Unresolved Senate Races in the 2008 Election

Minnesota, Georgia, and Alaska still key battleground states

Nov 18, 2008

With election day already behind the American people and President Elect Barack Obama already building his staff, most people have gone back to their regularal lives

On Novemeber 4th, 2008, Democrats picked up six new seats in the Senate, helping them maintain control. However, there are still three seats that are not yet decided. In Alaska, the votes are being recounted, as well as in Minnesota, and in Georgia, a run off election is set for December 2nd, 2008.

Which Candidates Are In the Lead?

In Minnesota, the Republican incumbent, Norm Coleman, is ahead of Democratic nominee and former comic Al Franken by only two hundred and four votes. Altogether, that comes to about seven one thousandth of one percent. The votes are set to be recounted by hand starting on Wednesday, Nov. 19th. They will decide by Tuesday the 18th of November if they will include rejected absentee ballots in the recount.

In Georgia, Senator John McCain and former Arkansas Governor-turned-commentator Mike Huckabee are campaigning for the Republican incumbent, Senator Saxby Chambliss. He runs against Jim Martin, a former Georgia House member. The run off election will be held because of a Georgia law that states that unless a candidate gets the majority of the votes, they are not considered the winner. McCain, viewed as a party, is hoped to generate attention and excitement enough for the candidate that he may win.

And finally, although in the beginning Senator Ted Stevens had the lead in Alaska, Democratic nominee Governor Mark Begich now has a thousand, twenty two vote lead over Republican incumbent and seven time convicted felon, Stevens. Alaska allows absentee ballots to come in up to fifteen days after the election; the state is currently conducting a recount, and the results should be out by the end of the week.

A Filibuster Proof Senate

Even though the Democrats have control of the Senate with fifty seven seats, they need to claim these last three in order to be filibuster proof. "Filibuster proof" means that the persons with this power can suspend debate on a proposal and move on to voting on the legislature. Sixty votes are needed for something to be "filibusted" and if the Democrats take the last three races, that is exactly what they will have. If the Democrats lose these seats, they will still be in control of the Senate, as well as control of the House. Because of this, groups such as the DSCC (Democratic Senate Campaign Committee) are calling for contributions and volunteers. Additionally, Freedom’s Watch is littering the airwaves with ads in support for Chambliss in Georgia. Voter turnout is the one thing both parties are pushing for, ultimately because that is the one thing that could win or lose an election.

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