Dec 03 2008 - Seattle PI
ATLANTA –– Georgia Republican Sen. Saxby Chambliss handed the GOP a firewall against Democrats eager to flex their newfound political muscle in Washington, winning a bruising runoff battle Tuesday night that had captured the national limelight.
Dec 22 2008 - Seattle PI
WASHINGTON –– Until recently, there were few better ways to start a lobbying career than by leaving the office of Sen. Ted Stevens of Alaska.
Dec 20 2008 - Town Hall
by Amanda Carpenter
Norm Coleman doesn’t want anyone to get too worried about the lead Al Franken has over him right now in the contentious recount for Minnesota’s Senate seat.
“By the time you receive this email, the temporary lead that will present itself to Franken will have taken place—and throughout the day that temporary lead will grow” Coleman Communications Director Mark Drake in a memo Friday morning.
Dec 20 2008 - American Enterprise Institute
by John C. Fortier
The winner of the incredibly close Minnesota Senate race between Norm Coleman and Al Franken is still yet to be determined, and the Governor Blagojevich scandal in Illinois greatly complicates the question of who will replace Barack Obama in the Senate. This is certainly not the first election in which close election results led to gubernatorial or senatorial involvement in the deciding the outcome. Nevertheless, the rather obscure laws about governors' ability to fill Senate vacancies and the Senate's ability to judge the results of Senate elections will likely get much attention in the weeks to come.
Dec 18 2008 - Town Hall
by Paul Weyrich
I am worried that the Minnesota United States Senate race in effect will be run by the United States Senate. When one has been around as long as I have, one has seen things that seem familiar. In the 1974 New Hampshire election in, one of the State's two Congressmen, Louis C. Wyman, ran for the Senate. On election night Wyman won by 355 votes but his opponent demanded a recount. After all the disputed ballots were counted, Wyman's opponent, John Durkin, was certified the winner of the Senate seat by ten votes. After another recount Wyman won by two votes. Durkin appealed to the United States Senate, which, under Article I, Section 5, of the Constitution, is the final arbiter of such disputes. The Senate Leadership declared the seat vacant. They told Governor Meldrim R. Thomson, Jr. to appoint an interim Senator. He brought back retired Senator Norris Cotton, paving the way for another Wyman–Durkin race. On August 8, 1975 a special election was held, which Durkin won. He served in the Senate until 1980.
Dec 09 2008 - Investor's Business Daily
by INVESTOR'S BUSINESS DAILY
Politics: The election of a Republican as the first–ever Vietnamese–American congressman is not an "odd news" item. Joseph Cao represents the future of the GOP — if it wants success.
The latest Republican standard–bearer was a Navy pilot who was tortured as a POW in North Vietnam. How ironic that in the wake of John McCain's loss, the most exciting victory for Republicans is that of one of the hundreds of thousands of Vietnamese boat people who fled their country's communist regime.
Dec 06 2008 - Investor's Business Daily
by Michael Barone
The world doesn't stand still. Case in point: the Georgia runoff election last week made necessary because Republican Sen. Saxby Chambliss failed, barely, to win an absolute majority on Nov. 4.
In that contest, Chambliss led Democratic challenger Jim Martin by 3%. In the runoff, he won by 14.8%. Same candidates, very different result.
Does this mean there has been a major shift toward the Republican Party? By no means. But it does tell us something about the balance of enthusiasm in the days after Barack Obama's historic victory.
In Georgia, the Obama campaign did a brilliant job of getting black and young voters to cast early ballots and came within 5% of carrying a state that had voted for George W. Bush twice by double–digit margins.
Some 3.9 million Georgians voted — a 19% increase over November 2004. Undoubtedly many of these new voters were eager to cast their votes for the man who will now become America's first black president.
Nov 30 2008 - Washington Times
ATLANTA | President–elect Barack Obama's promise of post–partisan politics got put on hold as he lent his voice to the roaring battle over Georgia's runoff election for the U.S. Senate, trying to help Democrats win a supermajority that would let them push their agenda through Congress.
Nov 25 2008 - Town Hall
by Scott Bensing
Election Day came and went, but the fight is not over. A run–off election in Georgia could very well determine Republicans’ ability to stave–off the disastrous legislation Democrats have promised to consider in the next Congress. I cannot emphasize enough the importance of this race to Georgia, as well as our nation. The stakes are high and there are some important things you need know about this election.
Nov 24 2008 - GOPUSA
by Matt Towery
For president–elect Barack Obama, the time has arrived to make his first big decision. And no, it's not if Hillary will be in the cabinet.
