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Wednesday, November 3, 2010

republicans grap...........

Republicans grab 6 US Senate seats, but Democrats fight back to hold onto majority

By The Associated Press (CP) – 2 hours ago

WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama's Democrats narrowly retained their Senate majority Tuesday, losing at least six seats but beating back tough challenges in key states like Colorado, Nevada, West Virginia and California.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada survived a fierce challenge from a candidate backed by the ultraconservative tea party movement, but he was left with a greatly diminished majority.

Republicans scored impressive gains — including winning Obama's old seat in Illinois — but failed to reach the 10-seat gain they needed to control the 100-member chamber.

Two races remained undecided on Wednesday: Alaska and Washington state.

With Republicans gaining control of the House, Obama will need a Democratic-run Senate to champion his legislative agenda and get his nominees approved. But Democrats, who will keep at least 52 seats, will now have even more problems mustering the 60 votes needed to overcome Republican delaying tactics and pass legislation.

Republican Senate Leader Mitch McConnell hailed his party's gains. "Tonight the voters ensured their message was heard loud and clear," he said.

His task won't be easy, however. Several of his new Republican colleagues are tea party acolytes who already have taken delight in working against the party establishment.

But tea party upstarts in Nevada and Delaware who defeated more moderate candidates in Republican primaries proved to be seriously flawed challengers who could be cast as too extreme in the general election.

In Delaware, Christine O'Donnell lost to Democrat Chris Coons. O'Donnell failed to overcome questions about her thin resume, financial problems and history of provocative claims on TV talk shows, like her dabbling in witchcraft as a teenager and her campaign against masturbation.

In Nevada, Reid managed to outlast Sharron Angle, who made a series of gaffes, like calling a fund for Gulf of Mexico oil spill victims "a slush fund" and telling Hispanic high school students that "some of you look a little more Asian to me."

Reid, a former boxer, said, "the fight is far from over." He called Tuesday's results a bell signalling "the start of the next round."

Two veteran Democratic senators lost re-election bids: Russell Feingold of Wisconsin and Blanche Lincoln of Arkansas.

In Colorado, Sen. Michael Bennet narrowly defeated tea party Republican Ken Buck to win a hard-fought Senate seat, it was announced on Wednesday. The victory for Bennet allows Democrats to hold onto a seat once viewed a prime opportunity for the Republicans to make gains.

West Virginia Gov. Joe Manchin held off a wealthy Republican businessman to keep a Democrat in the seat held for half a century by the late Robert C. Byrd. And liberal Democratic Sen. Barbara Boxer of California won a fourth term despite a spirited challenge from Republican businesswoman Carly Fiorina, the former Hewlett-Packard CEO.

Tea party champions won high-profile races in Florida and Kentucky, spearheading a likely cadre of libertarian-leaning Republicans who will press party leaders to cut taxes and government spending.

Rand Paul of Kentucky and Marco Rubio of Florida rocked the Republican Party establishment last spring by routing leadership favourites in party primaries. Then they rebuffed Democrats' efforts to paint them as too extreme, winning comfortably on Tuesday. Rubio is the son of Cuban immigrants.

In Washington state, Democratic Sen. Patty Murray held a small but clear lead over the Republican challenger, Dino Rossi, in her toughest re-election contest yet. It could take up to two more days to process mail-in ballots, state officials said.

Meanwhile, the overseer of Alaska's elections said Wednesday that the counting of write-in ballots will begin Nov. 10, with the hope of having a clear winner by late next week. Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski was forced to run as a write-in candidate after losing the primary to tea party-backed Republican nominee Joe Miller. Democrat Scott McAdams trailed in third place.

Feingold, a three-term Democrat, lost to a Republican newcomer, businessman Ron Johnson, in Wisconsin. Best known for efforts to tighten campaign finance laws, Feingold was the only senator to vote against the so-called Patriot Act passed after the 2001 terrorist attacks, calling it a dangerous infringement on civil liberties.

Lincoln fell to Republican Rep. John Boozman in Arkansas, where Obama lost by 20 percentage points two years ago.