Sen. Murkowski and Rep. Peltola will retain their seats in Alaska. Palin is again denied a political comeback.
The GOP’s nominee was defeated, but the party is now on its way to retaking the U.S. Senate, taking two seats from Democrats.
GOP presidential nominee John McCain’s presidential election win put Republicans in control of the Senate, with Vice President Joe Biden now in charge. But Senate Republicans will now have to win control of at least six state legislatures to retake control of the Senate.
McCain won his party’s only Senate seat, even though Democrat Joe Sestak won a recount in the race for the GOP nomination. It was a blow to the McCain campaign, but it didn’t change the fact that the Republican Party will now have the upper hand in the Senate.
McCain will have to defeat Democrat Joe Manchin in West Virginia for his party to take full control of the Senate. McCain must turn out big voters in states he now controls.
In Virginia, John Edwards will continue to campaign as a major challenger, though he is not expected to make a serious effort to unseat GOP Sen. George Allen. Republicans won their two Senate seats in Virginia by a combined 57-41 vote margins.
The Democratic Party will still have its chance to pick up seats in the Senate. Sen. Mary Landrieu (Louisiana) is the only Democrat in the Senate who hasn’t announced any plans to run for re-election.
A big factor holding Landrieu back from a Senate run is the fact that Republican Sen. David Vitter is running for his party’s nomination.
“The Vitter-Landieu race is a big, important contest to watch,” said Mike Noble, a veteran Democratic strategist from Louisiana.
Landrieu will continue to run strong race as a strong candidate in the South and a strong leader on the Senate Judiciary Committee.
“Landrieu’s ability to raise money, deliver her message effectively and continue to show she is a bipartisan voice is her best weapon and makes her a top candidate to watch come November,” Noble added.
Democratic challengers Mark Pryor, the governor of Arkansas and a future US Senator, and Bob Casey, a former US Senator from Pennsylvania, will take part in a televised debate June 18.
In Arkansas, Pryor is a former governor of the state who