# U.S. Senate Elections Thread (and House too, if you want) **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [November 5, 2008, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-senate-elections-thread-and-house-too-if-you-want/471198 "2008-11-05T04:05:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2008, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-senate-elections-thread-and-house-too-if-you-want/471198/1 "2008-11-05T04:05:16Z")
Congrats to Mark Warner (VA), Jeanne Shaheen (NH), Kay Hagan (NC), and the cousins Udall (NM, CO) for their wins! Much more Senate action still to come. šŸ™‚ ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2008, 4:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-senate-elections-thread-and-house-too-if-you-want/471198/2 "2008-11-05T04:11:05Z")
In the House, Iā€™m curious about how badly Mahoney gets crushed, and if Lampson manages to hang on. Iā€™d also like to see Marilyn Musgrave go down in flames. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2008, 4:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-senate-elections-thread-and-house-too-if-you-want/471198/3 "2008-11-05T04:24:04Z")
Jim Himes beat Chris Shays in CT, completing the Dem domination of the New England statesā€™ House delegations. ---
**Author:** ![Rand\_Rover](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/db5fbb/32.png) [@Rand\_Rover](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rand_Rover)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2008, 4:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-senate-elections-thread-and-house-too-if-you-want/471198/4 "2008-11-05T04:26:02Z")
The silver lining of the evening is that the evildoers didnā€™t get a filibuster-proof Senate majority. Hopefully some of Obamaā€™s more retarded ideas wonā€™t get through. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2008, 4:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-senate-elections-thread-and-house-too-if-you-want/471198/5 "2008-11-05T04:30:14Z")
Larry Kissell beat Robin Hayes in NC, another Dem pickup. ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2008, 5:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-senate-elections-thread-and-house-too-if-you-want/471198/6 "2008-11-05T05:41:22Z")
> [@Frank](#): > > In the House, Iā€™m curious about how badly Mahoney gets crushed, and if Lampson manages to hang on. Iā€™d also like to see Marilyn Musgrave go down in flames. Mahoney got crushed 69-31, Lampson is not hanging on 52-46, and Musgrave is going down in flames 56-43. ---
**Author:** ![Rubystreak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Rubystreak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rubystreak)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2008, 5:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-senate-elections-thread-and-house-too-if-you-want/471198/7 "2008-11-05T05:49:13Z")
Looks like Michele Bachmann is going to retain her job in MN, and Al Franken is going to have to stick to comedy, unless things change between now and tomorrow morning. ā˜¹ ---
**Author:** ![Coriolanus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/coriolanus/32/18769_2.png) [@Coriolanus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Coriolanus)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2008, 6:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-senate-elections-thread-and-house-too-if-you-want/471198/8 "2008-11-05T06:08:28Z")
> [@Rubystreak](#): > > Looks like Michele Bachmann is going to retain her job in MN, and Al Franken is going to have to stick to comedy, unless things change between now and tomorrow morning. ā˜¹ Argh. I was really hoping Franken would win. Looks like the Dems wonā€™t get a Lieberman-proof percentage. Ahh well. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2008, 6:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-senate-elections-thread-and-house-too-if-you-want/471198/9 "2008-11-05T06:13:11Z")
> [@](#): > > The silver lining of the evening is that the evildoers didnā€™t get a filibuster-proof Senate majority. Nor any majority at all: Theyā€™re still 7-9 seats below 50. ---
**Author:** ![Coriolanus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/coriolanus/32/18769_2.png) [@Coriolanus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Coriolanus)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2008, 6:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-senate-elections-thread-and-house-too-if-you-want/471198/10 "2008-11-05T06:26:30Z")
But are the Repubs going to continue to vote in unison? Canā€™t some - like Hagel be counted on for things like military issues? (assuming heā€™s not the next Sec Def). Lieberman is a write-off. And it looks like a lieberman-proof majority wonā€™t happen. ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2008, 6:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-senate-elections-thread-and-house-too-if-you-want/471198/11 "2008-11-05T06:33:44Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Nor any majority at all: Theyā€™re still 7-9 seats below 50. [Huh?](http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26349526) As of now itā€™s at 56. Alaska will clearly fall to the Dems. Franken is still a toss-up. So 57 or 58. A clear but not filibuster proof majority. ---
