Mayor Elaine Walker popped open three bottles of champagne at 8:17 p.m. in celebration of her re-election. She poured drinks for her guests at her house on State Street while her husband held his phone to her ear. Her son had called to congratulate her. Then, her own phone rang.

The Warren County Clerk’s Office has released the following unofficial results for the mayoral and city commission races:

Mayoral candidate Brian Strow walked into the Warren County Courthouse wearing bright orange, the international color of reform. He let out a deep sigh and shook his head, then smiled. “What do you want to do right now?” asked a broadcast news reporter near the door.

The race for Bowling Green City Commission came down to the last precinct on Tuesday night. Before the votes for the last precinct were reported, Incumbent Commissioner Brian “Slim” Nash had his head in his hands and tears were coming to his eyes. Nash said he was feeling a sense of disappointment and was second guessing himself.

Rep. Jim DeCesare, R-Rockfield, pays attention to projected polls, but he believes only one poll matters. “There’s only one poll that counts and that’s tonight,” DeCesare said after being elected to the State House of Representative. DeCesare and others gathered tonight at the Republican Party Headquarters in Warren County.

Barbara Burns thought it was a “damn shame” that the local races didn’t turn out in favor of the Democrats tonight. But the Bowling Green resident and the rest of the Democrats at the Bowling Green Democratic Headquarters had something to celebrate. Sen. Barack Obama was elected the 44th president of the United States tonight.

Click here for a photo slide show from an election night celebration outside Pearce-Ford Tower. Students celebrated Sen. Barack Obama’s, D-Ill., election outside of Pearce-Ford Tower Tuesday night. They sang, chanted and danced. They crowded onto the south end of campus after three dorms’ fire alarms were pulled.