AP: Democrats take control of the Senate

evenkat

http://abclocal.go.com/wabc/story?section=elections&id=4743894

AP: Democrats take control of the Senate

Democrats have majorities in Congress for the first time since 1994
By Dave Evans

(New York-WABC, November 8, 2006) - The Associated Press reports that Democrats have won control of the U.S. Senate with a Jim Webb victory in Virginia.

On Wednesday night, Democrat Jim Webb won Virginia's pivotal U.S. Senate race Wednesday, unseating Republican George Allen and giving the Democrats total control of Congress.
The Virginia race was the last undecided Senate race in the country after Republican Senator Conrad Burns' loss to Democrat John Tester in Montana. Webb's victory gave the Democrats 51 Senate seats and ultimately majorities in both the House and Senate for the first time since 1994.

The Associated Press says they contacted election officials in all 134 localities in Virginia where voting occurred, obtaining updated numbers Wednesday. About half the localities said they had completed their post-election canvassing and nearly all had counted outstanding absentees. Most were expected to be finished by Friday.

The new AP count showed Webb with 1,172,538 votes and Allen with 1,165,302, a difference of 7,236.

Moving swiftly to establish himself as the winner, Webb had appointed his first three transition team members by afternoon, just hours after he claimed victory around 1:30 a.m.

Webb Spokeswoman Kristian Denny Tood: "The vote's been counted and Jim won."

Meanwhile, Democrats are also celebrating their new majority in the House.

In New York, Republicans lost three congressional seats, including John Sweeney Upstate. Democrat Christine Gillibrand made this election about Bush and the war in Iraq and she won.

It was the same story with John Hall who stunned Republican lawmaker Sue Kelly of Westchester.

San Francisco's Nancy Pelosi, likely becomes the nations first female speaker of the House.

Rep. Nancy Pelosi: "Today the American people voted for change and they voted for Democrats to take our country in a new direction."

While the House became a decisive win for Democrats.

Mrs.Vedder78

I love good news!!!!!
Thanks ek.

Urs,

Eliot Rosewater

Great news. Between the elections and that cold-blooded murderer getting canned today it's actually turned into a wonderful day.

FinsburyParkCarrots

Yep. Basically, in the history of Virginia elections for the senate, where there's been a recount, it's only made a difference of a few hundred votes. We're talking about a difference of several thousand, so Allen conceded.

I think in Virginia, these recounts are voluntary, rather than compulsory?

aNiMaL

Today was a great day!!!

Now the work begins.

sigh eternally

aNiMaL

FinsburyParkCarrots wrote:

I think in Virginia, these recounts are voluntary, rather than compulsory?

That is correct. It has to be requested by the losing candidate. Also something like if there is less than a half a percent between the two....then the county pays for the re-count....or something like that. But I bet we won't see one.

Flannel Shirt

I hope and pray that this opportunity is not squandered. Something good better come out of this.

gimmesometruth27

Flannel Shirt wrote:

I hope and pray that this opportunity is not squandered. Something good better come out of this.

dem leaders are already promising to work together in a bipartisan manner, which is a good step. the dems had been pretty much bullied the past 12 years and they are wanting the healing to begin and are promising to reach across the aisle. nothing happens in a polarized partisan environment, which is what we have had for a long time, so i believe something good will come out of it. new congressmen means new ideas....hell, its already better than the congress we had on monday.

ThumbingMyWay32

Promises are not steps. They're promises.

Gary Carter

they better actually clean up this mess and not bash bush.cause im tired of the name calling shit on both sides.work on a few things first then bash bush

gimmesometruth27

ThumbingMyWay32 wrote:

Promises are not steps. They're promises.

will you give them a little time? god they won the house less than 20 hours ago and the senate 90 minutes ago.

Purple Hawk

thanks for the update, moonbeam,
we all know where this country stands ideologically, and that should really piss you off. these midterms dealt liberalism another crushing defeat. something tells me you wouldn't agree with webb, tester, heath shuler and all the rest on very much.

ThumbingMyWay32

gimmesometruth27 wrote:

will you give them a little time? god they won the house less than 20 hours ago and the senate 90 minutes ago.

