Senate Update

In the Senate, the two vacant Republican seats lleft open by the retirements of John Warner, Va., and Pete Domenici, N.M., will be filled, as expected, by Democrats. And John Sununu of New Hampshire is gone, too, down to Jean Shaheen. Susan Collins, the committee's ranking Republican, will keep her seat, which is no big surprise.I wrote last week that the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee could get facelift, since six of the committee's eight Republicans are retiring or up for re-election. It'll be really interesting to see who fills those slots. As Paul Light put it, HSGAC is considered a "second-tier" committee, but it will control a lot of interesting legislation and appointments next session. Definitely worth keeping an eye on who ends up here, and on the results in Norm Coleman and Ted Stevens' races, where votes are still being counted and cast.