Campaign '08

WASHINGTON (CBS News) ― Democrats fattened their majority control of the Senate on Tuesday, ousting Republican Sens. Elizabeth Dole of North Carolina and John Sununu of New Hampshire and capturing seats held by retiring GOP senators in Virginia, New Mexico and Colorado.

CBS News projects that the Democrats will pick up at least five GOP seats, giving them an effective majority of at least 56, including those held by two independents. Sixty seats are needed for a filibuster-proof majority that would preclude Republicans from blocking legislation.

They did not turn over a single seat to Republicans. All Democratic incumbents on the ballot prevailed.

Four races had yet to be decided.

Sen. Ted Stevens, R-Alaska. Stevens, at 84, the longest serving Republican in Senate history, sought re-election despite calls from GOP leaders to resign after he was convicted last week of seven counts of lying on Senate financial disclosure forms.He was locked in a tight contest with Democrat Mark Begich, the mayor of Anchorage.

Early Wednesday, the Associated Press reported that Republican incumbent Norm Coleman defeated challenger Democrat Al Franken, the former "Saturday Night Live" writer and actor. A significant third-party candidate, Independent Dean Barkley, was complicating the race. Later, the AP uncalled the race, saying Coleman's 571-vote margin falls within the state's mandatory recount law. The AP said it called the race prematurely.

Republican Sen. Gordon Smith in Oregon was also on the list of Democratic targets.

Georgia Sen. Saxby Chambliss was locked in a tight race with Democrat Jim Martin. The presence of third party candidate Allen Buckley further complicated the contest - Georgia requires a clear majority to name a winner. If no candidate garners 50 percent of the vote, a run-off will be held.

In North Carolina, Kay Hagan ousted the incumbent, Dole, after a bitter contest that featured some intensely negative campaigning, including a Dole ad implying Hagan was an atheist.

"Kay Hagan's victory tonight in the North Carolina Senate race was sweet, indeed. The seat was once held by Jesse Helms, the bete noir of the Democratic party," Dee Dee Myers, who served as former President Bill Clinton's press secretary, told CBSNews.com. "And Hagan's win - and Obama's impressive showing - suggest the state, like many part of the country, is changing. It's becoming increasingly friendly for Democrats running for local, state and national office."

In Colorado, Democratic Rep. Mark Udall, son of the late Arizona Rep. Morris "Mo" Udall, beat former Republican Rep. Bob Schaffer for the seat now held by Republican Wayne Allard.

In New Mexico, his cousin, Democrat Tom Udall, beat out Steve Pearce for an open seat vacated by Republican Sen. Pete Domenici.

Democrat Mark Warner breezed to victory in Virginia against Jim Gilmore in a matchup that pitted two former governors against each other for the seat of retiring Sen. John Warner.

In New Hampshire, Jeanne Shaheen defeated Republican incumbent John Sununu.

But Republicans stopped a complete rout. Mitch McConnell, the incumbent Senate minority leader, held onto his Kentucky Senate seat, surviving a surprising challenge from Democrat Bruce Lunsford. President George W. Bush called McConnell to congratulate him on his reelection, according to White House Press Secretary Dana Perino.

"Winston Churchill once said that the most exhilarating feeling in life is to be shot at - and missed," McConnell said late Tuesday. "After the last few months, I think what he really meant to say is that there's nothing more exhausting."

Kentucky's closer-than-expected race "just shows how the national trends and low job approval of the president affected everyone," Democratic strategist Mark Mellman told CBSNews.com.

Democratic vice presidential candidate Joe Biden won another six-year term representing Delaware in the Senate. It became moot when Obama won the presidential election.

Democratic Sen. Mary Landrieu of Louisiana, the only serious GOP target, won her re-election over Republican state treasurer John Kennedy.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., attributed the Democratic gains to Obama's coattails.

"It's been a really good night," Reid said in an interview with The Associated Press. "Obama ran a terrific campaign, he inspired millions of people."

In a tight Mississippi contest, Republican Roger Wicker, defeated former Democratic Gov. Ronnie Musgrove to serve another four years of the term originally won in 2006 by Lott. Wicker was appointed to the post temporarily after Lott stepped down.

With Warner's victory in Virginia, Democrats now control both Senate seats and the governor's mansion. Virginia usually votes Republican in presidential elections, but Obama also won there Tuesday.

Democrats had counted on a slumping economy, an unpopular war and voter fatigue after eight years of President Bush to bolster a razor-thin 51-49 effective majority they've had the past two years after adding six seats in 2006.

Having a majority in the high 50s will enable Democrats to exercise far more control than they have now, since some Republicans probably would join them in efforts to break Senate logjams on many bills and judicial appointments.

Included in the Democrats' majority are two holdover independents, Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Joe Lieberman of Connecticut, who have voted with them for the most part over the past two years. However, Lieberman, the Democrat's vice presidential nominee in 2000, spent most of 2008 campaigning for McCain.

It was unclear even to Senate leaders Tuesday night whether Lieberman would continue to caucus with the Democrats or keep his chairmanship of the Senate Homeland Security committee. Reid said in the interview that he'll discuss the matter with the Connecticut senator later this week.

Democrats will lose two incumbents: Obama and Biden. Democratic governors in Illinois and Delaware are sure to appoint Democrats to replace them.

Democrats had fewer seats to defend than Republicans. Of the 35 races on Tuesday's ballot, 23 were held by Republicans, 12 by Democrats.

Republicans held the Nebraska seat of retiring Sen. Chuck Hagel, with former Gov. Mike Johanns defeating Democrat Scott Kleeb, a college history instructor. Johanns resigned as Bush's agriculture secretary to make the race.

Republicans also held the Idaho seat of Sen. Larry Craig, who decided not to run for re-election after he was caught last year in a men's room sting. Idaho Lt. Gov. Jim Risch won the seat.

Republican incumbent senators who cruised to re-election included Lindsay Graham in South Carolina, Susan Collins of Maine, Jeff Sessions in Alabama, James Inhofe in Oklahoma, Lamar Alexander in Tennessee, Pat Roberts in Kansas, Thad Cochran of Mississippi, John Cornyn of Texas and Michael Enzi in Wyoming. Sen. John Barrasso, appointed after Wyoming Sen. Craig Thomas died, was elected to fill the remaining four years of Thomas' term.

Democratic senators easily winning re-election included Jay Rockefeller of West Virginia, Dick Durbin of Illinois, John Kerry of Massachusetts, Frank Lautenberg of New Jersey, Carl Levin of Michigan, Tim Johnson of South Dakota, Mark Pryor of Arkansas, Max Baucus of Montana, Tom Harkin of Iowa and Jack Reed of Rhode Island.

(© 2009 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)