**Author:** ![Simplicio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c37758/32.png) [@Simplicio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Simplicio)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2008, 6:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-senate-elections-thread-and-house-too-if-you-want/471198/12 "2008-11-05T06:36:24Z")
> [@DSeid](#): > > [Huh?](http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26349526) As of now itā€™s at 56. Alaska will clearly fall to the Dems. Franken is still a toss-up. So 57 or 58. A clear but not filibuster proof majority. **Chronos** was offering a rather lame response to **Roverā€™s** equally lame snark by pretending to think ā€œevil-doersā€ meant the GOP. ---
**Author:** ![askeptic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/eb9ed0/32.png) [@askeptic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/askeptic)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2008, 6:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-senate-elections-thread-and-house-too-if-you-want/471198/13 "2008-11-05T06:39:02Z")
> [@Corbomite](#): > > Argh. I was really hoping Franken would win. Looks like the Dems wonā€™t get a Lieberman-proof percentage. Ahh well. Look on the bright side, now they can kick that bastard Lieberman to the curb. No committee chairs or even committees. They donā€™t need him for majority and they canā€™t get to 60 even with him, so fuck him. ---
**Author:** ![Coriolanus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/coriolanus/32/18769_2.png) [@Coriolanus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Coriolanus)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2008, 6:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-senate-elections-thread-and-house-too-if-you-want/471198/14 "2008-11-05T06:56:55Z")
> [@askeptic](#): > > Look on the bright side, now they can kick that bastard Lieberman to the curb. No committee chairs or even committees. They donā€™t need him for majority and they canā€™t get to 60 even with him, so fuck him. Naw, they canā€™t. Not as a first action at least. The Dems will have to work with moderate repubs, like Hagel. There will be lots of pressure from whatever remains of the rethug machine to stalwart anything the Dems want to do. Yet after a @whupass election, Iā€™ve gotta think there are some Repubs who will go blue for certain measures. ---
**Author:** ![UTejas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/977dab/32.png) [@UTejas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UTejas)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2008, 7:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-senate-elections-thread-and-house-too-if-you-want/471198/15 "2008-11-05T07:01:12Z")
No Hagel. He retired. Mike Johanns was elected to fill his seat. Iā€™d say Hagel is likely for an Obama administration role. ---
**Author:** ![Simplicio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c37758/32.png) [@Simplicio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Simplicio)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2008, 7:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-senate-elections-thread-and-house-too-if-you-want/471198/16 "2008-11-05T07:02:46Z")
> [@Corbomite](#): > > Naw, they canā€™t. Not as a first action at least. The Dems will have to work with moderate repubs, like Hagel. There will be lots of pressure from whatever remains of the rethug machine to stalwart anything the Dems want to do. Yet after a @whupass election, Iā€™ve gotta think there are some Repubs who will go blue for certain measures. Agree. The whole ā€œ60 to break filibusterā€ thing is kinda a myth anyways. Filibuster votes arenā€™t usually strictly along party lines. Whatever happens to Lieberman, his vote (along with McCain, Snowes, etc) will still be courted by both sides of the aisle to break/uphold filibusters. I suspect the Dems will take his chairmanship away, but attempt to keep him in the caucus. I like that the Dems have control of the WH + Congress, but Iā€™m also sort of glad that theyā€™ll still have to court a few moderate Republicans to get things to a vote. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2008, 11:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-senate-elections-thread-and-house-too-if-you-want/471198/17 "2008-11-05T11:47:36Z")
