Democrats retained their Senate majority Tuesday, losing six seats but winning key races in West Virginia and California.
Republicans scored impressive gains, taking Senate seats from Democrats in Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Arkansas, North Dakota and Indiana. They even won the seat that had been held by President Barack Obama before his election in 2008.
But the net gain of 10 they needed for control of the upper legislative chamber eluded them.
In the lower House, Republicans regained the majority they last held in 2006.
With Republicans in control of the House, Obama will need a Democratic—run Senate to champion his legislative agenda and get his nominees approved.
Veteran Democratic Sens. Russell Feingold of Wisconsin and Blanche Lincoln of Arkansas lost re—election bids.
But West Virginia Gov. Joe Manchin held off millionaire Republican John Raese to keep a Democrat in the seat held for half a century by the late Robert C. Byrd. And Democratic Sen. Barbara Boxer of California won a fourth term despite a spirited challenge from Republican Carly Fiorina.
Those victories left Republicans no way to take the majority. They possibly could achieve a 50-50 split. But Vice President Joe Biden, the Senate’s official president, would break ties in the Democrats’ favor.
Tea party champions won high-profile races in Florida and Kentucky, spearheading a likely cadre of libertarian-leaning Republicans who will press party leaders to be more adamant about lower taxes and less government spending.
Rand Paul of Kentucky and Marco Rubio of Florida rocked the Republican Party establishment last spring by routing leadership favorites in party primaries. Then they beat back Democrats’ efforts to paint them as too extreme, winning comfortably on Tuesday. Rubio is the son of Cuban immigrants.
In Utah, tea party-backed Mike Lee also won easily after snatching the Republican nomination from Sen. Bob Bennett in March.
“Tonight there’s a tea party tidal wave,” said an exultant Paul.
However, another well-publicized tea party darling, Christine O’Donnell of Delaware, lost to Democrat Chris Coons. She also won a stunning primary victory, but she failed to extend her popularity to the broader November electorate.
And the tea partiers failed to beat Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid in Nevada. The Democratic leader seized a fifth term after a vicious battle with tea party star Sharron Angle.
Meanwhile, a tempestuous three-way race in Alaska threatened to let Democrat Scott McAdams win a once-hopeless race for Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski’s seat. Murkowski was running a rare write-in campaign after losing the Republican primary to another tea partier, Joe Miller.
Feingold, a three-term Democrat, lost to Republican newcomer Ron Johnson in Wisconsin. Best known for efforts to tighten campaign finance laws, Feingold was the only senator to vote against the so-called Patriot Act passed after the 2001 terrorist attacks, calling it a dangerous infringement on civil liberties.
Lincoln fell to Republican Rep. John Boozman in Arkansas, where Obama lost by 20 percentage points two years ago.
Republican Pat Toomey won a hard-fought race in Pennsylvania, beating Democrat Joe Sestak. The seat was held by Republican-turned-Democrat Arlen Specter, whom Sestak beat in the primary.
Indiana voters sent Republican Dan Coats back to the chamber after a 12-year absence. Coats, who spent a decade in the Senate before stepping down in 1998, defeated Democratic Rep. Brad Ellsworth. The seat is being vacated by Democrat Evan Bayh.
In North Dakota, Republican Gov. John Hoeven handily won the Senate seat that retiring Democrat Byron Dorgan held for 18 years.
Republican Mark Kirk has captured the Illinois Senate seat once held by the president, dealing an embarrassing blow to Democrats. Kirk defeated Illinois Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias, who faced attacks over his family’s failed bank.
Among Republican Senators winning re-election were Mike Crapo of Idaho, David Vitter of Louisiana, Charles Grassley of Iowa and John McCain of Arizona. Democratic incumbents re-elected included Ron Wyden of Oregon, Patrick Leahy of Vermont, Kirsten Gillibrand
