Democrats gain power in House, Senate
Issue date: 11/4/08 Section: Campus News
Tom Raum & Julie Hirschfeld Davis
Associated Press Writers
WASHINGTON (AP) _ Democrats fattened their majority control of the Senate on Tuesday, ousting Republican Sens. Elizabeth Dole of North Carolina and John Sununu of New Hampshire and capturing seats held by retiring GOP senators in Virginia, New Mexico and Colorado.
Democrats also retained control of the House and pushed for historic gains in their majority Tuesday by solidifying their dominance in the Northeast and making inroads in the South and West.
With 29 of 35 Senate races called, Democrats were guaranteed at least a 55-45 majority, including two holdover independents who vote with Democrats. But they were hoping for even greater gains in a political environment that clearly favored Democrats.
North Carolina state Sen. Kay Hagan, little known politically before her run, defeated Dole - a former Cabinet member in two Republican administrations and 2000 presidential hopeful. Dole had tried to tie Hagan, a former Presbyterian Sunday school teacher, to atheists in an ad that appeared to backfire.
In New Hampshire, former Democratic Gov. Jeanne Shaheen defeated Sununu in a rematch of their 2002 contest.
Democrats now exercise a slim 51-49 control of the chamber. Piggybacking on aggressive Barack Obama voter-registration and get-out-the-vote drives in battleground states, Democrats were reaching for a coveted 60-seat, filibuster-proof Senate majority. However, leaders in both parties portrayed that goal as a long shot.
In pair of western races, Reps. Tom and Mark Udall took over Senate seats held by retiring Republicans. Tom Udall, the son of former Interior Secretary Stewart Udall, defeated Republican Rep. Steve Pearce to succeed Pete Domenici in New Mexico. Tom's cousin Mark, the son of the late Rep. Morris Udall of Arizona, won the Colorado seat held by Republican Wayne Allard, who did not seek re-election.
Democratic former Virginia Gov. Mark Warner breezed to victory to take a Virginia Senate seat long held for by terms by retiring GOP Sen. John Warner. Warner beat another former governor, Republican Jim Gilmore, in the race to replace retiring five-term Sen. John W. Warner. The two Warners are not related.
Associated Press Writers
WASHINGTON (AP) _ Democrats fattened their majority control of the Senate on Tuesday, ousting Republican Sens. Elizabeth Dole of North Carolina and John Sununu of New Hampshire and capturing seats held by retiring GOP senators in Virginia, New Mexico and Colorado.
Democrats also retained control of the House and pushed for historic gains in their majority Tuesday by solidifying their dominance in the Northeast and making inroads in the South and West.
With 29 of 35 Senate races called, Democrats were guaranteed at least a 55-45 majority, including two holdover independents who vote with Democrats. But they were hoping for even greater gains in a political environment that clearly favored Democrats.
North Carolina state Sen. Kay Hagan, little known politically before her run, defeated Dole - a former Cabinet member in two Republican administrations and 2000 presidential hopeful. Dole had tried to tie Hagan, a former Presbyterian Sunday school teacher, to atheists in an ad that appeared to backfire.
In New Hampshire, former Democratic Gov. Jeanne Shaheen defeated Sununu in a rematch of their 2002 contest.
Democrats now exercise a slim 51-49 control of the chamber. Piggybacking on aggressive Barack Obama voter-registration and get-out-the-vote drives in battleground states, Democrats were reaching for a coveted 60-seat, filibuster-proof Senate majority. However, leaders in both parties portrayed that goal as a long shot.
In pair of western races, Reps. Tom and Mark Udall took over Senate seats held by retiring Republicans. Tom Udall, the son of former Interior Secretary Stewart Udall, defeated Republican Rep. Steve Pearce to succeed Pete Domenici in New Mexico. Tom's cousin Mark, the son of the late Rep. Morris Udall of Arizona, won the Colorado seat held by Republican Wayne Allard, who did not seek re-election.
Democratic former Virginia Gov. Mark Warner breezed to victory to take a Virginia Senate seat long held for by terms by retiring GOP Sen. John Warner. Warner beat another former governor, Republican Jim Gilmore, in the race to replace retiring five-term Sen. John W. Warner. The two Warners are not related.
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