Power shifted further to the right in Washington, D.C. on Tuesday.
The Republican Party picked up three additional seats in the House of Representatives (four are still undecided), increasing their majority over Democrats by 22. Republicans also regained power in the Senate, after picking up Missouri, Minnesota and Georgia.
The election carried well into the morning, with some races being called Wednesday morning, while some are not yet finished.
In South Dakota, Democrat Tim Johnson currently holds a lead over Republican challenger John Thune, but a recount is in order. Johnson’s lead is less than one percent, which allows for a statewide recount.
The Louisiana Senate race is not finished either. Even though incumbent Mary Landrieu won the popular vote, she did not receive a majority, which is required for victory under state law. A special runoff election will be held Dec. 7, where Landrieu will square off against John Cooksey, who won the most votes among Republican candidates.
The Republicans’ first set of victories came when John Sununu defeated New Hampshire’s three-term governor, Jeanne Shaheen. The victory maintained the GOP’s control of the New Hampshire seat.
Later Democrats would lose in Georgia as Rep. Saxy Chambliss upset incumbent Senator Max Cleland, with a seven-percent margin.
Republicans would also pick up Missouri shortly after 1 a.m., when Jean Carnahan gave her concession speech. Jim Talent, a former member of the House of Representatives, won with a little over one-percent margin of victory.
Finally, yesterday morning, Walter Mondale, who ran a two-week campaign after the death of Senator Paul Wellstone, conceded to Republican Norm Coleman.
“At the end of what will be my last campaign I want to say, Minnesota, you always treated me well,” Mondale said.
Coleman had just edged out Mondale by three percent, to take the seat from Democrats.
Elizabeth Dole will be following in the footsteps of her husband, former Kansas Senator and Presidential candidate Bob Dole, after winning the North Carolina Senate race. She takes the place of Jesse Helms, who spent 30 years in the Senate.
In Governor’s races, Jeb Bush was re-elected over Bill McBride in Florida. Despite the election debacle in Florida two years ago, CNN and other news networks called the race early, as Bush had a commanding lead. With 86 percent of precincts reporting, Bush holds a 15 percent lead.
