The Democratic Party racked up another victory Thursday in its quest for a 60-seat majority in the Senate when results from the Oregon Senate race put Democrat Jeff Merkley ahead of incumbent Republican senator Gordon Smith. The victory in the close race puts Democrats only 3 seats away from achieving a filibuster-proof majority that would nullify one of the key tactics used by the minority party to toss out undesirable legislation.
"This is the beginning of a transformational change for America," Merkley said at a news conference at Portland State University.
Like many Democratic challengers around the country, Merkley was boosted by overwhelming support for President-elect Barack Obama. He promised to work with the new president-elect to "put this nation back on track."
However, despite Merkley's victory and a landslide electoral victory for the party's presidential nominee, the Democrats seem unlikely to achieve their goal of a 60-seat majority in the U.S. senate, as the three remaining undecided races seem to be leaning towards the Republicans.
In Minnesota, Republican Norm Coleman and Democrat Al Franken will undergo a recount after the race came down to a margin of merely 570 votes putting Coleman over the top.
In a press conference, Franken called the sliver-thin margin "four one-hundredths of one percent of the vote."
"There is reason to believe that the recount could change the vote tallies significantly," Franken added. "This has been a long campaign, but it is going to be a little longer before we have a winner."
Another potential bright spot for the GOP was the apparent ability of Georgia's incumbent Republican senator Saxby Chambliss to secure victory despite strong opposition from his former Sigma Chi fraternity brother and former state Democratic Representative Jim Martin. The race may go to a run-off, which would be held in early December.
In one of the most closely watched races, Alaska's Republican Senator Ted Stevens continues to battle for his political life with Democrat and Anchorage Mayor Mark Bergrich. Stevens, though popular, was convicted last week on seven counts of lying on Senate financial disclosure forms.
Stevens maintains a thin margin over Bergrich, polls show, and the races will likely come down to 40,000 absentee ballots, which will take around 10 days to tally.
Whether or not they achieve the super majority, the economic crisis and popular support for Barack Obama saw Democrats pick up seats in some surprising states. In a huge upset, state senator Kay Hagan (D) defeated incumbent Republican Senator Elizabeth Dole in the race for one of North Carolina's seats in the U.S. Senate.
In addition, the once-solidly Republican state of Virginia will now have two Democratic senators following a victory by former Governor Mark Warner over Republican Jim Gilmore. Warner was favored in the polls to win battle between two former governors for an open Senate seat, adding to the Democratic Party's majority in the Senate.
In New Hampshire, democratic challenger Jeanne Shaheen defeated Incumbent Republican senator John Sununu. This was the second Senate race for the former New Hampshire Governor. Shaheen, 61, had lost to Sununu, 44, in 2002 by less than 20,000 votes.
A pair of Democratic cousins, Mark Udall and Tom Udall, defeated Republican opponents to boost the Democratic majority in the Senate. In New Mexico, Democrat Tom Udall defeated Republican Steve Pearce for the seat of Senator Pete Domenici, while in Colorado, Democrat Mark Udall beat out Republican Bob Schaffer.
A sliver of light in what was mostly bad news for the GOP came from Kentucky, where Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell was able to stave off a tough challenge from Democrat Bruce Lunsford.
Republicans prevailed in another unexpectedly tight race, with Mississippi incumbent Republican Roger Wicker narrowly beating Democratic Gov. Ronnie Musgrove. The seat formerly belonged to Trent Lott, who won in 2006 before stepping down. Wicker was appointed to replace Lott.
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