Republicans are off to a strong start in their quest to win a majority in at least one chamber of Congress for the first time since 2004, picking up a bundle of House seats and winning key Senate races across the country.
The GOP so far has picked up three Senate seats from Democrats and held down a number of others, giving no ground as they look for big gains Tuesday night. The latest victory came in North Dakota, where Republican John Hoeven beat Tracy Potter for the seat held by outgoing Democratic Sen. Byron Dorgan. In Arkansas, GOP Rep. John Boozman earlier trounced Democratic Sen. Blanche Lincoln, denying her a third term in Congress. Lincoln’s vote for the president’s health care overhaul was considered a turning point for the senator’s popularity.
Republicans also won open Senate seats in Florida, Kansas, Missouri, New Hampshire, Kentucky, Ohio and Indiana. Former Sen. Dan Coats in Indiana scored the first GOP Senate pick-up of the night, beating Democratic Rep. Brad Ellsworth for the seat left by retiring Democratic Sen. Evan Bayh. The other open seats were already held by Republicans, so those GOP wins do not change the balance of power.
In the dramatic three-way race for an open Senate seat in Florida, Tea Party-backed Republican Marco Rubio beat his two opponents. He was running against Gov. Charlie Crist, who left the GOP to run as an independent, and Democrat Kendrick Meek.
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In Kansas, Republican Jerry Moran won the seat held by Sam Brownback, a Republican who won his race for governor against Tom Holland. In Ohio, Republican Rob Portman, an ex-congressman and former White House budget director, has beaten Lt. Gov. Lee Fisher. In Kentucky, Tea Party-backed Rand Paul beat state Attorney General Jack Conway after a bitter contest that delved into Paul’s religion and made for some tense debates. Paul, who is leading 56-44 percent in early returns, won despite a last-minute visit by former President Bill Clinton for Conway.
Republican Kelly Ayote will succeed GOP Sen. Judd Gregg in New Hampshire, and Republican Rep. Roy Blunt will succeed GOP Sen. Kit Bond in Missouri.
Republicans have a couple of magic numbers in mind Tuesday night. They need to pick up 10 seats to seize a majority in the Senate; 39 seats to seize a majority in the House. So far, Republican candidates have won 58 seats in the House, while Democrats have won 28 on the road to the 218 seats needed for a majority in that chamber.
