With Tonight's Results, Resolving Tough Questions?

5. Will the D.C. Council, deeply frustrated by Mayor Adrian Fenty's end runs around them on issue after issue, embark on a more confrontational or obstructionist path over the next two years?

If Michael Brown wins the at-large council contest, will that embolden Chairman Vincent Gray (D) and council members such as Marion Barry (D-Ward 8), Harry Thomas (D-Ward 5), Phil Mendelson (D-At Large), and David Catania (I-At Large) to take a stronger, elbows-out approach in their battles to get the mayor to be more open, cooperative and even deferential to the council?

6. How close can Mark Warner come to sweeping every county and city in Virginia -- and, if he does, what does that mean for next year's race for governor?

It is, of course, extremely unlikely that he'll pull it off, even against a weak opponent such as Jim Gilmore (in Virginia last week, Sarah Palin didn't even bother to mention Gilmore to two crowds -- a rare breach of protocol bordering on outright insult). But would a huge Warner victory reflect only his personal success in portraying himself as a centrist whose business focus and practical manner transcend party, or would it give Democrats a real leg up on next year's governor's race?

7. Who will do better against Obama in rural Virginia, McCain or Hillary Clinton?

Although Obama won the Virginia Democratic primary last February by 64 percent to Clinton's 35 percent, she trounced him in the state's rural southwest, where many white voters far preferred her populist pitch and were often openly skeptical of or antagonistic toward the idea of a black president. Clinton hit 86 percent in Lee County, the state's westernmost county. Have Obama's repeat visits to the region made enough of a difference to improve his showing, or will McCain similarly dominate in that part of the state?

Join me at noon today for a discussion of why people do -- and don't -- vote on "Raw Fisher Radio" athttp://www.washingtonpost.com/rawfisherradio.