Obama used every possible political trick in the book to both secure his nomination and then trounce John McCain in the general election. Who can blame him? Politics is a contact sport.
And for the last few weeks it appeared that Democrats were far enough away from their goal of a 60–member, filibuster–proof U.S. Senate that there would be nothing gained by the president–elect getting his hands dirty and actively campaigning in the only U.S. Senate runoff in the nation –– that of incumbent Republican Saxby Chambliss vs. Democratic challenger Jim Martin in Georgia. But now circumstances have altered the political landscape, and Obama must make a choice.
Nov 20 2008 - Seattle PI
by SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER EDITORIAL BOARD
If you want to talk about change and the 2008 election, be sure to include the defeat of Alaska's powerhouse politician. While Gov. Sarah Palin was talking about change all over the country, Alaskan voters delivered it by voting out Sen. Ted Stevens.
The message and the opportunities created by Stevens' departure deserve attention in this state, where he liked to throw around his considerable political weight. He was so entrenched at home and in the Senate that he almost squeaked to victory even after being convicted of seven felonies. On Tuesday, however, Democrat Mark Begich, Anchorage's mayor, finally claimed the election with a 3,700–vote margin.
Nov 19 2008 - Seattle PI
ANCHORAGE, Alaska –– Sen. Ted Stevens, the longest–serving Republican in Senate history, narrowly lost his re–election bid Tuesday, marking the downfall of a Washington political power and Alaska icon who couldn't survive a conviction on federal corruption charges. His defeat by Anchorage Mayor Mark Begich moves Senate Democrats within two seats of a filibuster–proof 60–vote majority.
Nov 16 2008 - Center for Individual Freedom.
Comedian turned Democratic politician Al Franken had little to laugh about on Election night. By dawn the next morning –– after all of the votes were supposedly counted in his race against Republican Norm Coleman for one of Minnesota’s U.S. Senate seats –– the returns showed that Franken had lost narrowly by just 725 votes.
Coleman’s slim margin of victory meant that there will be an automatic statewide recount. But that’s the part of this story yet to come. The recount hasn’t even begun –– and won’t until later next week –– nevertheless Franken has already closed the gap convincingly.
Indeed, Franken must be more than amused now because, in the week following the election, Senator Coleman’s initial lead has all but evaporated –– without any significant stashes of uncounted ballots being uncovered or rejected votes being tallied.
Nov 14 2008 - Town Hall
by Amanda Carpenter
Republican senators are reluctant to take a firm stand to eject their colleague Ted Stevens from the GOP caucus before the outcome of his re–election race is determined.
Jim DeMint’s (R.–S.C.) calls to strip Stevens of his committee assignments and deprive him of participating in leadership elections have gained little support from the leaders of his party who have promised again and again they would take action to restore their party’s credibility.
Nov 14 2008 - Seattle PI
by GAIL COLLINS
Americans are going through election withdrawal, trying to adjust to life without poll numbers. Really, we've heard quite a bit of whining on this subject lately.
But there's still Minnesota! The U.S. Senate race there is up in the air. You may want to consider becoming totally obsessed with it, jumping out of bed every morning and racing to the computer to check for the latest vote count.
Or perhaps not. Still, it's something to hang on to.
Nov 13 2008 - Seattle PI
ANCHORAGE, Alaska –– Democrat Mark Begich has taken a 3–vote lead in his effort to unseat 40–year Republican Sen. Ted Stevens, who was convicted of felony charges in a federal trial last month.
Nov 12 2008 - Washington Times
After calling some residents in his western Pennsylvania district "racist" and "rednecks," Democratic Rep. John P. Murtha seemed in jeopardy of losing his job last month – until his political friends in Congress and the defense industry came to the rescue.
Nov 11 2008 - Washington Times
It's being billed as the "first race of the 2010 election cycle," and the national Democratic and Republican parties are furiously pouring money and manpower into the rematch.
Nov 10 2008 - Human Events
by Mike Bober
While majorities may be won and lost at the margins, both parties are shaped by the Members who hold their most solid seats. Although the obvious story of election night is liberal gains in both chambers of Congress, a deeper look at the results indicates that conservative Republicans have 17 good reasons to celebrate, as well. The vast majority of this year’s class of Congressional freshmen ran on solid conservative platforms; with the returning Members of the House Republican Study Committee, they will form a clear majority of Republicans in the 111th Congress.
Nov 07 2008 - Seattle PI
PORTLAND –– Democrat Jeff Merkley has ousted Republican Sen. Gordon Smith, a victory once considered unlikely against an incumbent who had highlighted his efforts to work across the aisle in hopes of surviving a wave of anti–GOP sentiment.
