Meet The New Senators

For the second time since 1974, Alaska elected a Democrat in a statewide race, even though it voted Republican for the 10th presidential election in succession. Mark Begich, mayor of Anchorage, narrowly defeated 40-year Republican incumbent Sen. Ted Stevens. Stevens had been convicted of seven felonies relating to ethics violations right before the election. Begich is the first Democrat elected to represent Alaska in Congress.

Rep. Mark Udall (D) defeated (53%-43%) former Rep. Bob Schaffer (R) for Sen. Wayne Allard's (R) open seat. Udall was the favorite and the money leader. He served in the Colorado House from 1996-98. He was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1998. If Sen. Ken Salazar is confirmed as Secretary of the Interior, Udall will become the state's senior senator.

Lt. Gov. Jim Risch (R) defeated (58%) former Rep. Larry LaRocco (D) to win the Senate seat vacated by Larry Craig (R). LaRocco and Risch last faced off in 2006, when Risch won the race for Lieutenant Governor. Risch had also served as Governor of Idaho; he held the Lt. Governor position twice. Risch is one of two new Republican Senators in the 111th Congress.

Former Bush Secretary of Agriculture Mike Johanns (R) returned home to run for the open seat created when Sen. Chuck Hagel (R) decided not to pursue a third term. He defeated rancher and professor Scott Kleeb, who lost a 2006 bid for the House. He is the second new Republican Senator in the 111th Congress.

Democrat Jeanne Shaheen defeated (52% to 45%) Republican John Sununu as he sought a second term in the U.S. Senate. This was a re-match: Sununu had won the open seat in 2002 with only 51% of the vote. Shaheen is the first woman to be elected both Governor and U.S. Senator; she served as Governor of New Hampshire from 1997 to 2003.

Democratic Rep. Tom Udall (unopposed in the primary) easily defeated (61%) Republican Rep. Steve Pearce to win the open seat created when Sen. Pete Domenici (R) chose not to run for a seventh term. And yes, the two Udalls are related: they're cousins. There have been only 10 known pairs of cousins to serve in the Senate; only two pair served concurrently. Their cousin Gordon Smith lost in Oregon; three concurrent cousins would have been a record.

Democrat Kay Hagan ended the Dole legacy with her stunning defeat (53%-44%) of Sen. Elizabeth Dole, who was seeking a second term. Hagan was a long-shot; prominent Democrats had declined to battle Dole. However, Barack Obama made North Carolina a priority state, and the Democratic Senate Campaign Committee spent more in North Carolina than in any other state during the 2008 campaign. Plus, Dole's last-ditch negative advertising backfired.

Dole had considered running for president in 2000 but instead ran for the Senate in 2002. She won the seat held by Jesse Helms; it was a Republican slot from 1972-2008.

Democrat Jeff Merkley, Oregon's speaker of the House, defeated Sen. Gordon Smith (R). Smith was the sole Republican holding a statewide office in Oregon. Smith won an open seat in 1996.

Mark Warner, former governor of Virginia (2002-2006), ruled out a bid for the White House in 2006 but in 2007 announced he would run for the U.S. Senate. In November, he trounced (65%-34%) former Republican governor Jim Gilmore. For the first time since 1970, Virginia has two Democratic Senators.