And Then There Were 53

[babylonsister]

http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2010_11/026488.php

AND THEN THERE WERE 53.... There were two unresolved U.S. Senate races going into yesterday, but last night, the close contest in the state of Washington was called in the Democrats' favor.

Senator Patty Murray of Washington State has won a fourth term, narrowly defeating her Republican challenger Dino Rossi, who conceded Thursday afternoon.

Her victory brings the number of Democratic seats in the Senate to 53, and reinforces a trend in which Democrats on the East and West Coasts were able to fight off Republican challengers while those in the South and Midwest were defeated. <...>

He conceded after Ms. Murray's lead widened with the latest vote counts from King County, home of Seattle and a trove of Democratic votes. Both The Associated Press and The Seattle Times called the race Thursday afternoon for Ms. Murray.

The outcome of the race in Alaska is still unclear, though Sen. Lisa Murkowski appears to have won, but the result won't affect the partisan makeup of the next Senate -- the remaining candidates are both Republicans.

As such, we now know that the next Senate will have a 53 to 47 Democratic majority (though two members of the Democratic caucus are independents). Democrats have now won a Senate majority for three consecutive cycles, the first time that's happened since 1992. Oddly enough, Mitch McConnell neglected to mention this yesterday when demanding that everyone respect his authority.

Also note, while Republicans defeated a whopping 49 House Democratic incumbents this week, the grand total of Senate Democratic incumbents who were defeated this week was two: Blanche Lincoln and Russ Feingold.

It's speculative, of course, but I suspect if you'd told Democratic leaders a few months ago that they've had a 53-47 majority next year, they'd not only be surprised, they'd probably be rather giddy.

—Steve Benen

[iamjoy]

1. Go Murkowski!

Of course I'd rather that had gone to McAdams. I think Murkowski is probably corrupt considering how she got her seat. But she's Pro-Choice and voted for the Matthew Shephard act. If she would repeal Health Care Reform, she's at least tried to get more funding for CHIP. But none of that is why I want Murkowski to return to the Senate. I want her to return because that be a stunning setback to Sarah Palin's tea party.


Russ Feingold really, really hurts.

[Clio the Leo]

3. Yep and while I would have rather had McAdams....

.... I'll take a RINO over a teabagger any day. (I almost typed "crazy teabagger" but that would have been redundant.)

[Hello_Kitty]

9. She is not pro-choice. She was rated at 14% by NARAL. eom

[Ter]

14. See, I disagree

If we have to have a Republican, I'd rather it be an extreme right type than a regular Bush conservative. The Lisa/Bush types are more pro-war anti-civil liberties. The Joe Millers/Rand Pauls hate the government so much they do not support the Patriot Act, nor are they beating the drums for war. I'm rooting for Miller.

[racaulk]

2. K&R!

[ellenfl]

4. actually it will be 52 to 48 when it comes to actually voting.

lieberman will vote with his buddies on the right.

ellen fl

[WI_DEM]

5. I would think Rossi would finally hang it up.

[WI_DEM]

6. 53 is a fairly solid number considering. The Dems, on the whole, did a good job

protecting the Senate--too bad about IL and PA senate seats which were so close.

[Orsino]

7. I'm sure that the Senate, even with a smaller Democratic majority...

...will continue providing the same brand of progressive leadership we have come to expect.

[WI_DEM]

8. what matters at this time is the committee chairmanships and the senate leadership

to put on the table what legislation will be considered. For instance, we can expect lots of crap to be passed by the house that the Senate can just sit on.

[jillan]

10. Dems STILL control the Senate and the Whitehouse - will someone please let the MSM know that.

They just don't seem to 'get it'.

[stubtoe]

12. I Know! It's maddening. If the situation had been reversed,

they'd be going on and on about how lame the Dems were, not even being able to win the Senate as well.

Ah yes. The MSM double standard.

[Scurrilous]

11. K & R

:thumbsup:

[AJH032]

13. Mitch McConnell

I agree with that assessment. He seems to think that he has acquired some new power that he did not previously have. Truth is, he's still the Senate Minority Leader. Nothing more.