• Tools:
• Save |
• Print |
• E-mail |
• Most Popular |

Canvass points to Democratic control of Senate

Adjust font size:

(CNN) -- A Democratic takeover of the Senate is appearing more and more likely after an ongoing canvass of votes in the Senate race in Virginia produced no significant changes, sources told CNN late Wednesday.

With Democratic challenger Jim Webb leading Republican incumbent Sen. George Allen by about 7,200 votes and the canvass about half complete, the Associated Press declared him the winner in the race.

CNN has not declared a winner.

A victory by Webb would put the new Senate lineup at 49 Democrats, 49 Republicans and two independents -- Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Joe Lieberman of Connecticut -- who have said they would caucus with the Democrats.

Virginia does not conduct automatic recounts in close races, but the apparent loser can request one after the votes have been certified if the margin is less than 1 percent of the total votes cast, according to the State Board of Elections. (CNN's Jeffrey Toobin analyzes a possible recount in Virginia -- 2:57 )

A source close to Allen told CNN that the senator "has no intention of dragging this out."

Meanwhile, a Webb aide told CNN that he plans a formal press conference Thursday morning to declare victory.

Democrat wins Montana seat, CNN projects

CNN projected that Montana state Sen. Jon Tester, a Democrat, will defeat Republican Sen. Conrad Burns.

Tester leads Burns by about 2,800 votes -- less than 1 percentage point -- with 100 percent of precincts reporting.

Montana's secretary of state has not officially announced a winner.

Earlier Wednesday, Tester declared victory in an interview with CNN.

"We feel good about winning this election and feel good about going to Washington, D.C.," he said.

However, Burns refused to concede defeat.

"John Tester ran a good race and has the lead right now, but it is extremely close," he said in a statement released Wednesday afternoon. "The state of Montana has a process in place, and it is our obligation to see it through."

In Montana, a recount can be requested by the loser if the margin of votes between two candidates is less than one-quarter of 1 percent.

If the margin is between one-half of 1 percent and one-quarter of 1 percent, the loser can petition for a recount if the candidate is willing to pay for it.

Other races

Democrats picked up four other GOP-held Senate seats in Tuesday's election.

Republican Sen. Jim Talent conceded the Missouri race to Democrat Claire McCaskill, saying, "The headwind was just very, very strong this year."

With 98 percent of precincts reporting, McCaskill -- who has been state auditor since 1998 -- led the freshman senator by 3 percentage points. (Watch how Missouri voters demanded that luster be restored to the American dream -- 6:14 )

Democrats won in Rhode Island, Pennsylvania and Ohio, all Senate seats previously controlled by Republicans.

Republican Bob Corker, former mayor of Chattanooga, Tennessee, beat Democratic Rep. Harold Ford Jr. to claim the seat being vacated by Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist.

Ford cultivated a moderate voting record, but the African-American congressman faced a tough task in winning over conservative Republican voters in Tennessee, especially in light of the Democrats' anemic record in the South over the last six years.

In Pennsylvania, State Treasurer Bob Casey Jr. defeated Sen. Rick Santorum, the third-ranking Senate Republican, and Democratic Rep. Sherrod Brown unseated Republican Sen. Mike DeWine in Ohio. (Watch what DeWine plans to do now -- 3:39 )

In Rhode Island, Sen. Lincoln Chafee, one of the few moderate Republicans in the Senate, lost to Democrat Sheldon Whitehouse, the former state attorney general. Though he has bucked the party line on some votes, Chafee -- whose father, John Chafee, held the seat for 20 years -- found the campaign trail difficult in the Democratic-leaning state.

In the current makeup of the Senate, Republicans hold 55 seats and Democrats control 44. Of the 33 seats up for re-election, the GOP was defending 15 of them and the Democrats 17.

Sen. Joe Lieberman, running as an independent after losing in the Democratic primary, won in Connecticut. (Watch Lieberman's victory speech -- 1:58 )

In New Jersey, Democratic Sen. Robert Menendez defeated Tom Kean Jr., and Maryland's Democratic Rep. Ben Cardin defeated Lt. Gov. Michael Steele, ending Republicans' hopes of picking off two traditionally Democratic states. Steele conceded the race Wednesday.

Pennsylvania's Santorum, one of the most conservative Republican senators, consistently polled behind Casey throughout the summer.

"This just was a little too steep of a mountain to climb, but it was not for want of people helping us climb it," Santorum told supporters. In Ohio, controversies involving the state Republican Party created a difficult political environment for DeWine, even though he was not connected to any of them.

"It just was not to be. This was not the year. We could not win," he said.

In other returns, independent U.S. Rep. Bernie Sanders won the seat that Sen. Jim Jeffords of Vermont is vacating. Jeffords is the lone independent in the Senate, though he usually votes with Democrats.

Political observers expect Sanders to vote along the same lines as his predecessor.

Many Republican and Democratic incumbents cruised to easy wins. (Full Senate results)

CNN's Dana Bash, John King, Suzanne Malveaux and Bill Schneider contributed to this report.

Crews forge progress against California fires Authorities overseeing the battle against hundreds of wildfires in California had a mixed assessment as the weather forecast for Sunday stirred both hope an ...

---

• 37 injured in fireworks misfire
• Lawn-chair balloonist reaches goal
• 91-year-old under car for two days
• Fake priest found at Vatican
• Too much skin? Create a dress code

• 37 hurt when fireworks misfire at show
• Lawn-chair balloonist makes it to Idaho
• FDA hunts for salmonella source in Mexico
• 91-year-old pinned under car for two days
• Obama says he's 'been very consistent' on Iraq

• Talkin' 'Icky Thump' blues (1:40)
• 'Why you treat yourself bad?' (3:15)
• Soviet culture returns (3:47)
• Unseemly rap lyrics targeted (3:29)
• Now In The News