Democrats set to gain 5 Senate seats

UPDATED:

Days after his felony conviction, Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens held on a slim lead Wednesday in a too-close-to-call race that has helped keep Democrats from reaching a 60-seat Senate majority that would give them a filibuster-proof majority.

One of the few Republican bright spots came as Minnesota Sen. Norm Coleman appeared to have edged out Democrat Al Franken. The race is still close enough that the tight margin triggers an automatic recount, and Mr. Franken has not conceded.

Convicted Oct. 7 for making false statements on his financial disclosure forms, Mr. Stevens held to a narrow lead over Democratic opponent, Anchorage Mayor Mark Begich.

Still, the defeated well-known Republicans as Sens. Elizabeth Dole of North Carolina, Sen. John E. Sununu of New Hampshire and Rep. Christopher Shays of Connecticut immediately prompted turmoil in congressional Republicans’ leadership ranks.

Democrats also captured one of the prized House seats in the country, where Fairfax Board of Supervisors Chairman Gerald E. Connolly beat Republican Keith S. Fimian to replace the retiring Republican Rep. Thomas M. Davis III.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, California Democrat, called the first back-to-back Democratic congressional triumphs in 75 years “a wave upon a wave.”

In the first glimmer of an insurrection within Republican ranks, Sen. Jim DeMint called for fellow Republicans to “clean up, reform and rebuild the Republican Party before we can ask Americans to trust us again.”

“This must begin with either a change of command at the highest levels, or our current leaders must embrace a bold new direction,” the South Carolina Republican said. “Americans have again rejected the Democrat-light strategy of higher spending and bigger government, and it’s time for Republicans to chart a new, more principled course.”

Rep. Adam Putnam of Florida responded to the election losses with a letter to colleagues announcing his resignation as chairman of the Republican Conference.

“I have enjoyed every minute as conference chairman, but I believe it is time to step off the leadership ladder and return my focus to crafting public-policy solutions for America’s generational challenges — the very reason I ran for Congress in the first place,” he said in the letter, a copy of which was supplied to reporters.

“I want to fight the battles worth fighting and lock arms to strengthen our nation whenever possible,” he said. “In the coming Congress, I look forward to focusing on the policy solutions critical to the state of Florida and the important work we face on the Financial Services Committee to hold Wall Street accountable and put our economy back on the right track.”

Mrs. Pelosi said the new direction voters demanded would not result in a House skewed to the left.

“A very important part of that change will be the bipartisanship, the civility in which we engage in our dialogue and the fiscal responsibility that we bring to our legislation,” she said.

Several races in the Senate and more in the House were still undecided early Wednesday.

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