The ballroom at the Portland Hilton erupted into cheers just after 8 pm, after early results displayed on several TV screens showed Democratic gubernatorial candidate John Kitzhaber out to a big lead over his Republican challenger Chris Dudley.

But the official state election results tell a different story. Dudley was out to a slight lead as of 8:10. That tally doesn't include Multnomah County, which shows Kitz up 70-28 in its roster of unofficial results. That appears to be what the people were shouting about.

Early winners: U.S. Representative Earl Blumenauer, who's speaking now, despite a restless crowd that's looking for Kitz to speak.