The phones are silent, the television ads have come down, and the 2012 election has largely been decided. Here is a short recap:

1. The Presidency. The state of Florida has yet to be called, but President Obama already has enough electoral votes to claim victory. On the popular vote, President Obama has 51 percent to Mitt Romney’s 47 percent, which means in both the electoral count and the popular one, President Obama’s margin is smaller than it was in 2008 making this the first time since World War II that a president has been returned to the White House with a smaller margin than he came in with.
2. The Senate. One state has yet to be called - North Dakota - but the chamber will remain in Democratic hands. The margin will either be 53 to 47 or 52 to 48 with two Independents caucusing with the Democrats. Democrats defended many more seats than Republicans, which means 2012 was a strong year for Senate Democrats.
3. The House. 11 races still have not been called, but Republicans will maintain their majority in the House. Though this outcome was expected, Republicans should only lose a handful of seats, which, considering the Senate and White House outcomes, is a significant win for the party.
4. Exit Polls – Size Of Government. According to exit polls, most Americans believe the government is doing too many things better left to businesses. Most also said they prefer smaller government with fewer services than larger government.
5. Exit Polls – Solutions. Americans want a solution to our budget deficit and long-term debt problems, but they do not want to raise taxes to address the problem. According to exit polls, the majority of Americans said they would not raise taxes to help cut the deficit.