Four Senate seats remain in contention
Democratic efforts to secure a filibuster-proof majority in the Senate stalled Wednesday as several seats remained hotly contested and a runoff election loomed.
The most dramatic race remained in Minnesota, where Sen. Norm Coleman, a Republican, faces a recount in his battle against Al Franken, the Democratic challenger.
Another twist was unfolding in Alaska, where embattled Sen. Ted Stevens was clinging to a lead over Mark Begich, the Democrat. Stevens, who has served in the Senate for 40 years, was convicted last week on felony corruption charges.
Democrats, however, had a glimmer of hope in Georgia. Sen. Saxby Chambliss, a Republican, held a solid lead Wednesday over his opponent, Jim Martin, but apparently would not reach the 50 percent share of the vote necessary to win in that state. That would require a runoff election in a month.
Before Election Day, Democrats had hoped to take as many as 10 Senate seats away from Republicans to build a 60- vote caucus. That could crush any attempt by the GOP minority to use Senate rules to keep legislation from a floor vote.
Progress toward that goal came rapidly Tuesday as Democrats scored wins in New Hampshire, North Carolina and Virginia — and later in the evening in Colorado and New Mexico. The victories brought the total of Democratic-leaning senators to 56. (Two independents — Sens. Joseph I. Lieberman of Connecticut and Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont — usually vote with the Democrats.)
Democratic hopes centered Wednesday on Oregon, where Sen. Gordon Smith, a Republican, held a narrow lead over Jeff Merkley, the Democratic challenger. Votes remained to be counted in two heavily Democratic counties, and some experts predicted Merkley would prevail.
The Oregon race promised the prospect of resolution, something that may not occur in Minnesota, Alaska and Georgia for some time.
In Minnesota, after votes were counted Wednesday, Coleman led Franken, the comedian and radio host, by several hundred votes. Under state law, the narrow margin triggers a recount, which could take several weeks.
Still, Coleman claimed victory and asked Franken to call off a recount, saying “the prospect of overturning 725 votes is extremely, extremely, extremely remote.” But Franken showed no inclination to do so.
In Alaska, Stevens was leading Begich, the mayor of Anchorage, by about 3,500 votes Wednesday. Because absentee ballots need to be counted, the race may stay in flux for two weeks.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has said that a convicted felon cannot serve in the Senate. But it would take a vote of two-thirds of the body to expel Stevens. If that happens, a special election would be held to replace him.
If and when a runoff election is held in Georgia, the same Democratic machine that propelled Obama to his historic win and Democrats to its gains in Congress could be unleashed in an attempt to give Martin an edge. But the challenge would be replicating the huge Obamafueled turnout of Election Day.
In the House, Democrats attained their largest majority in 15 years. But they appeared likely to fall short of pre-Election Day projections that suggested they would take 25 to 30 seats. Instead they were on course to add 20 to 25.
At a news conference Wednesday, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said she hoped the new president would “bring people together to reach consensus” on issues that concern Americans. “A new president must govern from the middle,” she said.
Pelosi said the Democratic agenda would include “growing the economy, expanding health care, ending dependence on foreign oil and ending the war in Iraq.”
Heads in the GOP already have rolled. Rep. Adam Putnam of Florida, the No. 3 Republican in the House, resigned his leadership post Tuesday night.
And the Web site Politico. com reported that Rep. Eric Cantor of Virginia was bidding to replace Rep. Roy Blunt of Missouri as minority whip. House Minority Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio, also could face a challenge.
