The Path to 270

The first votes in the 2012 election are just weeks away from being cast, and the horse race is fully underway. This far out, it's anyone's guess who the GOP nominee will be. But one thing is certain: The nominee and President Barack Obama will face a different electorate than 2008.

The obvious difference is the economy. While there's been slow but steady improvement, the economy has not recovered from the cliff it fell off in late 2008. But perhaps just as important is the demographic shift occurring in key states across the country.

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This article was originally published in Huffington Post.