Senate majority shrinks after five Republicans defeated
As many as five Republican senators appear headed for defeat in Tuesday's elections, but Republicans would still retain control over the chamber, just how tenuously depends on the presidential contest, absentee ballots and unsettled constitutional questions.
Under one possible scenario, the GOP majority would have to operate with a 50-50 margin, with ties to be broken by a Republican vice president. For Democrats, reaching the 50-50 mark still would require victory in a Washington state race that remained undecided.
If GOP presidential nominee George W. Bush is declared to be the winner of the White House, GOP vice presidential nominee Richard Cheney would break any Senate ties. If Vice President Gore wins the presidency, Democratic Sen. Joseph Lieberman's resignation to assume the vice presidency would allow Republican Connecticut Gov. John Rowland to appoint a Senate successor, giving the GOP at least 51 seats.
In Washington state, some news organizations declared former Democratic Rep. Maria Cantwell the winner over GOP Sen. Slade Gorton. But with 97 percent of precincts reporting, Gorton led by fewer than 3,000 votes.
Washington Secretary of State Ralph Munro warned earlier this week that election officials might not finish counting absentee ballots until Nov. 22. In Michigan, Democratic Rep. Debbie Stabenow lead GOP Sen. Spencer Abraham by 35,000 votes, and several news organizations had declared her the winner. Delaware Democratic Gov. Thomas Carper defeated GOP Sen. William Roth, while former Minnesota Auditor Mark Dayton, the Democratic nominee, defeated Republican Sen. Rod Grams. Democratic gains were offset by a GOP victory in Virginia, where former GOP Gov. George Allen defeated Democratic Sen. Charles Robb.
Sen. John Ashcroft, R-Mo., lost his Senate seat to the late Democratic Gov. Mel Carnahan 51-49 percent, which would allow Democratic Gov. Roger Wilson to appoint Carnahan's widow, Jean, to the Senate until a 2002 special election. "For reasons we don't understand the mantle has now fallen upon us," Jean Carnahan told supporters. "On this night . let us pledge to each other we will never let the fire go out." Republicans have suggested they might contest the legality of such an appointment.
Among the five open seat races, the parties battled to a net draw. Democrat Hillary Rodham Clinton made history by becoming the first sitting first lady to win public office by defeating GOP Rep. Rick Lazio. Former Democratic Gov. Ben Nelson kept Nebraska's Senate seat in the Democratic column by defeating Republican state Attorney General Don Stenberg.
In New Jersey, multimillionaire Democrat Jon Corzine defeated GOP Rep. Bob Franks. The parties traded open seats in Florida and Nevada. In Florida, Democratic state Insurance Commissioner Bill Nelson defeated GOP Rep. Bill McCollum for the seat of retiring GOP Sen. Connie Mack, while in Nevada, former GOP Rep. John Ensign defeated Democratic attorney Ed Bernstein for the seat opened by the retirement of Democratic Sen. Richard Bryan.