Democrats win House; Senate still hanging
By early this morning, Democrats had picked up at least 27 seats in the House of Representatives, leaving them firmly in control. The battle for the Senate focused today on Montana and Virginia, where razor-thin margins raised the prospect of lengthy recounts.
In Montana, Senator Conrad Burns, a Republican, trailed his Democratic challenger, Jon Tester, by about 1,500 votes — less than one-half percent — with only one precinct’s results still unaccounted for.
In Virginia, another Republican incumbent, Senator George Allen, trailed the Democratic challenger, Jim Webb, by a margin well below the 1 percent that allows for a losing candidate to demand that ballots be counted again.
A recount in Virginia could mean prolonged uncertainty over control of the Senate, since a formal request can be filed only after the results are officially certified on Nov. 27, according to the state board of elections. Last year a recount in the race for Attorney General was not resolved until Dec. 21.
A victory in Montana would give the Democrats 50 seats in the next Senate. But to take control of the chamber away from the Republicans, they need to win Virginia as well, since Vice President Dick Cheney can cast tie-breaking votes.
nytimes
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