Last I checked, the Minnesota race was still up in the air, with Coleman about 1600 ahead among ballots counted. It looks like Alaskans may have sent Ted Stevens back to the Senate, which will expel him, setting up a special election, probably early next year. It wouldnā€™t surprise me if Palin ran for the Senate seat - itā€™s an easier gig than governor. ---
**Author:** ![Gadarene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47c2d/32.png) [@Gadarene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gadarene)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2008, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-senate-elections-thread-and-house-too-if-you-want/471198/18 "2008-11-05T16:19:16Z")
Regardless of the ultimate results in Alaska, Minnesota, Georgia, and Oregon,\* [Susan Collins](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Susan_Collins) and [Olympia Snowe](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olympia_Snowe) have just become two of the most important people in the country; theyā€™re basically going to be the Sandra Day Oā€™Connor and Anthony Kennedy of the United States Senate. I say Obama should offer to make the lobster our official national crustacean in return for their help on filibuster-proofing the Senate on important issues. Whoā€™s with me? \*As a longtime Oregonian and committed liberal/progressive, Iā€™m not ashamed to say that if it turns out the Democrats arenā€™t getting 60 in the Senate, Iā€™m perfectly fine with Gordon Smith beating Jeff Merkley. Smith is a good guy, he does good things for our state, and heā€™s not an ideologue (against the War in Iraq, for instance, and generally in favor of gay rights). Iā€™d rather have a Senate full of good guys than a Senate full of Democrats. Iā€™m unrepentant. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2008, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-senate-elections-thread-and-house-too-if-you-want/471198/19 "2008-11-05T18:21:38Z")
Right now, the Senate races with some uncertainty to them are: 1. Minnesota, where Norm Coleman leads Al Franken by several hundred votes out of 2.8 million cast. There will be a recount. 2. Oregon, where Gordon Smith leads Jeff Merkley by about 9400 votes out of 1.2 million counted so far - but with only about 2/3 of the precincts having reported. 3. Georgia, where the [Secretary of State](http://sos.georgia.gov/elections/election_results/2008_1104/003.htm) is showing Saxby Chambliss to be about 5000 votes shy of the 50% heā€™d need to avoid a runoff with Jim Martin. But there are a good number of rural precincts that are listed as having not reported, one or two per county from a long string of counties. If they are for real, that could put Chambliss back over 50%. I think youā€™d need someone from Georgia to tell for sure. 4. Alaska, where thereā€™s all sorts of questions. First, is Ted Stevens the winner of the election? He seems to be, but I donā€™t think anyoneā€™s called it, and Iā€™m not sure why. His margin is only a few thousand votes, but thatā€™s out of ~200K votes, so thatā€™s nontrivial. If heā€™s won, the real question is what happens next. Presumably the incoming Senate refuses to let him be seated, Alaska has a special election for the vacant seat, Mark Begich runs again for the Dems, and the GOP nominates someone other than Ted Stevens. Possibly Sarah Palin runs; weirder things have happened. ---
**Author:** ![xenophon41](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xenophon41/32/253_2.png) [@xenophon41](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xenophon41)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2008, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-senate-elections-thread-and-house-too-if-you-want/471198/20 "2008-11-05T18:26:10Z")
> [@RTFirefly](#): > > Right now, the Senate races with some uncertainty to them are: > > 1. Georgia, where the [Secretary of State](http://sos.georgia.gov/elections/election_results/2008_1104/003.htm) is showing Saxby Chambliss to be about 5000 votes shy of the 50% heā€™d need to avoid a runoff with Jim Martin. But there are a good number of rural precincts that are listed as having not reported, one or two per county from a long string of counties. If they are for real, that could put Chambliss back over 50%. I think youā€™d need someone from Georgia to tell for sure. Someone from Georgia speakingā€¦ As of 1:23 EST, thereā€™s 3 large DeKalb Co. precincts and 4 large Fulton Co. precincts yet to report. These are metro counties which lean quite heavily Democratic and might more than offset the rural counties. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-senate-elections-thread-and-house-too-if-you-want/471198.md?page=2)