Stevens Loses Re-election; Senate Democrats Gain 58-Seat Majority

November 19, 2008 6:55 a.m. EST

Washington, D.C. (AHN) - Democrats are only two seats away from getting a 60-vote filibuster-proof majority in the Senate. Republicans lost their longest-serving member in the chamber Tuesday night after Sen. Ted Stevens (R-AK) was defeated.

The race in Alaska was called for Anchorage Democratic Mayor Mark Begich by major newspapers as final absentee and questioned ballots were tallied. Begich's victory gives Democrats a 58-vote majority in the Senate, including the two independents who caucus with them, Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-CT) and Sen. Bernard Sanders (I-VT).

They are looking to two other races to gain a 60-vote filibuster-proof majority: in Georgia, where the contest between Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R-GA) and Democrat Jim Martin is headed to a runoff, and in Minnesota, where Sen. Norm Coleman (R-MN) and Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party candidate Al Franken will have to wait at least a month until after a statewide manual recount begins on Wednesday. Stevens' defeat comes the same day Senate Republicans held party leadership elections but decided to postpone a vote on whether the expel him. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), who retained his top GOP post in the chamber, and Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) have both called for Stevens to step down. Republicans plan to vote on Thursday on the expulsion resolution introduced by Sen. Jim DeMint (R-SC).

Stevens was found guilty eight days before election day of concealing $250,000 worth of gifts, including home improvements, from now-defunct oil services company VECO Corp. in his Senate financial disclosure forms from 1999-2006. He has maintained his innocence and plans to appeal his conviction.