The Freshman Class: Senate Edition
On November 4, 2008, thirty-five Senate races were held in elections across the country. While the majority of the seats were retained by incumbents, the following nine individuals were elected as new senators for the 111th Congress:
Mark Begich (D-Alaska)
Begich defeated embattled Republican incumbent Ted Stevens by 3,953 votes in an extremely tight contest that wasn't decided until all absentee ballots were counted on November 19.
Mark Udall (D-Colorado)
Udall bested GOP candidate Bob Schaffer by a 53%-43% margin to win the open Senate seat being vacated by Republican Wayne Allard.
Jim Risch (R-Idaho)
With GOP Senator Larry Craig's retirement, Risch handed Democrat Larry LaRocco a resounding defeat (58%-34%) for Idaho's open seat.
Mike Johanns (R-Nebraska)
Johanns won retiring Senator Chuck Hagel's seat over Democrat Scott Kleeb, 58%-40%.
Jeanne Shaheen (D-New Hampshire)
After a narrow loss for the same seat in 2002, Shaheen defeated Republican incumbent John Sununu by a 52%-45% margin.
Tom Udall (D-New Mexico)
Udall won retiring Republican Senator Pete Domenici's seat over GOP candidate Steve Pearce, 61%-39%.
Kay Hagan (D-North Carolina)
Hagan defeated incumbent Republican Elizabeth Dole 53%-44% in one of the most closely-watched and bitterly-contested Senate races in the country.
Jeff Merkley (D-Oregon)
Merkley bested moderate Republican incumbent Gordon Smith in a squeaker, 49%-46%.
Mark Warner (D-Virginia)
With Republican Senator John Warner's retirement, former Governor and Democrat Mark Warner easily defeated (65%-34%) GOP candidate Jim Gilmore for Virginia's open seat.
Yet to be decided: Minnesota's ridiculously close Senate race between incumbent Republican Senator Norm Coleman and Democratic candidate Al Franken. After a lengthy recount process that only ended this week, the Minnesota Canvassing Board on Monday certified Franken as the winner of the contest by a margin of just 225 votes, out of almost three million cast. However, a series of legal challenges by the Coleman campaign is likely to keep the race in limbo for at least the next several months. While Franken has claimed victory, he is unlikely to be seated as a senator until all legal issues have been settled.
Also to be resolved: the vacated or soon-to-be vacated Senate seats occupied by President-elect Obama (Illinois), Vice President-elect Joe Biden (Delaware), Secretary of State nominee Hillary Clinton (New York), and Secretary of the Interior nominee Ken Salazar (Colorado). Here's where we stand:
Colorado
Colorado Governor Bill Ritter has named Denver Schools Superintendent Michael Bennet to succeed Salazar as the U.S. Senator from Colorado. However, Bennet won't be sworn in until after Salazar's confirmation as Secretary of the Interior.
Delaware
While Joe Biden is being sworn in today for his 7th term as the U.S. Senator from Delaware, he will vacate his seat prior to the Inauguration in order to assume his role as Vice President. Delaware Governor Ruth Ann Minner has said she will appoint Biden's former chief-of-staff, Ted Kaufman, until a special election can be held in 2010. Kaufman is largely seen as a placeholder until Biden's son, Beau, can run for the seat after fulfilling his commitment with the National Guard in Iraq.
New York
With President-elect Obama tapping Senator Hillary Clinton as his choice for Secretary of State, several hopefuls have emerged in recent weeks for the soon-to-be vacated seat. United States Representatives Steve Israel and Carolyn Maloney are said to be in the mix for the position, but the favorite right now has to be Caroline Kennedy, daughter of former President John F. Kennedy. New York Governor David Paterson will name his choice for the seat in the coming weeks.
Illinois
Perhaps no Senate seat has attracted as much attention as President-elect Barack Obama's. While he remains under a cloud of suspicion following allegations that he attempted to sell Obama's seat, Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich last week appointed Roland Burris, a former Illinois Attorney General, to the seat. Given the allegations against Blagojevich, Senate Democrats have indicated that they will not seat his choice, and Burris will not be sworn in today. However, it is unclear at this point if the Senate has the constitutional authority to deny Burris of the seat. Stay tuned!