I'm basing my conclusions on the fact that they haven't presented any ideas the previous two elections and only won this election because of general discontent the American public had with the Republican party. And narrowly at that.

There are still no ideas on the table. I've been waiting 4 years for that.

jeffbr

Purple Hawk wrote:

something tells me you wouldn't agree with webb, tester, heath shuler and all the rest on very much.

My favorite Tester quote: "I'm the only person in this race who's made his living with a gun...."

ThumbingMyWay32

I think the Chairman of the DNC, Howard Dean, said it best when he stated:

"I'm just deeply disappointed that once again we may have to settle for the lesser of two evils."


And I thought Bush was the dolt.

Purple Hawk

ThumbingMyWay32 wrote:

I think the Chairman of the DNC, Howard Dean, said it best when he stated:

"I'm just deeply disappointed that once again we may have to settle for the lesser of two evils."


And I thought Bush was the dolt.

I'm not so intrested in a Bush-centered world, or a Democrat vs. Republican world. I'm more interested in core beliefs, and it's clear where we are as a nation. And this election has completely demonstrated where we are ideologically.

ThumbingMyWay32

Purple Hawk wrote:

I'm not so intrested in a Bush-centered world, or a Democrat vs. Republican world. I'm more interested in core beliefs, and it's clear where we are as a nation. And this election has completely demonstrated where we are ideologically.

18 of the house races Democrats won were by 5,000 votes of less. That's hardly radical. It's not what it seems. It's certainly not another '94.

It's general public discontent with the party in power. It's a reoccuring theme during the midterms of each 6th year of an administration. 'Normal' may be a better word.

Purple Hawk

ThumbingMyWay32 wrote:

18 of the house races Democrats won were by 5,000 votes of less. That's hardly radical. It's not what it seems. It's certainly not another '94.

It's general public discontent with the party in power. It's a reoccuring theme during the midterms of each 6th year of an administration. 'Normal' may be a better word.

no, i agree with you...

my point is...is look at all the demcrats that won...you have heath shuler, tester, and webb...these guys are CONSERVATIVE. 94 was an election for conservatism, as was 2006. liberals know that this country rejects their ideology. and they cannot succeed longterm.

i totally agree with you, republicans had some infighting, and were not very unified. i want some leadership though...leadership that will call out the distortions of the left. notice how threads around here become suddenly silent when liberals have to debate facts instead of emotion? hell, notice how the posts by liberals decline once they have to talk about facts instead of emotion?

BogoEN

I think the Dems will wait to see if Bush lives up to his promise of bipartisanship to decide whether they move forward with the investigation, or even impeachment (which would def. not be a good move to start out with).

Most of what we hear now (and usually) is just talk. I doubt they will work together beyond minimum wage and No Child Left Behind (which under the GOP House and Senate left A LOT of kids behind). Both parties will look for a political face lift. The Dems just have a head start.
But really, all of this is political theater.
None of this will affect Iraq or Domestic policies until long after Jan. 1.

But I will say, to think that the Dems will play nice after 12 years of being kicked around...that's a bit naive. Bush dropped Rumsfeld because they would have had a field day with him if he had stayed.

ThumbingMyWay32

Purple Hawk wrote:

no, i agree with you...

my point is...is look at all the demcrats that won...you have heath shuler, tester, and webb...these guys are CONSERVATIVE. 94 was an election for conservatism, as was 2006. liberals know that this country rejects their ideology. and they cannot succeed longterm.

i totally agree with you, republicans had some infighting, and were not very unified. i want some leadership though...leadership that will call out the distortions of the left. notice how threads around here become suddenly silent when liberals have to debate facts instead of emotion? hell, notice how the posts by liberals decline once they have to talk about facts instead of emotion?

That's what I had your post pegged as, but just making sure.

I've stated what you just did in other threads. That's exactly what happend here. By the numbers, there was no difference between Webb and Allen. Allen had an R beside his name at the wrong time. Once again, I think it inherently odd that these "centrist" Democrats will be giving us Pelosi and Ried as their leadership.