Double win in tense fight for Congress

WASHINGTON - Republicans scored a double-barrelled win in a tense fight for Congress yesterday, holding off a strong Democratic challenge to narrowly retain control of the Senate and the House of Representatives.

In the year's most unusual race, voters in Missouri elected their late Democratic Governor, Mel Carnahan, whose name remained on the ballot even though he died in a plane crash in October, over Republican incumbent Senator John Ashcroft.

His widow, Jean, will be appointed by the state's new Democratic Governor to fill his seat.

All 435 House seats and 34 of the 100 Senate seats were at stake in yesterday's voting, and Democrats had needed to pick up seven House seats and five Senate seats to reclaim congressional majorities for the first time since 1994.

They fell short in both chambers, although the wafer-thin Republican majorities appeared likely to shrink, particularly in the Senate, where by late last night Democrats had sliced the Republicans' 54-46 majority by three seats.

It is the first time since the 1920s that Republicans held power in the House and Senate for four consecutive congressional sessions, and will be the first time since 1953-55 that Republicans controlled the White House, Senate and House.

In the Senate, several Republican incumbents fell in addition to Ashcroft, with the most prominent being Republican Senator William Roth of Delaware, chairman of the Senate Finance Committee. He lost to Democratic Governor Tom Carper, who had won 10 statewide races.

Republicans struck back by capturing an open Democratic seat in Nevada and toppling Virginia Democratic Senator Charles Robb, whose loss to former Virginia Governor George Allen crippled Democratic chances to take control of the Senate.

A handful of crucial House races were still close and the final margin of power was unclear. Republicans scored well in races in the East and Midwest, capturing open Democratic seats in Pennsylvania, New York, Missouri and Virginia, while vulnerable Republican incumbents pulled out wins in Pennsylvania, Kentucky, Indiana and North Carolina.

The narrow majorities in both chambers are likely to lead to more partisan battling and could spark a rerun of the legislative gridlock that plagued Congress for the past two years.

- REUTERS

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