Congressional Elections 2008

Democrats strengthened their grip on Congress in Tuesday's elections, toppling Republican Sens. Elizabeth Dole and John Sununu, but they appeared to be falling short in their bid for perhaps the biggest prize on Capitol Hill: a filibuster-proof majority in the Senate. With the election of Barack Obama as president and their party in control of both ends of Pennsylvania Avenue for the first time in 14 years, Democrats are nonetheless in a better position to advance their initiatives.

As they review the results of Tuesday's election victories and begin looking toward future campaigns, some Democrats have settled on a rallying cry: Texas is next. It sounds improbable for the Republican bastion that produced President Bush and served as an early laboratory for Karl Rove's hard-nosed tactics.

For decades, the Udall family stood out in the often-conservative world of Western politics. Brothers Mo and Stewart -- Morris K. Udall was a congressman from Arizona who sought the 1976 Democratic presidential nomination, and Stewart L. Udall was a celebrated secretary of the Interior under Presidents Kennedy and Johnson -- fought for the environment and worker rights.

Jim Martin was feeling the spirit. At historically black Morris Brown College, surrounded by former Barack Obama campaign staffers and African American Reps. John Lewis (D-Ga.) and Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.), the normally unassuming, bespectacled white lawyer had discovered his inner preacher. "We're all in this together!" Martin, 63, intoned. "Talk to me!" a man shouted in response. "The Republicans believe if they have 41 votes in the Senate, they can stop this great president!" "That's right!"

Democrats' dream of a filibuster-proof majority in the U.S. Senate ended Tuesday when Georgia Republican Saxby Chambliss held on to his seat in a closely watched runoff election. With 96% of the precincts reporting, Chambliss was leading Democratic challenger Jim Martin, 57.5% to 42.5%. A runoff became necessary when neither candidate won 50% of the vote in last month's election.

Democrat Mary Jo Kilroy came from behind to capture a congressional seat from House Republicans after officials tallied provisional ballots. Kilroy's victory by a little more than 2,000 votes over Republican Steve Stivers put the 15th Congressional District seat into Democratic hands after the retirement of Republican Deborah Pryce. County officials released unofficial results that showed Kilroy ahead by 2,311 votes out of roughly 300,000 cast, enough to avoid an automatic recount.

Democrat Al Franken won a pair of victories before the state board overseeing the U.S. Senate recount, including a decision that as many as 1,500 incorrectly rejected absentee ballots should be included. The board also opted to recommend the use of election night results in a Franken-leaning Minneapolis precinct where 133 ballots vanished. "It was a great day for democracy," Franken attorney Marc Elias said. Republican Sen. Norm Coleman's campaign lawyers said they would go to court over the absentee ballot ruling.

Caroline Kennedy launched a full-bore campaign Monday to replace Hillary Rodham Clinton in the U.S. Senate, calling New York's governor and other key Democrats to press her desire to extend the family dynasty. Kennedy reached Gov. David A. Paterson on Monday afternoon as he toured weather-battered portions of upstate New York. "She'd like at some point to sit down and tell me what she thinks her qualifications are," said Paterson, who will choose Clinton's successor.

Sen. Norm Coleman saw his lead over Al Franken in Minnesota's U.S. Senate race dwindle to two votes Thursday. Meanwhile, a court ruling put hundreds of rejected ballots in play and promised the recount would drag into the new year. The Minnesota Supreme Court ruled that improperly rejected absentee ballots must be included in the recount. The ruling came as the state Canvassing Board erased what was once a 360-vote lead for Coleman.

Minnesota's highest court Wednesday ruled against Republican Sen. Norm Coleman's attempt to keep dozens of possible double votes from Democrat-heavy precincts out of the long- running Senate recount, but left the door open for a lawsuit. The state Supreme Court unanimously denied Coleman's request for a temporary restraining order to block the votes, which the Coleman campaign contended were duplicates that mostly favored Democratic rival Al Franken.