Mark Begich (D-Alaska)
Begich defeated embattled Republican incumbent Ted Stevens by 3,953 votes in an extremely tight contest that wasn't decided until all absentee ballots were counted on November 19.
Mark Udall (D-Colorado)
Udall bested GOP candidate Bob Schaffer by a 53%-43% margin to win the open Senate seat being vacated by Republican Wayne Allard.
Jim Risch (R-Idaho)
With GOP Senator Larry Craig's retirement, Risch handed Democrat Larry LaRocco a resounding defeat (58%-34%) for Idaho's open seat.
Mike Johanns (R-Nebraska)
Johanns won retiring Senator Chuck Hagel's seat over Democrat Scott Kleeb, 58%-40%.
Jeanne Shaheen (D-New Hampshire)
After a narrow loss for the same seat in 2002, Shaheen defeated Republican incumbent John Sununu by a 52%-45% margin.
Tom Udall (D-New Mexico)
Udall won retiring Republican Senator Pete Domenici's seat over GOP candidate Steve Pearce, 61%-39%.
Kay Hagan (D-North Carolina)
Hagan defeated incumbent Republican Elizabeth Dole 53%-44% in one of the most closely-watched and bitterly-contested Senate races in the country.
Jeff Merkley (D-Oregon)
Merkley bested moderate Republican incumbent Gordon Smith in a squeaker, 49%-46%.
Mark Warner (D-Virginia)
With Republican Senator John Warner's retirement, former Governor and Democrat Mark Warner easily defeated (65%-34%) GOP candidate Jim Gilmore for Virginia's open seat.
Yet to be decided: Minnesota's ridiculously close Senate race between incumbent Republican Senator Norm Coleman and Democratic candidate Al Franken. After a lengthy recount process that only ended this week, the Minnesota Canvassing Board on Monday certified Franken as the winner of the contest by a margin of just 225 votes, out of almost three million cast. However, a series of legal challenges by the Coleman campaign is likely to keep the race in limbo for at least the next several months. While Franken has claimed victory, he is unlikely to be seated as a senator until all legal issues have been settled.
Also to be resolved: the vacated or soon-to-be vacated Senate seats occupied by President-elect Obama (Illinois), Vice President-elect Joe Biden (Delaware), Secretary of State nominee Hillary Clinton (New York), and Secretary of the Interior nominee Ken Salazar (Colorado). Here's where we stand:
Colorado
Colorado Governor Bill Ritter has named Denver Schools Superintendent Michael Bennet to succeed Salazar as the U.S. Senator from Colorado. However, Bennet won't be sworn in until after Salazar's confirmation as Secretary of the Interior.
Delaware
While Joe Biden is being sworn in today for his 7th term as the U.S. Senator from Delaware, he will vacate his seat prior to the Inauguration in order to assume his role as Vice President. Delaware Governor Ruth Ann Minner has said she will appoint Biden's former chief-of-staff, Ted Kaufman, until a special election can be held in 2010. Kaufman is largely seen as a placeholder until Biden's son, Beau, can run for the seat after fulfilling his commitment with the National Guard in Iraq.
New York
With President-elect Obama tapping Senator Hillary Clinton as his choice for Secretary of State, several hopefuls have emerged in recent weeks for the soon-to-be vacated seat. United States Representatives Steve Israel and Carolyn Maloney are said to be in the mix for the position, but the favorite right now has to be Caroline Kennedy, daughter of former President John F. Kennedy. New York Governor David Paterson will name his choice for the seat in the coming weeks.
Illinois
Perhaps no Senate seat has attracted as much attention as President-elect Barack Obama's. While he remains under a cloud of suspicion following allegations that he attempted to sell Obama's seat, Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich last week appointed Roland Burris, a former Illinois Attorney General, to the seat. Given the allegations against Blagojevich, Senate Democrats have indicated that they will not seat his choice, and Burris will not be sworn in today. However, it is unclear at this point if the Senate has the constitutional authority to deny Burris of the seat. Stay tuned!
posted by Justine at 12:25 PM
1 Comments:
Scary stuff! Adding to the already criminal 14% approved congress... more nutcases more corruption.
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