South Dakota Senate
Thune Upsets Daschle
Tom Daschle, the Senate minority leader, appears to have lost a tight race to former U.S. Rep. John Thune. It's the first time since 1952 that a Senate leader has been defeated. Thune had lost a 2002 bid for a Senate seat by just 524 votes. Knocking off Daschle was a major goal for Republicans, who blamed him for holding up many Bush administration initiatives in the Senate. Daschle was the only Democratic Senate incumbent thought to be in any kind of danger.
Illinois Senate
Obama Defeats Keyes
State Sen. Barack Obama, the keynote speaker at the Democratic National Convention, is projected as the winner over Alan Keyes. Keyes is a conservative imported from Maryland after the original GOP nominee pulled out of the race. The seat was vacated by one-term Republican Peter Fitzgerald. This was the only race on the list where there was little suspense about the winner. Obama becomes just the third African-American senator elected since Reconstruction.
Alaska Senate
Murkowski Defeats Knowles
Alaska's Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski has won her first statewide election.
After Sen. Frank Murkowski was elected governor in 2002, he named daughter Lisa to his Senate seat.
The charge of nepotism was the big issue in a state that hasn't elected a Democrat to the Senate in 30 years.
Democrat Tony Knowles is a former two-term governor and probably the strongest candidate the party could have
come up with. But President Bush is overwhelmingly popular here, and powerful Republican Sen. Ted Stevens
pulled out all the stops to make sure Murkowski won.
Oklahoma Senate
Coburn Tops Carson
In a close battle in a very Republican state, the GOP candidate, former U.S. Rep. Tom Coburn, is projected as the winner over the Democratic candidated, Brad Carson. Coburn was part of the "Gingrich revolution" in the House, but left to honor his own commitment to term limits. Carson is a moderate-to-conservative congressman whose views on many issues are more Bush-like than Kerry-like. Carson, who is part Cherokee, would have become the Senate's only Native American, now that Colorado's Ben Nighthorse Campbell is retiring.
Colorado Senate
Salazar Knocks Off Coors
The Democrats get a win here. State Attorney General Ken Salazar, popular with rural voters, is one of two Hispanics running for the Senate this year (the other is Florida Republican Mel Martinez). Salazar had twice before won statewide office, and this time he defeated Republican Pete Coors of the Coors brewery family. Coors focused on his business experience and reminded voters of his strong support of Bush.
Kentucky Senate
Bunning Holds Off Mongiardo
This was originally thought to be a slam dunk for Jim Bunning, the former Hall of Fame baseball pitcher and congressman who was elected to the Senate six years ago. But a series of controversial actions and statements had some observers questioning Bunning's ability to survive a challenge from his Democratic opponent, state Sen. Daniel Mongiardo. Mongiardo was going nowhere until the reports about Bunning's stability began to surface. Democrats threw in a lot of money, hoping to score an upset.
Texas Congress 19th District
Neugebauer Ousts Stenholm
The battle for the House is best illustrated in several Texas districts redrawn by the GOP-dominated state legislature. The unusual mid-decade redistricting, engineered by House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, was designed to defeat four or more Democratic incumbents. Charles Stenholm, a moderate-conservative Democrat, has been a GOP target for years. And Republican Randy Neugebauer's victory knocks Stenholm out of Congress.
Florida Senate
Castor vs. Martinez: The White House Is Watching
The closeness of this race mirrors the presidential battle in the state. Democrat Betty Castor is the former state Education Commissioner. Her path to the Senate hit a hurdle following reports of how she handled a tenured professor when she was president of the University of South Florida. (The professor, Sami al-Arian, was accused of involvement with radical Islamic organizations.) The White House has been behind Mel Martinez, President Bush's former Housing and Urban Development secretary, from the beginning. He's a Hispanic in a state where a big Cuban-American turnout is pivotal for the GOP.
Louisiana Senate
GOP's Vitter Avoids a Runoff
Republicans had not elected a senator here since Reconstruction, but David Vitter, a congressman from New Orleans, managed to defeat three Democratic challengers and avoid a runoff, according to projections. In Louisiana, all candidates run on one ballot, with a runoff scheduled if no candidate wins at least 50 percent of the vote. Vitter defeated Rep. Chris John, endorsed by the Democratic establishment; state Treasurer John Kennedy; and state Rep. Arthur Morrell.
