergan Grimes,  60% to 38% with 2% reported.

UPDATE I: FOX NEWS HAS JUST CALLED THE ELECTION FOR REPUBLICAN MITCH MCCONNELL!!!

Fox News projects that Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell will win reelection to his Kentucky seat, defeating Democrat Alison Lundergan Grimes.

This is a big win for Republicans because Kentucky was one of the few states where Democrats thought they had a chance of flipping a Senate seat from red to blue. It’s also significant because if Republicans take control of the Senate, McConnell will likely seek to replace Democrat Harry Reid as the next Senate majority leader.

THAT WAS QUICK!!! This is huge as Democrats were all in that they could take this seat from the GOP in an effort to retain control of the US Senate as they are expected to lose many seats tonight. If this is the way it is going to go in elections tonight, the GOP may find themsleves picking up a net 8 or more Senate seats this evening.

UPDATE II: AP – McConnell wins Ky. as GOP bids for Senate majority.

Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell won a hard-fought sixth term Tuesday, putting him a step closer to his lifelong dream of becoming majority leader and getting the GOP off to a good start in its goal of taking control of the Senate.

Democrats once had high hopes for challenger Alison Lundergan Grimes, Kentucky’s young secretary of state. But the hill was too steep in a state President Barack Obama lost by 23 percentage points in 2012.

UPDATE III: McConnell Crushes Grimes.

McConnell, who as Senate Republican leader is already one of the most powerful politicians in Washington, defeated his 35-year old Democratic challenger, in one of the most expensive contests of the campaign cycle. Grimes proved to be a surprisingly formidable opponent and was close in many polls throughout the campaign.

But CNN’s exit polls found McConnell succeeded in turning the race into a referendum on whether Democrats or Republicans should run the Senate. Of those interviewed, 86% said party control was important to them — and they broke 55% to 43% for McConnell over Grimes.